Xin rode east at dawn. Ren followed. Master Chen followed. Shen Bao followed.
Four riders. Four days. No maps. Just the direction from the source code.
The mountains grew taller. The air grew thinner. The gold light in the sky grew dimmer.
"We are leaving the new source's range," Ren said.
"The Forge is beyond the source. Before the source."
"How do we use our power there?"
"We do not."
---
The fourth day. The mountains ended. A flat plain stretched ahead. Gray sky. Gray ground. No plants. No animals. No people.
"This place is dead," Master Chen said.
"This place is old."
Xin dismounted. Walked across the plain. The ground crunched under his boots. Like glass.
Ren knelt. Touched the ground. "This is not rock. This is old source crystal. Crushed. Millions of years old."
"The Fo
