In the forest, near the Baroness' mansion.

  As first tendrils of spring weaved their way through the soon to be luscious, verdant landscape of Silvale, offering a tapestry of emerald and gold against the retreating, monochrome of winter, Erica's breath plumed white in the crisp morning air while she moved.

  It was her fluid silhouette, bar against the awakening forest and nature.

  The estate's grounds bordered what seemed to be a stretch of ancient, beautiful woodland, a place where gnarled oaks stood as sentinels of Mother nature, with their branches reaching like fingers towards the pearlescent sky.

  There she moved, with practiced ease and feet barely disturbing the much dew-kissed undergrowth, jogging along a winding path and the rhythmic cadence of her footfalls became a soft counterpoint to most of the awakening chorus of birdsong and what was soon to be spring.

  Not to mention, to the swordswoman, this much fresh air was invigorating. It carried a promise of renewal, nay, rebirth, and with it, faint, earthy scent of thawing soil that wonderfully mingled with a sharp, clean fragrance of pines.

  While the sunlight, still hesitant, filtered through the nascent canopy, it already painted dappled patterns on the forest floor.

  Even if there was little chance of danger or threat, Erica's senses were keenly alert. She had her gaze set to scanning the surroundings, which became a habit ingrained from all the training and patrols Sir Adalbert had her do. Though, despite her enjoyment of solitude and the rhythmic exertion of her body, her thoughts were already drifting towards the days ahead, especially her planned hike with her friend, Ophi.

  For days had they spoken of it, something like a leisurely exploration of all the nearby scenery and hills, which posed a chance to gather early spring herbs, and even more, to venture a little deeper into the woods, seeking out secluded glades and perhaps, even honing their combat skills in a setting much more natural than training.

  Erica seemingly anticipated the day with a quiet thrill. Any time she spent with Ophilanna always felt... different. It eluded her, what with the uncanny ability to see the world in ways Erica never could, or how she found wonder in everything mundane, managing to imbue the simplest moments with a sense of magic and excitement.

  Perhaps... she was a little attached, yes, but that wouldn't be an issue.. Erica hoped.

  When she rounded a bend in the path, something.. caught her eye. A subtle anomaly in the landscape, a darker patch amidst verdant undergrowth than usual, looking like a slight dip in the terrain. She thought it was unnatural, and with curiosity piqued, Erica slowed her pace and veered off the path, investigating her finding.

  She found herself at the mouth of a small, deceptively insignificant cave, after pushing aside a curtain of low-hanging branches. It was almost hidden beneath a moss-covered embankment, though with relative ease, Erica uncovered the entrance. While not particularly remarkable, all but a shadowed opening in the earth, something about it resonated.. with a faint wrongness, that she thought. Subtly, the air around this entrance felt much colder than the surroundings, and the silence from within was a little too profound.

  However, a spark of hesitation flickered within her. Exploring such uncharted domains alone was hardly a prudent or wise choice, especially given the recent unrest, and the lingering threat... of... things, and those possibly emergent from beyond borders.

  Yet, her adventurer's spirit that began to awake whispered to her an insistent, no, irresistible invitation:

  She peered into the darkness, and the shadows from within were almost writhing and deepening, obscuring any details beyond the immediate entrance, no hope.

  It was only a faint, nearly imperceptible tremor of unease, that prickled Erica's senses, and so, prudence ultimately won over foolishness.

  She shook her head with what could be likened to a wry smile at her own momentary lapse in judgement, and decided to leave the cave yet unexplored, at least for the time being. It could wait, definitely, since this area was hardly ever visited, and if so, by seasoned soldiers during patrol, herself, or the masters in the mansion, knowledgeable about the threats and dangers and versed in combat, as they were.

  Her hike with Ophilanna would be top priority, hence the girl turned back towards her original path, resuming the jog she took on earlier. Behind her, the image of a shadowed cave entrance lingered at the edge of her awareness, gnawing at her mind like a subtle enigma, tucked away in the awakening forest, would.

  -Erica

  Back at the mansion, the morning air felt noticeably warmer. My muscles ached pleasantly, and I climbed the stairs to my chambers with ease, a sense of invigorated contentment settling inside me.

