As I neared what I now saw had been a cathedral, the texture of the ash changed. There were crystal flakes mixed in, and the crunch beneath my feet started to sound like snow. In spite of the night, it felt like it was growing unbearably bright. The moon seemed to loom even lower, chilling me to the bone. I took a deep breath and stoked the giantsflame within my spirit.
I could neither see nor hear anything nearby. I circled the catherdral cautiously. Still nothing. I entered through a hole in the crystal and crept along the wall. There was not much inside. The place had been ruined even before the coming of the Frenzied Flame.
At last, though, I heard something. There was a high-pitched grunting of some sort, occasionally broken up by a long wail. It had to be coming from a pit in the floor. It was clear the source of the crystals lay deep underground. I could easly slide down, but returning would be difficult. The slope was not impossible to climb, but I would surely be trapped if I were ambushed.
I swept an altar clear of crystal dust and ash, then sat to think. I had achieved my goal. I had discovered the reason for the crystalians' encroachment onto the lakebed. But what did that earn us?
The scholars were divided on whether they could make more of their kind. Perhaps we could pen them in. Perhaps they would grow desperate and seek to overwhelm us. We could not hide behind the Academy's barrier forever. There would come a day when we would need to clear the ash and plant whatever seeds had survived. We could not risk the destruction of those fields. Even before then, we would be doomed if they cut off our trips to the caves for water.
And that was just the crystalians. If whatever had driven them out decided to follow…