Kael watched the academy group disappear toward the sinkhole.
The moment they passed beyond the ridge, his excitement faded into something colder.
Concern.
If the professor and his team began examining the collapse properly, it was only a matter of time before they tried to reopen the shaft.
And if they reached the cavern below…
They would eventually find the chamber.
The pedestal.
The runes.
Kael's jaw tightened.
That couldn't happen.
Not yet.
He turned and began walking away from the camp, forcing himself to move casually until the settlement buildings blocked him from view.
Only then did he quicken his pace.
The mountain hummed quietly beneath his feet as he moved along the ridge.
He could feel the familiar path beneath the soil now—the hollow pockets where the caverns ran through the rock.
The route back to the chamber was clear in his mind.
But he didn't need to reach the chamber.
He only needed to make sure no one else could.
The tunnel leading toward the pedestal would have to disappear.
Kael stopped at the edge of the ridge overlooking the sinkhole.
From here he could feel the structure of the caverns beneath him.
The open shaft.
The narrow passageways.
And deeper still…
The chamber.
He closed his eyes and reached into the mountain.
Stone responded instantly.
Not violently.
Just steadily.
Kael pushed gently against the section of tunnel that led from the main cavern toward the chamber.
Deep underground, rock shifted.
Stone slid against stone with slow, grinding pressure.
Sections of the tunnel collapsed silently, sealing the passage beneath tons of solid rock.
Kael held the pressure a moment longer, making sure the collapse was complete.
Then he released it.
The mountain settled again.
The chamber remained untouched.
But the path leading to it was gone.
Anyone exploring the caverns would find only blocked passages.
Dead ends.
The secret beneath the mountain was safe.
For now.
Kael opened his eyes and exhaled slowly.
The ridge felt calm again.
Satisfied.
He turned and began walking back toward the camp.
◇
The miners had gathered near the sinkhole while the academy team examined the rune-carved stones.
Professor Halvek knelt beside one of the slabs, brushing dust from the ancient markings.
Dr. Solen stood nearby with a small scanning device, its faint blue light passing slowly over the carvings.
Darius Tal crouched on the other side of the slab, studying the runes closely.
"These are definitely Aethari," he said.
Halvek nodded.
"They appear to be quite old."
Aria Valen stood a few steps away from the others, her attention shifting between the rune stones and the fractured ridge behind them.
The air around the sinkhole carried a quiet tension.
The miners watched from a distance, whispering among themselves.
Garrick stood with his arms crossed, studying the rune-covered slab with a thoughtful expression.
"Let's say this is Aethari," he said after a moment.
Halvek stood slowly.
"That would be my preliminary assessment."
Garrick looked toward the sealed shaft.
"And if there's a ruin under my claim?"
Halvek met his gaze calmly.
"Then you are sitting on something considerably more valuable than crystal veins."
The miners nearby exchanged quiet looks.
Everyone on Terrava knew the value of Aethari relics.
Governments paid fortunes for them.
Academies built entire research divisions around them.
Garrick rubbed his beard slowly.
"Didn't expect that when the ground collapsed."
"No one ever does," Halvek replied.
The professor studied the sinkhole for several seconds before asking,
"Who was it that fell down there?"
Garrick glanced across the ridge.
"My son," he said. "Kael."
At that moment Kael approached the group.
He had returned just in time to hear the last part of the conversation.
Halvek's gaze shifted to him immediately.
The professor studied him with the same careful attention as before.
Aria noticed the exchange and looked toward Kael with quiet curiosity.
Darius barely glanced up from the rune stone.
Halvek folded his hands behind his back.
"So this is Kael Holt," he said.
Kael stopped beside his father.
"Yes, sir."
"You were the one who fell into the collapse," Halvek said.
Kael nodded.
"I was."
The professor's expression sharpened slightly.
"And you survived."
"Yes."
Halvek tilted his head slightly.
"I imagine you saw quite a bit down there."
Kael met the professor's gaze.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Halvek smiled faintly.
"Tell me, Kael Holt," he said calmly.
"What exactly did you find beneath this mountain?"