Georgia pushed back the last layer of vines and bushes to reveal the entrance to the temple. She finally found it; after all these years, the last legacy of the Celene family would be hers. The young woman was ragged and on the verge of exhaustion, her clothes muddy and ripped, her face caked with dirt, and her hair a knotted mess. However, finally locating her goal filled her with renewed energy, and she slipped inside the stone structure, away from the heat of the midday sun.
The interior was about what one would expect, pitch dark, covered with overgrowth, and filled with dust. Georgia carefully lit her oil lantern and descended into the ruins, eager to claim her prize. This had been her dream since childhood since her mother first revealed their legacy to her.
“My dear child,” she recalled her mother’s words, “it is true, we are the last heirs to the Celene family. Out there somewhere is your birthright, the Celene family’s final legacy.” Georgia had learned much about the Celene family from her mother and her own personal research. They were a powerful noble family centuries ago, which had supposedly existed in some form or another for over a thousand years. Most experts conclude the later part was mere exaggeration and legend, but Georgia knew something they didn’t.
“The Celene are more than just nobles,” her mother once said, “they are magical. They are the true, rightful rulers of this world.” Georgia didn’t quite know all the details, but her mother had told her whatever the “final legacy” was, it would reveal the truth. It could be a priceless jewel, a source of power, or maybe even the secret to immortality. Georgia didn’t know, in fact, nobody knew, but soon she would find out.
Honestly, not even Georgia fully believed her mother’s claims about the Celene family. She did think there was something special about them, but she didn’t quite buy the idea they were magical. It must have been some secret, trick, or discovery of theirs that allowed them to persist for as long as they did. And down here, in this temple, she’d discover what that secret was.
Of course, not even the Celene family was eternal. They had collapsed a few centuries ago, as they did every few hundred years. The story goes the family would remain in power for 100-300 years, then spend a similar length of time in hiding or on the brink of destruction. Then, a new heir would rise to the occasion and restore the family to its former glory. Georgia knew that this time, it would be her.
“Our family was but a small branch of the greater Celene family back in the day,” her mother had explained. “But, by a stroke of luck, our humble branch survived the collapse, and now we remain the only heirs.” Georgia silently thanked whatever higher power watched over her ancestors that day. Thanks to them, she was here now, ready to claim her legacy.
The woman descended into the lowest parts of the temple; the darkness seemed to grow thicker, and the air staler. Georgia expected insects, snakes, and other creatures to be everywhere, yet it was almost entirely lifeless. There wasn’t a chitter or a hiss to be heard, which was almost worse in Georgia’s opinion.
Georgia took time to inspect the walls for runes, carvings, and tapestries, but she found nothing. The walls were barren, adding to the lifeless atmosphere of the temple’s depths. Georgia had expected so much more, colors, treasure, and long-forgotten writings. Yet, this temple appeared to be nothing more than a dull gravesite. But it failed at even that, for Georgia hadn’t found a single coffin or burial, not even an urn of ashes.
Georgia briefly considered giving it up. There was so little down here it had started to scare her. On the other hand, she felt so close to a breakthrough. She had descended so far already that she had to be near the bottom.
A brief time later, the young woman got her wish. She found a large chamber at the end of a grand hallway. Its structure, location, and the coffin at the center all affirmed that this was what she was looking for. This must be the resting place of the “last legacy,” buried alongside the previous heir. If not, then what was the point of such a grand room?
Georgia approached with caution, ready for traps that never came. She took care to cover her mouth as she popped open the coffin. Her eyes gleamed over the contents, expecting gold, jewels, and a skeleton, but she found nothing. No legacy, no treasure, not even a body. Was this even the temple? Had it all been a waste? What’s the point of this tomb if nothing were inside?
All these questions and doubts assaulted Georgia all at once. The young woman just couldn’t take it and collapsed in a heap. Tears streaked down her face as the weight of failure crushed her completely. Georgia tried to stand herself up, leave this place and have her breakdown elsewhere, but in her haze, she dropped her lantern, which shattered on the hard stone floor.
Now, in pitch darkness, Georgia’s panic only worsened. Her heart raced, her mind broke, and her body collapsed into another heap of tears. It all looked hopeless, not helped by the fact she had waited her whole life for this moment. Then the sound of light footsteps echoed from down the hall. Georgia snapped back to attention. She knew no one else could be down here and that no one could have followed her for this long without her knowing. Yet, the footsteps continued, and with them a blinding white light. Far greater than the light her lantern could produce.
In stepped an angelic figure, garbed in a white dress, with long blonde hair, her skin was almost porcelain white and her person untouched by dirt or grime. Her presence alone seemed to emit the white light, and her expression was perfectly tranquil.
Georgia wondered if she had finally cracked or if this was an angel of death come to take her soul. The figure approached the young woman and stood before her, a single finger outstretched.
“There is nothing here for you,” a voice echoed throughout the temple.
“But, I’m here for my birthright, my legacy!” Georgia croaked out.
“It is not yours to claim,” the voice snapped.
“But I’m the next heir to the Celene family!” Georgia argued.
“No, you are not,” the voice countered. “You are a trespasser, a fake, and a descendent of liars.”
“What?” The young woman was confused as the figure’s light grew brighter.
“Begone!” The voice commanded.
~--~
“No!” Georgia snapped awake and looked around. It was dawn, and she was at her campsite, mere meters away from the entrance to the temple. At her side, her oil lantern had rolled over a ledge and shattered. The young woman rubbed her temple, concerned over the horrible dream before she turned to observe the temple. However, what was once a temple, covered in overgrowth, was now a decayed husk.
“Impossible,” Georgia muttered. If there was a temple, it only existed there long ago. All that remained were a few broken walls, massive overgrowth, and rubble.
“A dream?” The woman said to herself and breathed a sigh of relief. “But what parts were the dream?”
~~~~
Sometimes legends are just that, sometimes they're a little bit more, but in almost all those times, we don't have all the facts.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
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