Chapter 48 - Another Stone

The night had passed in a strange, heavy silence. No cries of night birds. No rustling of small creatures. No distant howls or chirps.

Only the occasional pop and crackle of the campfire, its embers glowing faint in the dark.

Morning came cold and still.

They ate in near silence, the mood subdued by the mountain's emptiness. The bread was dry, the water cool, but no one complained.

Ren broke the quiet first, glancing at Sera as he wiped his hands clean.

"You're sure there's nothing here?" he asked, his voice low. "No animals, no mana beasts, nothing?"

Sera smirked faintly. "I'm not bragging, but I am an S-Rank adventurer. Seventh Circle mage. I don't promise things lightly, Ren."

He nodded. "I know. Just making sure."

They returned to their meal, chewing thoughtfully, drinking in the crisp mountain air along with their water. The fire hissed as someone tossed in a damp twig.

When they finished, the miners rose, shouldering their tools, ready to continue their work at the stone.

But before they could set off, Ren stepped forward, raising a hand.

"Wait, before you go. I need to ask something."

One of the miners turned. "Just ask, Ren. We'll listen."

Ren took a breath. "I want to go to the beach. The one we saw from the peak. It's not far, maybe a third of a day's travel there and back. I'll be back before dinner."

The miners exchanged looks, surprised, but Ren didn't give them time to object.

"Sera's sure there's nothing dangerous here. No beasts, no threats, not even bugs. And I trust her. I want to check that beach because... I don't know. I feel like I have to. There might be something valuable. Something that could help the village. Maybe."

Sera, seeing him search for words, stepped in with a small grin.

"Maybe protective magic. From the water god, or something."

A ripple of chattered spread among the group. That sounded reasonable enough. Believable, at least.

Ren nodded. "Exactly. Just in case. Sera and I will go, one wagon only. I'll drive. Fera, London, you stay here, keep an eye on things. If anything feels wrong, even a little, leave. Don't wait for us. Take as much of the stone as you can and bring it back to Tobren."

Sera crossed her arms, amused. "I keep telling you, there's nothing to worry about. This place is empty. Trust me."

Ren offered a thin smile. "I do. But still... just in case."

The miners turned toward the stone, tools in hand. Fera and London took up watch near the wagons, tending the horses including Doro.

And Ren, Sera, and little Becca set off. Away from the mountain, away from the dig.

Heading northeast, toward the beach they'd glimpsed from the heights.

The path ahead was quiet, the air sharp with salt and stone.

Ren's eyes stayed on the horizon, where the pale line of sand met the endless sea.

There, he hoped, lay answers. Or at least, a new mystery worth chasing.

***

The wagon wheels creaked softly as Ren guided it along the narrow path, the mountain slowly shrinking behind them.

The trail wound down through craggy outcrops and patches of hardy grass, the air growing thick with the scent of salt and sea.

Becca, sturdy and sure-footed, kept a steady pace beneath the harness. Her ears flicked at the breeze, but she showed no sign of strain, even on the uneven ground.

Sera walked alongside, boots crunching against gravel and sand, her sharp gaze sweeping the horizon.

 The land grew quieter the further they went. No birds. No insects. No sound beyond the hollow whisper of the wind and the soft jingle of Becca's harness.

It felt less like traveling through wilderness and more like stepping into a forgotten place.

Ren kept one hand on the reins, the other resting on the map folded at his side.

His thoughts churned.

Why here? What's calling me to this beach?

He couldn't explain it, even to himself. Only that the map had pointed the way and he had to follow.

Hours slipped by. The mountain's shadow faded behind them, and at last the ground leveled into dunes and stony flats.

The sea stretched wide before them, endless and pale under the late-morning sun.

Ren slowed the wagon, bringing Becca to a gentle halt at the edge of the sand.

The beach was vast and empty, broken only by black rocks jutting from the shore like the ribs of some long-dead giant.

The tide was low, leaving pools and twisted ropes of seaweed glistening in the light.

Sera took it in with a long breath. "Well. Here we are."

Ren climbed down, boots sinking into the cool sand.

He unrolled the map across a flat stone, fingers tracing the faint glow pulsing on the parchment.

It pointed here, to the beach. No detail. No answer. Just a direction.

Sera stepped closer, watching the map's faint shimmer. "Now what?"

"We look," Ren said quietly. His eyes scanned the shoreline. "We search. There's something here. I can feel it. Maybe buried. Maybe hidden in plain sight."

Ren's gaze lingered on the jagged ridge of black rocks near the water's edge, but his eyes drifted beyond, to the waves themselves. To the shimmering blue that stretched out toward the horizon.

Without a word, he began to pull off his outer coat and boots, rolling up his trousers.

Sera blinked. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going in."

"In? You mean swimming? Can you even swim?"

Ren gave a small grin as he stepped toward the water.

"The map marked this spot. Maybe it's under the sea. Where I came from… Indonesia, it's all islands. Big and small, scattered across the ocean. We learn to swim before we can run."

Sera smirked, crossing her arms. "I guess I'll trust you not to drown, then."

Ren waded in, the cool saltwater rushing up his legs.

He moved smoothly, with confidence born of long practice.

A few moments later, he was gliding through the waves, cutting toward the deeper water beyond the rocks.

Sera stayed back on the shore with Becca, watching as his dark head bobbed between the swells, the sun glinting on the water.

Ren swam out. Twenty… thirty meters from the shore.

The water darkened beneath him, the sand giving way to coral outcrops and small crevices in the sea floor.

He dove, pushing down through the clear blue, searching.

His eyes caught the glint of something pale between the coral branches. Oysters, clustered together, their shells tight and heavy. He pried a few loose, tucking them into his belt pouch.

But just beyond them, something else caught his eye.

Half-buried in the sand was a small, round stone. Too perfectly shaped to be natural.

 He grabbed it, turning it over in his palm. Faint scratches marked its surface, as if it had once been carved or inscribed and worn smooth by time.

Ren surfaced, drawing in deep breaths, and swam back to shore.

Water streamed from his hair and clothes as he stepped onto the sand, the stone gripped tight in his hand.

Sera raised a brow. "Find anything?"

Ren handed her the oysters. "Keep these safe."

She took them, glancing curiously at the strange stone in his other hand.

Ren knelt, unrolling his map on a flat rock. He hesitated, nervous to place the wet stone near it. As soon as a few drops fell, he realized the map was untouched.

The water beaded off it, sliding away as if the parchment itself rejected it.

"Waterproof," Ren murmured, half in relief, half in wonder.

Sera crouched beside him. "Lucky."

Ren didn't stop there.

He tucked the first stone into a cloth pouch at his waist, and with a determined breath, headed back into the water.

This time with the map in his hand, kept carefully above the waves as he swam.

He dove deeper, letting instinct guide him. Between the coral and sand, he found them. Two more stones, similar in size and shape to the first, but these bore faint runes across their surfaces.

Symbols he didn't recognize, half-hidden beneath sea growth.

He surfaced once more, his heart racing with the thrill of the find, and began swimming back to shore. Three strange stones in hand, and more questions than answers.