ã€ŠA tale of the end of timeã€‹


 The Beginning. Day One

    "Kha-kha-kha..." - The cough echoed through the dark cave.

    Around, there was an impenetrable darkness, and only the hoarse sound, bouncing off the walls, filled the entire space. Cold drops of water dripped from the stalactites, slowly rolling down and, falling from the edge, landed on the damp, icy floor.

    In this thick darkness, a single dim light flickered near one of the walls. The light came from an old gas lamp, beside which sat a man, intently writing something in a worn notebook.

    He appeared to be about forty years old. His long, light chestnut-colored hair hung to his shoulders, carelessly tucked behind his ears. His eyes were the color of clear azure seas, and his gaze was piercing ¨C as if it penetrated to the very essence, piercing through flesh and uncovering the secrets hidden in the soul. Dark bags from chronic sleep deprivation darkened under his eyes, and a large, torn scar ran from his lip to his left eye.

    He wore a zippered leather jacket, worn but sturdy. The jacket was equipped with many pockets for various tools and small items and had an insulated layer inside for protection against the bone-chilling cold. Over it, he wore a black tactical vest made of durable material, with small first aid kits and items for extreme situations in the pockets.

    Two meticulously cared-for daggers were strapped to his belt. In addition, there was a holster for a pistol, which lay nearby on the floor, ready for immediate use.

    His hands were protected by fingerless gloves, and his legs were clad in army boots with high shafts, slightly worn but still reliable.

    Not far from his right hand, there was a hiking backpack, with a battered shotgun resting on top of it.

    The man paused, listening to the deep silence around him, and, ensuring that no one was nearby, returned to his notes. Under the dim light of the lamp, his pencil glided over the paper, leaving neat lines behind.

    "That day... I will never forget it. July 20, 2026... Three days until the apocalypse."

    "In the United States, in the District of Columbia, there was a powerful earthquake. According to seismologists, it reached seven points. There are reports of numerous casualties. Rescuers and volunteers are still digging through the rubble in search of survivors.

    "And again, a disaster has occurred, and in the last couple of months, they''ve been happening more frequently. Hope it doesn¡¯t affect us," - said the large man standing behind the bar.

    He looked very imposing, and his face was always comically serious, especially in awkward situations. But don''t judge a book by its cover: despite his strict appearance, he was very kind-hearted.

    "Tell me about it. Just last month, there were nine such catastrophes around the world," - I added.

    "At that time, I didn¡¯t know that compared to what was about to happen, this was nothing."

    The conversation took place in a sparsely populated bar, one of many in France. The atmosphere around was cozy and warm, everything made from warm-looking wood, carefully polished to a velvety smoothness, which added a sense of tranquility and safety. The soft lines of the wood, shimmering in warm honey and walnut tones, filled the space with a feeling of harmony and comfort.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The dimmed light, reflecting off the wood¡¯s surface, seemed to embrace the visitors, creating a sense of seclusion and peace.

    The aroma of wood, light and unobtrusive, mixed with hints of coffee, spices, and wood smoke. Time seemed to stand still here, allowing one to forget the outside world for a moment.

    Behind Claude ¨C the man standing behind the counter, with natural wood rings on the bar, which seemed to preserve the history of the tree it was made from. Shelves held a huge assortment of alcohol and other beverages.

    The television, which was talking about the latest earthquake, hung on the wall near the counter. It was large enough to watch from anywhere in the bar.

    "Hey, Wilmar, how¡¯s your romantic situation with that cutie? Maybe you''ve already managed to get her into bed, ha-ha-ha?" - Claude laughed, addressing me.

    As soon as I thought about her, a trace of sadness appeared on my face.

    "What¡¯s with the face? Wilmar, everything okay?" - he asked, concerned.

    "Unfortunately, no. It didn¡¯t work out between us. We broke up, we had different views on the future," - I replied, lowering my gaze.

    "Yeah, it happens. Want to tell me what happened?" - Claude said with a warm, sympathetic smile.

    "Loretta dreams of building a career as a director, and I want to start a family. We couldn¡¯t find a compromise, so we decided to part ways to not get in each other¡¯s way," - I explained, feeling sad but also knowing we made the right decision.

    "I¡¯m sorry that you haven¡¯t been able to start a family yet. It¡¯s good that you decided to part ways in this situation, it was the right decision," - he said sympathetically.

    "Thanks for the support, Claude. Although your words sounded a bit harsh, you¡¯re right," - I answered.

    At that moment, I took a glass of my favorite wine and drained it in one go. The wine was red, sometimes shimmering with a blue glow. This was due to the glowing berries of the shimmering vine from which it was made. Its taste was sweet, with hints of acidity. Each sip filled me with a pleasant warmth, distracting my mind from unpleasant thoughts.

    With a quiet sigh of relief, I decided to let go of the feelings related to Loretta and move on.

    I took another sip of wine and, after thinking for a moment, decided to change the topic.

    "Hey, Claude, how¡¯s your wife and daughter doing? Camille is in eighth grade now, right?" - I asked with curiosity, pouring myself more wine.

    "That¡¯s right, my daughter is in eighth grade now. She recently took first place in the physics olympiad," - he answered proudly. "So, we¡¯re going to the water park she wanted to go to," - he finished and placed a new bottle of wine on the table since the last one was empty.

    "She¡¯s a smart one, with her brains she¡¯s bound for a bright future," - I said with surprise, pouring myself from the new bottle. "What about Isabel?" - I asked.

    "Here¡¯s even better news. My wife is pregnant," - Claude exclaimed joyfully and smiled.

    As soon as I heard this, I immediately choked and coughed. The reason was that it had been very difficult for Claude and Isabel to conceive a child. They had tried for ten years to have Camille, and the doctors had said that conceiving a second child was almost impossible.

    "No way! What a news!" - I exclaimed in complete bewilderment, and a smile appeared on my face. "Brother, congratulations! I¡¯m genuinely happy for you!" - I added, standing up and hugging him, patting my friend on the back.

    "And how many months now?" - I asked as I sat back down.

    "Already three months," - Claude answered, grinning proudly.

    "Brother, such news calls for a drink!" - I said, pouring two glasses.

    Claude didn¡¯t mind, and when he sat down and took his glass, we clinked our glasses, and I said:

    "To such wonderful news!" - I shouted, and we drank our glasses together.

    The next hour was spent talking about various topics and debating whether it would be a boy or a girl. At one point, I pulled out my phone and checked the time.

    "It¡¯s already ten o¡¯clock. Thanks for the company, Claude. I think I¡¯ll head home now," - I said, standing up.

    Getting up from behind the counter, I placed the payment for all the alcohol I had drunk on it.

    "See you, Wilmar. Don¡¯t forget to check in on your old friend sometime," - Claude said with a smile. "Can you make it home on your own?" - he added.

    "Probably not, so I¡¯ll call a taxi. See you later," - I said, heading to the exit.

    Outside, it was very warm, and a cool breeze gently blew on my face.

    "Ha-ha, vacation is almost over... I really don¡¯t want to go back to work, but what can you do," - I said with a little sadness, pulling my phone and a pack of cigarettes from my pocket.

    Calling a taxi, I took a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and began smoking. The taxi I had called arrived in five minutes. I got in and sank tiredly into the seat.

    Watching the lights of the night city pass by, I thought about Loretta: her silky light hair, emerald eyes, slender body. Her sweet and caring nature. The smile with which she spoke about her dreams. As soon as the image of Loretta appeared in my mind, a crooked smile appeared on my face.

