Chapter 2 : The Mountain's Secret.

After a long journey, the students finally reached their destination.

The moment they stepped out of the buses, excitement spread through the group.

Everyone stopped to admire the surrounding scenery.

The mountains rose high into the sky, covered with thick green trees and colorful wildflowers.

A crystal-clear river flowed quietly through the forest, reflecting the sunlight that slipped between the branches.

The sound of flowing water mixed with the gentle rustling of leaves

For a moment, everything felt peaceful.

Beautiful.

Almost untouched by the outside world.

The students began exploring the area.

Some took pictures beside the river.

Others gathered near the flowers.

A few simply stood admiring the view.

Laughter echoed throughout the surroundings.

Even Anfelisa, who usually preferred to keep to herself, found herself quietly admiring the beauty of the place.

She stood near the edge of the river, watching the water flow between the rocks.

Her eyes slowly moved toward the mountains.

Something about them caught her attention.

She couldn't explain what it was.

But once again, she felt that strange uneasiness from earlier.

Anfelisa frowned slightly.

Why did this place feel so familiar?

She quickly pushed the thought away.

"Anfelisa!"

She turned around.

One of her friends was standing nearby.

"This place is amazing!"

Anfelisa glanced around.

"Yeah."

Her friend smiled.

"I knew you'd like it."

Anfelisa didn't answer.

Her eyes returned to the mountains.

For some reason, she couldn't stop looking at them.

Something was different.

Something was hidden.

But she had no idea what.

After spending some time exploring the area, the students gathered together.

One of the university staff members stepped forward.

"Everyone, we've prepared something special for you."

The students immediately became curious.

"What is it?"

The staff member smiled.

"A game."

The students cheered.

The staff began explaining the rules.

The students would be divided into five groups.

Each group would enter the forest and complete a challenge.

The task was simple.

They had to walk a distance of fifty miles through the forest and reach the designated finishing point before the time ran out.

Every group would receive a distance-measuring device to track their progress.

They would also be given a torch to help them navigate through the darker parts of the forest.

The first team to successfully complete the challenge would receive a special prize.

The moment the rules were announced, excitement spread through the students.

"Fifty miles?"

"That's nothing!"

"Let's see if you can even finish!"

One group immediately began discussing their strategy.

Another group started arguing about who would lead.

Some students were already teasing their friends.

"There's no way your team can beat us!"

"We'll see about that!"

"Don't start celebrating yet!"

Laughter filled the air.

The teachers watched the students with amused expressions.

Anfelisa stood with her group, listening quietly.

She glanced toward the forest.

The trees were much denser deeper inside.

The sunlight barely reached the ground in some places.

Something about the forest made her uncomfortable.

But she couldn't explain why.

"Ready?"

Her friend asked.

Anfelisa looked at her.

"For what?"

"To win!"

Anfelisa stared at her for a moment.

Then she sighed.

"Fine."

Her friend smiled.

"That's the spirit!"

The five groups gathered at the starting point.

The forest stood before them.

Dark.

Silent.

Waiting.

The university staff member raised a hand.

"Everyone ready?"

The students shouted excitedly.

"Yes!"

The staff member looked at the timer.

"Three..."

The students prepared themselves.

"Two..."

Some leaned forward.

"One..."

Anfelisa looked toward the forest.

For a brief moment, she felt that strange sensation again.

Her heart skipped.

Then—

"GO!"

All five groups rushed into the forest.

The competition had begun.

The students ran between the trees.

Their voices echoed through the forest.

"Come on!"

"Don't fall behind!"

"Move faster!"

The distance-measuring devices began recording their progress.

The torches bounced in their hands as they moved deeper into the forest.

For a few minutes, everything went perfectly.

The students laughed.

They shouted.

They competed against one another.

Then—

RUMBLE...

Anfelisa stopped.

Her expression changed.

The ground beneath her feet trembled.

"What was that?"

One of the students looked around.

The trees began shaking.

