Return

The Advance Team followed her toward the valley. The vegetation on the tundra grew sparser and sparser, and the ground changed from frozen soil to broken stone.

The entrance to the valley lay between two steep peaks. A dried-up creek bed stretched out from within the valley, its channel covered in stones rounded smooth by glaciers.

After they entered the valley, the wind weakened, but the temperature dropped even lower.

The cliffs on both sides were covered in thick layers of ice, glowing faintly blue beneath the afternoon sun.

Cassandra raised the Silver Compass. Its needle pointed steadily into the depths of the valley.

"The Stone Ring is up ahead. Less than two hundred meters."

The team continued forward. At the far end, the valley suddenly opened up into a circular basin.

At the center of the basin, a ring of enormous stones stood in silence.

The Stone Ring was made up of twelve monoliths. Each was over three meters tall, at least two meters wide, and roughly half a meter thick.

The material of the monoliths was exactly the same as the material of the Basalt Compass.

Cassandra walked to the edge of the Stone Ring and lifted the Silver Compass before her eyes.

"Twelve monoliths, with exactly equal distance between each one. The margin of error is no more than one centimeter. The Stone Ring has a diameter of thirty meters. A perfect circle. There are no Runes on the surface of the monoliths, no carved marks, no traces of any artificial workmanship. But they weren't naturally formed. Every monolith here was transported from at least five hundred kilometers away."

Vivi walked into the center of the Stone Ring and stood at the exact center of the circle.

She closed her eyes.

The wind stopped.

Wind poured into