Chapter 10 Chapter 10

Kael spent less than ten seconds deciding what to do.

The map pointed toward a hidden ruin filled with treasures and power, making the decision easy for Kael, while the real challenge turned out to be convincing Gareth to come along.

"No."

"You don't even know what I'm asking."

"That has never stopped me before."

“You don’t know where we’re going.”

“I don’t need to.”

“You don’t know why we’re going.”

“I don’t need to know that either.”

Kael rubbed his forehead. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“I’m being comfortable.”

The old hunter took another bite of bread. The conversation appeared finished.

However for him, Kael had learned a few tricks across two lifetimes.

"There might be treasure."

Gareth stopped chewing slowly, very slowly.

He looked up. "Continue."

Kael narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."

"What?"

"Thirty seconds ago you wanted to stay home."

"Thirty seconds ago there wasn't treasure." Gareth grabbed his coat. “We’re wasting daylight.”

Kael stared and the old hunter avoided eye contact.

The journey began an hour later.

The map led north through dense forests and steep mountain trails that most travelers avoided.

According to history, nobody would discover the ruin for another fifty years.

Which meant nobody should be heading there now. That thought bothered Kael more than he wanted to admit.

The fresh footprint from the future treasure hunter wasn’t in his imagination.

Someone was moving pieces on the board.

The mountain path narrowed as they climbed.

Gareth studied the map, then he studied the mountain. Then he studied the map again.

Finally he pointed left. “We should go that way.”

Kael glanced at the map.

“No.” Gareth pointed again. “I’m telling you, it’s left.”

“The map says right.”

“The mountain says left.”

“The mountain can’t talk.”

“It doesn’t need to.”

Kael stared and Gareth stared back.

Five minutes later the old hunter walked directly into a bush.

The branch smacked him across the face.

Kael stopped walking and Gareth stopped walking too.

The bush remained completely innocent.

“You were saying?” Gareth pointed at the plant. “The bush attacked me.”

“The bush is a plant.”

“It was aggressive.”

Kael briefly questioned his childhood.

The argument continued for most of the journey as every mountain, path, and tree became the subject of a debate, and by the time they encountered a steep cliff, both were already convinced the other had completely lost his mind.

"We go around."

"We climb."

"That's a cliff."

"I noticed."

"People die climbing cliffs."

Gareth pointed upward. "Only the bad climbers."

Several hours later they encountered their first real danger. A large mountain wolf emerged from the trees.

The beast growled, its yellow eyes locked onto them.

Gareth slowly reached for his knife.

Kael remained calm.

The wolf stepped forward, and moments later two more emerged from the trees, leaving three very hungry wolves standing between them and the path ahead.

Gareth sighed.

“I knew leaving the village was a mistake.”

The pack lunged and Kael moved immediately.

Years of battle experience took over. He grabbed a fallen branch and slammed it against the lead wolf’s jaw.

The beast yelped.

Gareth drove another away with his knife.

The fight ended quickly. Mostly because the wolves realized there were easier meals elsewhere.

As the last one disappeared into the trees, Gareth looked disappointed.

"What?"

Gareth looked toward the trees. "Nothing."

"You were clearly disappointed."

"I was hoping the wolves would deal with that bush."

Kael blinked.

"You're still blaming the bush?"

"It knows what it did."

Kael ignored him.

The mountains became steeper as evening approached.

The map eventually led them toward a narrow canyon hidden between two cliffs.

Ancient stone pillars stood near the entrance.

Kael immediately stopped, his expression changed.

This wasn’t right.

According to history, the ruin belonged to a forgotten border kingdom but these pillars didn’t match any architecture he recognized.

Not from this region, not from the Empire. Not from anywhere.

A strange feeling settled in his chest. The deeper they ventured, the stranger the ruins became.

Massive stone walls rose from the earth. Ancient carvings covered every surface.

Symbols twisted across the stone in patterns unlike any language Kael had seen before.

Even Gareth noticed. "I don't like this."

"What part?"

Gareth gestured vaguely. "All of it."

"That's not specific."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know what's wrong yet."

The ruin felt old, far older than it should have been. Not hundreds of years old but thousands.

The realization sent a chill down his spine.

Who built this place? And why had history completely ignored it?

Torchlight flickered across crumbling corridors as they continued forward.

Gareth suddenly raised a hand.

Kael stopped immediately.

"What?"

Gareth didn't answer, he pointed.

Kael followed the gesture, then saw the footprints. His heart skipped a beat, he crouched immediately.

The dirt around the tracks remained undisturbed.

The edges of the footprints were sharp and unmistakably recent, no more than a few days old, and the atmosphere changed instantly as both men realized someone had been here long before them. 

The ruin was no longer undiscovered, and as they ventured deeper inside, they found more evidence in the form of a broken torch, fresh scratches on the walls, and disturbed dust that suggested deliberate movement, all pointing to someone who seemed to know exactly where they were going before they finally reached the deepest chamber.

Ancient stone columns surrounded a raised platform positioned at the center of the room.

An artifact rested upon it. A small crystal sphere glowing with faint silver light.

Kael immediately recognized it and his blood ran cold.

The Sphere of Echoes.

A relic that wouldn’t be discovered for another fifty years. It should have been untouched.

Untouched and forgotten.

Instead, a fresh footprint stood beside the pedestal.

Kael slowly approached.

The footprint was clear and the artifact remained.

Whoever came here hadn’t taken it, which meant they wanted something else.

Kael stared at the footprint, then at the relic. Then at the darkness beyond the chamber.

A terrible possibility began forming inside his mind.

Someone else knew the future, and if that possibility was true……

Then Kael wasn’t the only person rewriting history anymore.