Click.

A sound echoed through the chamber.

Then another.

Clunk—clunk—grrrrk—

The platform beneath the cube shifted. Runed lines across the floor lit up in pale silver, synchronizing with the cube's heartbeat-like glow.

Everyone spun toward the altar.

The cube was moving.

It unlatched—split—folded. Shifting like liquid metal and dust. Its pieces unfolded like drifting petals, then split further, forming intricate, moving runic segments.

"Nano-structure…?" Oliver muttered in disbelief. It was tech far beyond this era.

The cube expanded — runes shifting, sliding, locking into new configurations. Metal extended like flowing silk, then hardened.

A torso formed. Then limbs. Hips. Shoulders.

A head.

Curved armor seamlessly flowed over the structure like a second skin — not bulky like a knight's armor, but elegant, shaped with inhuman precision.

Slender waist. Delicate shoulders. Long limbs.

Soft curves.

A distinctly feminine silhouette.

In seconds, what was once a cube—

Now stood a woman.

Or something shaped like one.

Her body was made of silver-white alloy, polished smooth as water, embedded with glowing runic seams along her collarbones, thighs, and wrists. Fine hair—no, threads of silver filaments — cascaded down like metallic silk.

Her face was expressionless, carved with delicate features. Eyes closed.

Standing there.

Silent.

Beautiful.

Unreal.

Oliver blinked once.

Then said the only thing that came to mind.

"…Damn."

Even Isolde — who had seen more than most living people ever would — raised an eyebrow.

Ronald instinctively moved in front of the princess, sword drawn. Knights shakily followed suit.

Elisha didn't speak, but her eyes were wide— in wonder, shock… maybe fear.

A tiny hum came from the construct.

Whrrr—click.

Her fingers twitched.

Oliver's grip tightened around his sword.

"Uh… Is she waking up?" he muttered.

Isolde's voice was calm but sharp. "Careful. If it's hostile—"

Before she could finish—

The construct's eyes opened.

Soft silver irises flickered to life.

She blinked once.

Then—

She looked directly at Oliver.

Her gaze landed on Oliver — and stayed.

Like recognition.

Like… acknowledgment.

Oliver froze.

Her lips parted, and with a soft, almost melodic mechanical voice—

"….Master?"

Oliver blinked, stunned. "Wait— what?"

The runes on her body dimmed to a soft glow as she tilted her head, studying him as if reading a familiar pattern only she could see.

"You are the one who awakened me," she said, voice steady, almost serene. "Therefore, by my creation protocols, your command supersedes all others."

Isolde stepped forward cautiously, her expression tight. "So she really is… a living rune construct."

Seraphine turned toward her. "Tenebris pattern detected. You… bear the signature of my creators."

For a moment, the air in the room thickened with ancient weight — past and present colliding.

Elisha whispered, awe and fear in her tone. "This… this is what my ancestor's expedition found."

Oliver exhaled slowly, eyes still locked on Seraphine.

But they didn't have time to contemplate here as the ruin started to shake and debris started to fall.

The tremors rolled through the chamber like thunder underwater — deep, heavy, impossible to ignore. Dust burst from the ceiling as cracks splintered down the ancient walls. Runes that had slumbered for centuries began to overload, their light flickering wildly between silver and crimson.

"Shit— it's collapsing!" Oliver shouted, steadying himself as the ground lurched beneath his feet.

"Move!" Isolde's voice cut through the chaos. She grabbed Elisha's arm and yanked her toward the tunnel they'd come from. "Now!"

The knights scrambled, forming a protective wall around the princess. Ariana was chanting under her breath, summoning barriers of blue light to shield falling debris.

But amid the roar and dust, Seraphine — the silver construct — didn't move. She stood perfectly still in the center of the dais, watching the chaos around her with calm, curious eyes, like a child seeing a storm for the first time.

Oliver turned back, teeth clenched. "We don't have time for this!"

He sprinted back toward her, boots sliding on the shaking floor. "Hey! Tin girl! Move!"

Seraphine tilted her head, the silver threads of her hair flowing around her face as the ground cracked open beneath the dais. "Evacuation protocol… acknowledged," she murmured.

Then she stepped forward — and in the same moment, the entire dais collapsed.

Oliver dove, caught her wrist, and pulled — but the motion reversed. Instead of him dragging her, she pulled him out of the air like a ragdoll with one effortless tug.

"Whoa—!"

