Chapter 10: Ruins of the Forgotten
Dawn broke soft and golden over Elden Hollow the morning we left for the ruins. Mist clung low to the fields, curling around grain stalks like ghost fingers. The village gate stood open, a small crowd gathered to see us off. Mira pressed a fresh map into my hand, inked with careful notes from old stories and recent scout reports. Torv handed Lira extra arrows fletched with raven feathers, and a young smith's apprentice shyly offered me a proper leather belt with loops for knives and pouches. Children clustered around Shadowmane, stroking his silver-streaked fur while he endured the attention with patient dignity. The beast's tail thumped once against the ground, drawing laughs. After quick farewells and promises to return soon, the three of us slipped through the gate and headed north.
The path started as a narrow dirt track between fields, then narrowed further into the forest. Pines rose tall and straight here, trunks smooth and pale. Sunlight dappled the ground in shifting patterns. Birds called overhead, sharp and curious. Shadowmane ranged ahead, nose low, moving silent despite his size. The bond let me feel his alertness, faint traces of old scents he followed and dismissed. Lira walked beside me, bow strung but arrowless, eyes scanning the canopy. We spoke little at first, comfortable in the quiet rhythm of travel.
By mid-morning the trees thinned, giving way to rolling hills covered in knee-high grass and wildflowers. The map showed the ruins three hours north of the village, nestled in a shallow valley once guarded by ancient Aetherians. Mira had said little about them, only that they predated the System's arrival and might hold clues about earlier waves. Rumors spoke of stone structures still standing, carvings worn by time, and strange metal that did not rust. No one from Elden Hollow had explored deep in years. Monsters had grown bolder. Supplies too scarce for curiosity.
We crested a final hill near noon. The valley spread below us, wider than expected. A slow river wound through the center, water glinting silver. On the far bank rose the ruins: broken walls of white stone veined with blue, arches collapsed into heaps, columns toppled like fallen giants. Vines and moss covered everything, softening edges but not hiding the scale. Once this had been a city, or at least a fortress. Now nature reclaimed it slowly.
Shadowmane stopped at the hill's edge. Ears flattened. A low rumble vibrated in his chest.
I felt it through the bond: unease. Something wrong below.
Lira nocked an arrow without thinking. "Feel that?"
"Shadowmane does," I said. "Corruption. Like the beast."
We descended carefully. Grass gave way to cracked paving stones hidden beneath soil. The air grew heavier, carrying a faint metallic tang. Birds fell silent as we neared the river. Shadowmane's hackles rose. He pressed close to my side, guiding rather than scouting now.
We crossed at a shallow ford, water cold around ankles. On the far bank the ruins loomed larger. Walls stood twenty feet in places, carved with faded reliefs of armored figures wielding weapons that looked nothing like swords or bows. Doorways gaped black. Vines hung like curtains.
Shadowmane led us toward the largest structure, a domed building half-buried in earth. Its entrance yawned wide, steps leading down into shadow. Corruption scent grew stronger here, thick and cloying.
Lira lit a torch from her pack. Flame hissed to life. We descended. Steps were broad and worn smooth. Walls inside were smoother still, carved with swirling patterns that hurt to look at directly. Ten steps down, the air turned cold. Twenty steps, torchlight revealed a vast chamber. Columns ringed a central dais. On the dais lay a shattered crystal the size of a man, black veins threading through what remained.
Shadowmane growled deep. The corruption pulsed from the crystal, faint but steady.
Text appeared:
Location discovered: Echoes of the Third Wave.
Corruption source detected: Void Shard (Fractured).
Optional deed: Investigate or Purify?
Lira circled the chamber slowly, arrow ready. "Third Wave," she read aloud. "Means at least two before us failed here."
I approached the dais. The crystal's black veins writhed like living things when light touched them. Memories of the beast's runes surfaced. Same feel. Same hunger.
Shadowmane pressed against my leg, urging caution. I reached out. Wild affinity stirred warm in my chest. Green light flickered at my fingertips. The veins recoiled. I pressed harder. Purification flowed, stronger now at Intermediate. Black smoke leeched from cracks, dissolving into nothing. The crystal dimmed. Veins faded. Minutes passed. Sweat beaded my brow. Shoulder ached from old wounds. Finally the last trace vanished. The crystal went clear, pure white.
Text bloomed:
Deed recorded: Void Shard purified without destruction.
Affinity progressed: Wild (Profound to Master).
Skill unlocked: Void Resistance (Passive).
Knowledge fragment gained: Third Wave survivors attempted ritual containment. Failed. Sealed themselves with the shard.
Images flashed in my mind: people in strange armor, desperate circle around the crystal, light flaring black as something broke through.
Lira caught me as I staggered. "You okay?"
"Saw something," I said. "They tried to contain it. Didn't work."
Shadowmane sniffed the now-clean crystal. Satisfied rumble.
We explored further. Side chambers held rusted weapons, crumbled scrolls, bones in ancient armor. One room contained murals: depictions of arrivals like ours, people stepping from light into New Aetheria. Classes granted. Cities built. Then corruption spreading. Beasts twisting. People vanishing.
Lira traced a faded figure with Null-like empty hands. "Looks like you weren't the first."
Footsteps echoed above. We froze. Voices carried down the stairs. Confident. Armed.
"…rumors were true. Tamed apex. Village flying his banner already."
"Boss wants the beast. And the Null's head if he resists."
Five figures descended. Leather and plate mix. Weapons gleaming new. Leader a broad man with Warrior class emblem glowing on his chest plate. Flanked by two Mages and two Rogues. They stopped at the chamber entrance.
Warrior grinned. "Well. Found the freak and his pet."
Shadowmane stepped forward, growl shaking dust from columns. Lira raised bow. I drew knives. The ruins had waited centuries. Now they would see blood again.
*****
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