The forest fell silent.
Even the birds that had filled the air with song moments earlier had disappeared.
A cool breeze swept through the trees, carrying with it faint currents of Magna.
The four exchanged cautious glances.
No one spoke.
---
Ronan stepped forward.
"I'll take point."
Mira twirled her staff once before resting it on her shoulder.
"I'll watch the sides."
Selene carefully rolled up the mission scroll.
"I'll keep recording everything we find."
Kieran nodded.
"I'll focus on the Magna."
The group naturally fell into formation.
Without anyone assigning roles.
---
The deeper they ventured...
The more frequently the strange markings appeared.
Some were carved into stone.
Others into ancient tree roots.
Most had faded beyond recognition.
Yet...
Each fragment seemed connected to the next.
Like pieces of a broken puzzle.
---
Kieran crouched beside another weathered symbol.
He gently brushed away the dirt covering it.
"This one isn't damaged."
Selene walked over.
"It isn't?"
He shook his head.
"The edges are too smooth."
"It was deliberately worn away."
She examined it closely.
After several moments...
Her eyes widened.
"You're right."
"This wasn't caused by time."
---
Mira frowned.
"But..."
"Why erase only parts of a formation?"
No one answered immediately.
---
They continued walking.
Soon...
A small clearing opened before them.
At its center stood an enormous stone pillar.
Nearly fifteen meters tall.
Unlike the surrounding formation fragments...
This pillar remained untouched.
Ancient runes covered its surface from top to bottom.
The Magna surrounding it flowed calmly.
Steadily.
Almost...
Protectively.
---
Selene approached slowly.
"I've never seen runes this old."
She carefully compared them with a reference book.
Then sighed.
"I can barely recognize a few symbols."
---
Kieran remained several steps away.
Something about the pillar felt familiar.
Not because he had seen it before.
But because...
It reminded him of the forgotten monument at the Academy.
Simple.
Ancient.
Waiting.
---
He closed his eyes.
Not to cultivate.
Simply...
To observe.
The Magna flowed around the pillar in gentle circles.
It didn't originate from the pillar.
It flowed toward something beneath it.
---
Kieran opened his eyes.
"The pillar isn't the source."
The others looked at him.
"It's acting..."
"...like an anchor."
Ronan frowned.
"An anchor?"
Kieran nodded.
"It's stabilizing something underground."
---
Almost immediately...
The earth trembled.
Only slightly.
Cracks spread across the clearing.
The four instinctively stepped back.
A soft blue light seeped through the cracks.
Not dangerous.
Merely...
Ancient.
---
Selene's breathing quickened.
"The formation..."
"It's responding."
Before anyone could react...
A section of the ground slowly rose.
Hidden beneath centuries of soil...
A circular stone platform emerged.
Its surface was covered in faded inscriptions.
Most had become unreadable.
Only a single sentence remained intact.
Kieran quietly read it aloud.
«"Leave undisturbed, and harmony shall remain."»
Silence.
---
Mira tilted her head.
"That's..."
"...unexpected."
Ronan scanned the surrounding forest.
"So..."
"Our mission is over?"
Kieran knelt beside the platform.
He carefully examined the exposed inscriptions.
"No."
He smiled faintly.
"I think the Academy already knew this was here."
The others stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
---
Kieran pointed toward the pillar.
"If this formation were truly forgotten..."
"The Academy would have investigated it long ago."
"But instead..."
"They gave this mission to first-year disciples."
Selene's eyes widened.
"You think..."
"This was a test?"
Kieran nodded.
"Not to solve the formation."
"To see whether we'd disturb it."
---
The four looked at one another.
Suddenly...
Everything made sense.
The low danger rating.
The emphasis on investigation.
The repeated warning not to act recklessly.
---
Just then...
A gentle voice echoed from the edge of the clearing.
"And what will you do now?"
The four spun around.
Standing beneath an ancient oak tree was an elderly man dressed in simple traveling robes.
His hands rested behind his back.
His presence was calm.
Unassuming.
Almost ordinary.
Yet...
His eyes carried immeasurable depth.
---
Kieran respectfully bowed.
"Elder."
The old man smiled.
"You've found something very old."
He looked toward the stone platform.
"Tell me."
"If lifting that seal could grant you great power..."
"Would you do it?"
The forest became silent once more.
No one answered immediately.
Kieran looked at the ancient inscription again.
Then...
He shook his head.
"No."
The old man raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Kieran replied calmly.
"Because it doesn't belong to me."
"It was left here for a reason."
"If I don't understand that reason..."
"I have no right to disturb it."
For a long moment...
The elderly traveler simply looked at him.
Then...
He laughed softly.
"A good answer."
He turned and began walking away.
Before disappearing into the forest, he spoke one final sentence.
"Return to the Academy."
"Your mission is complete."
The four stood silently until he vanished.
Mira blinked.
"...Who was that?"
Selene slowly closed her notebook.
"I don't know."
Ronan looked toward Kieran.
"But..."
"I don't think he was an ordinary traveler."
Kieran watched the direction the old man had disappeared.
Somehow...
The Elder's smile reminded him of someone.
Though he couldn't quite place who.
Unbeknownst to the four of them...
High above the forest...
The Headmaster stood upon a drifting cloud, smiling faintly.
The "traveler" they had met...
Had never been a traveler at all.
End of Chapter 83