7: The Temple of Panhenge

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1 week later, the six regathered back to their usual spot where they hangout. "So, did you find anything about the legends?" Kate asked. "I feel like all of us did. Who's first?" GarryBlox replied. "I can go first." Jerome replied. Jerome explains the story about the Element of Strength, then Kate explains the story about the Element of Beauty, then the Element of Bravery, then the Element of Hope, and then the Element of Healing. "So we've all figured out about each of the legends. Let's inform Wisp and Crainer about it." Chrissy replied.

"I've always wondered what happened to Slogo. This is quite a discovery, guys." Crainer replied. "So it's genuine? You can verify that this journal really belonged to Slogo the Wizard?!" Zud asked. "Indeed. From the looks of it, the last thing he wrote before facing the Shadower." Wisp confirmed. "Uh... So, the Shadower was really real?" Chrissy asked, and Crainer confirms with a nod.

"Hold on a second now. All those legendary people were real, too? And they went off with Slogo to face the Shadower, and then none of them were ever heard from again?" Jerome asked. "Uh, yeah. Weren't you listening?" GarryBlox said, getting a fierce look from Jerome. "But what happened to them all?" Mitzefy asked. "They must have defeated the villain, since the people is still full of light and hope." Kate quipped.

"But how? And where did they go?" Crainer asked. "Solving a hundreds-year-old mystery could take forever! Think of the research! The re-reading! The re-re-reading!" Wisp exclaimed. "Uh... how long will all this research take, exactly?" Chrissy asked. "Let's get this back to the library. I'm sure we'll figure out what happened in no time." Zud replied. Being excited, they all excitedly chatter about finding out the legends.

But it wasn't what they expect... as they were still searching continuously for three days.

After three days of research and cross-referencing, Zud and the others have made little progress in deciphering Slogo's writings, largely due to their illegibility. "These handwritings are so hard to read. Man, I wish the professor can help us. His handwriting's similar to Slogo's." Mitzefy said, sulking. "Zud, we've been studying and referencing and cross-referencing for three days straight now." Jerome said. "Perhaps it is time to take a break. This mystery is over a hundred years old, after all. Another day or two won't make a difference." Kate requested. "Two days?! I don't want to waste two seconds! I'm close to an answer. I can feel it." Zud shrieked. There was silence until Crainer spoke.

"'Hearg sylfum se Panhenge'. What's that?" Crainer said. "The Temple of Panhenge?! You can read that?!" Zud shrieked. "The handwriting's pretty sloppy, but it's nowhere near as bad as mine." Crainer admitted. Crainer continued reading the handwriting. "'Toward dol grimlic of Fola Firgenbeorg'?" "'At the base of Steed Mountain'... Wisp added. "'User endemest scield.'" Crainer continued reading. Zud realised and gasped. "'Our last stand.'". The eight looked at each other, until GarryBlox broke the silence. "Well, that sure sounds like a clue to me."

They arrive at this place, the Temple of Panhenge, at the Steed Mountain. "This is it. Panhenge. I can't believe it." Zud said, in disbelief.

"I've never seen magical runes like these before! Have you?" Wisp asked, leading to Zud shaking his head. "I don't think anybody's seen any of this for a long time." Chrissy said. Chrissy attempts to pull a vine out, but ends falling to a nearby bush. Jerome pulls her out. "It'd take a whole team of people to clear away all this brush." Jerome said. "Even then, I'm not sure we'd find out what happened here over a hundred years ago." Mitzefy said. Zud sighed. "You're right. I suppose it was a long shot." He sulked. "Cheer up, Zud. Finding a whole set of ancient ruins is pretty impressive. Maybe you could write a paper on it." Wisp said, assuring Zud. "I guess I hoped we'd get here and the mystery would just magically be explained." Zud said.

But when Zud places Slogo's journal on one of the rock platforms, it activates an old holographic recording of Slogo, Nico, Biffle, Jelly, Henwy, and Sigils. Zud gasps. "Slogo?! I... I've wanted to meet you my whole life! I can't believe you're here!" But Slogo didn't respond. "I don't think he is here. I don't think any of them are." Wisp said. The Pillars summoned the Shadower, who was after the Pillars.

The Shadower laughs evilly. "You summon me at your peril, Slogo! Once I defeat all of you, this realm will embrace the darkness as I did so long ago!" He roared. The Shadower uses his black magic to capture the Pillars. Which they struggled to get out of. The Shadower laughs evilly again. "Drawing me here will only make me stronger. You will never defeat me!" The Shadower exclaims. But what the Shadower didn't know was that Slogo and the other Pillars had a plan. "We did not come here to defeat you." Slogo said. Slogo uses his dark magic to break free from the Shadower's magic, and the other Pillars, by the help of the artefacts the Pillars used to their problems in the past. "What are you doing?!" The Shadower exclaimed. "We came... to contain you." Slogo said. The Shadower screams as he gets banished by the Pillars, sacrificing themselves in the process. The imaginary artefacts the Pillars used fell onto the rocks, vanishing once the artefacts touched the rocks. The book then closes, which brings them back to reality.

"Well, you did ask for a magical explanation!" GarryBlox quipped, breaking the silence.

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