he corridor grew colder the deeper Kael walked.
The Echo lantern flickered softly in his hand.
Dust drifted through the narrow passage like pale snow.
The compass needle remained perfectly still.
Pointing forward.
Whatever had stirred inside the ruin was somewhere ahead.
Kael moved carefully.
Old ruins rarely woke up quietly.
The stone beneath his boots hummed faintly.
Echo energy rippled through the walls.
The deeper he went, the stronger the feeling became.
Then—
A sharp click echoed behind him.
Kael froze.
A thin metal wire tightened around his ankle.
A trap.
Too late.
The wire snapped upward.
Kael was pulled off the ground and flipped upside down before he could react.
The lantern slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor.
A shadow stepped out from the darkness.
A crossbow bolt aimed directly at his chest.
"Don't move."
The voice was calm.
Female.
Kael blinked, hanging upside down.
The girl stepped closer.
She wore a long explorer's coat layered with pockets and strange instruments.
Dust covered the edges of her boots.
A pair of Echo lenses rested on her forehead.
Her eyes studied him carefully.
"Frontier scavenger," she said.
"You people always think you're the first ones to find these ruins."
Kael sighed.
"This is an awkward position to negotiate from."
The crossbow didn't lower.
"What are you doing here?"
"Exploring."
"Liar."
She stepped closer.
"Most scavengers wouldn't make it past the first corridor."
Kael shrugged.
"Your trap almost worked."
"Almost?"
"Tiles three and seven were unstable."
Her expression changed slightly.
"You noticed that?"
Kael tilted his head.
"The Echo was loud."
She stared at him.
Then something deep inside the ruin moved.
The stone walls vibrated.
A low rumble echoed through the corridor.
The girl slowly turned toward the darkness ahead.
"…Did you touch something?"
Kael glanced at the compass on the floor.
The needle trembled again.
"No," he said quietly.
"I think something touched us."
The ruin shook violently.
From somewhere deep below…
A massive stone mechanism began to move.
The girl lowered her crossbow.
"…Well."
"This just got interesting."