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Caelyn straightened as the figure moved slowly through the dim shelter.

A scholar.

One of the older men from earlier. The same one who had closed his eyes when the engineer spoke about the lower observatories.

The man moved with purpose. Not haste or panic, but true intent.

Caelyn watched him cross the chamber, wondering if anyone else would say something. But no one else seemed to notice.

The scholar looked neither left nor right. He simply continued walking to the tunnel entrance at the far side of the shelter. Toward the downward passage.

The pull strengthened, and Caelyn went rigid. It rolled through him like a shockwave, rattling every bone in his body.

When the scholar didn’t hesitate, something cold curled in Caelyn's stomach.

Setting the rag doll beside Elowynn, he was careful not to touch her. He slowly pushed himself upright. Pain flared across his back in intense waves, but he forced himself to ignore it.

The scholar vanished into the darkness below without looking back.

Caelyn looked toward Elowynn. Part of him wanted to wake her. Another part knew she needed every moment of rest she could get.

He compromised with himself. If he found something that was worth waking her for, he would. But first, he would investigate.

Caelyn tip-toed across the shelter before he pulled a spare blanket from one of the emergency shelves and draped it more securely across her shoulders. The motion stirred her slightly before she relaxed again.

Before he changed his mind to stay beside her, Caelyn slipped into the tunnel after the scholar.

The darkness swallowed him quickly.

The passage descended through rough stone corridors that seemed older than the shelter. Support arches emerged every few paces from the walls, their surfaces worn smooth by centuries of use. Dust coated everything.

The scholar continued forward in a steady stride while Caelyn followed from a distance.

The deeper they traveled, the stronger the sensation became.

His pulse quickened, and he could feel the black veins beneath his skin beginning to ache as whatever was in him moved through his body.

Twice he nearly turned back, but he forced himself to continue following.

Eventually the tunnel widened into an observation gallery.

Caelyn stopped short. He could tell even in ruin that the chamber beyond had once been magnificent.

Broken crystal resonance platforms circled a central depression carved into the stone floor. Massive support columns disappeared into darkness overhead, and Astrari symbols covered the walls, many damaged beyond recognition.

Caelyn hid behind one of the columns. He watched the scholar, who was now standing motionless near the very center; it looked as if he were waiting for something.

For several moments nothing happened. Then the old man slowly lowered himself to his knees.

Caelyn's stomach dropped, not knowing what to expect.

The scholar stared downward into the depression, looking as though he were searching for something. Or… listening. The sight raised every hair on the back of Caelyn's neck.

The old man remained there for nearly a full twenty breaths.

Then he stood, turned, and walked right back the way he had come.

As though he’d simply needed to check on something.