The small cube was made of a dense, matte-black rock that seemed to absorb the light around it, defying any known material on Earth.
: A faint, rhythmic pulse of sapphire light began to throb from the center of the black stone. artifact
Alaric sat back in his chair as the sun rose over the city. He realized that holding this object was holding the memory of an entire species that time had completely forgotten. It was the ultimate artifact: a bridge across millions of years, proving that no matter how vast and lonely the universe seemed, someone had been here before us, and they didn't want to be forgotten. The small cube was made of a dense,