    When we arrived, I paid the driver and stumbled towards my building. Climbing to my apartment and arriving home, despite the intoxication, I took a shower and then collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

    "Finally, this day is over. Now I can sleep," - I thought, and in the next moment, I fell into the soft embrace of sleep.

 Dream. Part one.

    "Vil... Vilm... Vilmi!" - A loud female voice rang out, making me involuntarily open my eyes.

    In front of me stood my colleague Angela, a young red-haired girl with an incredibly energetic character, which often caused her problems and frequent troubles. Her thick hair was neatly tied into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her amber-colored eyes sparkled with a playful glint, filling those around her with a piece of her carefree mood. She wore the standard archaeologist''s uniform, just like many others, including me.

    "Angela...?" - I asked, still a little disoriented."

    "Vilmi, did you fall asleep on your feet?" - There was concern in her voice.

    Slightly disoriented, I decided to look around. Four more people stood near us, all dressed in the same uniform. But as soon as I looked behind Angela, a wave of horror washed over me. Right behind her was a huge abyss in the ground. The thought that I could have fallen into it if Angela hadn''t stopped me made me feel slightly nauseous.

    "You stayed up all night with your notes again?" - Klaim said reproachfully, like a parent scolding a child who had been playing video games all night. "I told you to rest before the descent," he added sternly. Klaim was the shortest of the guys in our group but had a well-toned physique, and his light hair seemed to reflect clarity of mind. His eyes showed years of experience and wisdom. He was the engineer and therefore responsible for working with research devices and other equipment.

    "Vilmar, if you found something interesting, tell me during the break, haha," added the dark-haired man, his body strong, and his face covered with a short beard. He was always in a good mood, though unlike Angela, he kept his head clear and tried not to get into trouble. His name was Frederik, and thanks to his character, he had good relationships with Angela but also got along well with the rest of us. He mostly dealt with moving equipment and research alongside me; in our team, he was the strongest, so he took on all the heavy work.

    There were also two others: The first was John, with pale skin and a tired, sickly appearance. His face literally expressed eternal fatigue at first glance. He was tall and slender, and part of his left ear was missing, making him easily recognizable in a crowd. John was a scientist and always worked with various devices. Despite his sickly appearance, he was perfectly healthy and full of energy. Though he was almost always silent, if you engaged him on a topic related to his work, it would be hard to stop him.

    The second was his partner ¡ª Eliza: a beautiful woman with a slender figure and expressive curves. Her long, light hair fell freely over her shoulders like rays of sunlight come to life. She had an elegant and alluring appearance. Like John, she was a scientist and worked alongside him, and also acted as our doctor in case of emergencies.

    "Alright, guys, we need to descend," Eliza''s gentle but confident voice came through.

    "Vilmar, are you okay? If you''re feeling too bad, you should stay at the camp," she added.

    "I''m fine... just thinking," I answered, beginning to come to my senses.

    "Just be careful. We don¡¯t want you accidentally getting into a dangerous situation," Frederik said.

    "I¡¯ll try. Alright, let''s go down," I replied and walked toward the elevator that would take us to the bottom of the crater.

    We all headed to the elevator at once. It wasn''t far, so we reached it quickly. The descent, however, was long, but after a few dozen minutes, we reached the very bottom.

    We exited the elevator and took a few steps forward, scanning the surrounding space. It seemed like the crater pierced the sky, a giant bowl framed by steep slopes. Beneath our feet lay a platform scattered with stones ¡ª from small rubble to impressive boulders. It stretched almost a kilometer ahead.

    At one part of the abyss, there was a small camp where we would live and work for a while. After a brief inspection, we headed toward it. The path was covered with various rocks, soil, and trees that had fallen when the earth began to collapse. Cracks of various sizes appeared everywhere, some so large that we had to bypass them. When we arrived, we started inspecting the camp and unpacking our things. There were six residential tents and one filled with scientific equipment, where John, Eliza, and Klaim would be working.

    The tents were arranged in a circle, and in the center between them was a small building for cooking and discussing our future work and plans. Not far from the camp was a small building with two doors, housing the toilet and shower. Electricity had been run throughout the camp to power the electronic devices, using a generator located in a separate room of the nearby building.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The residential tents were large and cozy inside, with an atmosphere that calmed the mind and created a sense of peace and separation from the outside world. They were furnished with soft beds, small tables made of fragrant wood that emitted a pleasant smell of timber and resin, where we could work and store documents and notes. In the corner was a small stove in case it got cold at night, with a stack of firewood nearby. Across from the bed stood a dresser where we could store clothes, made of the same wood as the table.

    The scientific tent was several times larger and divided into four sections. The main section was the control center where John would work and, most importantly, monitor seismic data to warn us if an earthquake began again. The second section was the communication center, which would allow us to stay in touch with the outside world. The third section was dedicated to the study of fossils, and possibly even ancient records and artifacts that we might discover. The fourth was the medical section, containing everything needed for treatment.

    The camp was positioned to minimize damage in case of another earthquake. It was also located right at the entrance to an underground cave we would soon descend into. The entrance was in a small underground lake, part of which was above the surface. Thus, access could only be made with diving gear. When we finished setting up camp, it was already evening, so we decided our team would begin the exploration the next day.

    We all gathered at the center of the camp around a large table, with Eliza and Frederik in the kitchen preparing dinner for everyone. They were the best at cooking among us. The rest of us sat at the table, either working on our tasks or enjoying lively conversations.

    "Hey, Vilmar, what were you thinking about up there?" Frederik asked in a calm voice, full of curiosity.

    At that moment, everyone paused for a second. They were all eager to know the reason for my behavior. I was not opposed to telling them why I seemed to fall asleep on my feet.

    "Oh, nothing special..." I paused for a couple of seconds, gathering my thoughts before continuing. "It''s just... Over the last year, I¡¯ve had strange dreams a couple of times," I began. "In them, I found myself in space, surrounded by countless stars, and in the distance, there was a large black sphere hovering, glowing with a bright white light emanating from its center. I don¡¯t know why, but as soon as I saw it, a deep animal fear enveloped me."

    Recalling those strange moments sent chills down my spine. Everyone listened without interrupting, and it was clear they were interested. After all, we all shared an interest in such things and often told each other stories on similar topics.

    "What happened next?" - Angela asked, her curiosity evident.

    "Next, I started to get pulled in, and when it started, there was a terrible hum, followed by the sound of cracking glass, and cracks started appearing around me, as if the very space was tearing apart. Then I would always wake up, never having reached the sphere." I continued, and again, chills ran down my spine.

    After I finished, the group¡¯s enthusiasm waned, but my story sparked a desire to share similar tales. The next three hours were spent listening to each other''s stories. Afterward, we all went to our tents to rest for the upcoming work.

    The next morning, we gathered around the table again to discuss our next steps.

    "So, shall we go over the plan again?" - I said as I sat at the table after brewing myself a cup of aromatic coffee. We all exchanged glances, and Klaim began explaining the plan.

    "Well, let''s start. According to the available data, this cave leads to ancient catacombs that we need to explore," Klaim said, nodding toward the lake. After a few seconds of silence, he continued. "We have a year to figure out where these catacombs lead, and then report back to our superiors. I remind you, there¡¯s something in these catacombs that jams all devices, preventing us from finding out where these tunnels go. One of our main goals is to find out the cause of this anomaly. Just in case, everyone will be given firearms." He finished in a firm voice.

    "All the tools are already at the cave entrance. The path to the catacombs is marked with signs and arrows," John added in a quiet voice.

