Alex and Lyra returned to the campsite. Though the fire was dying, it still cast a warm, flickering light on the sand around them. In silence, they sat side by side, letting the fatigue slowly wash over them.
Alex leaned his head back, gazing up at the stars scattered across the boundless sky. Each one shimmered like a signpost leading into the unknown. He could feel the tension leaving his body, even if the weight of what they had just done still lingered in his mind.
— Do you think he was telling the truth? — Lyra broke the silence, her voice quiet, almost thoughtful.
Alex tore his gaze from the sky and looked at her. The firelight danced in her eyes, creating golden reflections.
— I'm not sure… but he didn't sound like he was lying, — he said after a moment of thought. — We can check it out once we reach our destination.
Lyra nodded. Alex pulled the map from the camel's packs. He unrolled the parchment and studied the marked locations.
— Look at this. Do you think it's far from the place you're leading me to? — he asked, pointing at a spot marked with a mysterious symbol.
She leaned in, examining the map in the firelight.
— A day's journey further... but it's still desert. The forest's magic won't protect us there, — she said thoughtfully. — We should hold off. Let's meet my master first.
— We'll do that, — Alex agreed, then rolled up the map and tucked it into his bag.
Silence once again settled over the camp. The fire crackled softly, and in the distance, the howls of nocturnal creatures echoed through the night. Lyra lay down first, curling up on the makeshift bedding. She knew they were safe until sunrise. She drifted off to sleep with a sense of relative peace.
Alex remained awake a little longer. He stared into the darkness where the merchant had disappeared, replaying the night's events in his mind. Eventually, his eyelids grew too heavy, and his thoughts began to drift toward sleep.
He didn't sleep. He dreamed.
One moment, he still felt the cold desert sand beneath his back — the next, he stood on damp, soft ground.
A forest.
But not like any he had seen before. The trees were enormous, their trunks thicker than any he had ever witnessed, their canopies tangled together so tightly they allowed only faint, pale light to filter through. The air was rich with the scent of earth, moisture, and something… ancient.
A mist swirled around his legs, moving as if it had a will of its own.
In the center of a clearing, a fire burned.
But not a fire like any he had known.
The flames danced, shifting colors — from green to blue, changing shade with each passing second. Their glow offered no warmth, yet Alex felt it in every part of his body — as though it was passing through his skin and burrowing deep into his bones.
And then he heard a voice.
— You are close.
He turned sharply. From between the trees, a figure emerged.
Tall. Slender. Draped in a robe woven from shadow, leaves, and bark. Its eyes glowed with golden light, and when it raised a hand, tiny sparks danced around its fingers.
— Your blood remembers.
Alex felt his heartbeat quicken.
— Who are you? — he managed to say.
The figure didn't answer right away.
It raised its hand, and the ground beneath his feet trembled. The fire exploded in brightness, and within the flames, symbols appeared.
Runes.
The same ones he had seen before. The same ones that pulled at him, though he didn't yet understand why.
— You must find the path.
The voice echoed from all directions. It was as if the earth itself spoke.
— The ruins hold answers.
— What ruins? — Alex frowned.
The figure pointed ahead. The mist began to swirl, forming an image: stone corridors, stairways descending into the earth, massive gates carved with runes.
— They are underground.
— What will I find there?
— What is yours. What belongs to you.
The image flickered.
He saw himself standing before the gate. His hand reached out to touch a rune etched into the stone.
The moment he did, the world exploded with light.
The earth split open.
The trees stirred, the mist thickened, and roots burst from the ground, wrapping around his legs.
— Find us… before they find you.
The voice turned into a warning.
Alex tried to step back, but the world around him began to dissolve.
The clearing vanished. The trees vanished. The light went out.
And then he woke up.
With a gasp, he sat up, his heart pounding in his chest.
The camp was wrapped in night's silence. Lyra slept peacefully beside him.
Alex looked down at his hands.
He could still feel the warmth — as if he'd really touched something.
The ruins.
They were real.
And he decided — he would find them.