The whisper didn't stop. It grew softer, retreating into the depths of the tomb, but it left a lingering presence—a voice none of them could ignore.

Victor glanced at Raj, who had risen to his feet, his eyes locked on the dark entrance. "What was that?" Victor asked, his voice barely audible.

Raj didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the shadows beyond the archway, where the darkness seemed thicker, almost tangible. He felt the hum beneath his feet again—subtle but unmistakable, like a heartbeat buried beneath layers of stone.

"It's waiting," Raj finally said, his voice calm but laced with anticipation. "The tomb… it knows we're here."

The team gathered around the fire, their faces lit by its flickering glow. Paranoia hung heavy in the air, an unspoken tension growing among them.

"We need to rethink this," Noah said, breaking the silence. "We should send some of us back to the river to set up a safety point. If something happens—"

"Nothing will happen," Raj interrupted, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous certainty. "We've come too far to turn back now. We've prepared for this. We knew the risks."

"And what if those risks are bigger than we expected?" Callum asked, his tone sharp. "This place doesn't feel like a historical site. It feels like a trap."

Jenna nodded, glancing nervously at the tomb. "The carvings… they're different from any we've seen before. Some cultures sealed their tombs not to protect them, but to keep something inside."

Raj smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in it. "Then we'll be the ones to break the seal and uncover the truth."

Eva spoke up, her voice unusually firm. "Raj, we trust you. But if things go wrong, we need a plan."

Raj's smile faded. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. "Fine. We'll keep two people outside as backup. The rest of us will go in at dawn. If we're not back by nightfall, you're free to leave. But no one touches the tomb until then."

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The team exchanged uneasy glances, but no one argued further.

As the fire burned lower, strange things continued to happen.

Jenna, unable to sleep, sat near the edge of the camp, scribbling notes in her journal by the light of a lantern. Every few moments, she found herself looking back at the tomb, half-expecting to see something moving in the shadows.

Then she noticed something strange. The symbols carved into the pillars seemed different than they had earlier. Shapes had shifted subtly—positions changed, faces altered.

"Elias," she whispered, nudging the man beside her. "Come look at this."

Elias rubbed his eyes and squinted at the carvings. "What am I looking at?"

"They've… moved," Jenna said, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm sure of it."

Elias stared at the symbols for a moment, then shook his head. "You're exhausted. It's just a trick of the light."

But Jenna wasn't so sure. She closed her journal, her fingers trembling.

While some stood watch, others tried to sleep—but the tomb had other plans.

Raj dreamt of stone corridors that seemed to stretch endlessly into darkness. Shadows danced at the edges of his vision, and voices whispered secrets in languages he couldn't understand. At the end of the corridor stood a massive stone door, its surface covered in pulsating symbols.

He reached out to touch it, and the stone turned warm beneath his fingers. The symbols flared with light, and suddenly the door swung open, revealing an abyss filled with swirling darkness.

A voice echoed from within—soft, almost gentle. "Come closer… embrace eternity."

Raj jolted awake, his breath ragged. His heart hammered in his chest, but he felt exhilarated, as though he had glimpsed something beyond comprehension.

Dawn broke slowly, the jungle wrapped in a heavy mist. The tomb loomed before them like a beast waiting to devour. The carvings glowed faintly in the early light, their symbols more vivid than before.

Raj gathered the team. "It's time."

No one spoke as they prepared. Tension rippled through the group like an electric current. The tomb's call was impossible to ignore now, a pull deep in their bones that urged them forward.

Raj stood at the entrance, his hand resting on the black stone. He glanced back at his team, his eyes burning with determination. "Whatever we find in there… remember why we came. This is history in the making."

He turned and stepped into the darkness, the rest following close behind. The air inside was thick and cold, pressing down on them like an unseen hand. The flickering beams of their flashlights barely penetrated the gloom, revealing glimpses of ancient murals and broken statues.

The deeper they went, the stronger the hum became—no longer beneath the surface, but all around them, vibrating in the very walls.

They came to a wide chamber, its walls covered in more carvings. This time, the figures were clearer—scenes of sacrifice and torment, of men and women kneeling before a great shadow that towered over them.

At the center of the room was an altar, its surface stained dark with something long since dried. Symbols surrounded it, forming a spiral that led toward a sealed stone door at the far end of the chamber.

Raj approached the altar, his eyes scanning the symbols. His fingers traced one of the spirals, and for a brief moment, he felt the warmth again—just like in his dream.

"This is it," Raj whispered. "We're close."

But something felt wrong. The air was thicker here, suffocating and heavy with anticipation. The symbols on the walls seemed to pulse, as though reacting to their presence.

Noah backed away, his pulse racing. "We shouldn't be here. This place was sealed for a reason."

Raj turned to him, his eyes gleaming with that same dangerous intensity. "And we're here to find out why."