    "Correct, John and I will stay at the camp to monitor the devices and stay in touch with you. The rest of you will head to our goal. First, we¡¯ll just explore the known part of the catacombs. Afterward, you¡¯ll return, we¡¯ll discuss what you found, and prepare for the entrance to the unknown section. Got it?" he asked, and we all nodded in agreement.

    After we finished, Frederik, Angela, Eliza, and I changed into diving suits and went toward the lake.

    "Good luck," John said. Klaim also supported us, nodding after John¡¯s words.

    "Yes, good luck finding something interesting," Klaim added with a smile.

    "Thanks, you too," Angela replied.

    The four of us put on our diving gear, exchanged a final glance, and began diving into the water. As soon as we descended a few meters, we all activated the His. The deeper we went, the denser the darkness became. At one point, it became so dark that the only source of light was the His. After a while, Eliza, swimming ahead, found the entrance to the cave. We swam up to it and began inspecting it. The entrance was a hole in the wall with a radius of several meters, and in some places, small clusters of blue crystals grew on the passage walls, slightly glowing from within and sparkling as they reflected the light from the His.

    Frederik, intrigued, swam toward one and broke off a small piece. After a brief inspection, we swam deeper. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, some of which, like the walls, were covered with rare clusters of the same crystals we had seen at the entrance.

    The further we swam, the narrower the cave became.

    After a while, we finally emerged into the main cave. The exit was inside a room, similar to restrooms built in mines. Ahead, a passage three meters high stretched out before us. To the right of the passage, there was a table with two lanterns and eight smaller lanterns, two for each of us.

    After turning on the lights and changing into more appropriate attire, we immediately contacted John and Klaim to inform them that we had arrived. After a brief conversation, we took the small lanterns, while Eliza and I tookt he larger ones.

    "Well then, let¡¯s go," I said and stepped into the darkness.

 Dream. Part two.

    Walking through the dark cave, only our footsteps echoed through the long tunnel. Sometimes, we could hear droplets of water falling from the ceiling, and in some places, wet patches formed on the floor, creating small puddles. When we first heard the sound of falling drops, Eliza and I flinched, causing Angela and Frederick to laugh. But then a drop of water fell on Angela¡¯s head, and she let out a scream. This time, the three of us laughed at her, making her face turn red.

    "Why are you laughing? I wasn¡¯t scared at all!" she exclaimed indignantly and turned her head away.

    "Yeah, yeah, we know, haha," I replied, but I couldn¡¯t hold back my laughter at the end.

    Angela just huffed in annoyance and walked ahead.

    "Wait! Where are you going? You don¡¯t have a flashlight!" I shouted and sped up to overtake her.

    After that, we continued our journey calmly. It felt like about an hour had passed since we entered the cave. From time to time, we encountered crossroads, but the correct path was indicated by iron plates nailed to the walls. These plates were quite rusted, meaning they had been here for a long time. The arrows carved into them, however, seemed more recent.

    "Strange¡­ If all the plates we¡¯ve seen are in such a state, that means someone was here long before us," said Frederick as we walked through the tunnel.

    "And that¡¯s true," Eliza added thoughtfully. "I wonder how long ago they were put up? And how did they even put them up if this cave was discovered only two months ago?"

    After their words, we all began to think about the origin of the plates. But no matter how hard we tried, we couldn¡¯t come up with an answer.

    "Maybe a long time ago, this cave was connected to the surface, and there was a mine here that was later abandoned for some reason," Frederick suggested.

    "Possibly. Or maybe our management just decided to use old, unwanted plates. Heh," Angela chuckled.

    Her idea seemed quite logical, considering that our management could indeed do such a thing to save money.

    We continued deeper into the tunnel, chatting about various topics and sharing stories from our lives. At some point, we suddenly reached a large chasm.

    "Stop!" I halted everyone and continued, "Careful, we¡¯ve reached a chasm."

    "Hey! Let me see!" Angela said, her mood clearly lifted.

    She walked up to me and started peering ahead. I followed her and examined the obstacle in our path.

    "I wonder how deep it is," she said, picking up a nearby rock.

    Tossing it a couple of times, she threw it into the abyss. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight¡ªsuddenly, a loud thud echoed; the rock had hit the bottom. The depth of the chasm was astonishing¡ªfalling into it meant certain death.

    "It¡¯s really deep," Frederick said with slight concern.

    "That¡¯s true," Eliza added. "But the main problem is how to get to the other side."

    "Look, there¡¯s a ledge over there," I pointed in the right direction. "And there¡¯s a path leading across."

    In the distance, we could see a small stone bridge that could take us to the other side. I managed to spot it thanks to the crystals that emitted a faint glow. These crystals jutted out from the walls throughout the chasm, but unfortunately, reaching them was impossible. And beyond the bridge lay the continuation of the tunnel that led further to our goal.

    "We need to get over there," I said, pointing to our destination. Then, I approached the ledge.

    Luckily, the ledge sloped slightly downward and extended all the way to the crossing. I firmly secured my flashlight to my backpack and fastened it tightly to myself. The others did the same. Once I was ready, I turned to face the wall and stepped onto the ledge.

    Moving slowly, supporting myself with both feet and one hand, I progressed forward. After I covered some distance, the others began following me, maintaining a safe distance between us. We had all learned how to traverse narrow ledges during training, so this path wasn¡¯t a problem for us.

    After two minutes, we all reached the crossing. Taking our flashlights off our backpacks and holding them in our hands, we continued forward. The bridge itself was a couple of meters long and about two meters wide. We crossed it quickly and saw a sign nailed to the wall near the passage leading into a narrower tunnel.

    "That means we¡¯re on the right track," Eliza said, pointing at the sign.

    Exchanging glances, we moved forward. As we progressed, we encountered another small obstacle. At one point, we reached a dead end, with the only option being to crawl through an opening near the floor. The opening was small, but a person could fit through without much trouble. However, with backpacks on, it was impossible, so we had to take them off and drag them behind us.

    Crawling took quite a long time¡ªabout twenty minutes, it seemed. During this time, we became quite exhausted and started feeling cold due to the damp floor. On top of that, our bodies were beginning to go numb.

    Finally, after half an hour of crawling, we emerged into a much larger part of the cave. Standing up straight and stretching, we started examining our surroundings.

    Everything was covered in a layer of green moss, and in some places, there were small pools of water. Numerous vines hung from the ceiling, intertwining to form various and even bizarre shapes. The vines were green with yellow veins resembling blood vessels. Small leaves, similar to yew leaves, grew on them, and at their tips, there were clusters of yellow grape-like berries.

    The ground was adorned with flowers that resembled white roses. The only difference was the complete absence of thorns. Their stems were very short, causing the buds to nearly touch the moss on which they grew.

    "Wow," I said in shock. "I didn¡¯t expect to see a Loza Grove here." My voice carried both amazement and admiration.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I didn¡¯t expect this either. This will be a perfect place to take a short break," Eliza added, slowly sitting down to catch her breath.

    "Incredible!" Angela exclaimed. "I¡¯ve only read about this place, but I¡¯ve never seen it in person!" Excitedly, she ran off to examine the vines and flowers.

    "I¡¯m seeing a Loza Grove for the first time too," Frederick added with admiration.

    "You guys, just don¡¯t eat the berries. We need to do something before eating them," Eliza quickly warned. I simply nodded.

    "Well, should we take a break here?" I asked.

    "Yes! Let¡¯s do it! I want to explore everything here," Angela answered cheerfully.

    "I agree. A little rest wouldn¡¯t hurt," Frederick said.

    "You already know my answer," Eliza added.

    Having made our decision, the three of us prepared to have a meal while Angela continued running around, examining everything.

