Something felt different the moment Kael stepped back into the forest.
The path he had walked before was still there, but the air was heavier, like the trees themselves were holding their breath. Everything was quiet—too quiet. It felt like something was watching them.
He and Selene walked without saying much. Selene kept her hand near the hilt of her sword. Kael couldn't shake the strange warmth still lingering in his chest since touching the seal at the ruins.
"Do you feel that?" Kael finally asked.
Selene glanced at him. "Yes. It started last night, after you touched the seal."
Kael looked around at the unmoving trees. "It's like the forest knows we're here."
"It does," she said softly.
He should have been afraid, but he wasn't. Instead, he felt drawn forward, as if something was calling to him—not with a voice, but with a feeling. It guided his steps like a memory just out of reach.
They walked for hours. The sky above turned gray. They followed a narrow stream through a deep ravine, the sides rising around them like the walls of a forgotten temple.
And then, at the far end of the ravine, they found something strange.
A stone archway, half-covered by vines and moss. The markings carved into it matched the ones Kael had seen on the seal.
Selene stopped in her tracks. "That's not supposed to be here."
Kael stepped closer, feeling the warmth in his chest grow stronger with every step. "It's another part of the ruins."
He crouched down and touched the base of the arch, where a circular symbol was carved into the stone—identical to the one on the sealed door.
Selene reached out quickly. "Wait—!"
But Kael had already touched it.
The moment his fingers made contact, the ground trembled slightly. A wind rushed through the ravine even though the trees above didn't move. The symbol on the stone glowed faintly.
And Kael felt something new.
Not pain—just pressure. Like something ancient had just taken notice of him.
Selene stepped beside him, her eyes wide. "You did something again."
Kael stood, confused but calm. "I didn't mean to. It felt… natural."
Before either of them could say more, a whisper filled the air. Faint, like a voice carried on the wind. Kael turned his head, trying to find the source, but there was nothing—only the soft glow of the symbol slowly fading.
Selene put a hand on his shoulder. "We need to be careful. This place isn't just ruins anymore. It's waking up."
Kael nodded slowly. Somewhere deep inside, he already knew that.