The first piece of the ruins looked like a natural cliff.
Rowan would have walked past it if Iris hadn't stopped so suddenly that Lucan nearly collided with her.
They had spent two hours following the unnatural flow of mana through the silent forest before reaching a low ridge covered in enormous roots and moss. Half the hillside had collapsed, exposing a wall of dark stone beneath the soil.
Sage initially mistook it for rock, but Iris scraped away the moss and revealed geometric carvings.
"This was shaped," Iris said, excitement sharpening her expression as she cleared another section. "Not recently either. Look at the erosion inside the grooves. This has been exposed, buried and exposed again more than once."
Lucan examined the wall while keeping one hand near his sword. "Please tell me ancient buildings buried beneath forests are generally harmless."
Iris looked at him as though he'd asked whether fire was cold. "No."
