The afternoon in Oakhaven dragged on, filled with market shouts and distant laughter. It contrasted sharply with the growing tension in the inn room. Ren spent the time watching not just the street outside, but Lyra. She was restless, her green eyes showing a quiet intensity as she paced the small room, clearly troubled by the Stone Breakers' presence. Ren felt the same way; a new piece of a complicated puzzle had just emerged, and it was unsettling.
He took the time to clean his longsword, running the whetstone along the edge, producing a rhythmic, almost meditative sound. This gave him a chance to focus his Aura, making it flow perfectly and turning the steel into an extension of his will. Each movement was precise and controlled. He also checked his other tools—small, hidden blades in his cloak, a thin length of cord, and a pouch of various powders for subtle distractions or tracking. He was preparing not just for a fight, but for a hunt.
"The Stone Breakers," Lyra finally said, her voice low. "It's… hard to accept. My ancestors thought they had driven them to extinction or made them completely irrelevant. They were a blight on the land, using crude and destructive methods aimed at unraveling the very threads of Divine Power that hold the world together."
"And their motives?" Ren asked, not taking his eyes off the blade. He needed to understand the enemy's reasoning, no matter how twisted it was.
Lyra walked to the window, peering out cautiously. "They were fanatics, as I mentioned. They believed the Heartstones oppressed the true, raw power of Aethelgard. They viewed the Rune Weavers and even the established temples as jailers. They aimed to 'liberate' Divine Power, hoping to return the world to a chaotic state, where power was free and unrestrained. They thought a new age would rise from that chaos, a stronger, 'purer' one." She shivered despite herself. "They didn't care about the destruction, the lives lost, or the land corrupted."
Ren hummed quietly, a noncommittal sound. He was familiar with fanatics; they were often the most dangerous, driven by conviction over reason. "What about their methods?"
"They had their own twisted ways of manipulating Divine Power," Lyra explained, turning back from the window. "They couldn't weave it like Rune Weavers or petition it like priests. Instead, they forced it, disrupting its natural flow. They used specialized runes, but not for harmony; for discord. They could open cracks in the earth, warp natural growth, and drain life from plants and small animals for their spells. They created corrupted creatures—golems of twisted earth or warped beasts. They were crude but brutally effective. The Guardian was thrashing as if in pain. They must have tried to force something from it."
Ren finished with his blade, sliding it into its sheath. He then unfolded a small, intricate map that showed signs of wear along the folds and spread it on the table. It marked the known Heartstone locations, gathered from old reports and his careful observations over the years. Many were just legends, but some were confirmed. He traced a finger northeast, then northwest.
"The Guardian was here," he said, tapping a spot on the map. "This Heartstone." He then circled Oakhaven. "The Stone Breakers are here. This isn't a coincidence. They're tracking the Heartstones. They came here for a reason."
"Maybe a hidden Heartstone nearby?" Lyra suggested, leaning over the map. "Not all of them are marked, even on Rune Weaver charts. Some are too deep, too well hidden."
"Or a resource," Ren countered. "A tool they need. Or a person." He looked at Lyra. "They are searching for something specific, or they wouldn't risk being so close to a populated area. Fanatics prefer to hide, but they will reveal themselves for a key objective."
As dusk settled over Oakhaven, painting the sky in fiery streaks, Ren stood up. "It's time to find out."
Lyra nodded, reaching for her own simple but effective Rune Weaver tools. "I'll try to sense them. They might leave lingering traces, even in a busy town."
They waited until the inn's common room became quiet, the sounds of celebration fading into contented snores. Then, under the cover of the night, Ren slipped out of their room, with Lyra following closely behind. He moved with the quiet grace of a seasoned hunter, his steps leaving no sound on the dusty floorboards.
They navigated the narrow, winding streets of Oakhaven, now bathed in moonlight and the occasional flickering lantern from a late-night shop. The town felt different at night—quieter, more mysterious, and its secrets more accessible.
Ren led them towards the town well, where they had seen the Stone Breakers earlier. The area was deserted now, with only the rhythmic drip of water breaking the silence. Lyra closed her eyes, extending her senses. Her face became a mask of intense concentration, her brow furrowed. Ren kept watch, ensuring no one was observing them.
After a few tense minutes, Lyra gasped, her eyes flying open. She took a shaky breath, her hand clutching her chest. "They were here. Strong traces. Raw, unpleasant energy. Like a wound on the land."
"Can you trace it?" Ren asked quietly.
Lyra slowly shook her head. "Not precisely. They… they left a lingering Resonance. A message, perhaps. Or a warning." She pointed toward the general store they had visited earlier. "The strongest residual energy is concentrated around there."
Ren's gaze fixed on the darkened general store. It seemed like an odd place for fanatics focused on Earth manipulation. Unless...
He guided Lyra around the back of the store to a narrow, unlit alley. The air felt colder and heavier. Lyra shivered. "It's stronger here," she whispered, her voice tight with unease. "Much stronger. Like a fresh scar."
Ren pressed his back against the rough stone wall, letting his Aura flare slightly to sharpen his senses. He picked up a faint metallic scent mixed with something earthy and unnatural. He knelt to inspect the ground. The alley was mostly dirt, packed earth. He noticed a faint, nearly invisible disturbance in the soil near the back door—something that shouldn't be there, despite regular foot traffic.
He touched it, feeling a slight current of Mana flowing from his fingertips. It was cold and unnatural. "They dug here," Ren said in a flat voice. "Recently. And they filled it in."
Lyra knelt beside him, running her hand over the disturbed earth. "Yes," she whispered, tracing the faint outline with her fingers. "And they left a lingering weave of corrupted Divine Power. A warning. Or a concealment spell, hiding what they did here."
Ren looked at the back door. It was old wood, bolted from the inside. But something felt off. His Aura-enhanced sight caught faint, almost invisible scorch marks on the frame, as if something hot or energetic had been pressed against it.
"They didn't just dig," Ren murmured, scanning the area. "They took something. Or put something in." He reached out, brushing his fingers against the old wood of the door. He felt a faint tremor, the echo of power, the residue of a forced lock, not a picked one. "They forced this door, or its frame, with power."
Lyra closed her eyes again, concentrating. "The Divine signature… it leads down. There's something beneath the store. Something old. A forgotten passage, perhaps. Or a vault." She opened her eyes, her expression mixing fear with determination. "They're not just passing through. They're here for a purpose directly beneath this town."
"What could be here that connects to Heartstones?" Ren wondered aloud, articulating his thoughts for a rare moment.
Lyra's face paled further. "Oakhaven… it's built on a nexus. A minor one, not a primary Heartstone, but a spot where ley lines converge. My ancestors noted it. A place where the land's energy gathers, like a smaller vein feeding a main artery. But it was always seen as too small, too ordinary to be a target."
"Unless," Ren interrupted, his voice cold, "they're not after a Heartstone itself. They're going after something beneath it. Or something that uses its power."
His words lingered in the still night air. If the Stone Breakers were in Oakhaven, actively digging under a store to access some hidden source of Divine Power, their plans were more intricate than simply agitating Guardians. They had specific goals in mind. Ren sensed this encounter was just the beginning of a dangerous journey into an ancient conspiracy.