The rain stopped shortly before midnight.
Cold wind swept across the academy valley while transport aircraft prepared for departure near the eastern platform. Floodlights illuminated the landing zone as Bureau personnel moved quickly between equipment crates and communication arrays.
The atmosphere felt sharp again.
Focused.
The brief moment of calm after the prison incident had ended faster than anyone hoped.
Inside the preparation chamber, a large holographic map of northern Tibet hovered above the central table.
Several mountain regions blinked with warning signals while spiritual energy readings fluctuated continuously around a single isolated coordinate deep within the Himalayas.
Director Rao stood near the projection with a grim expression.
"The disturbance began six hours ago."
Images shifted across the display.
Collapsed glaciers.
Unusual seismic activity.
Ancient symbols appearing across exposed stone walls.
And at the center of it all--
A massive stone structure emerging slowly from beneath the mountains.
"It was buried completely before tonight," Professor Devika explained while adjusting the readings.
"The entire ruin rose from underground after a spiritual pulse around sunset."
Dev stared at the projection.
"That sentence should not sound normal anymore."
"No part of our lives is normal anymore," Ishita replied dryly.
Krishak observed the symbols covering the structure carefully.
Even through incomplete satellite scans, traces of ancient formations remained visible across the stone surfaces.
Old.
Very old.
And connected to the planetary sealing network.
Raghav crossed his arms beside the table.
"So what exactly are we expecting?"
Director Rao answered immediately.
"We don't know."
That uncertainty bothered everyone more than danger itself.
Ancient ruins could contain inheritances.
Knowledge.
Formation systems.
Or catastrophes humanity no longer understood how to control.
"The Tibetan government sealed the surrounding region already," Rao continued.
"Several awakened beasts have appeared near nearby mountain villages."
Ananya frowned slightly.
"Corruption?"
"Not directly."
Professor Devika enlarged another data stream.
"The beasts appear. agitated."
That was somehow worse.
Corruption could at least be identified clearly.
Unknown spiritual reactions meant unpredictable conditions.
Dev glanced toward Krishak.
"You're definitely coming with us, aren't you?"
"Yes."
" "Thought so."
Within the next hour, preparations finished quickly.
The expedition team remained intentionally small.
Krishak
Raghav.
Ananya.
Dev.
Ishita.
Several Bureau specialists.
And Director Rao personally overseeing the mission.
Officially, the operation was classified as a reconnaissance mission.
Unofficially
Everyone understood its true importance.
This would be humanity's first direct exploration of an awakened ancient ruin connected to the hidden history beneath Earth.
As the transport aircraft rose into the storm-dark skies, the academy valley slowly disappeared beneath the clouds below.
Inside the cabin, silence dominated most of the journey.
Some reviewed mission reports.
Others meditated quietly.
Even Dev seemed unusually thoughtful tonight.
Ananya eventually broke the silence.
"What do you think we'll find there?"
Nobody answered immediately.
The sound of engines filled the cabin softly while moonlight occasionally flashed through gaps in the clouds
outside.
Finally, Krishak spoke.
"Records."
Raghav looked toward him.
"About the ancient era?"
"Possibly."
Krishak's gaze remained fixed on the darkness beyond the aircraft window.
"If the ruin is connected to the sealing network, it may contain information humanity lost long ago."
Dev leaned back in his seat dramatically.
"So either priceless ancient knowledge"
He counted on his fingers.
or deadly traps, corrupted monsters, forbidden formations, dimensional horrors
"You forgot ancient curses," Ishita added calmly.
"Thank you."
Despite the humor, tension remained obvious throughout the cabin.
Because everyone understood one thing clearly now.
Earth was filled with places humanity was never meant to rediscover this early.
And yet those places were awakening anyway.
Hours later, the aircraft finally crossed into Tibetan airspace.
The moment they approached the coordinate region-
The spiritual energy changed.
Even ordinary cultivators could feel it immediately.
The air itself felt heavier.
Older.
Ancient qi drifted through the mountains in unstable currents while snow-covered peaks reflected pale moonlight beneath the night sky.
Far below, military perimeter lights surrounded several isolated valleys.
And beyond them—
Something enormous stood within the mountains.
The first sight of the ruin silenced the entire cabin.
A gigantic stone complex had emerged from the earth between frozen cliffs, partially buried beneath centuries of rock and ice. Massive pillars covered in glowing ancient inscriptions stretched toward the sky while broken statues lined the outer pathways leading deeper underground.
The architecture looked nothing like modern civilization.
It felt primordial.
As though it belonged to a forgotten age when humanity understood the world very differently.
Even from the aircraft, spiritual pressure radiated from the ruin steadily.
Not hostile.
But powerful enough to distort nearby qi currents naturally.
Professor Devika stared through the cabin window in disbelief.
"This place was hidden beneath the mountains for thousands of years."
Krishak's eyes narrowed slightly.
No.
Not hidden.
Sealed.
The aircraft descended slowly toward the temporary military camp established near the outer perimeter.
Below them, awakened soldiers guarded formation barriers surrounding the excavation zone while researchers moved between equipment stations nervously.
Many looked exhausted already.
The moment the transport doors opened, freezing mountain wind rushed inside the cabin.
And beneath that wind-
Krishak sensed something else.
A pulse.
Faint.
Rhythmic.
Coming from deep beneath the ruins.
Director Rao noticed his expression immediately.
"What is it?"
Krishak stepped onto the snowy landing platform slowly while staring toward the ancient structure rising beneath the moonlit mountains.
Then he answered quietly.
"..Something inside is still active."