  What beckoned was a hot bath, something I yearned for deeply after an exhausting jog, and it was a most welcome reward after the run.

  Steam soon filled the small bathing room while I luxuriated in the water, its warmth easing the lingering chill of the morning air and loosening many of tension's knots in my shoulders.

  Almost lost in the soothing image of the water, with my eyes closed, what slipped from my consciousness was the brief encounter with the cave entrance, and it became but a half-forgotten detail of the morning run. I had not heard anything, so entrenched I was in my thoughts, that Ophi slipped into my chambers and touched my shoulder, slightly frightening me, if anything. This fright subsided upon me laying eyes on her, though I saw nothing the sort of a smirk on her lips, instead, she asked when we would set off for the hike.

  Surprised by her sudden appearance during my bath, I told her that we'd be ready at earliest in the hour, which seemed a satisfying answer to her, at least.

  Later, dressed in comfortable and practical clothing, I sought out Ophi in the mansion's sun-drenched conservatory.

  There she sat, as expected, surrounded by a veritable mountain of books and scrolls, most often paper and some were of a different, more magical material altogether. Der ?ther rested, open, in her lap, with its gemstone cover pulsing ever so softly, soothingly. It was a hum of gentle music, a tune that was warmth and nothing else.

  Sunlight streamed through the glassy panes, bathing her in warm, golden light, illuminating the intense concentration etched on her delicate, beautiful features.

  She looked up as I entered, however, and so I became the target of her concentration, without question. A gentle smile adorned her lips, gracing me, which I returned in kind. Ophi's eyes were alight with intellectual curiosity.

  "Are you ready for our hike, Ophi?" I asked her, my voice light and more cheerful than usual. It masked perfectly any hint of the morning's cave encounter, I hoped, and she nodded eagerly in response. With one fell swoop, Der ?ther closed with a soft thud.

  "Indeed! I've been so excited.. thank you for going on a hike with me! The spring herbs should be emerging now, so it'll be wonderful to experiment with. Plus, we'll finally have time for ourselves, away from all the servants' prying eyes!"

  During the gathering of our hiking equipment and preparations, my mind slipped, when it was usually so focused and efficient, which presented a stark contrast.. I felt weirdly scattered.

  After double-checking our supplies, ensuring we had plenty of water, food, and bandages to help with first aid, I also took my sword and holstered it. Staff in hand, Ophi already held onto her weapon of choice. However, there was... a strange feeling? As if something was missing?

  A subtle detail nagged at the edge of my memory, betraying a frown while trying to pinpoint this particularly elusive thought.

  "Erica?", she asked me, her brow furrowed with concern, "Is everything alright?"

  With perceptive gaze, Ophi managed to notice my momentary distraction. I paused and shook my head slightly. There was something like a half-forgotten image in my mind; the cave entrance then resurfaced with utmost clarity, unexpected as it was.

  "Actually...", I turned around and struggled to find the words needed, "Fia.. I..", a spark of excitement ignited in my eyes noticeable even to her. "I think.. I might have stumbled upon a little side quest for us.. just us."

  With a hint of mischief playing on my lips, I grinned at her. "Care for a.. slight detour before we go on the hike?"

  Ophilanna's eyes widened, immediately piquing her curiosity. Naively, she asked, "A side quest? Of what nature?"

  Explaining, I replied, "a cave." My voice was somewhat laced with intrigue. "You see, hidden in the woods, not quite far from this estate, I found it on my morning jog. It looked.. interesting. You'll see."

  Deliberately, I understated the feeling of wrongness I sensed from within the cave, as I didn't intend to unduly alarm her before we even set out. "Perhaps we can investigate, before heading deeper into the hills? Together? It's like a little adventure!"

  Seeing that I proposed such a side quest just for the two of us, her smile widened and widened, turning into one of real, genuine joy. Her eyes were practically sparkling with anticipation. Before the words even had a chance to, her head performed a nodding motion. "Exploring a cave? That sounds wonderful! Please? Lead the way, I'll follow you."

