--
Kaari showed me a hidden place deep in the jungle.
It was an ancient, half-sunken temple — once known as Sun Fang's Heart.
At one time, it was the sacred core of her people.
Now? Just stone, blood, and ashes.
---
"This is where it all ended…"
Her voice carried a broken rage.
I asked, "What were your people hiding that brought the Bone-Eaters here?"
She replied — "We never knew. But my father once said… if we ever fall, break the 'Heart.'"
---
At that exact moment, the system pinged:
[Quest Update: Heart of the Tribe – Hidden Objective Unlocked]
> Find the Hidden Chamber beneath the Temple
Warning: Insect Brood Awakening Detected
New Objective: Unlock 1st Memory Totem
---
Together, Kaari and I pushed aside the stones.
Beneath was a spiral stone staircase, descending into darkness.
I lit a chipped torch — and Kaari began chanting a tribal verse:
> "From the blood of the sun, bring light to the belly of the night."
With those words, the ground vibrated.
Something deep below shifted awake.
---
As we descended, we heard a strange sound… like the earth was breathing.
The walls were covered in fungus — glowing softly as we passed.
Kaari whispered:
"These… remember. These are living memory spores."
---
Soon, we reached a chamber — and there it was: the Totem.
A half-burnt statue, with a cracked crystal heart embedded in its chest.
When I touched it… the system reacted instantly:
---
[Totem Absorption Initiated]
> Accessing: Sun Fang Memory Echo #1
Memory Subject: Chieftain Valak, Year -173
Processing…
Warning: Anomaly Detected. Insect Entity Intercepting Memory Stream.
---
My mind exploded with a sharp surge.
I was pulled into the Memory Realm.
---
Inside the Totem Memory – A Century Ago
Valak — a towering beastkin chieftain — was fighting someone.
But it wasn't a Bone-Eater.
It was a humanoid insect… with obsidian wings and eyes like stars.
> "We offered you peace, Valak."
"We offered you evolution!"
And then, the insect shattered the totem —
The same crystal now lying before us.
---
The memory ends. I feel dizzy.
Kaari supports me.
"Are you okay?"
I say:
"What killed your tribe… wasn't the Bone-Eaters.
They were just pawns."
---
[Quest Updated: Legacy of the Hive]
> New Threat Identified: Abyssal Insect Lords
Data Fragment Unlocked: Hive Protocol – 1%
Next Totem Location: Marsh of Hissing Fog
---
Before we leave, Kaari pulls a clay orb from the totem.
It bears a strange symbol — the shape of a shifting form.
"What is this?" I ask.
She replies:
"My father used to say… one day, an Aakarrah will return — the Shapeless Protector.
Maybe… that's you."
I look at her, and the system flashes a new message:
> Title Candidate: The Remembered Form
---
And then… we hear a clicking noise from the ceiling.
We both look up…
And a spider-winged humanoid drops into the chamber —
With broken beastkin skulls hanging from its claws…
---
Next Chapter Tease:
Chapter 6 – The Guardian of the First Totem
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