    We didn¡¯t go far and settled by one of the many small lakes. Turning off our flashlights and one lantern to save their charge, we sat on the stones we found and began our meal. Angela soon approached as well and sat down next to us on another stone. In her hands, she held a bunch of appetizing yellow berries.

    "Hey, Eliza, you said something needs to be done with these before eating them. What exactly?" she asked, clearly eager to try them, looking at the berries and reaching out to Eliza.

    "Nothing special," Eliza replied, plucking one berry. "See this little protrusion on the bottom? You just pull it out carefully to remove it completely."

    When she did this, we saw a seed in her hand, from which that very protrusion had grown. But the most disgusting part was the tiny white fibers sprouting from the seed, resembling nerves.

    "These ''nerves'' are called toxicorizomes. If someone eats them, they first get paralyzed and then die from toxicosis. But the pulp itself is completely safe to eat," she said, tossing the seed away and eating the berry¡¯s pulp.

    "I see. Well, let''s try it," Angela said and repeated the process exactly as she had been shown.

    Frederick and I decided not to stay out of it and also took a berry each, which Angela shared with us. Doing the same trick, I tried mine. The berry was very sweet, and its juice slightly tingled my tongue, fizzing a little like carbonated candy.

    "Not bad," Frederick said. Angela and I just nodded in agreement.

    Even though I had been to Lozovoe before, I had never tried these berries. After eating one, I wanted some coffee, so I took a thermos out of my backpack and poured myself some. Taking a few sips, I glanced at my wristwatch and realized we had been in the cave for five hours already.

    "Oh¡­ So we''ve been walking for that long? It only felt like two hours to me."

    Distorted time perception in a cave is not uncommon, and apparently, I needed to check the time more often¡ªI was getting too relaxed. If I were alone, the situation could have become dangerous.

    "Guys, we''ve been underground for five hours now," I said to warn the others.

    "What, already five hours?" Eliza said, checking her watch. "Well, according to the plan, we need to reach the catacombs, and we can sleep there, right?"

    "Exactly. We have about two more hours to go, so we¡¯ll get there soon. Let''s finish eating and move on," I replied and started drinking my coffee, which was already getting cold.

    About ten minutes later, we were ready to move forward. We packed our things and also picked a couple more bunches of berries for later. They were delicious, after all, and none of us would turn down the chance to eat them again, but later¡ªwhy waste the opportunity?

    Once we were done, we continued onward. As we advanced through Lozovoe, I got lost in thought and nearly fell into a small lake. Fortunately, Frederick grabbed my backpack just in time and pulled me back; otherwise, I would have had to walk in wet clothes for the next couple of hours. I thanked him for his help and focused properly on the path.

    "Yeah¡­ With this habit of mine, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll trip over something in my old age and die in the dumbest way possible."

    Half an hour later, we finally reached the end of Lozovoe. Our path now led through a dark tunnel¡ªjust an ordinary cave. Along the way, we talked about various topics to stave off boredom, and at some point, the conversation turned to our pasts. Surprisingly, even though we had known each other for a couple of years, we had never talked about this¡ªaside from the occasional spooky or mystical story.

    Eliza spoke first. As a child, she was very intelligent, excelling in school not by memorization but by truly understanding the material. Among our small group, she was the only one like that. Her interest in medicine also began in childhood¡ªshe was always reading books and asking questions of her parents, who happened to be a doctor and a veterinarian.

    Because of this, she constantly brought home injured or sick animals to care for. At first, her parents didn¡¯t mind, but when she kept doing it tirelessly, they forbade her from bringing in more. However, they didn¡¯t throw out the ones she had already taken in, allowing her to continue caring for them. Once they recovered, they found them good homes, and in the end, only a cat remained¡ªone Eliza refused to part with. Her parents decided to keep it as a pet.

    After that, her mother sometimes took her to work so she could help and learn. This continued until graduation, after which Eliza chose to study medicine rather than veterinary science. After finishing her studies, she joined our workplace, where she also picked up basic archaeological skills.

    Next was Angela. When it was her turn to speak, she suddenly blushed¡ªand the reason was that she had been quite a troublemaker as a child. This started in middle school when, out of boredom, she decided to beat up a couple of guys she already disliked.

    The reason? Those boys were typical "cool kids" in class¡ªthey smoked in the school restroom or behind the building, constantly interrupted lessons, disrespected teachers, and, of course, took money from younger or weaker students. One day, she saw them behind the school and decided to fight them. She snuck up quietly and threw the first punch¡ªone against three. Since Angela was quite athletic, even back then, she managed to hold her own against them. But at one point, a passing teacher saw them and rushed in to break up the fight.

    When they were scolded in the principal¡¯s office, Angela snapped back at the principal and ran away, skipping the rest of her classes. At home, no one scolded her¡ªher parents simply didn¡¯t care about their daughter. Perhaps their attitude was why Angela became a delinquent, frequently getting into fights and trouble.

    She explained that her parents had conceived her by accident and noticed too late to do anything about it. Throughout her childhood, she was alone. They never scolded or praised her. Sometimes, she went hungry because her mother simply forgot to cook for her, so at a young age, she had to learn to cook for herself.

    By high school, Angela had stopped acting like a delinquent. The reason was a girl she befriended. They were inseparable, spending all their free time together. Her friend was always drawn to exploring different places and wanted to become an archaeologist. Angela had no plans for her future, so she decided to go with her friend.

    During their work, her friend fell in love with a guy and later got pregnant. Angela always supported their relationship. She also got along well with the guy, so she was sure he would take care of his child and his wife. After her friend went on maternity leave, Angela continued working and eventually joined our team.

    After hearing her story, we finally understood one of her habits. Angela always tried to do something to receive praise, even without realizing it herself. She did it so often, but until now, we hadn¡¯t understood why, and she denied wanting any praise. Feeling sympathy for her, the three of us hugged Angela. She didn¡¯t understand why we were acting this way, but she didn¡¯t resist.

    After standing there for a while, we continued onward. It was now Frederick¡¯s turn. His father had been an archaeologist for a long time, and his mother had died during childbirth. Because of this, Frederick and his father frequently moved from place to place for work. He never blamed his father for this¡ªhe understood that archaeology was all he knew.

    Due to constant research trips, his father couldn¡¯t always spend time with him. But they lived with a nanny who took care of Frederick. She became the mother he never had. His father never blamed him for his mother¡¯s death¡ªhe knew it wasn¡¯t his son¡¯s fault. Through his father¡¯s work, Frederick developed an interest in exploration and history, so after school, he followed in his father¡¯s footsteps and eventually joined our team.

    When it was finally my turn, I suddenly stopped. A small tunnel ahead opened into a vast cavern, where the entrance to the catacombs was located.

    "Guys, we¡¯re here," I suddenly said. "Now we just need to find the passage to the catacombs."

 Dream. Part three.

    In the corridor filled with thick darkness, an unknown sound suddenly echoed. Filling the silence and resonating through the long corridors, the sound faded, but another followed. Around one of the many turns of this labyrinth, a bright light shone from the ceiling, as if daylight was illuminating the corridor through a hole. At one moment, an unknown shadow suddenly appeared on the floor. A few seconds later, a creature descended down a rope hanging by the wall. It stepped aside slightly, followed by more figures. When they had all descended, four figures stood visible.

    ?It''s pretty damp here. I hope we don¡¯t get sick,? said Angela as she approached Eliza, pressing against her. ?But you''ll heal us, right?? she added, hugging her.

    ?What¡¯s with you all of a sudden?? Eliza asked in confusion, a slight blush appearing on her face.