  Hiking through the awakening spring landscape manifested a truly uplifting feeling. The air was alive with a scent of moist, earthen smell, carrying as much of the burgeoning blossoms as it could, and birdsong joyfully accompanied, in chorus, our footsteps.

  With me leading the way in confident strides, Ophi followed closely behind. She attuned her senses keenly to any possible shift of the forest's nuances, a scanning gaze fixated on the flora and fauna here and there. Occasionally, her fingers even brushed against emerging leaves, as if she wished to absorb the very essence of spring coming.

  Sooner than later, we reached the area I had discovered just this morning. There was a suspicious, unremarkable dip in the terrain, but due to full daylight, it was more pronounced than before. We pushed aside many of the concealing branches, and before us, a cave entrance yawned, looking like a shadowed maw in the earth, however, radiating much the same faint, but unsettling chill.

  A gaze of concern met my eyes, of course, and she asked me promptly. "Erica... this is suspicious. Was it like that before?"

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  In a moment, I unsheathed my sword, polished metal gleaming in the sunlight, and said in a low, but alert voice, "Ready yet, Ophi?"

  Of course, as I knew her, she nodded and her eyes narrowed immediately, focusing all her concentration on the entrance.

  Instinctively, Ophi's hand moved towards the pouch at her belt, where she carried a notebook as well as Der ?ther. Within, a few other essential items were held, she was rather prepared.

  Interestingly, what she said was.. curious? "Indeed I am! Though.. this peculiar energy, that emanates from the cave.. ", she murmured, thoughtful yet nervous, "it resonates with this book's gem. That's not entirely natural.. is it?"

  Not having a slightest clue, I shook my head. "Should we check it out? You're not scared over some little cave, are you?"

  Even though I just intended to tease her a little, she gathered herself and moved, slowly, towards the entrance. "I think this is related to the book. This.. ruin? Let's have a look, please."

  Exercising great caution, the both of us entered inside, and without any kind of warning, the air grew colder almost instantly. Not only that, but it felt so much damper, and it muffled the forest's sounds abruptly. What used to be birdsong and animals chirping, was now replaced by heavy, almost oppressive silence.

  Footsteps softly echoed on the uneven, hard stone floor, and darkness encased us completely, being punctuated only by some of the faint light filtering in from the cave's entrance.

  "Hold on a moment, Erica", she whispered, her hand placed on my shoulder, "it's too dark. Instead of a torch, let me try..."

  She attempted something, though I knew not what it was. A light spell? Can she do that?

  A flash, and then, I had a hard time even seeing anything.

  When I opened my eyes again, and could finally see something, the cave was fully illuminated. Little wisps, balls of light, danced around and cast their light wherever they went.

  Being able to see, now I moved with my practiced, usual caution, sword ready and held in a fighting stance.

  However, given the tightness of this space, I would need to adjust my stance appropriately... as Sir Adalbert taught me. Combat in close quarters is rather complicated. All in all, My senses were sharpened and on high alert. Ophi, on the other hand, could use her magic as she wished, as long as she wouldn't use fire. However, she seemed.. less concerned with any immediate danger or threat, rather, her gaze was fixated ahead, and she was concentrated, absorbed, in analysing the subtle magic permeating the caves. Regularly, we would stop and she appeared to almost be meditating, taking in any shift or nuance she could.

  As the cave's passage twisted and turned, it descended gradually into the earth. Natural rock walls made way, soon giving to something... different. The transition was all but immediate. Now, walls were made of smooth, unnaturally geometric surfaces that felt cold to the touch. My hand tightened on my trusted sword's hilt, unease intensifying. "I knew it, this was no ordinary cave!"

  Holding out a finger in front of her lips, Ophi hushed me. As the walls changed, it would hint at a man-made structure beyond the natural cave formation. We were onto something, and it was related to the book she was so intently studying.

  Rounding the final bend, our passage opened into a larger chamber, and now, the cave's true nature was revealed:

  Before us stood entrance, not of natural rock, but meticulously crafted stone and quartz, blocks that fitted together with incredible precision formed starkly geometric archways.

