Above the desert sands, the ruins of Vaelorin remained quiet beneath the relentless sun. At least on the surface.
The broken sections of the outer wall cast jagged shadows across the dunes while the wind carried thin veils of sand across the ancient stones.
Near one of the remaining entrances, several figures slowly walked along the crumbling walls.
They wore long robes in dull shades of yellow and brown which were the colors chosen carefully to blend into the desert landscape. At a distance, they almost looked like wandering travelers or bandits exploring old ruins.
But the weapons at their sides and the disciplined rhythm of their patrol made their true role obvious.
These were not ordinary travelers or bandits.
They were soldiers and Mages assigned by the kingdom.
The kingdom had quietly taken control of this region years ago after discovering what truly rested beneath the ruins of Vaelorin. What looked like a cursed city to the outside world was actually sothing far more important.
Buried sowhere beneath these ancient stones was one of the fragnts of the Sky Anchor.
Very few people in the kingdom even knew such things existed and those who did were bound by strict secrecy. The soldiers stationed here had been carefully selected for that reason.
Every guard, every Mage, and every commander in this isolated outpost understood the weight of the secret they were protecting.
They knew exactly what they were guarding.
And they knew the consequences if anyone else discovered it.
Two guards walked slowly along the outer wall, their feet grinding softly against the sand-covered stones.
One of them lifted a hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead before letting out a long, tired sigh.
"Still hot as hell out here," he muttered, adjusting the collar of his robe.
His companion chuckled quietly. "When is it ever not hot in this cursed desert?"
The first man reached for a leather flask hanging from his belt. He uncorked it and took a long drink before letting out a satisfied breath.
"At least they gave us these," he said, shaking the container slightly. "This cold water enchantnt is still holding after hours. Aweso invention."
The second guard gave an approving nod. "Best thing the Mages ever did for this place."
They continued their slow patrol along the broken wall, occasionally glancing out across the endless dunes.
Their movents were calm and unhurried. After years stationed in this remote location the routine had beco almost second nature.
The ruins had remained quiet for a very long ti.
Most travelers avoided the cursed desert entirely and the few treasure hunters foolish enough to co this far rarely survived long enough to reach the city.
As far as the guards were concerned, this assignnt was boring more than anything else.
None of them noticed that not far from their patrol route, sothing impossible was happening beneath the sand.
Deep underground, hidden beneath layers of compacted dunes and ancient stone, a tunnel of shimring ice slowly pushed forward through the darkness.
Aesa walked calmly within the ice passage.
Soft blue light reflected from the smooth walls of ice surrounding her. Every few steps she extended one hand toward the sand in front of her and the grains instantly froze together before cracking apart under the force of her Magic.
The tunnel continued to grow. The sand froze then ice ford.
Then the frozen layers shattered as she moved forward again.
The process repeated effortlessly, leaving behind a stable frozen corridor that held the desert above in place.
For most people, digging a tunnel beneath a shifting desert would be completely impossible. The sand would collapse instantly then bury them alive within seconds.
But Aesa’s ice Magic transford the unstable ground into solid structures strong enough to support the weight of the entire desert above her.
She moved forward at a steady and leisurely pace, as if walking through a hallway rather than carving a path through hundreds of ters of sand.
Then suddenly she slowed. Her steps beca quieter.
Aesa’s eyes narrowed slightly as a faint sensation brushed against her senses.
A strange energy drifted from the tunnel ahead. It was subtle but unmistakable for her senses.
Her instincts reacted imdiately.
The air around her seed to grow colder as her expression turned serious.
"Is that..."
She continued walking forward, but her movents beca more focused now.
Her senses sharpened as she concentrated on the faint energy ahead.
There was no doubt about it.
The presence she felt carried the sa familiar signature she had been searching for across this world.
A fragnt of the missing Creation.
Aesa’s gaze hardened slightly as she continued advancing through the frozen tunnel. From the direction of that energy, she could already tell one important thing.
The object she was searching for was not located within the visible ruins above.
It was deeper. Buried sowhere beneath the ancient city of Vaelorin.
Aesa exhaled slowly while staring into the frozen tunnel ahead. She should have expected this.
Her gaze drifted briefly upward. Even though hundreds of ters of sand and ancient stone now separated her from the surface.
