Gray awoke sometime later. His eyes returned to normal. Apart from a splitting headache and ravishing hunger, he was unharmed. He didn’t know what had happened but he was thankful to be alive.

He recovered after a day and resumed his journey up the mountain, much more carefully this time. Any reasonable person would have turned back but he kept going for some reason. He didn’t know why but it felt like the right thing to do. It made no sense but he believed it.

He hiked for two weeks, sometimes uphill and sometimes downhill. He crossed several valleys and countless rivers and streams. He avoided wolf packs, roving bears, prowling mountain lions, and even soaring birds of prey. There were many close calls but he managed with his eyes and a great deal of luck.

The weather became cooler and he started to see bits of snow on top of the nearby cliffs and peaks. Tall leafy forests of the valley gave way to smaller evergreens. He was no longer in the foothills; he had finally entered the true King’s Mountains.

His wandering came to an end in a grassy meadow at the foot of a massive cliff that went straight up for what seemed like forever. Beyond the cliffs were cold, barren rocks of the mountain peaks that rose into the clouds. It was completely impassable, there was no way out of the valley except back the way he came.

He decided that this was it. He couldn’t explain it but this place gave him a good feeling. The meadow was completely pristine with no sign of human activity at all. It was perfect, it would be his mountain refuge.

Gray scouted out every corner of his new domain and found a man-sized hole at the base of the cliff. It led into a tiny cave that he could barely lie down in. It was empty and secure and there was also a small spring conveniently nearby. He unpacked his belongings and made it his home.

That night, he set about expanding the cave. The interior was too cramped and he needed more room. He went to the far side of the cave and started digging.

Clang!

Clang!

He had only made a few strikes onto the cave wall before he noticed something wonderful.

There was light!

There was a soft yellow glow. It filled his vision each time he struck the cave wall.

He swung his pickaxe a few more times just to make sure. The light returned each time and it was extremely vibrant. His ability never lied and it was several times more intense than normal. There was something here, something special!

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The cave wall was much tougher than ordinary earth, it was basically solid rock. He could only dislodge small fragments with each swing and progress was very slow. However, he was very determined.

A full day passed and the tunnel he dug was only one arm length deep. It was pitiful, it was barely any progress. He tried his best but it was the hardest thing he had ever done. He was sore all over from clashing against the impenetrable rock. His hands developed blisters for the first time in years. He managed to eat some rations and take a gulp of water before fainting out of sheer exhaustion.

He awoke the next day and felt something was wrong. Inexplicably, the blisters on his hands were mostly healed and the soreness in his muscles was gone. He felt full of energy and not even slightly hungry.

He didn’t know what to think. He was completely befuddled. The only thing he could do was raise his pickaxe and dig…

On the second day, he managed to increase the tunnel by two arm lengths. He again had blisters and muscle soreness which again disappeared the next morning.

On the third day, he managed to dig three arm lengths. He had even fewer blisters and was even less sore than the day before.

The fourth day…

The fifth day…

The days passed like a blur. Mine, eat, sleep, mine…

Gray lost track of how long he had spent digging the tunnel. He hadn’t found a single speck of valuable ore. But he didn’t care at all.

His body was filled with a strange energy every day. He was growing stronger every day. There was something extremely special within the mountain. It called out to him, begging to be found.

He dug and dug until one day, he finally reached the end. He broke through and found himself in a primordial cavern. There were stalactites and stalagmites everywhere and a clear lake at one end. While everywhere else was pitch black, there was a yellow light emitting from the lake, the same light he saw when he first began digging. It pulsed ever so often and filled the cavern with a fantastical aura.

This cavern was deep underground, seemingly in the heart of the mountain. There were no living things down here. It made no sense for there to be light.

Gray walked forward and arrived at the lake’s edge. The light was much brighter now and he could see a single spot of bright yellow underneath the water. He stared at the glowing light and was filled with a sense of calmness. Whatever down there was the source of everything, the source of his great improvement in strength, the source of his strange behavior of the past weeks.

It had called out to him and he had answered. Perhaps it was calling out to him when he reached the meadow. Perhaps… it was already calling out to him long before that.

He dropped his pickaxe and his pants and stepped into the lake. He expected the water to be icy cold but it was comfortable. He waded forward until he was directly above the light. He took a deep breath and dived down.

He reached the bottom and found a vibrant yellow crystal bigger than his palm. It contained numerous smooth facets that glittered and sparkled. It seemed out of this world.

Every time the crystal pulsed, his mind and body were washed over with an unknown power. He felt happy, content, at peace. It was as if all the stresses and worries of his difficult and lonely life were completely washed away. It was euphoric. It was amazing.

He didn’t know why but he extended his hand and touched it.

‘It feels so warm,’ he thought before he completely blacked out.