  Written all over the arch, runes that emanated faint glow illuminated, though only giving residual, nearly faded light, the path ahead. All of them were etched into the stone, though they were quite different from the rune technology either of us had seen before. It was rare, of course, and we were no experts.

  However, I could tell the air here was incredibly thick, and the magic laying dormant within these halls weighed on us. It was a palpable, silent hum, resonating deep within my bones.

  My breath hitched in my throat. "Ophi.. you're seeing this? You don't know this place, do you? Is it mentioned in Der ?ther?", I whispered, hushed voice with awe and a slight touch of apprehension. There was still worry, and I looked around with great caution.

  In front of me, she already stepped forward, fixing her gaze on the runic archway, fingers tracing the faded glyphs. "Ancient..", she mumbled, barely audible. "This is Eldarion.. perhaps much older? It's not a natural structure, but one made by design." She turned to face me, eyes wide with a mixture of wonder, excitement, and trance. "Erica.. this is extraordinary. This ruin might hold wisdom and treasure we cannot even imagine. It might be an ancestral wizard's tomb."

  Naturally, at the mention of 'tomb', I remained on edge, my intuition screaming at us to be cautious. Despite Ophi's evident fascination, my voice was tight with apprehension. A given, I thought. "While extraordinary..", I said, "it is also.. unsettling, is it not? Are you sure we should continue? What if it's a trapped structure?"

  Hesitating for much of a moment, her gaze flickered between the shadowed archway and my face, concern etched into my features.

  Curiosity, ultimately, trumped her caution. "We must.", she declared sternly, steeled with all the resolve she could muster. "This... it's much too significant, Erica. Something here.. is calling out to me, to be understood, to be studied. As if a spirit was begging me."

  Stepping towards the arched stone, her hand was stretched out in front of her, as if she reached for something.. like a long-lost, forgotten secret. "I firmly believe..", she added, pausing with a hint of a smile on her lips, "that I have just the book with a mention of this particular ruin, and one that lets me document our... little adventure. Let's go?"

  Nodding, I followed her into the dark entrails of the structure.

  -Ophilanna

  Quietly, I reached into my pouch to retrieve a small, blank book. It was leatherbound and beautiful, though rather bland. Naturally, of course, since it was for documentation, not to be pretty. But I liked it. The smell of this notebook reminded me of my home. Its pages were smooth to the touch. while a simple thing, crafted from sturdy paper and bound in same, plain leather of cattle, within it would be written potentially important research! This was incredible, and my chance to learn more about this book, and where it might have come from.

  Inspired by the readings I've been doing in Der ?ther, I stumbled upon a particularly unknown magic. One that gave its wielder the ability to capture and store most visual impressions, and even the sensory ones, by weaving magic into the very fabric of perception. It would create a tangible record of experience. Of course, I was keenly aware of another method that could do just the same - photography. But as it were, this world had not yet developed, to my knowledge, any such photograph technology.

  With this magic, I needed less to write, but only apply magic with the correct formulation, to save my impressions from the ruins.

  I held the book in my left, and extended my right, focusing intent and channelling any ambient magical energy permeating the structure.

  Normally, this magic would require ample reserves of mana, but I could make do with the ambient energy, as it required less transformation than if I were to use my own reserves only.

  A soft light emanated from my fingertips, coalescing into a shimmering, ethereal thread that stretched towards the arch and inside. The light then touched the ancient stone, and seemingly... absorbed the intricate details of the runes, their glow, and the arch's geometric precision, just like the stonework's. It was a play of light and shadow within the cavern. As it was my first time actually casting the spell in a complex, non-training environment, it took some getting used to, but I managed, slowly and meticulously. With my hand, I traced the contours of the archway and its entrails, weaving a shimmering net of mana over it all; capturing every single visual detail.

  ".. Memory weaving," I murmured, focused but low voice, and my eyes were solely fixed on the book in my left. "It's a snapshot of perception, thus bound to the page I touch."

  As I completed the gesture, the light then faded, and I invited Erica to look at the book, opening it carefully.

  There, on its pristine paper, shimmered an image appearing like a proper painting, but being woven from the very thread of light and magic. It captured every little detail, down to the imperfections in the floor, and the runes' make-up. Done with such uncanny fidelity... as if a miniature portal to the entrance had opened within the book itself.

