The ruins were unlike anything Ryker had ever seen.
As the survivors of Valcaria stood at the entrance of the ancient site, a heavy silence fell over the group.
The remnants of a civilization long lost to time stretched before them—weathered stone pillars jutted out from the earth, etched with strange symbols.
Massive archways, cracked and broken, hinted at the grandeur that once thrived in this forgotten place.
Vines snaked up the crumbling walls, nature slowly reclaiming what was once built by advanced people.
The air was thick with an eerie stillness, as though the ruins themselves were holding their breath.
"We were right to come here," Ryker muttered, his gaze fixed on the towering structures.
"There's power here... I can feel it."
Shadowfang, his bond, and ever-present companion padded silently beside him.
The creature's keen eyes scanned the surroundings, its fur bristling as if it too sensed the significance of this place.
Ryker's hand instinctively rested on Shadowfang's head, feeling the familiar connection between them hum with newfound intensity.
Kiera approached him, her sharp, observant eyes sweeping over the inscriptions carved into the stone.
She traced her fingers along the ancient text, her brow furrowing in concentration.
"These symbols… they don't match anything we've seen so far," she said softly, her voice barely audible in the stillness.
"This civilization must predate even the oldest records of this dimension."
Kaid and Zara, flanked by their mecha armor, were already inspecting one of the fallen structures.
Kaid's mechanical prowess had been invaluable in the past, but even he seemed awed by the relics scattered around them.
He crouched next to a broken piece of technology embedded in the stone, his fingers gently brushing the surface.
"This is... incredible," Kaid murmured.
"Whatever this is, it's not just ancient—it's advanced. Way beyond anything we've encountered before."
Zara stood beside him, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"If we can decipher how this works, it could change everything for Valcaria. Imagine what we could build with this knowledge."
As the team spread out, cautiously exploring the ruins, Ryker remained standing at the entrance, his mind racing.
The feeling of power was growing stronger, pulsating beneath the surface of the ground as if something deep within was calling out to him.
His connection to the rift energy, ever since their journey to this dimension began, had been intensifying—but here, in this place, it was overwhelming.
He could feel it, thrumming in his veins, tugging at his very core.
"We need to be careful," Ryker said, turning to face the rest of the group. His voice was low but firm.
"There's something here, something ancient and dangerous. This power... it's not meant to be disturbed."
Kiera nodded in agreement, but her gaze remained fixed on the inscriptions.
"We have to understand what this place was," she said.
"If this civilization had control over the rift's energy, we need to know how."
Ryker stepped forward, his eyes drawn to the heart of the ruins. There, standing in the center of what appeared to be a once-great courtyard, was a massive stone obelisk.
Unlike the rest of the ruins, the obelisk was untouched by time. Its surface gleamed with a strange, otherworldly light, and the symbols engraved upon it glowed faintly.
Ryker approached it cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the energy radiating from the obelisk, stronger than anything he had ever encountered.
The closer he got, the more he could sense the vast potential of the rift's power, as if this very monument was a conduit for that energy.
He reached out, his hand hovering just inches from the stone.
As soon as his fingers brushed the surface, a shockwave of energy surged through him.
His vision blurred, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to vanish.
In an instant, Ryker found himself standing in a different place.
He was no longer in the ruins but in a grand hall, its walls lined with towering statues of figures long forgotten.
The air here was thick with rift energy, swirling and pulsing with a life of its own.
Before him stood a figure cloaked in shadow, its form indistinct but radiating an immense, intimidating power.
The being's eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its voice echoed in Ryker's mind.
"You seek the power of the rift, but do you understand the price?" the voice asked, cold and ancient.
"This energy is not yours to wield freely. It comes at a cost... a cost far greater than you could ever imagine."
Ryker stood his ground, his hand instinctively reaching for the sword at his side, but the weight of the being's presence kept him frozen.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "What is this place?"
"I am the one who guards the secrets of the forgotten. The power you seek has destroyed civilizations before yours... It will do the same again unless you learn to control it."
Before Ryker could respond, the vision faded, and he was suddenly back in the ruins, his hand still pressed against the obelisk.
His heart raced, sweat beading on his brow.
He pulled his hand back, the energy still coursing through him, but now laced with a new sense of dread.
"Ryker?" Kiera's voice pulled him back to the present. She stood beside him, her expression filled with concern.
"What happened?"
"I... I saw something," Ryker said, his voice low.
"A warning. This power… it's more dangerous than we thought."
Kiera's gaze flickered between Ryker and the obelisk, her expression thoughtful.
"Then we need to learn everything we can about it before it's too late."
For the next few hours, the team worked tirelessly, examining the inscriptions and artifacts scattered throughout the ruins.
Kiera and Ryker focused on the obelisk, attempting to decipher the cryptic language etched into its surface.
Meanwhile, Kaid and Zara meticulously studied the broken technology, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they uncovered more about the civilization that once thrived here.
"This place was a hub for rift energy," Kiera finally said, her eyes scanning the inscriptions.
"They didn't just harness the rift—they lived off of it. Their entire society was built around controlling its power."
"That explains the technology," Kaid added.
"These people were centuries ahead of us, even now. If we can figure out how they tapped into the rift's energy, we could—"
"Or it could destroy us," Ryker cut in, his voice grim. He had seen enough in the vision to know that they were treading dangerous ground.
"We can't afford to be reckless with this. The last thing we need is to repeat their mistakes."
The team fell silent, the weight of Ryker's words hanging heavily in the air.
They all knew what was at stake.
The rift's energy was a double-edged sword—one that could either give them the edge they needed in the battles to come or consume them entirely.
But Ryker couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.
The power that lay within the rift was far greater than anything they had encountered, and whatever secrets these ruins held, they would only lead to more questions, more challenges, and greater dangers.
"We'll proceed carefully," Ryker finally said, his gaze locking with Kiera's.
"But we have to understand this power if we're going to survive. Whatever comes next... we need to be ready."
Kiera nodded, her hand brushing against Ryker's for the briefest of moments, a silent reassurance that they were in this together.
As the team pressed deeper into the ruins, Ryker knew one thing for certain: the secrets of this forgotten civilization were far from buried, and the consequences of unlocking them would change everything.