The Legendary Tomb

It was dark, cramped and claustrophobic. Only the tear shaped lights of the torches are guiding the way of the weary travelers. They kept walking in the silence with only the sounds of their footsteps to accompany them.

"Did we go the right way? can someone check the map again?" A female voice echoed.

Elizabeth, a 22-year-old British archaeology student, she has short black hair that reaches down to her neck. She has black colored almond shape eyes and a small mole down on the left side of her lips.

"It would be unnecessary Elizabeth. we are already here. Come all of you, bring the torches near the wall." Elizabeth's father said.

Quickly, multiple men gathered at the wall to illuminate it. The wall had markings, runic markings and symbols that were faded and damaged. Apparently, no one had seen the markings or where it originated from, but it caught the attention of Elizabeth.

"Father, look at the center. Could it be?" Elizabeth said.

With a nervous feeling, shaky arms and legs, the leader of the expedition and Elizabeth's father, Dr. Daniel Smith, paused for a few seconds, staring at the center of the wall.

Dr. Daniel Smith's a British man in his late 50's. His hair had turned gray and lines on his skin already started appearing. He wears glasses as his sight is failing but is still strong enough to do strenuous activities.

"This is no wall; it is a door. Rajit! quickly, bring me the emblem."

Rajit, quickly brought the emblem to Dr. Smith. The emblem is the shape of a star with 16 rays.

Holding the emblem, Dr. Smith, took a deep breath and slowly embedded it in the center of the door. Soon after, the surroundings violently shook. Dr. Smith quickly rushed to Elizabeth and protected her.

Minutes later, the shaking stopped, and the doors were open. Dr. Smith checked if Elizabeth was fine and fortunately enough, she was unharmed. Everybody composed their selves and stood up and stared at the darkness of the opened doors.

Before they would enter, Dr. Smith took one torch and threw it inside, but it was immediately extinguished as soon as it went past the doors. This unsettled everyone making them subconsciously step back.

"Everybody, be on your guard. This is something that I have never experienced before in my 50 years of experience. I'll enter first and if something goes wrong, I want all of you running out."

"But Father, I can't just leave you in there."

"Elizabeth! just do as I say. I can't bear to lose you; I've already lost your mother. Dr. Smith said with hints of sorrow in his voice.

Elizabeth hugged his father tightly as if it was the last.

Dr. Smith slowly enters but as soon as his feet touches the ground past the door, the whole place instantly lit up revealing an elegant, and untouched room. There were no traces of damage or even a speck of dust. The walls had runic markings that glowed which baffled Dr. Smith. There is one elegant and large sarcophagus in the center and two each on both of its sides.

"How beautiful, Elizabeth, we've found it. We've found the lost tomb of myth." Dr. Smith said as if he was on the verge of tears.

"But now the question is, who's tomb this is."

Dr. Smith, surprised and overjoyed, fell down on his knees. Elizabeth came running to his father, but she too was surprised as soon as she saw the insides of the tomb.

"Father, your life's work is finally complete! Mother would be proud."

"I know Elizabeth, now, shall we check the discovery of the millennia?" Dr. Smith said as he chuckled.

Dr. Smith ordered Rajit and three other men to go back and to tell the news and bring some equipment while the remaining men is to help the two archaeologists to investigate the tomb.

The tomb was cold, it wasn't harsh cold but the kind of cold you'd feel on a rainy day. As everyone was observing the surroundings, they feel a weird sensation inside their bodies. It was as if their bodies were craving something inside the tomb.

Elizabeth examined large sarcophagus in the center and found out that it has the same markings on the door. She found it familiar as she saw it once in the books that her father forced her to read.

"Father, this seems familiar to me. My memory is quite vague, but I think that I have read about these markings in one of your books. I think it was called the lost language."

"Fascinating, I've always thought that the lost language was a work of fiction as it had no origins or connections to any civilizations. Can you translate some of these markings?"

Twenty minutes had passed, and Elizabeth is still figuring out what these marking mean but then she finally saw something that was familiar to her. Actually, it was the only thing that is familiar.

"Ren-Lex-Shu-Da-Re, Renlex shu Dare." Elizabeth spoke it with disbelief.

"What does Renlex Shu Dare mean? Elizabeth"

"Father, we may have found the true tomb of history's most legendary conqueror." Elizabeth said as her whole body was shaking in disbelief.

