Page 23

The quiet that followed didn’t feel awkward. Not comfortable. But there was an easiness to it as the gray afternoon light filtered through the thinning clouds, pooling in patches over the canopy, where the wind stirred damp leaves in restless circles.

A distant flash caught Skye’s eye.

Even Kato perked up. “Did you see that?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Skye said lowly.

There it was again—a bright flash among the trees.

“I’m going to check it out.” Then Skye pushed off the branch, the long drop sending a rush of adrenaline searing through him.

He landed with a heavy thud, his body sinking low to absorb the impact.

Kato hit the ground with less grace and more complaining. He rubbed his leg, already moving in the direction of the flash.

They broke into an easy jog, branches whipping past.

Soon, the trees gave way to a clearing, and there it was—an enormous, ruined dome rising from the earth like the fallen crown of some ancient structure.

Its surface was cracked, with sections missing, revealing the skeletal framework underneath. It looked like the severed cap of a skyscraper, but Skye knew better. This wasn’t something that had once towered over everything else—this was a groundscraper, an inverted structure that stretched deep into the earth. What they were seeing now was just the top of something much, much larger.

Skye was suddenly more aware of his steps. “Careful,” he murmured, eyes scanning the tangled mess of roots and oldcobbles beneath his feet. “I didn’t realize we were this close to Din’Daral.”

One of the six lost and forgotten underground cities, Skye had heard the stories—every year, hikers vanished without a trace inside the ruins, swallowed by sinkholes or swept away in floods that seemed to come out of nowhere.

The ground felt loose, almost hollow underfoot. Each subtle give sent a surge of unease through him.

“Remind me again why youchooseto live in this paradise of death and dismemberment?” Kato grumbled. He looked around. “Where do you think that light was coming from?”

“I don’t know. Maybe inside?”

They needed to know if there was something—or someone—in there causing that flash.

Skye kept a hand near his sword. He moved cautiously, testing each step before putting his full weight down. Kato followed, his gaze shifting between his brother and the dome that loomed ever closer.

The entrance was a dark break in the stone, vines trailing down like fingers. Skye pushed them aside. He had to step over a low ring of what looked like quartz half-buried in the mud. The surface was ridged, almost patterned, and beneath the grime, something glimmered—lines that looked like scales, overlapping in a way that made the stone seem strangely organic. It reminded him of the carapace of some long-forgotten creature, now claimed by the earth.

Inside, the metal lattice of the dome stretched high. More vines dangled down to brush against the rubble-strewn floor. A central device dominated the structure—a colossal ring suspended by a series of articulated arms and drooping cables hung like the remains of some long-dead beast left to rot on rusty hinges.

“Awesome,” Kato murmured and rushed forward.

“Yeah…” Skye said, craning his head to take it all in.

The ring wasn’t the only marvel. An intricate tapestry of gears, levers, and crystalline conduits crisscrossed the walls and ceilings. He could see the craftsmanship even beneath the weight of years.

He could almost picture it as it once was—alive, functional, powerful. Though what function it had served… that was a mystery.

Skye knew tech. Could read circuitry like a language. But this? This was something else entirely.

Across the room, Kato ran his fingers across the exposed gears, his eyes alight with a familiar, almost child-like fascination. It was a transformation, really, watching him like this. The cynical mask slipped away, replaced by something almost… pure.

In the center of the floor was a pedestal. It rose directly beneath that massive metal ring. The buttons, levers, dials were all still intact, though any labels or indication as to what they might do had been worn away.

Central to the interface was a prominent, circular recess, perfectly molded. Its shape looked familiar.

Curious, Skye reached into his pocket, producing the amulet they’d taken from Vaughn. A clear crystal ouroboros wrapped around a violet center stone.

He placed the amulet in the slot. It was a perfect fit.