Ruins Seeker Ep 2

The Whispering Stones of Eldarion

The sun dipped below the jagged horizon of the Eldarion Mountains, casting long shadows over the ancient ruins that clung to the cliffs like forgotten scars. Elara, her boots caked with dust and her satchel heavy with artifacts, paused at the edge of the crumbling archway. The air was thick with the scent of pine and something else—something metallic, like old blood.

“This place feels alive,” she muttered, her gloved hand brushing against the weathered stone. The carvings were intricate, depicting scenes of a civilization long gone: warriors with feathered helmets, towering structures that defied gravity, and a symbol that repeated itself—a spiral within a circle. It was the same symbol she’d found on the relic from the first expedition.

Her companion, Kael, a former soldier turned treasure hunter, squatted beside her, his gaze sharp. “Alive? Or just waiting?” he asked, his voice low. Kael wasn’t one for superstition, but even he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Elara ignored his skepticism. She’d spent years studying the Eldarion civilization, a culture that had vanished without a trace over a millennium ago. Their ruins were scattered across the continent, each one holding pieces of a puzzle no one had yet solved. But this site was different. The maps she’d pieced together from ancient texts pointed here as the center—the heart of Eldarion.

“We need to find the central chamber,” she said, pulling out her compass. The needle spun wildly, as if the very earth here defied logic. “Something’s interfering with the magnetic field. It’s not natural.”

Kael grunted. “Or it’s a trap. These people didn’t just disappear. They left traps for anyone stupid enough to follow them.”

Elara didn’t argue. She’d seen the traps before—pressure plates, poisoned darts, collapsing floors. But she’d also seen the treasures: jewels that glowed in the dark, weapons that never dulled, and texts that held secrets of a lost age.

They moved deeper into the ruins, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The walls here were smoother, the carvings more detailed. Elara traced one with her finger—a procession of figures carrying a glowing orb. “The Heart of Eldarion,” she whispered. “That’s what they called it. A source of power.”

Kael’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. “If it’s so powerful, why did they abandon it?”

“Maybe they didn’t,” Elara replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe it abandoned them.”

The passage opened into a vast chamber, its ceiling lost in shadow. At its center stood a pedestal, its surface cracked but still bearing the spiral-in-circle symbol. On top of it rested a stone orb, its surface etched with runes that pulsed faintly with a blue light.

Elara approached cautiously, her heart pounding. “This is it. The Heart of Eldarion.”

As she reached out, the ground trembled. The walls seemed to shift, the carvings moving like shadows. A low hum filled the air, growing louder until it was almost deafening.

“Elara, back away!” Kael shouted, but it was too late.

Her fingers touched the orb, and the world exploded in light.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the chamber. She stood in a vast city, its spires reaching into clouds that glowed with an inner light. The streets were filled with people—Eldarion, their faces serene but their eyes empty. They moved in unison, their steps synchronized as if controlled by some unseen force.

“Where… where am I?” she stammered, her voice trembling.

A figure stepped out of the crowd, tall and robed in white. Its face was obscured by a hood, but its voice was clear, echoing in her mind.

“You have awakened the Heart, seeker. Now you must choose: to wield its power or to understand its curse.”

Elara’s mind raced. Power? Curse? What did it mean?

Before she could respond, the vision faded, and she was back in the chamber, Kael shaking her shoulder. “Elara! What happened? You were gone for hours, but only seconds passed here.”

She looked at her hands, still trembling. “I don’t know. But I think… I think I’ve just opened a door that should’ve stayed closed.”

Kael’s expression darkened. “Then we need to close it. Before whatever’s on the other side comes through.”

Elara nodded, her resolve hardening. The Heart of Eldarion wasn’t just a relic—it was a key. And now that it was in her hands, she had to decide what to do with it.

But as they turned to leave, the runes on the orb flared brighter, and the walls began to close in.

The ruins were waking up.

As Elara and Kael raced through the collapsing ruins, the orb in her satchel glowed brighter with each step. The whispers of the stones grew louder, a chorus of voices that seemed to plead and warn all at once. Whatever the Heart of Eldarion was, it was clear that their journey was far from over.

And the ruins were just the beginning.