[Somewhere in the Amazon Rain Forest]

Archaeologist Charles Allan and his crew had heard a rumor, more like a myth really, of an ancient cave which was said to be dug by a god. The legend, as Charles had understood, stated that billions of years ago there was a lunar eclipse which shone a beam of pure energy unto the earth. That beam was said to carry a piece of a god.

Charles did not really believe that story.  But he had enought prove that something had indeed landed somewhere in that very forest a few years back. He had listened to the stories told by the shamans of the Tuawa tribe, simply because they knew the area well and they could point him in the right direction. And perhaps this myth might somehow be related to his case. It was a slim chance, but he had to take it. It was his only lead.

He had been traveling around the world since he was but a boy. It was worth it, for he had found many remarkable things along the way. And the great thing about being an explorer is that there was always something new in this planet waiting to be discovered. So when Charles’ father passed away, he took up his mantel and created a new team by recruiting three candidates and began his own journey, which had led him here, perhaps his greatest discovery yet.

“I’m telling you, there’s nothing here worth searching for.” John, one of his crew mates complained. Charles could see why the young man was annoyed. They had been searching this area for almost two days now without any real success. The mosquitoes were feasting on them, and the cold nights were unbearable, even though they had brought proper equipments for the trip. Not to mention the long walks they had to do through the messy forest. And they had had to endure all of that because of a hunch that Charles had, because that’s all that he really had; a hunch.

“You’re right.” Charles admitted after they had stopped to rest near a tree. John took off his backpack and sat on a rock. The other two, Alain and Mia, did likewise. “Perhaps we should just leave this be.” Charles added. “We can’t go through this without any further clues. So after the break, let’s just start heading back. There are many other-”

“No way,” Alain interrupted.

“Al, we have no choice.”

“No not that. Look.” The man motioned for everyone took at what he was looking. Charles did so. And he could not believe his eyes when he saw what it was. The large ancient tree stood as tall as a skyscraper. It was huge and extremely old. Perhaps too old to be a real one. That had intrigued Charles more than he liked to admit. He had seen many rare and inexplicable things in his life, but this. This was certainly worth the hardship he had endured he past few days.

Charles approached the huge tree to examine it closely. It was as ancient as the pyramids of Egypt, maybe more. Its branches stretched awkwardly in all direction, but symmetrically. If anything, it looked like someone had built it to look like it.

“How in god’s name did we miss this?” John asked, starring up.

“We didn’t,” Charles answered, coming up with the only logical explanation however ridiculous it sounded. “It wasn’t there when we flew by.” Charles and his crew had come to the forest in a helicopter and they had flown by this area before landing on an open plain nearby. And they certainly did not spot this particular tree, which clearly stood above all others.

“So you’re saying that it just popped out of nowhere?” John asked skeptically, and laughed.

Charles did not bother to answer the man who clearly did not want to be there in the first place. He guessed that John had accepted the invitation to join the crew simply for the money. And the only reason Charles accepted him was because of his skills in hiking, which was quite useful when it came to exploring the unexplored. It was a must to have him in the team.

Just like John, the other two also had unique skills: Mia was an excellent navigator, possessing a keen sense of direction. And Alain was just an old friend of Charles who loved adventures and knew a lot more than what it seemed.

They were the only people available at the time, when Charles put the team together.

“Guy’s look,” Mia called. “A door.” It small and hidden under loosed leafs. There, at the base of the trunk, was a small entrance to what seemed to be a cave.

“Come on.” Charles picked up his bag and threw it inside. Luckily it was big enough for him to slip through afterwards. So he took out his flash light and crawled inside, followed by Mia, John, and Alain.

Once inside, they took out their flash light and made sure they worked properly before heading deeper. The tunnels were narrow, only big enough for them to pass through.

It was too dark for them to really see anything other than where they were going. And for the next few minutes or so, they walked. John started complain about how hot it was inside, but everyone ignored him. They were all already used to his idle complains. Mia and Alain just chuckled.

Charles wasn’t even listening at all. He was more interested in figuring out where this tree had come from and why was there a cave here. The thought of the whole beam shinning upon the earth even crossed his mind, but he ejected it quickly. Maybe they had missed the tree when they had come with the helicopter. After all, they weren’t really checking the terrain when they flew past. Still, the tree was huge in comparison to the rest. He would’ve remembered seeing something like that.

A light in the distance interrupted his inner debate. He told the others to keep close and pushed forward with caution. It could be the end of the tunnel. And if it was, then all of this would’ve been for nothing. All the mystery of it would disappear. But it wasn’t...

Instead they found themselves in a bigger opening. No, not bigger, huge. And the lights came from the many lit torches embedded on the walls and ceiling. It was all decorated by many odd drawings and symbols carved even on the very ground. Charles wasted no time in taking pictures and analyzing them. He didn’t question why there were lit torches and no footprint of anything, besides theirs, and went to work. This would be his greatest discovery yet.

There was a single drawing which caught his attention above all else. It looked to be a pregnant woman during labor, joined by three men offering her gift. Charles studied it for awhile.

The first man held what looked like a treasure chest but made of gold and diamonds. The second was kneeling down holding a sword carved with many symbols and a golden handle. And the third offered a sphere about the size of a football. If it held any meaning, Charles did not know. It was odd, yet fascinating for him, especially the shadowy figure which stood beside the woman holding her hand.

“Charles, over here,” Mia called him. She was removing stones from a pile of rocks, uncovering something shiny. Under that pile was a chest. Very much like the one he had seen in the drawing. It was made of gold, diamonds and rubies decorated the strange symbols carved on its sides and the figure of a female on top. It was worth millions, maybe billions, in cash. But money was never the purpose of this journey.

“What do you think is inside it?” Alain asked, standing beside them.

“I don’t know.” Charles shook his head. But it was interesting indeed. From the looks on the place itself, no one had been here for years. The many webs and dust surrounding the place supported it. But it did not explain why the torches were still lit after so many years.

“Open it.” Alain suggested.

Charles nodded and slowly approached the chest. As he came close, his hands trebled and his fingers began to sweat. He remembered the drawing. He knew there was more to it than that. That it held some meaning, perhaps an event of the past. But it didn’t make sense why people would give a woman such presents. Then again, nothing made sense. Not the tree, not the tunnels, and definitely not this ancient chest. Which compared to everything else, it was clean. It had not a single dust on it and it shone even in the absent of light.

He grasped the lock and hesitated for a moment. It took him all his courage and will to proceed. And then...He pushed the top open...

Then several things happened at once.

He heard a voice that both boomed and whispered the word, “Xάοs”

There was a blinding flash of light, followed by an unknown force which pushed him backwards. But before he hit the ground, for a split second, he saw something black wound through the light and disappear.

After a minute or so, he recovered with a headache. It took him several more minutes for his vision to recuperate from the flash. Then he saw Mia and the others looking up and he followed their gaze...

Above them was a giant hole to the outside world….

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Author guidance for This story

Hey guys. This is yet another short story. It will only consist of just five chapters which I will be posting very soon.
This also to test my writing skills and serves as an intro to my other short soty, "Give me you soul."
Enjoy :)

updated Oct 25 '11 by Alex_Suarez