Kaelen's hands were raw and bloody, and his nails were nearly torn from the relentless digging. His breath came in short, strained bursts, every movement of his arms sending fresh pain through his body. But he didn't stop. He couldn't. His mind was fixed solely on the thing that was buried beneath the earth, and he wasn't about to let the exhaustion win.
The soil, once brittle and easily disturbed, grew more resistant with each passing minute. But Kaelen dug deeper, his determination unwavering. Time seemed to stretch, each second crawling by as the dirt clung to his hands, but finally, after what felt like an eternity, his fingers scraped against something solid.
A chill ran through him. He hadn't expected the relief to hit so suddenly. Slowly, carefully, Kaelen cleared away the remaining soil, revealing the edge of the monolith beneath. The familiar alien carvings gleamed through the darkness, and his pulse quickened.
He wasted no time.
