Ethan's eyes were fixed on Dr. Lee's face, his mind reeling with the implications of what they were discovering. The visions were becoming more intense, more vivid, and he could feel the weight of the secrets that were being revealed.
"We have to be careful," Dr. Lee warned, her voice low and urgent. "We're getting close to the heart of the matter."
But Ethan was beyond caution. He was driven by a sense of curiosity, a need to know what lay at the core of the crystal.
As they delved deeper, the visions grew more intense. Ethan saw cities burning, people fleeing in terror, and the once-advanced civilization crumbling to dust. He saw dark figures, their faces twisted with malice, as they manipulated the machines and technologies that had once brought such prosperity.
And then, suddenly, everything went black.
Ethan felt himself being pulled back into the present, gasping for breath as if he had been underwater for too long. Dr. Lee was standing over him, her eyes wide with concern.
"What happened?" Ethan asked, his voice shaking.
Dr. Lee's expression was grim. "We've reached the warning," she said. "The ancient civilization knew what was coming, and they tried to warn us. But we have to be careful – we're not sure what we're dealing with."
Ethan's mind was racing as he struggled to process what they had seen. The visions had been so real, so vivid, that he felt like he had been there.
"What did they try to warn us about?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Dr. Lee's eyes flickered with fear. "About something that's coming," she said. "Something that could destroy everything we know."
Ethan felt a cold dread creeping up his spine as he realized what she meant. The ancient civilization had known about an impending catastrophe, something that would wipe out their entire world.
And now they were about to uncover it.