The Discovery

Lucas Kane didn’t believe in magic, but standing on the cusp of the Peruvian mountains with the wind carving strange sounds through the ancient stones, he felt something close to it.

The expedition site was quiet now, save for the occasional murmur of his crew as they packed away equipment for the evening. The sun had already dipped behind the jagged horizon, leaving the last rays of light to stretch their fingers across the landscape like glowing veins.

Ley lines.

Lucas had always considered them an old-world fantasy—folklore passed down through generations of mystics and dreamers. But something here, buried deep beneath the stone and soil of this forgotten temple, told him there was more to the legend.

He wiped the dirt from his hands and crouched near the base of the altar they'd uncovered earlier that day. The carvings on the stones were unlike any other in the region, a series of concentric circles and intersecting lines. The patterns reminded him of the ley line maps his sister, Amara, used to obsess over in her earlier research.

Amara.

His thoughts drifted to her—the skeptical scientist who had turned her back on the archaeological world years ago. Where he sought ancient ruins, she pursued the mysteries of the universe with mathematical precision. He’d always envied that about her, her ability to view the world through the cold lens of logic. But this? This was something she needed to see.

Lucas fumbled for his satellite phone, his hands trembling slightly. It was an old habit—he reached for her whenever a discovery felt too big for just him. Amara, the one person who could always piece together the impossible.

"Come on, come on," he muttered as the line crackled. The signal in the mountains was weak at best, but tonight, he felt an urgency he couldn’t explain. There was no time to wait. He needed to hear her voice.

After what felt like an eternity, the line connected, her voice breaking through the static.

"Lucas?" she answered, her tone sharp, though tinged with fatigue. "It’s late. What’s wrong?"

He chuckled softly. "Hello to you too, Sis. You sound as warm and welcoming as ever."

"I'm in the middle of something. This better be important."

Lucas glanced back at the stone altar, its strange, glowing etchings casting faint shadows in the dimming light. "Oh, it is. I think I’ve found something. No, I know I’ve found something."

"Another tomb?" Amara’s voice was heavy with sarcasm. She had grown tired of his “discoveries,” most of which led to dead ends, ancient bones, or forgotten relics that held little significance outside of academic journals.

"Not just a tomb," Lucas said, pacing now. His excitement had shifted to something more anxious. "This is... Amara, I think this site is tied to the ley lines. You remember the maps you used to study, the patterns? This place is at the intersection of several."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

She didn’t respond for a few seconds, and he knew why. The ley lines, the ancient energy pathways that crisscrossed the Earth—most considered them myth. Even Amara had walked away from that part of her research, dismissing it as pseudoscience when she shifted to more grounded physics. But Lucas wasn’t letting this go.

"Lucas..." Her voice was careful now, caution wrapped in disbelief. "You know that’s not possible. There’s no scientific evidence to support any of that."

"That’s what I thought, too. But listen to me." He crouched again near the altar, brushing aside the remaining dirt from the symbols. "This place, this temple—it’s not just an archaeological site. I think it’s...a conduit. The energy here, it’s real, Amara. I can feel it. And it’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before. I’m telling you, it’s connected to the ley lines. The ones you studied years ago. This could be the breakthrough you were looking for."

"Lucas—"

"I’m serious. There’s something under this stone, something that’s been hidden here for centuries. I’ve barely scratched the surface, but I’m sure of it. I’ve already lost two drones trying to map the underground tunnels. They both cut out as soon as they passed beneath the altar. It’s like... something’s interfering."

"Interfering how?"

"I don’t know," he admitted, standing again and wiping the sweat from his brow. "But I’m not stopping until I find out. I need you to come here, Amara. I think this is the missing piece you’ve been looking for."

Her silence was louder than any answer. He could picture her on the other side of the world, sitting in her cluttered lab, jaw clenched in that way she did when she was torn between belief and reason.

"I can’t just drop everything and come to Peru," she finally said, her voice tight. "I have work here. Besides, you know I’m done chasing those theories. They don’t hold up to real scrutiny."

Lucas felt a pang of frustration. "You used to believe in this. You were closer to proving it than anyone else. I need you here."

"It’s not that simple—"

A sudden vibration beneath his feet cut her off. Lucas froze. The ground shifted, ever so slightly, sending a faint tremor through the temple walls. His heart pounded. He hadn’t expected this.

"Lucas? Are you there?" Amara's voice sounded distant now, warped by static.

"Yeah," he whispered, though his mind was already racing. Something was happening beneath him, a faint hum rising from the earth itself, like the vibration of a giant, sleeping machine. The air felt different—charged. Almost alive.

The phone crackled again, and Amara’s voice broke through, more urgent this time. "Lucas, what’s going on? I’m losing the connection."

"I think... I think I’m about to find out," he muttered, his eyes locked on the altar as the ground beneath it began to glow—a soft, ethereal light, pulsing like a heartbeat. He took a step back, awe mingling with fear.

"Lucas! Don’t do anything stupid—"

But before he could answer, the light surged, engulfing the altar and filling the temple with a blinding brilliance. He staggered backward, shielding his eyes. The hum grew louder, a deep resonance that shook the very foundation of the earth. And then, just as suddenly as it began, everything stopped.

The light vanished. The temple was silent.

Lucas lowered his hand, blinking against the darkness. The altar was no longer glowing, but something had changed. The air felt... empty. Hollow. As if the energy that had been coursing through the temple moments ago had simply drained away, leaving behind only stillness.

His heart pounded in his chest as he fumbled for his phone. The line was dead.

He glanced around, his mind racing. Whatever he had triggered, it wasn’t just some ancient trap. This was something far more profound, far more dangerous. And now, he was alone.

For the first time since arriving at the site, Lucas Kane felt the weight of true fear settle over him.

And in the back of his mind, one thought echoed over and over: I should have listened to her.