Slowly, he reached down and wrapped both hands around it.
The moment his fingers fully gripped the surface, he could feel just how solid it was.
Then he pulled.
The object slid free from the loosened soil with little resistance.
Noah lifted it out of the hole completely, bringing it up in front of his face.
Now that it was no longer half-buried, he could properly examine it.
The thing was small enough for him to hold comfortably with one hand.
Under the faint forest light filtering through the branches above, the surface reflected a subtle sheen.
It looked strangely pristine despite having been buried beneath the soil moments earlier.
Noah slowly rotated it in his hands.
As he continued staring at the strange sphere in his hands, the odd sensation he had been feeling earlier suddenly grew stronger.
Much stronger.
The faint connection he sensed before was now almost impossible to ignore.
It pulsed faintly through his senses.
Noah's breathing slowed slightly.
