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Dark Ascendant
Prologue : 2 Into the Depths

Prologue : 2 Into the Depths

The sun rose over the dense canopy, casting the jungle in shades of gold and green. Mist clung to the ground, swirling around the team's feet as they broke camp. The air was heavy with humidity and something else—something harder to define.

Raj watched his team move in silence, each member absorbed in their own thoughts. He could see the tension in their faces, the unspoken questions hanging in the air.

"Today's the day," he said, breaking the silence. "The tomb is close. Stay alert. Follow my lead. No mistakes."

Noah Price's POV

Noah adjusted his pack, casting a wary glance at the trees. He had spent years in jungles, deserts, and frozen tundras, but this place was different. It felt alive in ways that defied explanation.

His GPS had given up entirely, leaving him to rely on Raj's map and his own instincts. I don't like this, he thought. We're flying blind.

He glanced at Eva, who was scanning the jungle with a furrowed brow. "You feel it too, don't you?"

"Feel what?" she asked, her voice low.

"The jungle," Noah said. "It's watching us."

Eva hesitated, then nodded. "I've felt it since we arrived. Like we're being... tested."

"Let's hope we pass," Noah muttered.

Callum Reed's POV

Callum took his position at the rear of the group, his rifle resting comfortably in his hands. His eyes never stopped moving, scanning the trees, the ground, the shadows.

He had learned long ago to trust his instincts, and right now, they were screaming at him to get out. Too many things can go wrong out here, he thought. Too many ways to die.

His gaze drifted to Victor, who walked near the middle of the group. The man was too quiet, too controlled. Callum didn't trust him—or anyone else, for that matter.

But he kept those thoughts to himself. For now.

Victor Hale's POV

Victor moved with practiced ease, keeping his steps light and his eyes sharp. He wasn't here for the discovery. He was here to make sure that whatever Raj found never left this jungle.

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He had been hired for this kind of work before—silent, decisive, clean. Raj was brilliant, but his obsession made him predictable. That would be his downfall.

Victor smirked to himself. Soon. Not yet, but soon.

By midday, the team stumbled upon another stone marker—a towering pillar covered in ancient symbols. Eva knelt beside it, brushing away moss and dirt to reveal more carvings.

"This is it," she whispered. "We're close. These symbols… they're a map, guiding us toward the tomb."

Raj studied the carvings, his pulse quickening. "Then we're on the right path. Let's move."

The jungle seemed to grow darker as they pressed on. The air grew colder, and the hum that had been a subtle background noise became a low, droning vibration.

Noah stopped suddenly, holding up a hand. "Wait. Do you hear that?"

The group fell silent. A faint, rhythmic sound echoed through the trees—like the beating of a massive heart.

"What is that?" Jenna whispered.

"Nothing natural," Callum muttered, tightening his grip on his rifle.

Raj's eyes gleamed with excitement. "It's the tomb," he said. "We're almost there."

Elias Vaughan's POV

Elias couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had been growing in his chest. The jungle felt... wrong. Every step brought them deeper into something ancient, something that should have remained buried.

He glanced at Raj, who moved with single-minded determination. You're too eager, old man, Elias thought. You don't even see the trap you're walking into.

But then again, maybe Raj wasn't the only one walking into a trap. Elias had made his own plans, and if the opportunity arose, he wouldn't hesitate to act.

Knowledge is power, he reminded himself. And power is worth any price.

Hours later, they stumbled upon it—the tomb's entrance, hidden behind a dense wall of vines and centuries of overgrowth. At first, it looked like little more than an ordinary rock face, but as Raj carefully peeled back the foliage, the ancient stonework beneath was revealed.

Massive, weathered pillars flanked the entrance, each carved with intricate symbols that seemed to pulse faintly in the dim light. The stone was blackened with age, but its carvings had resisted time, depicting scenes of forgotten gods, chaotic battles, and strange rituals.

The doorway itself was a towering arch, nearly twenty feet tall, with jagged edges that looked more like teeth than stone. Its surface was adorned with concentric patterns, spiraling inward toward a central symbol—a sun eclipsed by a black circle, surrounded by seven stars.

Jenna gasped as her eyes followed the carvings. "This… this isn't like anything I've ever seen. The symbols are a mixture of several ancient cultures—Sumerian, Egyptian, even pre-Mayan."

Raj nodded, running his fingers along the central emblem. "It's a convergence. A sanctuary for something far older than any civilization we know."

The stone beneath their feet was cracked but solid, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and something else—something metallic, like old blood. Vines coiled around the structure like veins, and the jungle seemed to bow away from the entrance, leaving a clearing eerily devoid of life.

Above the arch, an inscription ran the length of the doorway. The language was unfamiliar to most, but Raj could read it. He whispered the words, barely loud enough for the others to hear.

"Beyond lies the forgotten truth. Enter only if you seek eternity."

The silence that followed was suffocating. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Noah swallowed hard, his eyes darting to Raj. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Raj turned to face the team, his expression unreadable. "Good or not, it's the only idea. This is what we've come for. We'll set up camp here and enter at dawn."

He looked back at the entrance, his eyes alight with something between awe and madness. The tomb had waited long enough.