Chương 218: LOG-209.

The entrance to the pyramid had surely been beautiful at some point, built and decorated with the kind of no doubt expensive and needlessly complex architecture that had been the hallmark of Era One design principles.

I could imagine the glistening white plating that had surely dominated one's attention in the past, interposed with stone-like walls that would shift and move in dizzying patterns upon a visitor's approach, paths and the tall, monolithic figures of long since toppled statues that had served to catch the eye just as much as they were intended to provide some practical benefit to their creators.

Surely there had also been murals, depicting White Diamond, the Empire's expansion, and various other suitably impressive things, by the average Imperial Gem's standards. Testaments to our kind's endless superiority, a mark upon the world that the stars were ours for the taking. Of course, the jagged hole we found ourselves approaching was anything but beautiful, in the end.

Torn and cratered at multiple points, it was as if a massive hand had grabbed at part of the structure and wrenched it free of the rest, with the remnants left to sag beneath the damage as integral preservation systems slowly but surely failed over time. The walls, like everything else around here, were blackened from who knew how many years worth of burn damage, and there was a persistent smell to the place, as if the very air had been suffused with a smoke that one couldn't see.

Any further observation was cut short as Atoll stepped forward, the possessed construct falling to one perfectly shaped knee while ducking her head in order to peer inside, visible trails of light emitting from her blue optics.

"The Burning's bastion, the terrible place where she was remade. Where stone remembers screams, and echoes gather in the shade." The Pearl (or might she be considered a Prism now?) maintained the same loud yet almost whispering style of speech while turning back towards us, though there was a faint note of urging hidden beneath the artificial notes as she lifted a hand, mechanical fingers clenching into a tight fist.

"Steel your hearts and guard your minds, for darker things may wait, I dread to think what Moissanites have fashioned past this gate." Pursing my lips as I felt Violet leave her perch on my head in favour of flying over to land atop Atoll's shoulder (drawing a brief glance from the ghost in question), I strode up the small ramp of rubble leading into the darkness with three quick steps, eyes narrowing as I did my best to make out the details of the almost cavernous chamber just beyond the entrance.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Words, thankfully, did not serve as an impediment to the continued broadcasting of the signal, leaving me 'humming' it in between every uttered syllable. After all, even if the Baroques' field was in theory enough to keep us safe, it was just good sense to keep a second layer of protection in place as well.

"You believe there were other experiments? Don't you think the Burning might have removed them?" The no doubt insane Pearl didn't seem like one to tolerate competition, after all.

"I do not know what horrors lie within, which leaves me quite distraught, I only pray our foe erased the other nightmares that were wrought." Considering the rhyme for a moment, I turned back toward the Big Three, only to pause at the almost pained expressions upon the trio's faces.

They were all but huddled together, hands interlocked and eyes glancing up towards the crimson sky, the dome of glowing bodies formed around their barrier ensuring that there was ample light, though not a star in sight-damn it, now Atoll had gotten me rhyming as well.

"Head, Horn, Eyes, what's the problem?" The fact that there was a problem was a foregone conclusion, and I wasn't going to be so stupid as to bother the three with asking whether it existed or not. Something Eyes in particular seemed to appreciate, her…well, her eyes clenched shut in visible concentration.

"They have begun trying to break through in different ways. I can feel…I can feel fingers, lots of them, all trying to dig past the field." The statement earned a wince from Head, and a quick nod from Horn, the former speaking up even as the latter let out a small whimper.

"We… you have our most sincere apologies, Viridian, but it is unlikely that we will be able to proceed further. It is a difficult enough prospect keeping our guard up while capable of actually seeing and interacting with our barrier.

If we were to go in-" I cut her off before she could finish, even as I glared up at the innumerable faces looking back down at me, each flaming Pearl's hands pressed up against the invisible wall keeping them out, small dots of light marking their probing digits impacting against the Baroques' telekinesis.

"You would be unable to maintain the dome and we would all be swarmed by the Burning, it's…not fine, considering you're our heaviest hitters, but I suppose it would be naive to assume that any of this was going to be truly easy." Our resident mech was quick to shake her head, optics flashing.

"Their strength is needed to bring the swarm to heel, though I must confess this is not ideal." Yeah, you and I both, Atoll. Turning away from the sight with a sigh, I waved a hand toward the yawning darkness awaiting us, voice flat.

"The Baroques will remain outside and focus on what they're currently doing. You, Patina, Violet and I will confront the source and deal with it ourselves." The second Gem mentioned stepped up at that, raising her own hand before quickly lowering it as I gave her my full attention.

"Ah, regarding how we're going to do…that. As it stands, it seems exceedingly likely that the Burning is just another Pearl, albeit uhm… modified. What…what exactly are we going to do once we find her?" I paused, considering the question for a brief moment, before shrugging.

"Talk her down, if possible. Bubble her if not. I'd really prefer to avoid shattering anyone if I don't have to, had enough of that nonsense for a lifetime." Despite the second half of the sentence coming out in a mutter, it was apparently enough to satisfy my creation, and so with another quick glance towards the big Pearls and an exchanged nod with Atoll, we began to make our way in, even as I contemplated just how exactly our mysterious target would behave once found.