For several seconds, nobody moved.
The ancient door stood beneath the broken road, half-buried beneath centuries of stone and dirt.
It was enormous.
At least ten meters high.
Its surface was completely black, but it wasn't made from ordinary metal or stone. John couldn't even tell what material it was.
The strange symbol carved into its center seemed to absorb the surrounding light.
The same symbol.
The same circle crossed by three lines.
The symbol of Project Evolve.
Except this door was clearly far older than the organization.
John crouched beside the edge of the broken road.
"How long has this been here?"
Darius slowly approached.
"Longer than the city."
"How can you tell?"
"The stone around it."
He pointed toward the foundation.
"The mining city was built around this structure."
John looked at the ruined buildings around them.
"So they didn't discover the door."
"No."
Darius swallowed.
"They built the city because of it."
Aerion frowned.