    Angela ignored the question, stood there for a moment, then let go and stepped away. Watching this, Frederick and I exchanged glances and silently agreed to move aside so as not to disturb these lovebirds.

    ?Where do you think you''re going?? Eliza suddenly shouted in an irritated voice. ?Are you abandoning me? Traitors!?

    Frederick and I ignored her and moved a few meters away before stopping. We both began examining the corridor we had ended up in. The walls, floor, and even the ceiling were covered in numerous cracks, and in some places, the ancient tiles had crumbled, revealing the bricks beneath. Near the ceiling, large cobwebs were occasionally visible. The floor tiles were covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating that no one had been here for a long time.

    ?What do you think this place is?? he asked, continuing to examine the ancient walls.

    ?No idea. Maybe a tomb?? I speculated, stepping closer to the wall to feel the tiles.

    ?Quite possible,? Frederick agreed. ?What¡¯s on the wall? Did you find something?? he asked, approaching me.

    ?No, just wanted to check its texture,? I replied, reaching out to touch the wall.

    As I touched it, I felt that it was cold and smooth, despite the numerous cracks and the passage of time, which had failed to destroy it.

    ?Surprisingly smooth, but nothing special,? I said, pulling my hand away and stepping back.

    ?Too bad... Not even any drawings or inscriptions,? Frederick noted, brushing dust off his hands after running them along the wall.

    After standing there for a while, discussing theories about the origins of these catacombs, we decided to return to the girls and figure out our next course of action. By then, Angela had already calmed down and was simply chatting with Eliza. When they heard our approaching footsteps, they turned their heads toward us. Eliza''s face showed slight annoyance at being left alone with Angela, though it seemed more like an act¡ªshe wasn¡¯t truly upset. Angela, on the other hand, was in a good mood, practically radiating excitement¡ªit was clear she couldn¡¯t wait to start exploring.

    Approaching them, we stopped in front of them.

    ?Did you start without us?? Angela was the first to speak.

    ?Just a little. We were only discussing what this place could be and checking out the structure of the walls,? Frederick replied.

    ?Hmm¡­ Alright, I forgive you,? Angela said haughtily. But we knew she was just playing, so we continued the conversation without concern.

    ?Jokes aside, we have a lot of work ahead,? I said, pulling a cartosphere out of my backpack. ?Let¡¯s discuss our next steps.?

    Everyone nodded in agreement. After glancing at my companions and hesitating for a moment, I stepped closer and activated the cartosphere. It was a three-dimensional, spherical map of the catacombs we were currently in. The catacombs consisted of long corridors, with occasional solitary rooms. There were also two corridors leading downward, dividing the entire structure into different levels. In total, there were three levels, but the access points to the lower ones were located in different places. The final descent led to an unknown section, which we planned to explore next time.

    When the map was activated, I began:

    ?Right now, we¡¯re here.? I pointed to a red dot in one of the upper corridors. ?Our goal is to explore all the rooms and learn about the passage to Zone X.?

    We had decided to call the unknown section "Zone X" not because it was necessary, but simply because the name sounded cooler.

    ?It''s pretty straightforward, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems,? I added with a smirk. After all, our task wasn¡¯t particularly difficult. ?We¡¯ll start our exploration along this path.?

    I outlined the route we would take, ensuring we would check every room and notable place along the way.

    Ten minutes later, we were ready to move forward. But first, we all needed some rest¡ªwe had been in the cave for too long. So we set off toward the first room we would encounter on our path.

    Time passed slowly. As we walked down the corridor, we continued discussing the place and what we might find here. Everyone was especially curious about Zone X. We had come up with many theories about it¡ªranging from a forgotten tomb to an ancient laboratory where human experiments were conducted or where biological weapons were developed.

    After about half an hour, we finally arrived.

    We stood in a massive hall, several times larger than the corridor we had just exited. Another passage, identical to the one behind us, lay ahead. The hall was enormous, its ceiling supported by numerous columns that kept the structure from collapsing.

    The massive columns were covered in intricate carvings forming various patterns. But after all these years, they had been significantly damaged, making it impossible to decipher their meaning. In the center of the hall stood a pedestal with shattered fragments of black stone. The only remaining parts were the outlines of feet, suggesting that a colossal statue once stood there. To the left of the former statue, against the wall, was a door¡ªthe very one we needed.

    After inspecting the hall and our surroundings, we moved toward the center, closer to the obsidian-like debris.

    ?Frederick, could you chip off a piece of this stone, please?? Eliza asked, stepping closer to the statue¡¯s remains.

    ?Alright, I¡¯ll do it now,? he replied, pulling out the necessary tools and starting to break off a small fragment.

    ?Who do you think this statue was supposed to represent?? I asked, knowing no one could give a definitive answer.

    ?Who knows? Maybe the creator of these catacombs?? Eliza suggested as she took a piece of the stone Frederick had chipped off. ?It''s cold and kind of... rough??

    ?Seriously?? Angela asked, taking the fragment from her. ?You''re right, it¡¯s an interesting material. But since Frederick broke it so easily, it must not be very strong,? she added, passing it to me.

    After each of us examined the unusual material, Eliza placed it in a special small container designed to protect such items from accidental damage.

    While she packed the container back into her backpack, I looked at the door leading to the first room we had encountered. The anticipation made me eager to see what lay beyond.

    After a few more minutes of studying the columns and debris, we finally decided to find out what was behind the nearby door.

    As we approached, we began inspecting it. The massive door loomed before us, seemingly grown out of the wall. It was made of the same stone as the catacombs themselves. Its rough surface fit tightly into the stone frame, with ornate carvings adorning its edges, now covered in centuries of dust.

    ?Wow, it''s huge,? Angela said.

    "I agree, but from a distance, it looked smaller," I added.

    Standing in front of the door, we admired the structure¡ªit truly looked majestic. After standing like that for a couple of seconds, we exchanged glances, and then I approached the door to open it.

    "Krgh!" ¡ª A faint grinding of stone was heard.

    "Wilmar, what are you doing?" ¡ª Eliza suddenly asked, watching as I struggled with all my strength to open this grand door.

    After trying for a few more seconds, I stopped to catch my breath. It was incredibly heavy, and I had only managed to move it slightly. And I wasn¡¯t exactly a weak guy¡ªI could even compete with Frederick, though he was still stronger than me.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "Hah... Frederick, help me, this door is insanely heavy," I said, slightly out of breath.

    "Alright," he replied and stepped up beside me. Preparing himself, he said:

    "Let''s do this!"

    "Kragh!" ¡ª The grinding sound echoed again, but louder this time.

    Pushing together, we slowly opened the passage. But even working as a team, it was extremely difficult. At one point, we had to stop to catch our breath. The gap between the wall and the door was now just wide enough for Angela to squeeze through.

    "Damn, this is really tough. Too bad Clime isn¡¯t here," said Frederick, slightly out of breath.

    "Yeah, it''s a shame he''s not," I agreed. "Only Angela could fit through this gap."

    "I think I could squeeze through too," said Eliza.

    "Nope, you wouldn¡¯t fit. Your figure wouldn¡¯t allow it," I replied.

    At that moment, completely unexpectedly, I received a smack on the back of my head from Angela. Squatting down from the sudden hit, I looked at her to understand what I had done to deserve it.

    "You''ve lost your mind, haven¡¯t you? Are you saying I¡¯m flat and have a bad figure?" ¡ª Angela shouted at me. Her voice was full of both offense and anger, caused by my words.

