The world outside the Cave of Origins felt strangely quiet.
Not peaceful—just the kind of quiet that settles after a storm, when the wind itself pauses as if listening for whatever comes next. The trio stepped out into the muted dawn, their breaths clouding in the pale light. None of them felt rested. None of them felt safe.
But for the first time since the ambush… they at least had direction.
Ahan walked ahead, adjusting the straps of his satchel as the scroll fragments pressed lightly against his ribs. Abhi followed, eyes scanning the horizon with an intensity he hadn't had before the clash. Aryan trailed last, hand brushing the hilt of his blade, replaying the humiliating flick that sent him flying.
They didn't speak until the path narrowed between two steep cliffs.
Ahan finally broke the hush.
"So," he said, tapping the rolled map that hung from his belt, "we need to be sure what we're walking into."
Abhi nodded. "Agreed. Show it."
Ahan unfurled the reconstructed parchment, pinning the corners with small stones. The glowing runes shimmered faintly in the morning light, forming a triangular route with one point blazing brighter than the rest.
Aryan crouched beside it. "That's… Darkroot Valley."
Abhi exhaled slowly. "Yeah. The first hidden artifact is there."
Ahan closed his eyes for a moment. "The forbidden zone. Ruined hundreds of years ago after the Fall of the Twin Deities."
Aryan stiffened. "We're really going there?"
Abhi looked at him, expression steady. "We have to. Before Overlord finds another way."
The Pulse
A faint tremor shivered beneath their feet.
It wasn't imagination—dust drifted off the nearby cliffs. Aryan immediately reached for his blade, Abhi for his defensive seals, Ahan for a projectile rune.
Then they felt it again.
A heartbeat.
Not theirs.
The whole valley seemed to echo with a distant, rhythmic thrum. A low-frequency pulse that rolled through the earth like a slow wave.
Ahan's voice dropped. "That's the artifact."
Abhi frowned. "No. It's too early for it to be resonating."
Aryan swallowed. "Unless something—or someone—is already near it."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Tracking the Disturbance
Abhi knelt and pressed his palm to the dirt. Pale glyphs bloomed briefly around his fingers. His eyebrows furrowed.
"There's movement near the valley entrance," he said. "Large signatures. Not beasts."
Ahan clicked his tongue. "How large?"
"…General-tier large."
Aryan swore under his breath. "Already? How? They shouldn't even know the location."
Ahan shook his head. "They aren't here for the artifact."
Abhi looked up slowly. "Then what?"
Ahan stared at the glowing pulse in the map.
"They're here because someone else activated the valley."
Aryan's blood ran cold. "Another faction?"
"Maybe," Ahan said. "Or maybe… the valley woke on its own."
None of the options were good.
Decision Point
The earth trembled again—stronger.
Ahan rolled up the map with urgency. "We can't walk in blind. We need intel."
Abhi nodded. "And a way to avoid Kairo, Hiro, and Zane if they're around."
Aryan stood, clenching his fists. "Then what's the plan?"
Ahan looked between the two of them, calm and calculating.
"Simple."
He pointed at the valley ahead, where a faint, eerie glow simmered between the trees.
"We split up."
Abhi's head snapped toward him. "Absolutely not."
"It's the only way," Ahan countered. "The valley's radius is too wide to scan from one position. Someone has to get eyes inside. Someone has to track the generals' movement. Someone has to locate the pulse point."
Aryan understood instantly. "You want me to scout the perimeter."
"You're the fastest to recover from impact shock," Ahan said.
Abhi exhaled sharply. "And I go to track the generals?"
"You're the only one who can defend yourself long enough if one of them notices you."
Abhi hated that he couldn't argue.
"And you?" Aryan asked.
Ahan tapped the map again. "I'm going to the pulse. If something is waking the artifact, I need to see it before they do."
Abhi shook his head, voice low. "One mistake and you die."
Ahan offered a thin smile. "Then I won't make one."
For a long moment, none of them moved.
Then Aryan extended his hand.
"Don't do anything stupid."
Ahan gripped it. "Says the guy who challenged a general head-on."
"Touché," Aryan muttered.
Abhi joined them, placing his hand on top of theirs. "We regroup in the valley's center. No matter what."
Ahan nodded. "No matter what."
The Split
They broke apart.
Aryan vanished into the right flank, his footsteps soft as he darted across roots and ledges.
Abhi moved up the ridge, forming silent seals around himself to mute his presence.
Ahan walked straight toward the valley, alone, the pulse growing stronger with every step.
The morning sun dimmed slightly as clouds thickened above the towering trees.
Ahan adjusted his cloak and whispered to himself:
"Please don't let it be him…"
The valley answered with another pulse—louder than before.
Something inside had awakened.
And it was waiting.