The scent of roasted meat still lingered in the air. Birds chirped lazily outside the open window. Inside the house, sunlight filtered through enchanted glass, casting rainbow patterns across polished floors. Everything felt peaceful.
Kael was mopping the hallway.
His arms were sore. His back ached. But oddly, it was the happiest he'd been in years.
The robot floated beside him, inspecting his work.
"Acceptable," it said in its metallic, emotionless voice. "Avoid damaging the floor. Master Ray dislikes uneven polish."
Kael wiped sweat from his brow and nodded. "Got it."
The robot hovered toward the kitchen. "Initiating stew cycle. Do not wander. Do not touch forbidden rooms. And most importantly, do not—"
The kitchen door slid shut.
Kael tilted his head. "...Don't what?"
He glanced back down the hallway.
There was a door at the end.
A plain door. No locks. No warnings. Just… there.
Curiosity sparked.
And curiosity, as always, got the better of him.
---
The room was vast—larger than any he'd seen in the house so far. The air inside was cold. Still. Heavy.
Statues lined the walls—knights in armor, cloaked warriors, beings with wings and horns and weapons unlike any Kael had ever seen. Each figure seemed ready to move at any moment, frozen in the middle of a march.
Beasts too—colossal stone forms of dragons, serpents, shadowy hounds, and stranger, unnameable things.
And at the very back of the room…
A weapon rack.
Swords that hummed faintly.
Spears glowing with ancient magic.
A floating black cube that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Kael's breath caught.
His body trembled—not from fear, but pressure. Like the air itself was trying to crush him.
He took a step forward, eyes locked on a sword with a blue gem embedded in the hilt. His hand moved toward it, barely conscious.
Then the air shifted.
"Do. Not. Touch."
A cold voice echoed.
Kael spun around.
The robot stood in the doorway, face unreadable.
"Leave now."
Kael stumbled back. "I-I didn't mean to—"
The floor beneath him shimmered. The pressure spiked—his legs buckled.
The robot moved faster than sight. It grabbed Kael and launched out of the chamber, sealing the door behind them with several layers of glowing sigils.
Kael gasped for air once they were out.
"What… was that?"
The robot hovered in silence for a moment.
"That was the Gravehold," it finally said. "A sealed armory. A prison. A tomb."
Kael blinked. "Why's it under the house?"
The robot's eye glowed faintly. "Because no place in this world can contain its contents—except this one."
Kael swallowed hard.
"Let this be your first and final warning. Curiosity here does not reward. It destroys."
He nodded slowly, chest still heaving.
From deep behind the sealed door, something stirred.
Just for a moment.
Then silence.