# ✦ RuneCats — Chapter Two ✦ ## Echoes Beneath the Tower The forest glowed for only a moment. Then darkness returned. Nova stood frozen beside the ancient signal tower, heart pounding like thunder inside their chest. Faint cyan sparks still flickered across the cracked metal ruins. The stars above had dimmed once more. But not completely. A single constellation still shimmered through the clouds. Nova slowly stepped closer to the tower. The glowing symbols carved into the stone pulsed weakly beneath layers of moss and vines. Strange sounds crackled from somewhere deep underground. ⚡ kzzzt… ⚡ The voice returned. > “Searching… searching…” Nova’s ears flattened. “Who’s there?” they whispered. No answer came. Instead, one of the floating crystals suddenly lit bright blue. Ancient runes spiraled through the air like glowing fireflies. And then— the ground opened beneath the tower. Dust exploded into the air as hidden stone stairs appeared below the ruins. Nova stared into the darkness. Cold wind drifted upward carrying the scent of old metal, rain, and something ancient. No RuneCat had ever entered the underground ruins before. Stories warned that forgotten signals lived below the forest. Signals that could change a cat forever. Nova hesitated only a moment before stepping forward. Far behind them, hidden among the trees… another pair of glowing eyes watched silently. And deep beneath the tower— something awakened.
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