    "Well... it''s kind of true," said Frederick¡ªand immediately received a smack just like I did.

    "I''m not flat at all! Yeah, it''s not as big as Eliza''s, but it''s not flat!" ¡ª Angela continued, now sounding even angrier.

    Her face turned red as she walked away toward Eliza, not looking at us even once after that.

    "You two are terrible. Hurting her feelings like that takes real skill," Eliza said, shaking her head with her eyes closed.

    After her words, we apologized to Angela and tried to make peace, but it didn¡¯t work. And Eliza was right¡ªit was really hard to offend her. Yet we somehow managed to do it so easily, even though it was an accident and we didn¡¯t mean to.

    After a few more failed attempts to make amends, we decided to open the door completely.

    After a whole minute of effort, we finally managed to open it wide enough to enter without any problems, though we still couldn¡¯t open it fully.

    Once inside, we found ourselves in a rather spacious room. The sight before us made us freeze in amazement.

    Directly opposite the entrance, against the wall, a large number of weapons lay on a special rack. It wasn¡¯t any kind of firearm¡ªthere were swords, axes, bows, and similar weapons¡ªall things that were completely out of place in our era.

    To the left, directly in the wall, there were recesses holding something covered in old fabric, emitting a faint, unpleasant smell.

    To the right, there were about a dozen objects resembling stone bunk beds. Near them, the wall also had recesses, but these were empty. Some of the bunk beds had been broken by the merciless passage of time.

    Between the stands and the bed-like structures stood a small fountain, placed close to the wall, in which there was a small opening. Most likely, there used to be water there, which was drunk by those who lived here.

    The walls, floor, and ceiling, like in the other parts of the catacombs, were covered in cracks and cobwebs. In the center of the ceiling, there were several crystals that had lost their color, surrounded by carved patterns forming a sort of circle, inside which these crystals were placed.

    " What the¡­?"  I muttered in confusion, shocked by the sight.

    " Swords? No one has used them for more than eight hundred years."  Eliza said, just as astonished as we were. " Just how ancient is this place?"  she added.

    Such ancient weaponry was indeed a rarity, especially ones that had been lying around for hundreds of years. While it was possible to create replicas in our time, they would never surpass the original of a past era. The reason for this was the ancient metal, which could no longer be found anywhere.

    Old metal differs from modern ones in that its strength is comparable to diamonds, and its sharpness allows it to cut through concrete blocks like butter. However, such weapons are extremely rare. But there is also a problem: during the blade processing, there is a very high risk of breakage. Once destroyed, the metal completely loses its properties and cannot be restored. That is why the amount of processed metal is extremely limited, and its price reaches hundreds of millions.

    To this day, no one has found a way to restore ancient weapons to their former state without the risk of destruction. Moreover, even the causes of their fragility, despite their incredible durability, remain unstudied. The main theory suggests a lack of proper tools and knowledge of the correct processing method, but these are merely assumptions.

    " Just this amount alone is worth almost a billion."  Frederick said, quickly estimating the average value of our find.

    " Indeed." I agreed with him. " If we manage to process even a small part of it, it will bring billions."

    At that moment, we were filled with excitement: the treasure we had found promised enormous opportunities since part of the profit would go to us as well.

    " On the way back, we should take one piece and give it to Claime so he can appraise its value." I suggested, stepping closer to examine the weapons.

    The others agreed with my proposal and decided to inspect the find as well. When we were done, we finally decided to rest.

    Choosing a bed-like structure and laying out our sleeping bags, we settled down for the night. While Eliza and Frederick chose simple beds, Angela and I decided to lie on the upper levels of the bunk beds. We were curious whether they would hold us or collapse, but nothing happened during the night.

    Waking up, we sat and had a peaceful breakfast, chatting about everyday topics. But at some point, I remembered those very openings where something was lying. Finishing my meal, I got up and approached the wall. Without any hesitation, I removed the cloth from one of the objects, but I immediately covered it back up and stepped away.

    " What happened? What is it?" Frederick asked, noticing my reaction.

    " It''s something I completely didn''t expect to see." I said.

    " And what is that?" Eliza asked curiously.

    " A corpse. Or to be more precise, a mummy." I answered.

    After my words, everyone froze, putting their food aside. Moving closer, we started checking the other openings. Under each cloth lay human mummies, from which that very unpleasant smell emanated. What we saw only confirmed the theory that this place could have been a tomb. Otherwise, why else would human remains be stored here?

    However, we didn¡¯t linger to study the bodies¡ªit wasn¡¯t our job, and we had no knowledge in this area. After a quick examination, we finished our meal and, gathering our things, continued our journey.

    As we moved further down the corridors, we found nothing of interest. The rooms along the way also contained nothing remarkable. We came across sleeping quarters, a room with large tables, and a storage area, which, unfortunately, was empty. One of the most interesting rooms seemed to be where, judging by the remains, mummification had taken place, and one room was completely blocked off by debris.

    After about three hours of travel, we reached the descent to the next floor. It was a very long, stepped staircase. Climbing back up would be equivalent to torture. Frederick even joked that these stairs were probably the cause of death for the mummies.

    " Damn¡­ Well then, let¡¯s go." Eliza said, taking the first step downward.

    " I just hope I can make it back up alive." Frederick muttered.

    " Don¡¯t forget, we still have to go one floor lower after this." I reminded them as I started descending after them.

    After my words, everyone''s enthusiasm slightly diminished, as we had yet another descent ahead of us. Going down didn''t take too long¡ªabout ten minutes, which would become a real challenge on the way back up.

    Reaching the bottom, we found another corridor similar to the one above. As we walked through the second floor, we found nothing¡ªthe layout was identical to the upper level. After some time, we began approaching the center of the floor, and turning the next corner, we saw a passage leading into a more spacious hall in the distance.

    Stepping inside, we found ourselves in a vast chamber, so large that its edges were not even visible. In front of us was a staircase that led further down the slope, and on its sides were large slabs made of the same material as everything else here. They created a resemblance to seating areas, similar to those in a theater.

    " I wonder what kind of place this is?" Frederick muttered.

    " We need to get to the other side, right?" Eliza asked me.

    " That¡¯s right, the path continues exactly on the opposite side." I replied, checking the map sphere.

    At that moment, I glanced at Angela, whose eyes were burning with a passionate curiosity for the unknown.

    "Since that incident, she hasn¡¯t said a single word. I must have really hurt her feelings. When we return, I¡¯ll make something sweet for her."

    Lost in these thoughts, I returned to reality and, after a short pause, started walking forward.

    " Let¡¯s keep moving. No point in just standing here." I said.

    The others silently agreed and followed me. As we descended, everyone continued examining the surroundings. The entire setting truly resembled a theater: in front of the slabs was a small open space, and beyond it were other slabs, slightly lower, forming rows for viewing whatever was presented below.

    Once at the bottom, we stepped onto a massive platform, which turned out to be the center of the arena, surrounded by the seating areas. Suddenly, our attention was drawn to the floor beneath us.

    " Is that¡­ dried blood?" Eliza asked in confusion, stepping slightly away from the ground.

    " Looks like it." Angela unexpectedly said. " The stones are completely soaked in it." she added.

    Angela was right¡ªjudging by everything, so much blood had once been spilled here that the stone floor had taken on a crimson hue. Moreover, the air carried a faint scent of blood, and when inhaling, there was a slight but distinct taste of metal.

    " Stands, a blood-soaked central platform, as well as numerous weapons and mummies. Could it be that we are in an arena?" Angela speculated, her voice becoming quieter as she processed her own words.

