The westward trail stretched on, marked only by faint scratches in the dirt. Cale followed it with a mixture of determination and unease. His injuries still stung, but he refused to stop. The lantern's soft glow illuminated the path ahead, casting long shadows over the jagged terrain.
The further he walked, the stranger the landscape became. The glowing veins beneath the earth grew fainter, replaced by patches of dark, cracked ground. Occasionally, he'd spot a faint shimmer in the distance, but it would vanish as quickly as it appeared.
He paused at a shallow crater, its edges crumbling as though something heavy had fallen there. The soil within the crater was darker, almost black, and carried a faint metallic smell. Cale crouched down, brushing his fingers through the dirt.
This is recent, he thought. The ground was soft, disturbed not long ago.
The faint hum of the lantern broke his focus. Its blue flame pulsed, flickering as though reacting to something unseen.
"Not again," Cale muttered, his body tensing. He scanned the horizon, expecting another attack, but the silence remained unbroken.
The lantern continued to flicker, but nothing came. After a moment, its flame steadied, leaving Cale with more questions than answers.
"What is it trying to tell me?" he whispered.
Hours later, the terrain shifted again. The jagged rocks gave way to smoother, more structured patterns. Cale frowned as he realized the ground beneath his feet was no longer natural.
The smooth surface was covered in faint, intricate lines—symbols etched into the stone, forming a mosaic-like pattern. He knelt to inspect them, running his fingers over the grooves. They were precise, too deliberate to be random.
"Someone built this," he murmured. The realization sent a shiver down his spine.
As he stood, his eyes caught something glinting a short distance away. He approached cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest.
It was a piece of metal, partially buried in the ground. Cale pulled it free, revealing what appeared to be a gauntlet. The metal was dented and worn, but its design was intricate, with faint engravings along the edges.
"First helmets, now this," he said. He turned the gauntlet over in his hands, noting the way it seemed to hum faintly in response to the lantern's glow.
The mosaic patterns on the ground stretched further ahead, leading into the distance. The scratches he had been following seemed to merge with this new path, as though guiding him here.
Cale glanced back the way he had come, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind. The lantern's flame burned steadily, its glow reflecting in the gauntlet's surface.
"Guess I'm committed now," he muttered, slipping the gauntlet into his pack.
The path led him to the edge of a large plateau. Below, the ground opened into a massive expanse of ruins. Stone pillars jutted from the earth, some leaning precariously, while others lay shattered across the ground.
Cale's breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight. The ruins were vast, stretching as far as he could see. This was no simple campsite or battleground.
This was a city.
He descended the slope cautiously, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The ruins were eerily quiet, the only sound the crunch of his boots against the loose gravel.
As he reached the outskirts, he noticed more fragments of metal scattered across the ground—blades, gauntlets, and pieces of armor, all battered and corroded. It was as though the city had been abandoned in haste, its inhabitants leaving behind whatever they couldn't carry.
Cale stopped at a crumbled wall, his fingers brushing against its surface. The stone was cool to the touch, and faint carvings adorned its surface—symbols and patterns he couldn't decipher.
"This place…" he began, but his voice trailed off.
The lantern's flame flickered again, casting strange, dancing shadows across the ruins. Cale turned sharply, his hand tightening on the handle.
For a moment, he thought he saw movement—something slipping between the shadows. But when he stepped closer, there was nothing there.
The ruins felt alive, as though they were watching him.
"Who lived here?" he wondered aloud. "And what happened to them?"
The only answer was the faint whisper of the wind.