Of course it would be hidden underground.
A fragnt of what they called the ’Sky Anchor’ was not sothing anyone would simply leave exposed in the open. Especially not in a place like this desert where the land stretched flat and empty for kiloters in every direction. Anyone approaching the ruins could easily see it from afar. There was almost no natural cover.
The broken city above suddenly made far more sense.
The ruins were a perfect façade.
Anyone traveling through the desert would see nothing more than the remains of a long-dead cursed civilization buried by ti and sand.
At worst, curious adventurers might explore the crumbling streets or dig through collapsed buildings searching for relics.
But they would never think to search deep beneath the ground.
Not unless they already knew what was hidden there.
Aesa continued walking slowly through the frozen passage while the cold light of her Magic glimred along the tunnel walls.
Another thought quietly ford in her mind.
What if the fragnt had never been hidden there afterward?
What if it had always been there from the very beginning?
Her expression hardened slightly as the idea settled in.
The ancient records had said Vaelorin collapsed in a single night. No war or visible disaster struck this city. An entire city simply destroyed without explanation.
Aesa’s eyes narrowed.
A fragnt of the missing Creation certainly carried power far beyond what most people could even imagine.
If sothing like that had been buried beneath the city... if its power had suddenly awakened or beco unstable...
Then the destruction of Vaelorin might not have been a mystery at all.
It might have been the cause.
She pushed the thought aside almost imdiately.
That question could wait.
Right now it didn’t matter whether the fragnt had been hidden there later or had always been buried beneath the city from the beginning.
What mattered was confirming what she had sensed.
"I need to get there first," she thought calmly. "Then I’ll know if it’s the right one."
Without slowing down, Aesa raised her hand again.
Frost spread instantly across the sand in front of her. The grains froze together in a solid block before cracking open under the pressure of her Magic.
The tunnel extended forward once more. The frozen corridor pushed deeper beneath the buried city of Vaelorin as Aesa continued moving.
—
Above the frozen tunnel Aesa carved beneath the desert, the ruins of Vaelorin continued to sit under the blazing sun as if nothing in the world had changed.
From the outside, the place looked exactly the sa as it had for years.
But deeper inside the ruins, in one of the partially restored stone structures near the center of the city, things were far more organized than the crumbling exterior suggested.
This building served as the command post for the forces stationed at Vaelorin.
Inside, long stone tables were covered with maps of the desert, patrol routes, and old diagrams of the ancient city. Several Magical instrunts sit silently along the walls with faint runic lights flickering as they monitor Magical activity beneath the ruins.
Protective wards had also been layered throughout the structure to form a hidden defensive barrier around the chamber.
Standing near one of the tables was the Mage responsible for leading the entire operation at this site.
His na was Arven.
Arven wore the dark robes of the kingdom’s Mage Corps, but the fabric was lighter than usual to endure the desert heat.
He had been reviewing a small crystal device that monitored magical fluctuations beneath the city when the air in front of him suddenly shifted.
A ripple of Magic energy spread through the room.
Arven imdiately looked up.
A faint sphere of pale light appeared in the air. It glowing softly before stretching into the shape of a small spectral bird.
The construct hovered silently for a mont, its body ford entirely from condensed Magical energy. A spirit ssenger.
Arven straightened slightly as he recognized the signal.
A calm but powerful voice soon echoed from the glowing figure.
"Report from the Vaelorin site."
Arven recognized the voice imdiately.
Archmage Velrion.
The mage inclined his head respectfully before responding.
"This is Site Overseer Arven. I am listening, Archmage."
The spectral bird hovered quietly for a mont before the ssage continued.
"There has been a confird developnt," Velrion said. "We have detected the arrival of travelers from another world."
Arven’s expression changed into confusion as he absorbed the information.
"My further analysis suggests that this individual may be moving between locations connected to the Sky Anchor fragnts," the Archmage continued. "It is possible they are searching for them for unknown reasons."
Arven glanced toward the stone floor beneath his feet, knowing exactly what rested deep below the ruins.
"I understand," he replied calmly. "We will remain vigilant and increase surveillance."
Neither of them realized that, at that exact mont, soone was already approaching from far below the desert sands.
—
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