The air in the valley had grown strangely calm, a deceptive stillness that belied the chaos of the past weeks. Though the skies still bore traces of ash and the land radiated residual heat, the frenzy of the Season of Fire had begun to wane. For some, this brought relief. For others, it stirred unease.
Reports from the field began to trickle in, each more curious than the last. Lava Worms, once rampant, were no longer sighted in their usual haunts. Galgameths, which had roamed fearlessly through the valley, were now retreating to the depths of the molten streams. It was as though something had tamed the chaos, but no one could pinpoint why.
Kalem found himself in the company of scouts at one of the Ironworks' temporary outposts. The group had just returned from a routine patrol, their expressions a mixture of weariness and bafflement. Their leader, a wiry woman named Saria, stepped forward to address the gathered crowd.
"There's something strange out there," she began, her voice low but firm. "The creatures are avoiding entire areas—places they'd normally thrive in during the Season of Fire. We found tracks leading up to certain zones, but they stop abruptly, like the beasts turned tail and fled."
Murmurs spread through the group, but Saria raised a hand to silence them. "It's not just that. We also felt... something. A sort of energy in those zones. Not natural—nothing like the flows or tremors we're used to."
Kalem listened intently, the scout's words gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. Energy? He exchanged a glance with a nearby smith, who looked just as unsettled.
As the reports continued, Saria pulled out a small stone, its surface etched with faint, glowing runes. "We found this embedded in one of the fissures," she said. "It's giving off that same energy. Feels like it doesn't belong here."
The stone passed from hand to hand, eventually making its way to Kalem. He held it gingerly, feeling the faint hum of magic beneath his fingertips. It was unlike anything he'd encountered, a mixture of raw power and deliberate design.
Later that day, the scouts presented their findings to the Augury himself. The Ironworks Plaza had become a makeshift assembly hall, filled with workers, warriors, and leaders eager for answers.
The Augury stood at the center, his presence commanding as ever. Though his face betrayed no emotion, the faint glow of his focus core gave him an almost otherworldly aura. Saria stepped forward to recount her team's discoveries, her tone respectful but firm.
"We believe the creatures are avoiding these zones because of this energy," she concluded. "It's not something we've encountered before, but it's strong enough to drive even Lava Worms away. And then there's the stone—"
The Augury raised a hand, silencing her mid-sentence. His gaze swept over the gathered crowd, his voice calm and measured. "What you describe is not unprecedented," he said. "The valley is a place of constant change, especially during the Season of Fire. Shifts in energy and the behavior of its creatures are to be expected."
Saria hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. "With respect, Augury, this feels different—"
"And yet it is not," the Augury interrupted, his tone firm but not unkind. "The Season of Fire has always been unpredictable. What you perceive as unusual is merely a natural deviation, no more significant than a tremor or a sudden eruption."
The crowd murmured in agreement, their unease tempered by the Augury's confidence. Kalem, standing near the edge of the gathering, felt a pang of frustration. Something about the Augury's dismissal didn't sit right with him, but he kept his thoughts to himself.
The Augury gestured toward the smiths and leaders gathered before him. "Focus your efforts on the tasks at hand. Reinforce your defenses, secure your resources, and prepare for any eventuality. These anomalies are distractions, nothing more."
As the meeting dispersed, Kalem found himself lingering near the plaza's edge. He turned the stone over in his hand, its faint hum a constant reminder of the unanswered questions it represented. Nearby, Vornar and Tharic were deep in conversation, their expressions neutral but their tones subdued.
Kalem approached them, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What do you think about all this?" he asked, holding up the stone.
Tharic shrugged, his usual bluntness softened by the day's events. "The Augury's right about one thing—the valley's always been unpredictable. Could just be another quirk of the Season of Fire."
"But it feels... deliberate," Kalem pressed. "Like this energy isn't just random. And if the creatures are avoiding it, shouldn't we be more concerned?"
Vornar clapped a hand on Kalem's shoulder, his grip firm but reassuring. "Trust the Augury. He's guided us through worse than this. If he says it's nothing, it's nothing."
Kalem nodded, though the doubt in his mind lingered. As the others departed, he pocketed the stone, resolving to study it further.
That night, Kalem sat by a dimly lit forge, the stone resting on the anvil before him. He traced its runes with a finger, their patterns both intricate and alien. Despite the Augury's reassurances, he couldn't shake the feeling that this discovery was more than just a quirk of nature.
The valley, so recently alive with chaos, now felt eerily quiet. And in that quiet, Kalem's thoughts turned to the creatures that had once dominated it—the Lava Worms, the Galgameths. What could frighten such powerful beings?
As he stared into the glowing embers of the forge, Kalem resolved to find the answer. Even if it meant going against the Augury's wishes, he couldn't ignore the nagging sense that something was deeply, fundamentally wrong.
For now, he would keep his doubts to himself. But the stone, with its mysterious energy, felt like the first piece of a much larger puzzle—one that he was determined to solve.