By the end of the month, Kaelen was the best in his class. He could deflect an arrow in total darkness just by sensing the ripple in the Aetheria.
But as his power grew, so did the mystery. One night, while meditating, he followed the glowing veins deep into the mountain's roots. He saw something buried in the deepest dark.
A giant, metallic door. It looked out of place—too advanced for a world that was just learning to use iron. It looked like... technology.
"What are you looking at, Kaelen?" Lyra's voice startled him.
He opened his eyes, pulling off the blindfold. "Something is wrong with this world, Lyra. The Nest, the Aetheria... it's all built on top of something else. Something older."
Before she could answer, the mountain shook. A roar echoed from below, a sound of grinding metal and ancient rage.
"The first seal has broken," Master Vane's voice drifted through the halls, sounding more like a prayer than a warning. "The Great Hunt begins."