    "The arena? But why is it underground, in the middle of some labyrinth?" Frederick asked in confusion.

    His words made sense¡ªwhy build an arena, which is usually located on the surface and likely used for ancient entertainment, underground? As we examined the entire area, we realized that it was completely crimson. This meant that hundreds, if not thousands, of people had died here. But we found no records or hidden rooms. The only thing we discovered was a few chambers beneath the stands, where gladiators had likely prepared before a fight. We also reached the passage leading forward and decided not to linger here for too long but to keep moving.

    We chose to set this topic aside for later and discuss it with Clyme and John, as they knew a lot about such things and could answer our questions. After a few more hours, we reached the next descent to the final floor, beyond which lay Zone X. Not far from the staircase, there was a small empty room where we stopped to rest, planning to move forward the next morning.

    In the morning, after having breakfast, we set out to explore the third floor. But what awaited us was only disappointment. There was absolutely nothing here¡ªnot even furnished rooms, while we had expected something at least as significant as the previous two floors. The only place we were eager to see was the entrance to Zone X, and after two hours, we finally reached it.

    What we saw was completely unexpected. One of the problems was the lack of the necessary equipment to proceed further. After examining the area, we found no alternative ways forward, so after an hour, we turned back.

    On our way back, we took a dagger with us and even found a sheath for it. It was strange, however, that all the weapons had initially been unsheathed, but we left that question for later. Once we reached the cave and passed through the thickets, I contacted John to inform him that we were returning. Communication was only possible closer to the surface; in the catacombs, it was impossible. However, in case of an impending earthquake, we had a device that allowed John to alert us with sound signals.

    The journey back took two days and a few extra hours, meaning that next time, we would need to take far more supplies to avoid issues caused by the extended duration of our expedition. The next descent could take several months, so we needed to prepare much more thoroughly.

 Dram. Part Four.

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    "I think you''re right, we have no choice anyway, the higher-ups won¡¯t let us go until we¡¯ve checked everything there." - Klym said, giving a crooked smile.

    "John, can you arrange the delivery? I''ll start studying this dagger." - Addressing him, Klym carefully took the dagger and stood up from the table. - "I guess I''ll start now, so we don¡¯t waste time." - He added and headed towards the research complex.

    We wished him good luck and started discussing what else we could have delivered. After making a small list of needed items, we all went about our business. The girls went to take a shower, and Frederick and I went to clear and mark the area for the helicopter¡¯s landing. We took everything we needed and went to find a suitable place. After finding it, we got to work. John, having requested everything from our list, came to us to help. We were glad for the extra help, as it would make everything much faster and easier. After deciding who would do what, we got down to business.

    Here¡¯s the translation into English:

    Without even noticing it, we finished only by evening. Returning to the camp, hot food, which the girls had prepared, was already waiting for us.

    "Where¡¯s Klym?" - I asked.

    "He¡¯s still working, I think." - Eliza replied.

    "Got it, then I¡¯ll go call him." - I said and headed toward the research tent.

    "Alright, but let¡¯s hurry, or the food will get cold!" - Eliza shouted after me. I just nodded in response and continued on my way.

    Entering the tent, I saw Klym still sitting by the blade. He was so focused and absorbed in his work that he didn¡¯t even notice me. I approached him and leaned over to see what he was doing.

    "Did you find anything out?" - I asked him.

    "Oh my God!" - he suddenly shouted and turned toward me. - "Damn it, Vilmar, you scared the hell out of me!" - he added more calmly.

    "Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to." - I replied.

    His shout startled me too, and I jumped back. After exhaling and realizing what had just happened, we both laughed in sync at the situation.

    "Listen, I came to invite you for dinner. So, come on, tell us what you¡¯ve figured out." - I said, motioning for him to follow, and started heading out.

    "Fine, we won¡¯t keep them waiting." - Klym added and followed me.

    When we returned, we sat down at the table, where Klym explained the quality of the dagger we had brought. In general, the blade had rusted quite a bit, so restoring it would take more time and money. But due to its size, the estimated price would give us about two hundred million as our share. We were shocked by that amount, and considering what was left at the bottom, each of us would get at least a billion.

    In our time, that wasn¡¯t such an unbelievable amount, but it would be enough for a few decades of comfortable living. A few seconds after hearing this, we came to our senses, and while eating, we talked about what we would do with such a sum. John also mentioned that the helicopter would arrive in two days. After all, we were in a forest high up in the mountains, but luckily, it was summer, and it was warm here.

    After dinner, we went to our tents or took care of our own tasks.

    The next day, I prepared some sweets for Angela and went to her to make up. As it turned out, she wasn¡¯t mad anymore, but she still accepted the sweets. So, two days passed, and the helicopter was about to arrive. We began to pack up to head deeper into Zone X.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    An hour later, the helicopter landed on our makeshift landing pad. After taking the ropes and the rest of the equipment, we finished getting ready and headed toward the lake.

    We crossed it and went through the cave to the catacombs. Along the way, we passed through the vine-covered area again, where Klym and John were surprised, just like we had been the last time, even though we had already told them about this place. As soon as we descended into the catacombs, they immediately rushed to the room with weapons, and when we reached it, they were completely shocked by what they saw. There, we decided to stop and sleep.

    Moving deeper, we reached the arena and showed everything to our new companions. Another day passed, and on the third day, we arrived at our destination. Last time, we had to leave quickly, but now we were ready to descend into the previously closed area.

    The entrance was a large, pitch-black hole where part of the corridor, which should have led further, was hanging down. We stopped before it and began discussing the best way to descend. Eventually, we decided to go down the upper part of the former corridor, which now served as the ceiling. We secured the ropes to ensure a safe descent, lowered one end, and attached the ropes to ourselves before starting our journey down.

    The descent took about fifteen minutes, but at one point, we were finally able to stand up. The reason for this was the corridor, which had become less steep, and we could walk through it on foot.

    "So¡­ what do we do next?" - Klym asked, looking ahead.

    We had to stop to think about our next move. Right in front of us was a huge cave, and the corridor we were on had now turned into a long bridge leading to the other side.

    "We need to go to the other side." - John suddenly said in a quiet voice. - "We have no choice, either we move forward or go back." - he added.

    At that moment, we all exchanged glances, and the anxiety and confusion were visible on our faces. After a brief pause, we began to decide what to do. After a few minutes, we chose to move forward. The main reason was that the corridor we were standing on didn¡¯t look like it would collapse. Also, closer to the other side, there was a hole we could crawl into and continue deeper inside the corridor.

    Once we made our decision, we untied the ropes, as they would only get in the way, and moved forward. As we walked, everything seemed fine, and we even relaxed a bit, but only for a short while. While walking, I felt like the floor was slightly trembling, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, since we were stepping on a bridge above a chasm, and such things were to be expected. After walking halfway, a sudden loud squeal came from John. Hearing the sound, we quickly looked at him, and his eyes narrowed in terror as he suddenly experienced intense fear.

    At that moment, John quickly took out some device and began examining it closely.

    "John, wh..." - I wanted to ask what was happening, but I was interrupted mid-sentence.

    "Earthquake! Run back, quickly!" - John shouted loudly and dashed back.

    This was completely unlike him, but before I could process anything, we immediately followed him. The screeching sound grew louder, and everything around us began to shake. With each passing second, the tremors grew stronger, causing the cave to collapse right before our eyes. Within moments, we all heard a strange sound coming from behind us.

    Since I was the last in line, I decided to turn around and see what was happening. As soon as I turned my head, an overwhelming fear gripped me, and cold sweat appeared on my forehead. Right before my eyes, the corridor that had been a bridge started collapsing. A large portion of it was already gone, and the remaining part was quickly crumbling, following us, revealing the pitch-black abyss beneath us.