"Don't tell me Renlex Shu Dare means..." Dr. Smith said as he was interrupted.

"Yes father, Renlex Shu Dare is a direct translation for Alexander the Great."

Dr. Smith fell down on all fours, not processing anything that has happened.

Elizabeth kept reading the markings but fails to translate the others. She theorized that the other four sarcophagi were of his four trusted generals. If she is correct, this will absolutely change the course of history.

An hour had passed, Rajit had brought the men and the equipment needed. Everyone inside prepared and all wore a gas mask in case of any deadly spores that might come out bursting out of the sarcophagus.

They slowly walked towards the sarcophagus careful not to touch or disturb their surroundings. They formed a line of able-bodied men at the side of the sarcophagus.

They finally started to open the large sarcophagus in the middle. It took the strength of twelve men to move it. As soon as it was fully opened, a powerful force knocked them all back to the ground.

Everyone was surprised and did not dare to come near it except for Dr. Smith.

Finally getting to see the legendary conqueror, he took brave steps towards the sarcophagus. When he reaches it, he saw the naked and perfectly preserved body of a handsome middle-aged man with long blonde hair and a chiseled face.

"He's sleeping." Dr. Smith said in disbelief.

"Sleeping, what do you mean sleeping father?" Elizabeth asked.

"What I see inside the tomb is no decayed corpse but the body of a healthy man sleeping."

Elizabeth rushed towards it and as soon as he saw the body herself, she subconsciously took a step back and felt weak on the knees causing it to shiver a bit. In her mind, this was scientifically impossible.

As soon as Elizabeth calmed down, she went back and examined Alexander's body. He was wearing a necklace in the shape of a moon; she was intrigued as the symbol of Macedonia back then was the sun with sixteen rays. She couldn't help but touch it.

As soon as her skin touches the necklace, she felt a bit electrified which caused her to pull her hand back. The markings on the sarcophagus lights up and both Dr. Smith and Elizabeth steps back for safety.

As soon as the light on the markings of the sarcophagus stop, everyone in the room saw the rise of Alexander the Great. Awake from the long sleep, he slowly goes out of his sarcophagus and slowly walks towards Elizabeth and the others.

"Do not be afraid, I mean all of you no harm." Alexander spoke as he was a bit confused of the clothing and the unfamiliar machinery that he sees.

No one dared to speak as they were afraid of Alexander except for Dr. Smith who found this intriguing.

"How did you come back to life? Are you really Alexander the Great?" Dr. Smith questioned him curiously.

"The great? Is that what people call me now? I was only in a deep slumber. I was not resurrected."

"You mean to tell me, starting from your burial in 323 BCE up until now in 1983 you were asleep?"

"Actually, I slept the year after that but still I didn't expect to sleep for thousands of years."

Alexander raised up his right arm in the air as white light emerged from his hand. The light separated and went to the other sarcophagi.

"Is there somewhere you need to go?"

"We need to make preparations. You see, the moment I awoke would mean that an inevitable war with forces you have no knowledge of shall start."

"War? Unknown Forces?" what do you mean?" Dr. Smith worriedly asked.

"Should we not have awoken you?" Elizabeth interrupted.

"I shall explain the circumstances later."

The remaining sarcophagi was opened, and four naked men emerged from it. It was the four trusted generals of Alexander otherwise known as the Diadochi.

This made the men more terrified with the exception of Elizabeth and Dr. Smith. Some of them even ran towards the exit.

"Sire, it has been a long time since we last saw each other" Ptolemy said as he kneeled in front of Alexander.

"It's finally time, the start of the inevitable war." Cassander spoke as he kneeled.

"We shall finally finish what we started your majesty." Seleucus stated as he kneeled.

"To avenge our fallen comrades, we shall triumph this time" Antigonus said as he kneeled.

"I have missed all of you too my friends. I would like to celebrate our reunion, but we can save that for later." Alexander said.

"How are they all so nonchalant about the lack of clothing on their body" Elizabeth thought to herself as her face was red.

Alexander went to the wall behind his sarcophagus, he touched the walls with his right hand and, the markings glowed white and behind him a chest emerged from underground.

"What is that?" Dr. Smith asked.

"Pandora's box"