We walk deeper into the vast, restricted ruins. The air feels older here—thick with dust and silence. I, Sahra, and Dan trail just behind David, the leader of the expedition. Two female archaeologists follow at the rear, their voices hushed but sharp enough for me to catch pieces of their conversation.
"Hey, you know it's said these ruins are much larger than the whole village they sit under?" one whispers.
"Yeah… and it's also said an immortal threatening to end the world was sealed here thousands of years ago."
A chill crawls down my arms. I glance at Sahra, but she's too distracted by the towering walls around us to notice.
The deeper we go, the more incredible it becomes. The ruins open into vast chambers, stone archways laced with carvings no one can read, moss and vines spilling over like nature itself tried to erase the past but failed. It feels untouched by human hands for centuries—frozen in time, waiting.
"This is as far as we go," David's voice cuts through the silence. He raises a hand, halting the group. "You two, scout for items," he orders the archaeologists. Then his gaze turns to us. "Katlo, Sahra, Dan—you're here for an assignment, remember. You may explore and take notes, but don't wander too far. These ruins are more dangerous than they look."
"Yes, sir!" We answer almost in unison.
We peel off, our notebooks ready. The place is stunning—like stepping into an alien world untouched by civilization. Strange birds dart between the broken pillars, and small glowing insects float lazily in the air. Every corner feels alive with secrets.
As we push further, we stumble onto something unexpected: a cave mouth hidden beneath tangled roots and stone. Right at its entrance, half-buried in dust and moss, lies a sword. Its blade is chipped, ancient, but the hilt glows faintly, like embers refusing to die out.
I kneel and pick it up, brushing dirt away. The metal is cold, heavier than it looks. It feels… wrong. Familiar in a way it shouldn't.
"Guys, I think we should head back," I say, unease coiling in my stomach.
"Yeah," Dan agrees quickly, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes don't leave the blade in my hand.
But Sahra… her gaze is locked on the cave. Her face lit up, caught between curiosity and wonder. "Wait. Don't you hear it? Something's calling us in. Who knows what we'll find to record inside?"
I want to argue, but the silence of the ruins presses on us, and the cave seems to breathe with a rhythm that dares us to enter.
We exchange a glance, and despite myself, I nod. Dan sighs, but he doesn't resist.
With that, we flick on our flashlights, beams cutting through the darkness. One step after another, we cross the threshold and descend into the cave.
We venture far into the cave, the sound of our footsteps swallowed by damp silence. The beams of our flashlights grow weaker the deeper we go, the glow thinning until it barely cuts through the shroud of darkness. Every breath feels heavy, as though the cave itself resists us, pressing in with invisible weight.
And then we hear it.
A voice, ancient, carrying through the stone walls as if the cavern itself is speaking.
"For I have waited long centuries for I to come, to end myself. With my arrival, a new soul may replace I and fulfill my revenge."
The words claw at my skin, dragging a cold shiver down my spine. We freeze. None of us dares breathe. Slowly, almost mechanically, we turn back the way we came. But the passage we walked through is gone. Nothing but solid rock.
Our lights sputter out at the same time, leaving us in total blackness.
"Katlo…" Sahra's trembling hand finds mine and clutches hard, her voice cracking. "I'm scared… what was that? I… I heard once there was a man trapped in these ruins for ages. Could it be… him?"
My throat is dry, but I force a smirk I don't feel. "Probably just the wind. You know how stories grow out of nothing. Just fables." Or so I hope.
But the darkness presses closer, and my words feel weak even to me.
We huddle together, the three of us moving step by step, breaths sharp in the silence. Then—
"Ahhh!" Sahra's scream tears through the air as the ground rumbles beneath us. The earth splits open with a sound like breaking bone. In the blink of an eye, the floor collapses, dragging both Sahra and Dan into the black maw below.
"No!" I lunge forward, but the crack seals before I can reach them. My hands scrape against cold stone. I am alone.
The silence doesn't last.
"The world lies."
The voice again—behind me this time.
I spin, and my heart nearly stops.
There he is. A figure, barely human in shape, slumped on a throne-like chair carved out of the stone itself. Faint light blossoms in the cavern, enough to reveal his body bound in chains thick as roots, seals scrawled across them in a language older than words. His eyes, sunken but burning with strange clarity, lock onto mine.
My knees give way and I fall, scrambling backwards across the damp rock.
"Do not fear me," the old man says, his voice weary but sharp. "For I am destined to be ended by you, Katlo."
The sound of my name on his tongue nearly stops my breath. My heart thrashes in my chest. How? How does he know me?
"I…" Words fail me.
"You are destined to end this false, cursed world," he continues, each word sinking into my bones. "And reach the outer realm, where my betrayers dwell. You are one of my remaining selves. And now… I can put my soul to rest."
I shake my head, confused, my pulse roaring in my ears. None of it makes sense. One of his selves? Outer realm? End the world? The cave feels too small, too heavy.
Then warmth touches my back. I turn to see light blooming at the cave's entrance. My heart leaps—Dan and Sahra are there, waving at me, alive. Relief surges through me—until the ground shakes again.
The cavern begins to collapse. Stone screams above us.
"Run!" I shout.
We bolt, rocks crashing down, dust choking our throats. Somehow, miraculously, we make it outside, stumbling into the harsh sunlight. But relief doesn't last.
A sickening crack thunders behind me.
I turn.
Sahra is pinned, a massive boulder crushing her from the waist down. Blood pools beneath her.
"No…" I rush to her side.
Her face is pale, lips trembling, but she still forces a smile. "Katlo… I don't think I'll make it. Be strong." She reaches for Dan's hand, gripping it with the last of her strength. "Dan… I wish… I wish I could have spent more time with you."
Dan's tears streak down his dirt-stained face. "No… no, you can't leave me. Not now, not ever—please, Sahra!"
Her grip weakens. Her eyelids lower. "I'm sorry…" And with a final breath, her hand slips from his.
"No!" Dan's scream cracks as another boulder falls, silencing her body forever.
I can't cry. My chest feels carved open, hollow and raw, but no tears come. Only a crushing weight, a pain so deep it makes breathing feel impossible. My heart thunders as if it wants to tear itself apart.
Then Dan's voice cuts through my haze.
"Damn, Katlo… who's that crushed by the boulder?"
I turn to him, disbelief knotting my stomach. His face is blank, clueless, as if he doesn't even remember Sahra.
Something inside me shatters. My vision blurs. My mind screams but refuses to hold together. The world twists, spins—then collapses into darkness as I finally faint from the weight of it all.