He stumbled, nearly losing his footing. Seraphine's other hand lifted — and a shimmering barrier of runes exploded outward, deflecting a shower of stone that would've crushed them both.

Isolde turned, eyes wide. "That was—"

"Runes, yes!" Oliver yelled, hauling Seraphine toward the exit. "We'll talk about it later!"

They reached the tunnel just as a massive beam fell, sealing off part of the chamber behind them. The path quaked, twisting like the forest itself was alive.

Elisha stumbled, Ronald catching her before she fell. "This whole place is reacting to her awakening!" she shouted.

"No kidding!" Oliver grunted. "Next time, maybe we leave the ancient god-tech cube where it's sleeping!"

Even in the chaos, Isolde shot him a glare. "You're the one who touched it, idiot!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know!"

The tunnel opened into a wide archway — the last exit before the temple's surface. Ariana turned, chanted one last spell, and a glowing ward sealed the collapsing path behind them, buying a few precious seconds.

The moment they burst out into the open air, the entire ruin imploded.

A deafening roar followed, and a shockwave of dust and light rippled through the trees, scattering birds and shaking leaves from their branches.

For a long moment, nobody spoke.

The group stood there in silence, breathing hard, covered in grime and ash. The morning sky above the trees was streaked orange from the rising sun, a sharp contrast to the ruin they'd just escaped.

Finally, Isolde straightened, brushing dust from her robes. "Well," she said dryly, "congratulations, Oliver. You just woke up a relic that can level mountains."

Oliver glanced down at Seraphine, who stood beside him quietly — her gaze calm, curious, and almost human.

He sighed. "Yeah," he muttered. "And apparently, I'm her master now."

Seraphine looked up at him, the faintest smile crossing her face.

"Directive accepted. Awaiting orders… Master."

The forest wind carried the scent of smoke and dust.

Elisha stared at the pair, a chill running through her despite the morning light.

Whatever they'd uncovered — it was no longer just treasure.

It was something far greater.

Something that might change the world.

*****

The roar behind them finally faded into a long, hollow rumble — and then silence.

Just the faint whistle of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and the sound of human lungs gasping for air.

Oliver rolled onto his back, coughing up dust. His lungs burned, his arms trembled, and his entire body felt like it had been hammered. "Hah… hah… Holy shit… we're alive," he muttered, staring blankly at the treetops.

A few meters away, Ariana was sprawled out face-first, her staff lying beside her. "If I never see another ruin again," she mumbled weakly, "it'll be too soon…"

Elisha sat up slowly, still clutching her ribs. Ronald hovered near her instantly, scanning her for injuries, eyes wild with panic. "Your Highness! Are you—"

"I'm fine," Elisha cut him off, her voice strained but steady. Her once pristine robes were shredded, streaked with dirt and ash. "Barely."

A few feet away, Isolde dropped onto a patch of grass with a long exhale, dusting her hair off with one hand. "Remind me," she said flatly, "to strangle Oliver the next time he decides to touch something glowing and ancient."

Oliver groaned and lifted one hand from the ground in mock defense. "Noted…"

And then there was her.

Seraphine stood in the middle of the chaos, untouched. Not a single speck of dust marked her silver-white skin. Her glowing runic lines pulsed softly, steady and calm, reflecting in the broken fragments of sunlight filtering through the canopy.

Her head tilted slightly, like a curious animal watching humans struggle to breathe.

She looked at Oliver first — then at the others sprawled on the ground — and spoke, voice serene as ever.

"Structural collapse detected. Casualty count: zero."

"Gee," Isolde muttered, dragging herself upright. "Thanks for the update, sweetheart."

Oliver half-laughed, half-coughed. "You… you sound jealous."

She glared at him. "Jealous of what, exactly? The walking silver toaster that nearly killed us?"

Seraphine blinked once, then spoke again — tone flat, analytical.

"Toaster… does not match current database. Please clarify definition."

Isolde's jaw dropped slightly. "…She's serious."

Ariana pushed herself up on shaky arms, face smudged with dirt. "S-she talks like a golem, but she's… not one."

Oliver sat up, rubbing his head. "She's… something between. A sentient rune construct. The inscription called her Seraphine-01."

Seraphine's glowing eyes turned toward him again, focusing sharply.

"Correct. Primary designation: Seraphine-01. Core synchronization: complete."

"Blood signature: Oliver Shaw. Status: linked."

"Linked," Elisha repeated softly, staring at Oliver. "So she's… bound to you?"

Oliver exhaled, leaning back on his elbows. "Seems like it."

*******

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