Patch of Druid

As Alex placed his hand on the rune, the world around them flared with blinding light. Magic surged through the air, and the massive stone gate began to tremble as if responding to his touch. At first, it was a faint vibration, then a deeper tremor, until the cracks in the stone started to mend themselves.

Fractured rock fused together, the fading lines of decay reversing as if time itself was unraveling. The sand that had once clogged the crevices began to flow away, retreating like a receding tide. When it was over, the gate stood whole once more, as though it had never been broken.

Alex and Allys stared in silence.

"Magic…" Allys whispered in awe, reaching out to touch the stone.

Alex gave a small nod.

The gate opened on its own, revealing a passage leading into the unknown. Darkness awaited them beyond, but it was not an ordinary darkness—it carried something familiar, something that Alex had felt before, something from his dreams.

They took their first step forward.

As they crossed the threshold, the sight before them stole their breath away.

A colossal cavern stretched before them, so vast that its end was swallowed in shadow. High above, etched into the stone ceiling, were enormous thirty-meter runes, glowing with an ethereal light. Their radiance resembled a sky full of stars, bathing the city below in a soft, bluish-green luminescence, making everything appear otherworldly.

Ancient buildings surrounded them on all sides, towering over the broad, stone-paved streets. Crafted from dark, almost black stone, they had withstood the ravages of time with remarkable resilience. Their facades were adorned with intricate carvings—symbols and patterns that stirred something in Alex's mind, something strangely familiar, though their meaning eluded him.

But there was no sign of life.

The city was silent, unmoving, as if time had halted within its walls. There were no people, no animals, not even the whisper of wind to stir the air. Here and there, among the ruins and empty streets, ancient bones lay scattered—remnants of those who had once called this place home. Some were strewn about as if death had struck suddenly, while others rested in seated positions, as though their owners had simply never awakened.

Allys gazed down at a cracked skull, half-buried beneath a fallen column.

"This place… is dead," she whispered.

Alex looked at her, then at the remains that had never received a proper burial.

"Something happened here," he said grimly. "But we don't know what."

A dark river cut through the heart of the city, its surface so still that it reflected the glowing runes above like a perfect mirror. The water was unnatural—not clear, but deep and impenetrable, as if it hid secrets that were never meant to be uncovered.

A bridge connected both halves of the city. It was a simple yet monolithic construction, built from the same black stone as the rest of the buildings. There were no statues, no engravings, no embellishments—only raw, unyielding strength, a structure that looked as if it had endured for eternities.

"Do you think this city was once full of life?" Allys asked, her gaze following the shimmering runes reflected in the water.

"It must have been," Alex replied. "The buildings, the bridge, the sheer scale of it… This place wasn't built to be forgotten."

For a moment, they stood there, listening.

But nothing stirred.

Only silence remained.

At the center of the river lay a small island, surrounded by the black waters. It was the very heart of the city — the connecting point between its two shores. A stone bridge led from one side to the island, and another extended from it to the opposite bank, binding the divided city together through this single, silent link.

And there, in the middle of it all, stood something impossible to ignore — the great tree, pulsing with ancient energy.

It was immense—so massive that its crown touched the stone ceiling, as if it had once tried to break through, reaching for a light it would never find. Its trunk was wide, covered in smooth, metallic bark that gleamed in a mix of silver and gold. The leaves were vivid emerald green, each radiating a faint, otherworldly glow.

Beneath the tree, nestled between its colossal roots, rested a stone monolith. Around it, tendrils of green energy flickered in the air, drifting like ethereal fireflies, pulsing with unseen power.

This place was still alive.

Alex felt a sudden pull in his chest. Something deep inside him stirred.

"I can feel it," he murmured.

Allys turned to him, surprised.

"Feel what?"

"The tree… it's calling me."

She looked at it again. For a moment, she thought she saw the faint glow around it shift, almost as if it had reacted to Alex's presence.

"It's keeping this place alive," she said softly. "Maybe it holds the answers to what happened here."

Alex didn't wait any longer.

He stepped onto the bridge leading toward the island.