The city looked just how I remembered, Myst's voice chattering away as he led us further into the ruins as we went to meet Ru. I was lucky that we had managed to persuade the other men into staying behind while me, Judal, and Leon entered the gate.

Of course, a good part of it was likely the looks the two men gave the others, expressions telling them just how short their lives would become if they failed to stay put. I was lucky that both Leon and Judal seemed to understand the need to be cautious in how we dealt with the people within the city walls. Or at least Leon did and Judal just followed along.

It was pleasant to hear the familiar sound of Mystras filling the air with whatever thought was on his mind at the moment, most of what he said seeming to focus around the upcoming harvest festival they would be holding. Although they were able to grow crops nearly year round due to Ru's careful planning and the building of several greenhouses, they still celebrated the seasonal crops they had.

Judal would love to find out we had come just in time for the peach harvest to begin. Something he would have around out from listening to Myst talk if he wasn't so busy glaring at the young man for no apparent reason.

At least Leon seemed to be taking in what he could of the quick words pouring from Myst's mouth. He had really changed from the shy boy he had been when Ru first met him, the red-headed male slowly growing into a friendly and brave young man, even if he never let go of the clumsy antics he pulled when he was really happy or overly excited about something.

Catching sight of a familiar head of hair, I couldn't hold back the happy shout as I began running forward, latching on to the young woman who seemed to have just finished discussing something with one of the citizens of Ural. The shocked look on her face morphed into a smile as she hugged me back, her voice quietly letting me know how glad she was to see me return safely, even if unexpectedly. Well, I had told her I would likely be away for a few years if not longer and yet here I was, coming back just a few months after leaving.

"It's a long story, Ru. One I am not sure how to even begin," I stated softly before turning to look at the two men who had accompanied me. "Guys, this is Ahiru. She's the one in charge of everything here in Ural, as well as being my best friend in the world. Ru, this is Leon, maker of maps, and next to him is Judal, eater of peaches and general pain in the butt. He can be okay when he wants to be and can be bribed to behave with peaches."

The laughter that filled the air was worth the trouble I knew Judal would give me later, especially with how rare it was to hear honest laughter these days. Sending a soft smile towards my friend, just happy to have made her laugh, I dreaded knowing that soon I would have to take that joy away by telling her why we were here.

Why hadn't I stayed here after finding this place and befriending Ru and Myst? Why had I not felt like this could be my home? Why had I taken that stupid job after I left? Why had I made one bad choice after another?

I had been such a fool.

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"I'm not sure what this artifact is that you are looking for, but as long as nobody gets hurt, I don't see why I shouldn't let you search for it while you are here. Just don't cause any trouble and you can go wherever you need to within Ural. I trust you. We are friends, after all," Ahiru said with a smile, her hand cheerfully slapping against my back a few times before she wandered off to return to her work.

It seemed like her job was never complete, organizing and looking over an encampment of people this large. Even if it was mostly just the ruins of a city, it was still home to more people than most would ever realize. I had tried counting them once, back during my initial stay here, but had never been able to keep count. There were too many buildings, both old ruins and newer dwellings that were little more than shacks and huts, not to mention all the tunnels from the old sewers and maintenance lines that ran under the city itself.

It wasn't long before the three of us were wandering around the ruins, searching the abandoned areas where people didn't go often and the places that were too dangerous for them to attempt scavenging supplies from. Luckily for us, Judal was able to use his artifact to reinforce any weak areas long enough for us to make our way past to the safer areas.

Hours passed as we searched room after room, building after ruined building until finally night had fallen and exhaustion hit us hard. Shuffling to the bonfire that was set each night in the meeting area for people to gather for meals and stories, we were given bowls of still warm soup and leftover bread from the evening meal by a tired but smiling Mystras.

"Ru wanted to make sure you got back safely and ate before you went to bed for the night," he explained after seeing the curiosity that fought for a place among the exhaustion that dominated my features.

Judal and Leon slowly ate their share of the meal in silence, content to simply be done searching for the night and able to put warm food in their stomachs. If we had been this tired on the trail, we all knew we would have been lucky to have the energy to eat, forget the idea of actually making a fire and cooking anything decent as a meal.

With a tired yawn, we finished the soup, mopping the last of it up with some bread before rinsing of the bowls and spoons and putting them into the dish bin for cleaning in the early morning. We could barely keep our eyes open as we made our way into the small hut that was reserved for use as temporary lodgings, usually used when homes needed repairs but also when they had the extremely rare visitor.

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It took a few days, Leon and Judal taking turns checking on the men outside to make sure they didn't cause any trouble during our stay, before we moved down into the underground pipes to continue our search. I was beginning to doubt that Ural housed the artifact David had suggested it might hide within its walls.

Midway through the fourth day of our search, everything began happening at once. An excited shout from Judal, eager words from Leon that quickly grew disappointed echoing down the tunnel as I made my way towards them to see what they found, and then the floor beneath me suddenly falling away as I went with it.

I'm not really sure what happened after that, but the next thing I knew, I was waking up on a cold floor with  Judal and Leon leaning over me. Part of the chill had to be from the water slowly soaking into my clothing, small ripples in the water heard every time someone shifted position in the faint light coming from Judal's artifact.

As I sat up, both men protesting that I had to keep still until they could finish checking for injuries while I refused to stay any longer on the wet floor, I spotted an unusual shadow in a corner of the room. Climbing unsteadily to my feet, wincing at the pain shooting through my side with each movement I made, I slowly shuffled towards the dark mound I saw.

As they followed behind me, concern written across their faces (even if Judal was trying to hide it), the light from Judal's wand-like artifact began clearing up the sight before us. No longer hidden from sight, I could make out the form of what appeared to be an altar or shrine of some kind, the dark marble-like surface reflecting some of the light back at us and brightening up that part of the room even more.

As I came closer, I began slowly circling the thing, looking for possible traps as I searched for any sign of why such a structure would be down here below even the tunnels of the city. Tunnels which had been here for hundreds of years, causing me to wonder how long this had been here, hidden below the depths of the cities sewer system.

Finally moving close enough to touch the altar, I slowly ran a finger across its surface, pulling my hand away as I saw the distinct lack of dust on my fingertip. A chill ran down my spine as I began to wonder just what was keeping any signs of time passing from affecting this one object.

Looking around, I shivered as I noticed the crumbling stone walls, worn down with age as some kind of plant similar to a mossy algae grew along the wall where the water touched, coating the surface in a pale gray-green scum. It was only when I looked back at the altar that I noticed the ripples in the water resting at its base, telling me that somehow the water was coming from either underneath or within the object.

Searching with renewed vigor, several minutes passed before I found what I was looking for, the latch almost completely hidden by the lip of the stone sitting on top of the small structure. My breath stilled as I carefully released the latch, hearing a soft scraping sound as the hidden door was pushed outward just enough to grab the edge and pull it the rest of the way.

All three of us were left in awe at the sight of what had sat hidden within for all this time, knowing instantly that this one single item, this Artifact, could change the fate of this entire planet if it was within the right hands. If in the hands of the wrong person, it could bring the whole world to its knees.

I could only stare as I watched the clean, pure water that ran constantly over the edge of the crystalline cup sitting so innocently in its place within the altar's hidden alcove, the sound almost bittersweet to someone who had lost everything for lack of the life-giving fluid.