The morning sky is streaked with gold and blue, the wind carrying the scent of damp earth and distant salt from the coast.
We set out from Western Guard Camp, travelling inland toward the ruins Edan has been investigating.
The path is rugged but well-worn, winding through low hills and scattered forests, the remnants of ancient stone structures occasionally jutting from the ground like the bones of a forgotten civilization.
Edan leads the way, moving with the practised ease of someone who has spent years navigating ruins and excavation sites. His light armour barely makes a sound as he steps carefully over loose rocks, his sharp gaze flickering between the path ahead and the landscape around us.
Elias, as usual, walks with a relaxed stride, but his fingers tap idly against the hilt of his weapon—a habit I have come to recognise as his way of processing information.
I stay close behind them, my own thoughts turning over what we had learned.
Ancient ruins.
Black Spirits.
A force that may be awakening.
The further we go, the heavier the air feels.
Something is waiting ahead.
And it knows we are coming.
——
We reach the ruins by midday.
At first glance, they seem no different from the countless abandoned structures scattered throughout Balenos—massive stone pillars, half-buried walls, and the remnants of what was once a temple or fortress.
But there is something… off.
The stones hum with a faint, unnatural energy, a whisper at the edge of perception.
The air feels charged, like a storm waiting to break.
Elias steps forward, running a hand along one of the ancient carvings. "So. This is it?"
Edan nods, kneeling beside one of the inscriptions. "This is the first ruin I've found with direct references to the Black Spirits."
He brushes dirt away from the stone, revealing etched symbols—worn but still legible.
I crouch beside him. "What do they say?"
Edan's voice is measured, careful.
"It speaks of a 'shadow-born entity.'"
I frown. "Black Spirits?"
"Perhaps," Edan muses. "But the way it's phrased… it suggests that they were not always what they are now."
Elias tilts his head. "You said something like that before. That they weren't always corrupting forces."
Edan nods. "And this confirms my suspicions."
He traces the symbols with his fingertips.
"There are accounts of a time before the Black Spirits were feared," he explains. "A time when they were seen as guides rather than parasites."
I blink. "Guides?"
Edan exhales. "It suggests that they once had a different purpose. That they were meant to assist, not consume. But something… changed them."
Elias's expression does not shift, but I feel his shoulders tense beside me.
Edan does not notice.
Or if he does—he does not mention it.
Instead, he stands, dusting off his hands. "This ruin is not the only one. Others exist across Serendia and beyond. And they all hint at the same thing—a forgotten history that was deliberately buried."
I straighten. "Buried by who?"
Edan looks at me.
And then—softly—
"I intend to find out."
——
The conversation lingers in my mind as we move deeper into the ruins.
If the Black Spirits were once something else, then what does that mean for Elias?
For the changes happening to him?
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye.
He does not speak.
But his fingers curl slightly, as if feeling for something only he can sense.
Something deep inside him.
Something stirring in the dark.
And I wonder—
Is it watching?
Is it listening?
And if so…
What does it want?