All that is gold, does not glitter

A wise man once wrote: “All that is gold, does not glitter.”, people have understood and yet misunderstood the meaning.
Many simply thought it was a message of spiritualism.
That all the riches of the world, might not be able to give one satisfaction, for that comes from a different source.
Others interpreted it as a simple message against greed, and against the chase of material riches.
Some thought it was just something said to sound grandiose and wise, and some others thought that it’s an obvious statement, as gold indeed does not glitter, lest something is shone upon it.
For me it was a nice metaphor, with maybe or maybe not a deeper meaning.
And yet…
And yet seeing the building stretching endlessly in front of us, I am reminded of it.
I was an archaeologist.
It wasn’t my first time seeing ruins that seemed to dwarf even the modern architectural knowledge and achievements.
But what is in front of us now…
It breaks physics, and common sense as well.
It was a majestic temple.
Just before its entrance already, the pillars holding up a majestic roof looked…otherworldly.
They were intricately carved as if entire civilizations’ stories were engraved into them.
And the pillars and both this space were…humongous.
We have been walking for an entire hour before we finally arrived at the entrance…
Which was a titanic gate would be the perfect word for it.
On it, grotesque figures were enjoying themselves with…I don’t know how to describe the scene.
Just by now, before even entering the temple, we casually walked the distance of roughly half a district in any above average city of the world…
I can guess that tens of thousands of people could live under these pillars without overcrowding…
But this door…gate, whatever it was…it was eerie.
It had an aura about it.
The details engraved on the pillars, the material used for the floor, for the gate…for the roof…
I don’t know if it’s earthly…and even if it is, it is transformed into its current state with techniques I can’t comprehend.
Which is normal, I specialise in history, and geography…
But not even the architects that are on this expedition can tell us what the hell is going on here…
The gate’s mechanism is strange.
We had to tap the figures in a certain order.
Not only that, each figure required a different chemical element, and the last one…
It needed blood.
All this was engraved on a stone tablet.
And if I learnt anything by reading, and watching the things that inspired me to become an archaeologist…
Then I know this is not a good omen.
“All that is gold does not glitter…”
I murmured.
“What? Little Matthew, are you perhaps thinking that we are greedy?”
An old colleague of mine laughed.
The gate opened, and inside was pitch darkness…stretching endlessly.
“We are underground, Sir Adam, but still, it seems as if this temple is as big as a metropolis…
Also, those figures, and those requirements…
I fear we are dealing with something we don’t understand.”
I said.
He laughed, and so did a few others who heard me.
“Of course we are dealing with something we don’t understand.
This is a new discovery.
It wouldn’t be as exciting as it is, if we understood it.
But you are right, something is fishy here, and that is why we have fifty soldiers with us.”
He said, pointing to the armed individuals who were escorting us.
“And that’s why you have us as well.”
A voice chimed in.
It was a Shinto priestess, alongside a Buddhist abbot, a Catholic exorcist Priest, and more religious individuals.
“Even if we believe in facts and not hearsay, theology has records of older days than we might think.
So their understanding is needed.”
Sir Adam said.
I sighed.
I felt that I was in deadly danger…and yet, I couldn’t turn back.
All that is gold does not glitter, but yet it still draws in one’s sight…