"The ground is beginning to rise, it won't be long before we arrive." Lyaria interrupts his thoughts reminding him to focus on the present.

“I can't see anything but trees.” Despite going up, the trees were going up too, and they continued to block any vision or orientation.

The objective was to climb the plateau to try to find out where they were, although it seemed that this was in vain since the trees climbed as high as they did. Both continue until they reach the top and walk to the center attracted by something that haven't seen in a long time.

“Is that…?” Lyaria asks Ezer looking to confirm that she wasn't hallucinating.

“Yes, it is light. Let's approach carefully.” She nods at the idea and they both walk side by side trying not to make a sound.

As they cross the last line of trees, they are greeted by a strong light that momentarily blinds their eyes. They struggle to open them when noticed what was in the center of the clearing a hundred meters from them.

The joy of seeing the sun is completely overshadowed by intrigue. In front of them stood a monolith of black stone surrounded by four rocks of the same color in each corner.

"Any idea what that could be?" Ezer asks with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

“I've never seen anything like it, but there are stories of things like this left by them.” Lyaria says as she approaches.

“Elves.” Ezer knows without her specifying who she was referring to.

Both approaches slowly, ready for any situation, but nothing happens.

The monolith had a height of approximately five meters, this was very small compared to the surrounding titanic trees, while it was one meter wide. It ended in four angled corners and then crowned at the top.

"It's smooth to the touch, I don't think this is made of rock, maybe it's a metal." Ezer removes the dirt that covered it and examines.

“The rocks are porous, it is very likely that it is not the same material as the monolith.” She wasted no time and began to investigate the four rocks around.

“It is clear that they were exposed to the outside for a long time, while the monolith is in perfect condition except for the earth and the herbs that grow around it.” He can't find any inscription until his fingers feel a slight imperfection in the surface.

"This is...a square." He follows the lines and cleans inside and outside of them with the sleeve of his clothes.

“It seems to be the only one.” Lyaria approaches after searching the remaining faces of the monolith.

“What do you think? I have no more ideas.” No matter how he looked at it, it was only a square of about twenty centimeters.

"I'll try a knife." She tries to cut and pry with no results. “No, nothing. We can't stay long, now that we see the sun, we can orient ourselves.” Lyaria forgets about the monolith and starts planning to get out of the forest.

Although Ezer continues to try to figure it out, he knows that the monolith must have some function. He keeps thinking until is interrupted by a surprised voice.

"Ezer... look up." Lyaria points skyward in shock.

Turning his gaze to the sky, Ezer's eyes widen in surprise. Snowflakes were falling far above them, moving sideways instead of straight. At first Ezer thinks it's the wind, but dismisses the idea when he sees how they are deflected in all directions revealing the shape of what did this.

An invisible dome, a barrier that covered everything inside from snow.

“No, not only protects from snow. It also does the outside temperature.” Ezer knew first-hand the cold of the North and, now that he was even more inside it, knew that this would only get worse.

“Now I understand why these trees keep their leaves and the cold is much less.” Lyaria comes to the same conclusion as him, only that she says it out loud.

“This is climate control. But what was the reason? Did they just like warmer climates? How did they do it?”

The last question brings his attention back to the monolith.

“Magic? No, this goes beyond what we know as magic. This is magic and technology together.” Although Ezer can only guess since his knowledge of magic was very limited.

"Maybe if …" An idea runs through his mind and he places his hand on the surface of the square pouring a bit of mana into it.

The moment he does, the square comes to life displaying words in a language that Ezer and Lyaria can't understand.

“It is definitely their language, I saw it in other places.” The sudden change makes Lyaria take an interest in the monolith again and move closer. "How did you activate it?" She asks curiously.

"I just put my hand and a bit of magic... huh?" The letters are changing. Ezer notices it in the bottom right corner of the square.

“I don't have a good feeling.” The letters keep changing to the rhythm of the seconds.

“Neither do I.” Ezer places his hand back on the hilt of his sword and as if responding to his instincts, the letters stop changing, giving way to a word that fills the square.

It doesn't take long for the ground to move, or more specifically, the four rocks around him.

Seeing how those black and porous rocks rose, revealing their extremities next to what seemed like a very small head that ended in an irregular point, Ezer cannot help but find the similarities between them and the guardian of that fortress that had helped him in the past.

“No, they are not the same.” He could tell instantly when he saw the green gems that had eyes devoid of all will. They seemed to move mechanically, either because of a malfunction or because they were guided by some order they received many years ago.

Ezer and Lyaria run together in one direction the instant they sense something is wrong. By the time one of the guards finished digging himself out of the ground, they were already running into the trees a few meters away from them.

They were halfway there when Ezer suddenly jumps to the side hugging Lyaria and trying to roll to cushion the impact. A piece of rock that was clearly a fist because of the fingers chiseled into it, pierces the ground, releasing earth that falls like rain on both of them who were already getting up from the ground.