The Time Stone, Third Edition (Extended Version)
Chapter 42

James and Tina entered the room to replace the altar had archaic writing and high relief sculptures of lions and dragons and other beasts not completely familiar to them. There is an insert in the altar for a pentagonal object like that on the key, but larger, and a series of curtains red in color, surrounding the altar, somehow perfectly preserved though looking very ancient. There is writing on a pedestal elevated above the altar and around the insert.

“Well, this looks like it’s too big to fit the key, but we don’t have it anymore, so this must be for something else, right?”

“I think so, Tina. Can you make out the writing?”

“I am getting experienced in this aren’t I?” She looks at it and read it aloud, “what shines through walls is not as great, a visible terror, an enormous wake, you can pass through to enter to your heart’s content, there it is, the greatest search intent.”

“So, they were not too great on rhyming, these Pregivers, huh?” asks James.

“What do you think it means?” asks Tina. “I only translate; you’re the expert at solving these riddles, looks like our homecoming party will be delayed by a bit too.” Tina looks away while James thinks.

“Enter, pass through, not so great an instance in the walls… that’s it, it’s in the walls.” He ran past the altar and squeezed through the tight crevice between it and the wall to get to the wall behind it, and in a blind leap of faith, he stuck out his hand, which passed right through the wall as if it were liquid, and he felt an object and grabbed it, pulling it out. He held it up to Tina, a green emerald pentagonal shape like the key, but slightly larger.

“Holy cow, James that is amazing” screamed Tina.

“Thank you, thank you. I don’t like to brag.” He hopped over the altar and stood with her before the insert.

“That looks big enough to do the job. Let’s get this over with, buddy.” Tina says and without another word, James inserted the object into the insert and both object and altar lit up, blinding white, causing a hot white flash of bright light to fill the room. As it cleared, the object began to glow bright green and from it a yellowish haze of light emerged like a single stream in a vacuum of air; it pressed forward into the air between James and Tina as they turned with a momentous sigh and simultaneous “whoa”.The light swirled clockwise rapidly and then reversed and swarmed back towards the wall twice before erupting before them in a large circle of light, a portal of light, and then visible in its interior as a pass through to someplace else, it vibrated, shimmering before them in translucent colors which somehow filled the room with a soft noise, soft and whispery as well as a sense of tranquility and calm. James lifted the object out of its insertion and the altar’s light turnoff, but the circle of light remained before them.

“I think that device activated this thing, James. The altar may have been some type of charger” says Tina.

“It looks like it has not been active in ages. I guess this is what the Protector once protected” James adds.

“Do you think this is what the Pregivers’ treasure was?” asks Tina.

“Seems logical” says James.