Zorin picked up a small fragment of black stone and examined it carefully before showing it to the others.
"This wasn't here before."
Arkady immediately took the fragment from him.
The moment he touched it, his expression became serious.
"It's part of the tower."
Viktor frowned. "How did it get here?"
"I don't know."
Arkady turned the fragment over several times. Then his eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait."
"What?" Viktor asked.
"This isn't a broken piece."
He pointed toward several tiny runes carved into its surface.
"It's some kind of marker."
Viktor's expression darkened as he immediately thought of something…
"A marker for what?"
Arkady slowly looked back toward the tower.
"I don't know. Let's hope it's not related to the prophesied otherworldly beings."
Before anyone could say anything else, the black stone suddenly dissolved into dark mist.
Everyone froze.
The mist briefly flowed across Arkady's palm before disappearing completely.
