Kael left Iron Root Sect shortly after sunrise.
The early morning air in the mountains was cool and quiet. A thin layer of mist hung between the rocky slopes, slowly fading as the sun rose higher in the sky.
From the sect's stone gate, a narrow path led down the mountain toward the southern plains.
This path had once been an important trade road used by caravans traveling between cultivation cities. Centuries ago merchants, cultivators, and travelers passed through this route every day.
Now the road was mostly empty.
Many sections had broken apart over time, leaving only scattered pieces of the old stone pavement behind.
Kael walked steadily down the slope with a small travel bag slung over his shoulder.
The mountains behind him slowly grew smaller as he descended.
Before long the land flattened out, and the vast Ashwind Plains stretched across the horizon.
From this distance the plains looked almost peaceful.
But Kael knew better.
The environment there was unpredictable. Ash storms could appear suddenly, and the thin spiritual energy made survival difficult for both humans and beasts.
Still, Kael had visited this region many times before.
He was familiar with the safest routes.
As he stepped off the old mountain road and onto the plains, the ground beneath his boots changed.
The soil here was dry and brittle.
Small cracks spread across the surface like spiderwebs.
Gray ash covered the land in uneven patches, carried here by countless storms over the past centuries.
Kael stopped for a moment and looked around.
The plains were quiet.
No movement.
No sound except the faint wind drifting across the land.
He reached into his bag and pulled out his map.
The charcoal markings he had drawn earlier clearly showed the curved ridge formations he had discovered during previous trips.
Kael studied the map for a moment before folding it again.
He began walking south.
---
The morning passed slowly as Kael traveled across the plains.
The sun climbed higher, casting long shadows across the barren land.
Several times Kael stopped to examine the ground.
Occasionally he found small patches of Ash Spirit Grass or other weak spiritual plants that managed to survive in the harsh environment.
Whenever he found one, he carefully dug it out and placed it into his pouch.
Even a few herbs were useful for the sect.
But today his main focus was not herbs.
It was the strange ridge formations he had noticed earlier.
After another hour of walking, Kael finally reached the first one.
A low stone ridge curved across the plains like a frozen wave.
It rose only two or three meters above the surrounding land, but its shape was unusual.
Instead of running in a straight line like most natural ridges, this one curved gradually across the plains.
Kael climbed onto the ridge and looked around.
From the top he could see several other ridges in the distance.
Each one curved in a similar direction.
Almost like a pattern.
Kael crouched and brushed away a thin layer of ash covering the stone surface.
The rock beneath was darker than the surrounding soil.
He studied the surface carefully.
Thin lines ran across the stone.
At first glance they looked like natural cracks.
But the more Kael looked at them, the more unusual they seemed.
The lines followed very regular paths.
Almost like…
Kael paused.
He took the small digging tool from his bag and carefully scraped away more ash.
More of the dark stone appeared.
The lines continued across the surface.
Some of them curved slightly, intersecting each other at sharp angles.
Kael leaned closer.
"These don't look natural."
He had seen natural stone formations before.
But this pattern felt different.
More organized.
More deliberate.
Kael stood and looked along the ridge again.
If this was part of an ancient structure, it must have been extremely large.
The ridge stretched across the plains for hundreds of meters before disappearing beneath the ash again.
Kael followed the ridge slowly.
As he walked, he occasionally stopped to clear away more ash and examine the stone beneath.
Each time he found the same strange pattern of lines.
Eventually the ridge dipped back into the ground and vanished beneath the surface.
Kael stood at the spot where it disappeared.
He looked around carefully.
Several hundred meters away another ridge rose from the plains.
Its direction matched the one he had just followed.
Kael smiled faintly.
"This might actually be something."
He opened his bag and pulled out his map again.
Using a small charcoal stick, he marked the location where the ridge ended.
Then he drew a line connecting it to the next ridge in the distance.
When he finished, the pattern on the map became clearer.
The ridges were not random.
They followed a wide curved path across the plains.
Very similar to the ley line paths shown in the old records.
Kael folded the map slowly.
If these ridges really marked the locations of old ley lines, it could explain many things.
Over time the ancient energy channels may have collapsed, causing the land above them to sink or crack.
That might be why the ridges appeared in these strange shapes.
Kael looked toward the next ridge in the distance.
He adjusted the strap of his bag and began walking again.
---
The afternoon sun was beginning to lower when Kael finally stopped walking.
He had followed the ridge pattern for several kilometers across the plains.
Each time he reached a new ridge, the same strange stone patterns appeared beneath the ash.
But so far he had not found any clear ruins or structures.
Still, the evidence was enough to convince him of one thing.
These formations were connected to the planet's old energy system.
Kael climbed onto another ridge and sat down.
From here he could see the empty plains stretching in every direction.
The wind moved slowly across the land, carrying faint streams of dust.
It was hard to imagine that this barren region had once been full of life.
According to the old records, forests and rivers had covered much of the plains.
Now only dry soil remained.
Kael looked down at the dark stone beneath him.
"If the ley lines really collapsed here…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
But the thought stayed in his mind.
If the planet's energy network had broken apart, it might explain the slow death of Astra Minor.
The sun was beginning to sink toward the western mountains.
Kael stood and brushed dust from his clothes.
It was time to return to the sect before nightfall.
But as he began walking back across the plains, he glanced once more at the curved ridges stretching across the land.
They were silent and half-buried beneath centuries of ash.
Yet they hinted at something far older hidden beneath the dying surface of Astra Minor.