Over the next few days, we delved deeper and deeper into the ruins. Each passing day brought with it a sense of monotony as we trudged through similar-looking corridors and rooms, each seemingly more nondescript than the last. There were times when we stumbled upon slightly more interesting things: a tattered banner here, a rusted helmet there, and some dust-filled jars everywhere, but they were mostly of no value. Despite the stale and uneventful nature of our expedition, the archaeologists meticulously documented everything, their eyes gleaming with the thrill of the unknown. The incessant scribbling of notes felt to me like they were just excited to finally use their newly acquired paper journals.

‘This will revolutionize all of Academia!’ they preached. I kinda get it, but at the end of the day, it’s just paper. As a result, I found it quite hard to share their enthusiasm, feeling a gnawing sense of boredom creeping in.

That was until we stumbled upon a room with an ornate altar and remnants of religious artifacts. My eyes widened at the sight, a flutter of excitement coursing through me. Finally, something different, something interesting. The space seemed to have been used for rituals or something of that sort, with giant sarcophagi lining the walls. A sense of unease washed over us, but the archaeologists' eyes lit up with excitement. When an archaeologist went to open the first sarcophagus...

“AHHHH!!!!” He shrieked as he tumbled backward.

The ajar lid now revealed an old skeleton covered in dust. The echo of the scream was still ringing in our ears when a burst of laughter erupted from our group.

Opening the other sarcophagi revealed similar contents - skeletons, dust, and the occasional skeleton with ancient trinket. But amidst the exploration, I noticed one of the sarcophagi that looked slightly off. It was slightly ajar, revealing a crevice behind it. "Hey, check this out," I called out. The group gathered around, their eyes wide with curiosity.

"Could you guys move this?" one of the archaeologists asked.

With a bit of effort, Finn and the axeman, Rurik, pushed the sarcophagus aside, revealing a small stairway leading downward.

Elara, ever the sharp-eyed ranger, was the first to inspect it. She crouched down and carefully examined the opening.

"People have been here, and it seems recent too," she concluded, her eyes narrowing.

The archaeologists, initially excited about the discovery, audibly cursed

“F***”

The thought of someone else getting a head start in the ruins was a bitter pill to swallow. One of them kicked a stone in frustration, the sound echoing down the stairs.

"We're going down! Let's hurry, maybe we'll run into those thieving b******s if we're quick." To which none of us voiced any objections. After all, the journey had been pretty smooth sailing so far, and the prospect of finally finding something interesting in these drab ruins was too tempting to pass up.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Continuing down what felt like neverending stairs, we eventually reached an open chamber, possibly a meeting room or a treasury. However, it was clear that another group had already been there and taken the important items: empty pedestals, broken display cases, and missing scrolls or tablets that might have held valuable information. A large, off-colored rectangle on one of the walls also indicated that something big had been recently removed.

Despite the disappointment, we didn't let our spirits falter. We continued our exploration, focusing on a smaller room adjacent to the chamber. The room was noticeably devoid of any furniture or artifacts, but what caught my attention were the faint traces of magical residue that seemed to linger in the air. I squinted, trying to make sense of the shimmering swirls in the air. My furrowed brow must have caught Elara's attention as she turned to me, her sharp eyes filled with concern.

"What's wrong, Alythia?" she asked.

"There's a lot of mana here" I whispered, feeling an odd mix of fear and excitement.

Finn waltzed around the room, his eyes scanning around as if trying to see something that wasn't there.

"I don't see anything" he said.

Suddenly, Finn, who was poking around the room with the tip of his sword, brushed against something.

With a click, a burst of mana filled the room. I instinctively closed my eyes and shielded them with my arm as the intense wave of mana filled my vision. The click sound seemed to have alerted the others too as they quickly drew their weapons. But it was too late as a blinding light overcame us.

As fast as it had come, the light receded. Blinking open my eyes, I found myself engulfed in darkness. The deafening silence around me allowed me to hear my heartbeat pounding in my eyes. The rapid transition from blinding light to profound darkness filled me with a sense of dread. Reaching for my wand, I recast a simple light, illuminating my surroundings. I was in a different part of the ruins. The place was now completely foreign, with a completely different design and feel compared to before. Thankfully, my companions were still with me, though they appear to be unconscious.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down, I started looking around, hoping to find some clues about our current situation. I noticed a makeshift camp. The fire pit was cold, the sleeping bags were empty, and their previous occupants long gone. I went over to my companions, shaking them awake one by one. Their groans and confused murmurs filled the air as they slowly regained consciousness. There was a pressing need to explain the dire predicament we found ourselves in.

"We got teleported to a different part of the ruins” I started, my voice coming out a little shaky “and I don't know how to get back."

The announcement hung in the cold, stale air, leaving an echo of dread in its wake. The group was silent, frozen in shock before a wave of questions washed over us all.

‘What happened? How did we get here?’

‘Where are we? Is this even the same ruins?’

‘How do we leave? How do we get back?’

Our debates were laced with desperation as we grappled with the reality of our situation. It was a grim consensus we reached — we accidentally triggered an ancient teleportation trap to another part of the ruins, and we had no choice but to press onward.

A silence settled upon us as we took a short break, the tension thick and almost palpable. The air was heavy and stale. As we walked down the narrow tunnels, the sounds of our footsteps reverberated loudly in contrast to our silent surroundings. The cold stone underfoot and the oppressive walls closing in around us heightened the sense of claustrophobia.