The leaves rustled violently.

The river beside the forest suddenly became disturbed.

Water splashed against the rocks.

Anfelisa looked toward the ground.

Another tremor passed through the earth.

RUMBLE...

This time, it was stronger.

The students began to panic.

"What's happening?"

"Is that an earthquake?"

"Everyone, stay calm!"

But there was no time to remain calm.

Suddenly—

BOOOOOOM!

The entire mountain shook.

The ground moved violently beneath their feet.

Trees swayed from side to side.

The students screamed.

Some lost their balance.

Others desperately grabbed onto nearby trees.

The competition was forgotten instantly.

Everyone was trying to understand what was happening.

"Get back!"

"Everyone, stop the game!"

The university staff began shouting orders.

"Return to the camp immediately!"

"Stay together!"

"Don't separate from your groups!"

The five teams were ordered to abandon the challenge.

Students hurried back through the forest as quickly as they could.

Fear replaced the excitement that had filled the mountain only moments earlier.

Anfelisa looked back once.

Deep within the forest...

Something felt different.

She couldn't see anything.

But she felt it.

A strange presence.

Then another tremor shook the ground.

Anfelisa quickly turned and ran with the others.

Far away from the students...

The earthquake had caught the attention of scientists monitoring the region.

Several warning signals appeared on their equipment.

The scientists stared at the readings in confusion.

"That's impossible.

One of them quickly checked the data.

"What's wrong?.

"The earthquake."

"What about it?"

"The strength."

The scientist pointed toward the monitor.

"The readings don't make sense."

Another scientist walked over.

"What are you talking about?"

"The surrounding mountains should have reduced the impact."

He pulled up a map of the region.

The mountains surrounding the forest formed an unusual natural structure.

From above, they appeared almost like a giant protective barrier.

A guardian standing around the forest.

The formation was so unusual that it had already attracted scientific interest.

According to their calculations, the shape and structure of the mountains should have significantly weakened the effects of an earthquake in the area.

Yet the ground had shaken violently.

"How could an earthquake this powerful happen here?"

Another scientist stared at the readings.

"I don't know."

"Check the equipment."

"It's working perfectly."

The room fell silent.

One of the scientists looked at the map again.

"Then what caused it?"

No one answered.

The scientists began running new calculations.

They studied the geological structure.

They examined the mountain formation.

They searched for possible explanations.

But the more they investigated...

The stranger everything became.

There was something beneath the mountains.

Something they couldn't explain.

Something that had remained hidden for a very long time.

And now...

Something had changed.

Several Days Later

The university trip was over.

The students had returned home safely.

Life slowly returned to normal.

The earthquake became the main topic of conversation for several days.

During their free time, the students talked about the trip.

They laughed about the game.

They joked about their teams.

Some students argued about who would have won if the earthquake hadn't interrupted the competition.

"Our team was definitely going to win!"

"Your team? You hadn't even finished ten miles!"

"That's because the earthquake stopped us!"

"Sure. That's your excuse!"

Laughter filled the room.

For most of the students, the trip had already become a funny memory.

Something they would talk about years later.

A story about the time an earthquake interrupted their university game.

But for Anfelisa...

It wasn't that simple.

She couldn't forget the mountain.

She couldn't forget the strange feeling she had experienced when she first arrived.

And she couldn't forget the moment just before the earthquake.

Something had felt wrong.

Something had changed.

Anfelisa sat quietly, staring through her window.

Her thoughts returned to the mountains of Kulaczen.

Why had she felt so uneasy?

Why did the forest seem strangely familiar?

And why did she have the feeling that the earthquake wasn't just an ordinary natural disaster?

She didn't have any answers.

But deep inside, Anfelisa knew one thing.

The mountain was hiding something.

Something no one had discovered yet.

And somewhere, beneath the ancient mountains of Kulaczen.....

Something had awakened.

To be continued...

Next Chapter. : Ring?. How did it end up with my cloth!.

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