Cadryn slowly follows the path that is opening up to him. The temperature begins to rise the deeper he goes. At a certain point it suddenly turns cool. The flux becomes harder to grasp—like it’s being braided with something older. The artifact’s pulse sharpens, pointing him toward a widening chamber ahead.
He enters a vast hollow lit by no source, yet gently illuminated; the stone here feels aware. In the center: a shape half-buried in the floor—maybe a root, maybe a relic, maybe a boundary fence between worlds. Cadryn hears muffled voices again, clearer this time; one seems to speak a word he almost understands. The artifact reacts violently—fear, warning, or recognition—forcing Cadryn to steady himself. A faint pressure presses from above: Cian or the warriors trying to break through again, but something here holds them back. Cadryn reaches toward the central shape—flux recoils, then folds around his hand, allowing him to touch it. The moment he does, a flash of memory-not-memory surges through him: Earth’s awakening began before he ever arrived. Cadryn realizes the secret place isn’t showing him the past—it is choosing him.
Ridgewalker's Notebook 