  She watched, and her entire apprehension was eclipsed by fascination, though only momentarily. Awe was painted all across Erica's face. "That's amazing, Ophi! Can I learn it too?", she breathed, enamored by the process and result. "You're a genius of magic!"

  Blushing slightly at her high praise, my attention was already drawn back to the structure.

  Urging with resolution, I said, "Let's proceed."

  I kept the book in hand, and as we entered, tried chant the same spell, but faster each time.

  "I shall record the journey as we go. Deal?"

  Nodding along, we stepped through the archway towards a corridor unlike anything we ever encountered in the cave.

  With perfectly smooth, marbled walls formed from a lighter stone than the archway we saw previously, it was devoid of stone's natural textures and unnervingly geometric, nay, orderly.

  The corridor opened into a series of rooms, each one seemed to be a perfect cube, and all of them were devoid of any, to our mind discernible, purpose.

  Where the first room was entirely empty save for the perfectly smooth walls, floor and ceiling, the second room was identical, the third and fourth, though echoeing much the same unsettling emptiness initially, they hid hints of wood, specifically a tree that was long extinct, indicating tables or chairs. It was the same stark geometric precision etched into the walls, floors and ceiling, with no clear carvings, markings, or otherwise obvious features beyond the unnervingly perfection that made me anxious.

  Erica, as well, felt intensified unease with each room we stepped foot into. "This place.. Ophi.. it feels so wrong. Everything is put into place so perfectly. It looks too clean!" she murmured, her speech tight with tension. "It's way too perfect.. missing any hint of living, or previous.. inhabitants."

  Keeping her sword raised, she strained her senses for any sign of danger or hint of movement in the oppressive, choking silence.

  However, I remained steadfast and captivated, as my gaze swept across the surfaces. With each time I traced the walls, I murmured and mumbled something. "Purpose..", my brow furrowing in concentration, "There is purpose. Reason. This craftsmanship, its ancient magical root.. whoever created it, did so with intention."

  I paused, and my gaze fell upon a small, raised pedestal in the center of the fourth room, something we almost overlooked. While outwardly appearing a simple stone structure, being shaped like a miniature version of the cubic rooms themselves, there were four smaller cubes arranged on top, each one seemingly representing one of the chambers they had traversed.

  "Erica..", my intonation grew sharper all of a sudden, infused with understanding of the puzzle, "Look at this." I pointed to the pedestal, eyes alight with excitement. "These cubes.. they are arranged in a specific pattern. Like.. like a map...", Erica examined the pedestal more closely, tracing the outlines of the miniature cubes. "And.. their arrangement.. it mirrors the layout of the rooms, you see? The order we entered them."

  Slowly but surely, realization dawned, spreading across my face. "Erica?", I yelped with anticipation, "I think.. this pedestals controls the rooms."

  Then, I pointed at the cubes. "Perhaps, if we rearrange them, we can alter the structure itself. It might open a path to another room?"

  Hesitantly, I reached out and touched one of the miniature cubes, gently sliding it to a different position on the pedestal.

  As that happened, a low hum resonated through the chamber, and vibration, seemingly emanating from the very stone beneath our feet, called out to us. The air shimmered all so faintly, a low grinding sound echoed from somewhere deeper within the structure. With ease, I recorded as a snapshot the arrangement of the cubes, so we knew the way back, and smiled at Erica.

  "Alright.. you have me convinced. Let's look, I'm just as excited as you are!"

  In return, my eyes widened. "It's really working! Ah..", I breathed with relief, excited with the wonder we just experienced. "The rooms are shifting..", and then I rearranged the cubes on the pedestal, experimenting with different configurations, each adjustment accompanied by low hum and a subtle tremor of the structure, responding to my manipulation of the structure's geometry.

  "Let's retrace our steps, and see where it takes us?", I asked Erica coy, my voice brimming with excitement. "We'll investigate each room in this iteration, and check each one. There aren't too many. Since the cubes are marked, we won't be lost.. I think. Perhaps, with different perspective, we can find the true genius behind this ruin?"