And finally, they knew.
Lenora had rechecked the coordinates three times, cross-referencing Mrs. Mason faded parchment with another old map in one of the massive books she had with her. The deep forest wasn't overseas.
It was hidden in the U.S..... They were in the U.S
More specifically, within the vast stretch of Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.
Kevin blinked. "All that chaos… and it's been here this whole time?"
Joyce exhaled slowly. "The portals weren't wrong. My focus was."
Cole folded his arms, scanning the tree line ahead of them. "Let's just hope this forest doesn't play tricks on us too."
Getting there hadn't been easy. Between hitching rides, taking themselves from continents to continents, keeping a low profile, and avoiding questions about why a group of teens looked like they were on a survival mission, it had taken them nearly days — Or perhaps they didn't really cared about the time they have been out of Nyroxia. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, the sky was painted in late-afternoon gold.
Tall pines stretched endlessly. The air smelled of earth and sap. It was quiet — but not empty. Birds shifted somewhere in the canopy. Leaves rustled under unseen movement.
Lenora unfolded Mrs. Mason's map again.
"There's a particular hill," she said, tracing a faint curved marking. "It's supposed to be elevated, circular… almost unnatural."
"Mrs. Jenny said something like that" Cole said
He adjusted his backpack. "So we split up?"
Kevin hesitated. "We've done that before."
"And we're still here," Cole replied. "We'll cover more ground to find this thing. And don't forget even if we do find it, we still have another to find" He added.
After a brief agreement, they divided into pairs — Lenora with Joyce, and Kevin with Cole
"Hope this isn't based on gender?" Kevin asked
"You absolutely trying to be funny" Joyce said
"I am funny"
They went opposite directions while keeping within calling distance.
Hours passed.
The sun lowered. Shadows stretched longer between the trees. Every slope looked like it could be the hill. Every mound raised their hopes — only to flatten them moments later.
Lenora wiped sweat from her forehead despite the cool air. "This is pointless. There are dozens of hills."
Joyce crouched to examine the soil. "Mrs. Jenny did said it wouldn't look obvious."
"Nothing about this quest has been obvious. Just frustrating" Lenora muttered.
Elsewhere, Cole and Kevin climbed yet another incline. Kevin stopped halfway up, breathing heavily.
"If this isn't it," he groaned, "I'm officially retiring."
Cole reached the top first and scanned the view. Trees. More trees. Endless green.
He shook his head. "It's not circular enough."
Kevin dropped onto a rock. "How are we supposed to know which hill is special?"
That question lingered heavily in the air.
By early evening, they managed to regrouped in a small clearing. Exhaustion showed on every face.
"Nothing," Kevin announced.
"Same," Joyce added quietly.
Lenora stared at the map again, so confused. The crescent symbol marking the artifact's location was drawn directly over the hill — not beside it.
"Hold on!..." Lenora figured something out
"Please, be Good news" Kevin prayed
"They didn't just hide it,"she murmured. "They concealed it."
Cole tilted his head. "Meaning?"
"Meaning we're looking for something visible," Lenora said slowly, "when maybe we're supposed to be looking for a sign."
The word hung there — A sign.
Joyce's eyes widened slightly. "Like that symbol?"
Lenora's heart skipped. They all stared the crescent pierced by three vertical lines, drawn out in the enormous book.
Kevin stood up immediately. "So instead of searching for the artifact… we search for the symbol."
Cole nodded once. "That changes everything."
"It's more difficult now" Joyce Sighed
"But at least, we know now. Instead of wasting time looking for what we aren't suppose to be looking for"
"You mean indirectly?"
"Come on, guys. The symbol won't come to us" Cole said
They began scanning their surroundings differently now — not for hills, but for carvings. Anything unnatural etched into bark or stone.
The forest had grown quieter as dusk approached. Crickets began their steady rhythm.
Suddenly, Joyce stopped.
"Wait!" The others turned.
"There!"
She pointed toward a large, ancient-looking oak near the edge of the clearing. Its trunk was wide — easily several feet across. Deep grooves ran through its bark.
Lenora stepped closer, her pulse quickening.
At first, it looked like natural weathering. Then she saw it — Carved faintly — nearly swallowed by time — was a crescent shape. And piercing through it?..... Three vertical lines.
Kevin's breath caught. "No way."
Cole ran his fingers gently over the carving. "This isn't recent."
Lenora felt something shift in the air — subtle, but undeniable. The same hum they'd felt before portals opened. The same charged stillness.
"It's not the artifact," she whispered. "It's pointing to it."
Joyce stepped back slowly. "The hill…"
They turned in unison.
Directly behind the oak, rising almost modestly compared to the others they had climbed all day, was a small, perfectly rounded hill — partially hidden by surrounding trees.
How'd they missed it??
Kevin let out a quiet laugh. "We were standing in front of it the whole time"
Lenora folded the map carefully and slipped it away.
"No more splitting up," she said firmly. "We go together."
The sky deepened into indigo as they approached the hill. The ground felt different under their feet — firmer. Intentional.
Halfway up, Kevin slowed. "Do you feel that?"
The air was heavier again.
Joyce swallowed. "It's here." And she was sure
At the top of the hill, the trees thinned, revealing a circular patch of bare earth at the center. No grass. No fallen leaves. Just soil — dark and untouched.
Cole stepped forward.
"That is it," she said softly.
He knelt, brushing away loose dirt carefully.
They hadn't found the artifact yet.
But for the first time since this began, they weren't guessing. They had the sign.
And whatever lay beneath that hill was waiting for them.
He kept brushing and others joined. Brushing dirt progressed to digging the soil but still they had no sign of the Artifact.