The Shadow And Guardian

After walking for about an hour, Lucius suddenly stopped and motioned for Lily to halt. Surprisingly, the ground beneath them was unusually flat and exceptionally hard.

Taking out a sword, Lucius used it to chip off a small fragment of black rock. He held the fragment up, closely inspecting it. Upon closer examination, he noticed a shard of sand embedded within it.

As he brought it closer to his eye, he realized it had a glass-like quality. He dropped it back to the ground and stood up, lost in thought.

Lily looked at him curiously and asked, "What did you find?"

"Not sure yet, but we'll likely find out soon. I have a feeling that the crystals from below originated here," Lucius said, gazing into the distance. He then started jogging forward, relieved that he could move a bit more freely now. Lily followed closely, her attention focused on the peculiar flat black ground, filled with scars but otherwise flat.