    "The bridge is collapsing, run faster!" - I shouted loudly to warn my friends and increased my pace.

    We ran with all the speed we had, while the earthquake only intensified. But at one point, a massive rock fell in front of us, breaking part of the corridor and creating a hole that nearly split the bridge in two. We stopped for a brief moment, but quickly resumed our dash forward, as the part we were standing on began to crumble. Since I was last, I barely managed to leap over the hole created by the falling rock before it collapsed.

    The situation was dire. I was pushing myself to my limits. My speed was barely enough to keep me from falling with the debris. But the collapse was accelerating, closing in on us with incredible speed, threatening to consume us into the dark abyss below.

    This event lasted only a few dozen seconds, but to us, it felt like an eternity, one that could very well be our last. Finally, when we were almost at the safety ropes, a chunk of rock fell between us and the wall, blocking our path to safety.

    In a single moment, all our hopes were shattered, plunging us into a pit of fear and despair. We had no chance of reaching the ropes now. The instant the rock fell, the structure beneath us disintegrated, and we began to fall.

    As we fell, we landed on the edge of the cliff, which was not as steep as the upper part. Hitting the hard stone, we tumbled down the slope, colliding with the ground and scattered rocks. Within moments, we ended up in a smaller cave, still rolling uncontrollably. A couple of seconds after we entered the cave, I hit a rock, and sharp pain pierced my shoulder. After another impact, pain shot through my head, and I lost consciousness.

    "Ngrgh..." - I groaned, slowly regaining consciousness.

    As I came to, I felt a dull ache in my entire body, and my head was splitting, especially my forehead, which felt like it was on fire. I tried to open my eyes, but everything was covered in a red haze, and I couldn¡¯t see anything. Closing my eyes again, I tried to get up, but immediately fell back to the cold ground.

    "Hey, Vi... are you..." - A hoarse voice came through, reverberating in my ears.

    Following the voice, I heard footsteps approaching me. When they got closer, someone helped me sit up and handed me a bottle.

    "Vilmar, wash your eyes, it¡¯s water. Kha-kha." - The familiar voice sounded, followed by a cough.

    It took me a moment to realize it was Klym¡¯s voice, but after hearing him, I started washing my eyes, and then I splashed my face. I did all this with trembling hands, which barely managed to hold the bottle. They hurt just as much as the rest of my body.

    "Kharggh..." - I coughed, spitting out blood.

    "How are you?" - Klym asked.

    After hearing his words, I looked at him. Despite the surrounding darkness, the faint light from the crystals protruding from the walls allowed me to see the environment. His head was covered in blood, his clothes were dirty, and in some places torn. But it seemed he wasn¡¯t seriously injured, which was a relief.

    "I..." - I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts and continued. - "I¡¯ll live. But what about the others?"

    My eyes shifted to the rest. They were in worse shape than we were.

    "Everyone¡¯s alive, but unconscious." - Klym replied and limped toward them. - "We need to wake them up. Can you help?" - he added, asking me.

    "Yeah, I can, just help me get up, please." - I rasped, replying.

    Klaim approached and extended his hand to help me up. Together, we began trying to bring the others back to consciousness, but no matter how hard we tried, we couldn¡¯t manage to wake anyone up. After several minutes of unsuccessful attempts, we started to worry, unsure if they were truly okay. Unfortunately, we only knew basic first aid, which only heightened our anxiety, especially since our only doctor was also unconscious.

    After a few more minutes of futile efforts, we decided to carefully line them up and sit next to them, trying to calm the growing panic and figure out how to escape. Despite the grim situation, there were still things to be grateful for: everyone was alive, and no one had sustained serious injuries.

    "Cough, cough, cough..."

    The hoarse cough suddenly broke the oppressive silence.

    As soon as we heard the cough, we turned in unison and saw that John was beginning to regain consciousness. We immediately sprang to our feet and rushed over to him, helping him fully wake up. While helping him, we noticed that the others were also starting to stir. I decided to leave John with Klaim and began helping the others.

    We spent several minutes bringing them back to consciousness. During that time, each of them struggled to focus on reality, asking the same questions over and over again. But after about half an hour, everyone began to grasp the situation we were in, so we started discussing what we should do next.

    "What should we do? Can we get out of here?" - Angela asked, her voice trembling with fear and hopelessness.

    No one answered her question, because we had no idea how to get back to the surface. Frederick seemed to be in the best shape, which was a little surprising. While we just sat there, he rummaged through the backpacks, checking what had survived. Since Klaim and I had regained consciousness earlier than the others, we were feeling a bit better, which allowed us to think more clearly. This was crucial in our situation.

    Trying to clear my mind, I decided to walk over to Frederick. As soon as he heard my steps, he turned toward me, but the grim look on his face made me uneasy.

    "How are you doing? Is it really that bad?" - I asked, approaching him and looking at the contents of the backpacks.

    "It''s bad enough. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible." - He replied, his voice tinged with faint desperation.

    "What''s the problem exactly?" - I asked. After his words, my anxiety only grew, but there was still a hint of hope in his voice.

    "Haa..." - He exhaled and took a deep breath before speaking. - "All the equipment is shattered into pieces, including the cartosphere, and that''s one of the main problems. As for the light sources, we still have two flashlights and a couple of HIS, but I managed to salvage the batteries from the others, so it''s not all bad. The biggest issue is food. Half of the containers are destroyed, and several are now unusable. Only two are intact. The cans are mostly fine, just a bit dented, and the water''s okay too." - He said all of this in one breath, then looked over at the others.

    Not only I, but the others had overheard the conversation, and their faces grew even grimmer. The main issues: food and the cartosphere. Who knew how long we had been falling or how deep we were? The tunnel we had fallen through was near the wall, but we''d checked it already and found that it was too steep to climb.

    However, there was another tunnel, though we didn''t know where it led. We didn''t have much of a choice. I looked at the unknown tunnel, and my face became more serious. My gaze turned to the others.

    "We have no choice. We have to go that way." - I said, pointing in the direction I had been looking just a few moments ago.

    "I agree. We really have no choice." - Elisa responded, her voice no longer trembling but filled with confidence.

    We exchanged glances and started gathering the remaining items. In the end, we were left with only two backpacks. We didn''t take any more, since the straps of three had torn, and carrying them by hand wasn''t an option, plus there was only enough left for two. We turned on the remaining flashlights and began moving forward, holding onto the last shred of hope.

    As we made our way through the lifeless tunnel, the only sounds breaking the suffocating silence that filled the space around us were the echoes of our footsteps. We walked for a long time, about six hours, occasionally stopping to rest, but unexpectedly, in the distance, we noticed how the tunnel ahead of us suddenly widened. Upon seeing this, we quickened our pace, and as we emerged from the narrow passage, an incredible sight unfolded before us¡ªsomething we had never expected to see.

    Right before us, at the bottom of a slope, stretched an enormous city, sprawling for several dozen kilometers. Due to the darkness, we couldn¡¯t clearly make out the architecture of the buildings. Though the glowing crystals scattered throughout the cave''s surface still didn¡¯t provide enough light, we could confidently say that the city had structures ranging from small houses to towering spires. The size of the city made our hearts stop with awe.

    "Incredible." - Klaim said in shock, his voice full of wonder.

    "We... We¡¯ll have to go down. Maybe there¡¯s an exit to the surface there." - I said, hope in my voice.

    "Yes, let¡¯s do that." - Angela agreed with me.

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