"Then let's go," Daniel said before jumping into the hole.
The shaft wasn't a straight drop — it became a steep stone tunnel buried beneath the desert, sand and loose debris sliding alongside them as gravity pulled them deeper underground.
Mera jumped in right after him.
The tunnel opened into a massive underground cavern. A cliff appeared directly ahead.
Daniel stopped himself in midair before reaching the edge and landed on a stone platform overlooking the darkness below.
Mera came out immediately afterward. She took one look at the abyss and instinctively grabbed onto Daniel before her momentum carried her forward, ending up hanging onto his back.
The drop beneath the platform was deep enough that the bottom couldn't be seen.
Daniel glanced over his shoulder. Mera ignored the look and continued holding on.
"A little help here!" Arthur had managed to catch the edge of the platform and was dangling above the abyss.
Daniel waved his hand. Arthur was lifted upward and deposited onto solid ground. He immediately stepped away from the edge.
"Next time, tell people there's a cliff."
"It would've spoiled the surprise."
Arthur decided not to argue.
The group continued forward through ancient stone bridges connecting sections of ruins while weathered pillars stretched toward the cavern ceiling.
Daniel studied the surroundings with genuine interest. "History always amazes me." His gaze moved across the carvings depicting fragments of Atlantean history lost for centuries. "Evelyn would've enjoyed this place."
Arthur eventually moved beside him. "So do you always end up in places like this?"
"Most of the time. Sometimes I explore ancient ruins simply because they look interesting." His eyes drifted toward a distant mural. "Years ago I spent weeks digging through forgotten tombs in Egypt."
"Why?"
"It sounded fun."
Eventually the corridor opened into an enormous hall. Everyone stopped.
The chamber was dominated by a gigantic statue of King Atlan holding a trident, ancient murals covering the surrounding walls. The craftsmanship was unmistakably Atlantean.
Mera stepped forward slowly. "The legends were true." Even Arthur couldn't deny it — this place clearly hadn't been touched in centuries.
At the center stood a mechanism built into the floor. Mera removed the cylinder Vulko had entrusted to them and inserted it carefully. The shape matched perfectly. A clicking sound echoed through the hall.
Then nothing.
No lights. No hidden doorway. No message. The room stayed silent.
Arthur folded his arms while Mera examined the mechanism again. "Is it broken?"
"The cylinder fits perfectly. It should have activated something."
Daniel walked over and looked at the device. "It's not broken." He reached into his inventory and pulled out a bottle of water.
Understanding appeared on Mera's face immediately. Atlantean technology — most of it was designed to function underwater.
Daniel uncapped the bottle and poured water over the cylinder and the surrounding grooves. It flowed through channels carved into the stone. For several moments nothing happened.
Then blue light spread through the mechanism. Ancient symbols illuminated one after another across the floor. The chamber trembled. Stone shifted.
A beam of light erupted from the trident held by the statue and struck the center of the hall. The hologram of King Atlan appeared — the ancient king in full royal armor, his trident beside him.
"In this trident resides the power of Atlantis."
The walls illuminated with ancient carvings showing Atlantis at the height of its glory.
"In the wrong hands, it would bring destruction."
"But in the hands of the true heir, it shall unite all our kingdoms, above and below."
"If you seek my power, you must first prove your worth."»
"Journey beyond the edge of the known world to the Hidden Sea."
"Look inside the bottle for the charted path. Only in the hands of the true king can he truly see."
Atlan raised his trident one final time. The chamber shook. Then the hologram dissolved into countless particles of blue light.
Silence returned.
A metallic click echoed from the mechanism and the floor beneath it shifted. A small compartment emerged from the stone, resting inside it an ancient glass bottle sealed with a corn — somehow undamaged by time.
Mera stepped forward and carefully lifted it out.
Arthur looked at the bottle, then at Mera, then back at the bottle. "We came all the way across a desert for a bottle?"
Mera ignored him. She carefully removed the stopper and extracted the parchment hidden inside.
The ancient map unfolded surprisingly well despite its age, several unfamiliar symbols covering the surface alongside a route leading toward a marked location.
"Do you know this place?" Mera asked, showing it to Daniel.
Daniel looked at it for only a few seconds. "Of course I know it." A faint smile appeared.
"It's one of the most beautiful places on Earth."
Arthur leaned closer. "Where?"
Daniel pointed toward the marked location. "Erice. A small town in Sicily, Italy. Built on top of a mountain overlooking the sea."
*****
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