The air grew colder as they moved deeper into the tomb's heart, their footsteps echoing in the silence. The light from their lanterns flickered, casting long shadows across the ancient stone walls. These were no ordinary walls—they were a tapestry of history etched in stone, depicting scenes so ancient and foreign that even Raj hesitated to interpret them at first glance.

The chamber was vast and circular, its ceiling disappearing into darkness. Pillars carved with intricate symbols rose around the edges, each one telling a different story—of kings, gods, and forgotten civilizations. The walls were alive with history, a mosaic of timelines converging into a single, forbidden truth.

Raj's eyes gleamed with fascination as he examined the carvings. His fingers traced the symbols, piecing together fragments of knowledge that most scholars would spend lifetimes deciphering.

"Do you see it?" Raj's voice broke the silence, his tone calm but charged with excitement. He turned to face the team, his lantern illuminating the carvings behind him. "This… this isn't just one civilization's story. This is all of them."

Elias's POV

Elias stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief. He recognized symbols from Sumerian tablets, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and even ancient Chinese pictographs—all seamlessly woven together in a language that shouldn't exist.

"This… this is impossible," Elias whispered, stepping closer to the wall. "These civilizations were separated by thousands of miles and centuries of history. How could they all share the same symbols?"

Raj smirked. "Impossible? No. Misunderstood, perhaps. What if they weren't separate at all? What if they all originated from a single, forgotten source?"

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Elias turned to Raj, his breath hitching. "You're saying there was a civilization older than all of them… the true origin of human history?"

Raj's eyes darkened. "Precisely. A civilization so ancient that time itself forgot it. These carvings are the breadcrumbs they left behind—for those clever enough to follow them."

Victor's POV

Victor crossed his arms, watching Raj with narrowed eyes. He respected the man's intellect, but there was something unnerving about the way Raj spoke—as if he were revealing a secret too dangerous to share.

"Fascinating," Victor said, his voice steady but cold. "But how do we know this isn't just another dead end? We've chased plenty of myths before."

Raj's smile didn't waver. "Because this one is different. Look around you, Victor. This isn't a myth—it's a map. A guide to something far greater than any of us can imagine."

Victor glanced at the rest of the team. Eva was scribbling furiously in her notebook, while Elias seemed lost in thought, his fingers tracing the carvings. They're all buying into this madness, Victor thought grimly.

Raj's Monologue

Raj turned back to the carvings, his heart pounding with exhilaration. "I've searched for this my entire life," he thought. "Every expedition, every sacrifice—it's all led to this moment."

He remembered the ridicule he'd faced from the academic community, the whispered insults, the closed doors. They'd called him a madman, a heretic. But now… now he was standing on the edge of history, about to prove them all wrong.

> "The world isn't ready for the truth," he thought. "But I'll reveal it anyway. The past belongs to those who dare to claim it."

Raj stepped closer to the wall, his fingers moving rapidly across the symbols. He spoke aloud, translating fragments of text as he went:

"The First Kingdom… born of fire and stars… the cradle of gods and men… sealed for eternity beneath the earth…"

His voice trailed off as his eyes landed on a central carving—a black sphere surrounded by spiraling lines of light and darkness. His pulse quickened.

"The Artifact of Origins," he whispered. "It's real. And it's here."

The team fell silent, the weight of Raj's words settling over them like a shroud.

"Raj, wait," Eva said, stepping forward. "We don't know what we're dealing with. This artifact—if it's what you think it is—it could be dangerous. Maybe it was sealed for a reason."

Raj turned to her, his expression unreadable. "Dangerous? Of course it is. But that's what makes it valuable. Knowledge has always been dangerous, Eva. That's why it's worth pursuing."

Eva hesitated, glancing at the carvings once more. "We're standing on the edge of a discovery that could rewrite history," she thought. "But at what cost?"

Raj took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the central carving. "The truth lies beyond this wall," he thought. "And I'll be the one to uncover it."

"Get ready," Raj said, his voice firm. "We're moving deeper."