Byrne narrowed his eyes, using his Mind's Eye to lock onto the position of the Wind Stone. The diamond-shaped stone rotated slightly within the vortex, with airflow patterns flowing across its surface. The powerful gusts currently blowing out of the vortex were coming directly from the stone itself.
Byrne tried to stand up slightly, but the moment he rose half an inch, the airflow sent him staggering. Had he not grabbed a nearby rock in time, he would have been blown to the edge of the platform instantly.
No, this is just a waste of time. I have to find a way to stop this vortex.
He pressed his body flat against the surface, his fingertips rubbing the spiral grooves. His Mind's Eye worked at full capacity, mapping the direction of the grooves to the trajectory of the airflow.
He quickly discovered that these grooves were not placed randomly; they formed a complete airflow guidance array. With the vortex as the center, the grooves spiraled outward in a clockwise direction, continuously funneling the surrounding air toward the middle to create this irresistible gale.
Byrne observed carefully and found four intersection points on the platform, acting like the "eyes" of a magic formation. At each intersection, a diamond-shaped crystal the size of a walnut was suspended. The air changed direction and accelerated at these four points before finally converging into the central vortex.
Maybe if I destroy these array eyes, the vortex will weaken.
With a plan in mind, Byrne shifted his gaze to the nearest intersection. The crystal hung suspended where the grooves met, its surface glowing with a faint cyan light that blended with the airflow. It was difficult to detect without careful scrutiny.
He shifted his body slowly, using rock clusters as cover to inch toward the intersection. Keeping himself extremely low, almost flush with the surface, he hooked his fingers into the stone patterns at the edges of the grooves. He paused every inch, waiting for the wind to lull before continuing.
Three minutes later, he reached the first array eye. Byrne reached out with his left hand, attempting to grab the crystal directly. But before his fingers could touch it, a force repelled him.
Good grief, there's even a barrier.
Refusing to give up, Byrne tried several more times from different angles, but he still couldn't touch the crystal. He withdrew his hand and rubbed his aching fingers.
A barrier made of airflow...
It seemed direct contact was out of the question; he needed another way. Byrne leaned in and stared at the suspended crystal, his Mind's Eye piercing through the barrier to see the internal structure. After a moment, he finally spotted a clue.
Byrne realized that the energy source for the barrier wasn't the crystal itself, but the grooves below it. Those grooves funneled the air escaping from the Wind Stone to the intersection, where the crystal refracted it into a protective shield.
If the energy comes from the grooves, would destroying them cut off the power to the barrier?
Without hesitation, Byrne grabbed a stone from behind a rock wall and slammed it down onto the groove.
Thud!
The stone in Byrne's hand struck the groove heavily. Already riddled with cracks from years of erosion, the heavy impact caused the fractures to spread instantly. Several pieces of stone crumbled from the edges, and the once-orderly airflow patterns were immediately disrupted.
Following that, the suspended crystal shuddered violently. The faint cyan light on its surface dimmed abruptly, and the airflow barrier surrounding it vanished like a popped bubble with a series of hissing sounds.
The moment the first array eye failed, the wind across the platform weakened significantly. The central vortex slowed down, carrying less debris and dust. The current that previously could have sent a person flying now only ruffled his clothes.
Great, it actually works.
With his first success, destroying the subsequent eyes went much smoother. He followed the spiral grooves to the next intersection and smashed it with a stone.
Minutes later, after the second and third points were destroyed, the vortex weakened visibly. The howling wind gradually lowered to a hum, and the air across the platform finally turned gentle. When Byrne smashed the fourth intersection, the central vortex stalled completely, and the surrounding air returned to a dead calm. The rubble trapped in the vortex fell scattered across the platform.
As the vortex dissipated, the Wind Stone slowly descended. Byrne, quick-handed, caught it steadily before it could hit the ground. The Wind Stone felt slightly cool. The airflow patterns on its surface were still swirling slowly. Unlike the warmth of the Water Stone or the heaviness of the Earth Stone, it possessed a light and agile texture.
After stowing the Wind Stone away, Byrne looked back toward the edge of the platform. A very tricky problem now stood before him.
How was he supposed to get down?
The platform was twenty stories high. It had taken a great deal of effort just to climb up here earlier. As Byrne pondered this, the surface beneath his feet suddenly vibrated.
Did taking the Wind Stone trigger a change in the platform?
Before long, as the tremors subsided, a gap gradually opened on the western side of the platform. Byrne walked closer and saw that the gap revealed a spiral staircase leading downward. Seeing the passage appear, Byrne's heart settled. The stairs were carved from blue-black rock, winding down toward the base.
Byrne leaned over to touch the stone surface of the stairs; it felt cold and stable, with no signs of loosening.
It seems destroying the magic array opened this passage.
Byrne checked the map on the animal hide. There was only one left.
...
Two hours later, having gathered all four Elemental Stones, Byrne returned to the underground stone chamber once more. He placed the corresponding stones into the grooves of the four pedestals one by one.
The next second, the four Elemental Stones erupted with four different colors of light. Four beams of light shot straight toward the top of the chamber, converging at the domed ceiling into a brilliant sphere of white light. Then, like a waterfall, the light poured down, flooding into the central Light Array.
The dark gold patterns of the array were activated by the white light. The previously weak humming suddenly became a thunderous roar. The thorn-like runes and star-track patterns seemed to come alive, spinning rapidly. Dark red glimmers intertwined with the white light, causing the entire stone chamber to tremble violently.
Specks of light seeped from the cracks in the floor slabs. An ancient and sacred aura filled the air, vastly different from the cold and eerie atmosphere of the dark space from before. Byrne instinctively took two steps back, watching the transformation of the array. He could clearly feel the surrounding darkness being dispelled inch by inch by the white light. The ink-thick mist dissolved the moment the light touched it.
The darkness of the stone chamber was receding rapidly. At that moment, Byrne felt a powerful pulling force hit him. In the blink of an eye, he found himself back in reality.
A second later, Byrne looked up abruptly. A new line of blood-red words had appeared on the ceiling of his bedroom.