The sun stood high in the sky, scorching the sand to the edge of endurance. Waves of heat rose over the desert, making the world shimmer like a golden mirage. The air was dry and suffocating.
Alex rose slowly, stretching out his numb muscles. He hadn't slept well. The images from his dream still lingered in his mind, refusing to let go. It hadn't been an ordinary dream—he could feel there was something more to it. Something he needed to uncover.
Beside him, Lyra was still asleep, breathing quietly, wrapped in a thin blanket. For a moment, he watched her in silence, then turned away and focused on something else. His thoughts kept returning to the dream—to the forest, the mysterious figure, and the words that still echoed in his mind as if they were being spoken now.
"You must find the path. Your blood remembers."
He shivered. He wasn't sure why he had been chosen. But he decided to take the risk.
Lyra woke almost at the same moment Alex started packing his things. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times as if shaking off sleep, and looked at him with a groggy but alert gaze.
"Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?" she asked with a slight yawn, propping herself up on her elbow.
Alex paused. For a long moment, he said nothing, as if weighing every word. Finally, he sat down in front of her, resting his hands on his knees.
"I had a dream. But not an ordinary one... it was something more."
Lyra raised an eyebrow but stayed silent. She waited.
"I saw a forest," he said quietly. "One I've never seen before. Everything was alive. And there was a figure. A man. An elf. Tall, lean, with golden eyes and runes across his body. He spoke as if the whole forest was speaking through him."
Lyra's expression grew serious. Her gaze sharpened, more focused.
"What did he say?"
"That my blood remembers. That I have to find the ruins—buried underground. And that only I can open them. He begged me for help…"
"Ruins?" she repeated slowly. "You've never mentioned them before."
"Because I didn't know about them. But now I do. I think it's the same place marked on the merchant's map. It all connects."
Silence fell between them. Lyra didn't speak, as if trying to process what she had just heard. Her eyes revealed nothing, but Alex sensed tension in her.
"It could be a trap," she said at last. "We don't know who that elf was. We don't know if he told the truth—or just tried to lure you in."
"I know." Alex nodded. "But I don't think it was a trap. It felt… real. Besides, Gaia is leading me there too."
"Who?"
"The goddess. Gaia. The Mother of Creation."
Lyra froze, staring at him in surprise. Her face stayed neutral for a moment, but a shadow of unease appeared in her eyes.
"I've heard of her. Old legends, nothing more."
"And yet she spoke to me. Just like that elf."
She sighed. Her gaze softened, though it remained cautious. She studied him for a long moment—trying to tell whether what he said was truth or delusion.
"Alright," she said at last. "But on one condition. We return by noon. If we find nothing… we leave. We head for the forest."
"Deal," he answered immediately.
Their eyes met. For a moment they said nothing, but it was a different silence than before. Deeper. As if both knew that something had just changed—and wouldn't go back to the way it was.
There was no more need for discussion. They began to prepare the camels in silence—tightening straps, securing supplies, checking the packs. Lyra had no prior experience with them, but to her own surprise, she picked up the basics quickly and worked cautiously but efficiently. Alex, on the other hand, was doing far worse. He had never ridden before, let alone dealt with such massive, temperamental beasts.
The animals were restless. They snorted, backed away, raised their hackles, and refused to cooperate. One yanked so hard it almost knocked Lyra down. Another tore the harness from Alex's hands and stepped sideways, snorting nervously.
"What the…" Alex stepped back, trying not to show how irritated he was getting.
But something inside him told him not to use force. Instead, he slowly reached out, bringing his hand to the creature's neck. The camel snorted, but didn't pull away. Alex placed his hand on its nape. For a moment, nothing happened… then the beast let out a soft sigh and lowered its head, as if all the tension had drained from it. Its eyes dulled slightly, calming. It stood still, allowing him to finish the harnessing without any resistance.
Lyra watched with surprise.
"What did you do to it?"
"Nothing. I just... touched it."
They approached the second camel, the one that had refused to let anyone near. Lyra tried to calm it, but the animal tossed its head and backed off with a low growl. Alex stepped forward without a word. He placed his hand on its neck, repeating the same gesture. This time the effect was immediate—the beast relaxed almost instantly, blinking and chewing the air as if suddenly drowsy.
"You've got a way with animals," Lyra said with a hint of admiration.
"I don't think it's me." He looked at his hand. "I think... it's something else."
He didn't finish. He didn't need to. Lyra understood. Magic. Something had worked—perhaps unconsciously, but effectively.
The camels were ready.
They ate a quick breakfast—dried meat and a piece of hard bread. It wasn't tasty, but it gave them energy. Without delay, they set off.
After a few hours, they arrived.
And saw… nothing.
No ruins. No trace of an ancient civilization. No statues, no stone walls with inscriptions. Just endless golden sand, stretching out to the horizon.
"This is it?" Lyra frowned, jumping off the camel.
Alex didn't answer right away. He felt it was the right place, but couldn't explain why.
"They lie beneath the earth."
He jumped into the sand and knelt, pressing his palms against the hot ground. He closed his eyes, letting his senses focus on more than just what he could see.
And then he felt it.
A faint pulse. Like a thin thread of magic, barely detectable, but real.
He looked up and scanned the area. His eyes landed on a small dune, barely distinguishable from the rest.
"There." He pointed at it.
Lyra didn't ask questions. She simply followed him.
They stopped at the top of the dune, dropped their bags, and tied the camels down so they wouldn't run. From the merchant's gear, they pulled out two shovels.
"Time to get to work," Alex said with a slight smile, driving the shovel into the sand.
They began to dig.
Alex had experience with this. After weeks of digging foundations, he had learned the best way to move sand so it wouldn't fall back in. His movements were quick and precise. With every stroke, he dug deeper.
Lyra struggled more. She wasn't used to this kind of work. The sand kept falling back into the hole, and every motion felt futile. Eventually, she paused, wiping sweat from her brow.
But something else caught her attention.
The way Alex moved—his tense muscles, the focus in his eyes, the sheen of sweat on his arms. For a moment, she couldn't look away.
She shook her head, forcing herself to keep digging.
"Do you really think something's here?" she asked.
Alex paused, resting his hands on the shovel, and looked at her with a faint smile.
"If not, at least we'll get a good lesson in patience."
Lyra rolled her eyes but smiled back.
Then Alex froze.
"Lyra… I feel something."
He leaned down, brushing away more sand with his hand. His fingers hit something solid.
Stone.
His heart started to race.
"I think we found something."
Lyra immediately knelt beside him and helped. Together, they cleared away more layers of sand until finally, a shape emerged.
A rune carved in stone.
They stared at it in silence, feeling the tension in the air rise.
The ruins were real.