The sun was already descending toward the western mountains when Kael began his return journey.
Long shadows stretched across the Ashwind Plains, turning the barren landscape darker with every passing moment. The dry wind moved gently across the ground, pushing thin waves of ash across the cracked soil.
Kael walked along the same direction he had traveled earlier, keeping the distant mountains of Iron Root Sect in sight.
Although the plains looked empty, traveling here at night was not a good idea. The temperature could drop quickly after sunset, and visibility would become very poor.
Still, Kael walked slowly.
Every few dozen steps he stopped to observe the ground again.
The strange stone ridges he had followed throughout the afternoon were still visible in the distance.
Even from far away, their curved shapes could be seen rising slightly above the plains.
Kael glanced back toward them one more time before continuing.
He had confirmed something important today.
Those ridges were not natural.
The patterns carved into the dark stone beneath the ash were too organized.
They looked almost like parts of an ancient structure buried underground.
If his guess was correct, those ridges might once have been connected to the planet's ley line system.
But the system had clearly collapsed long ago.
Kael continued walking for another half hour.
Eventually he reached a small cluster of broken stone pillars rising from the ground.
He stopped.
This place looked familiar.
Kael had passed through this area during several previous trips to the plains.
The stone pillars were the remains of an old road marker.
Centuries ago, these markers helped travelers navigate the plains between cultivation cities.
Now most of them were broken or buried beneath ash.
Kael brushed away dust from one of the pillars.
Faint carvings were still visible on the surface.
They were simple directional symbols pointing toward different regions of the planet.
But time had worn away most of the details.
Kael studied the pillar quietly.
It was another reminder of how different Astra Minor had once been.
Five hundred years ago these plains were busy travel routes.
Merchants and cultivators regularly passed through here.
Now the roads were empty.
The cities were gone.
Only ruins remained.
Kael stepped away from the pillar and continued walking.
---
The wind grew slightly stronger as the sun sank lower.
Gray dust drifted across the plains again, though not nearly as violently as during a full ash storm.
Kael kept moving steadily.
After another hour of walking he reached a shallow depression in the land.
The ground here sloped downward slightly, forming a wide basin surrounded by low stone ridges.
Kael slowed his steps.
He had not noticed this area before.
The depression stretched across several hundred meters.
At the center, the ash covering the ground seemed thinner than in the surrounding plains.
Kael walked down into the basin.
His boots crunched lightly against dry soil.
He crouched and brushed away the surface dust with his hand.
Dark stone appeared beneath.
The same kind of stone he had seen along the ridges earlier.
Kael looked around carefully.
Several thin cracks spread across the basin floor.
They formed irregular shapes across the dark stone surface.
He stood and walked a few steps forward.
Then he froze.
Something unusual caught his attention.
One of the cracks in the stone floor was much wider than the others.
Kael crouched beside it.
The crack was about half a meter wide and stretched several meters across the basin.
He leaned closer and looked inside.
The gap descended into darkness.
It was not very deep — perhaps only a few meters.
But it clearly led underground.
Kael picked up a small stone and dropped it inside.
The sound of the stone striking rock echoed faintly a moment later.
"Interesting…"
He studied the edges of the crack.
The stone around it looked smooth, almost as if something had once been fitted together there.
But whatever structure had existed had long since broken apart.
Kael looked around the basin again.
Several smaller cracks spread across the surface nearby.
Perhaps the entire area had once been part of a larger underground structure.
But centuries of erosion and collapse had buried most of it.
Kael considered climbing down to take a closer look.
But the light was fading quickly.
Exploring underground passages at night on the plains was not safe.
He stepped back from the crack.
"I'll come back tomorrow."
He memorized the location carefully.
The broken pillar he had passed earlier stood only a few hundred meters away.
That would make the place easy to find again.
Kael climbed out of the basin and continued toward the mountains.
---
By the time he reached the lower slopes, the sky had turned dark orange.
The distant lights of Iron Root Sect were visible near the mountainside.
A few lanterns had already been lit along the outer buildings.
Kael walked up the narrow stone path leading toward the sect gate.
The guards at the entrance recognized him immediately.
"Back from the plains again?" one of them asked.
Kael nodded.
"Yes."
The disciple chuckled.
"You must enjoy wandering out there."
Kael smiled faintly but didn't respond.
He stepped inside the sect courtyard.
Several disciples were gathering near the dining hall for the evening meal.
Ronan noticed Kael entering and waved.
"You made it back before dark."
Kael walked over.
"I found something interesting today."
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"Herbs?"
Kael shook his head.
"Something else."
Ronan crossed his arms.
"Now I'm curious."
Kael glanced toward the mountains behind the sect.
"There's a basin in the plains," he said.
"And a large crack leading underground."
Ronan looked surprised.
"Underground?"
"Yes."
Kael nodded.
"It might be connected to the old structures beneath the plains."
Ronan thought for a moment.
"So you're planning to go back tomorrow?"
"Yes."
Ronan smiled.
"Well, if there's something interesting down there…"
He grabbed his sword from the wall beside the training yard.
"I might come with you."
Kael laughed quietly.
"Let's see what we find first."
The two of them walked toward the dining hall as night settled over Iron Root Sect.
Far beyond the mountains, the silent plains of Astra Minor waited in darkness.
And beneath the cracked stone basin Kael had discovered…
Something ancient remained hidden underground.