Alex, Jim, and Carlos found themselves back in their own world, but something was off. The sky was a strange color, and the air was thick with an otherworldly energy.
"What happened?" Alex asked, her voice shaking. "How did we get back here?"
Jim and Carlos looked at each other, confusion etched on their faces. "I don't know," Jim said. "But I think we've been gone for a long time."
As they looked around, they realized that everything was different. The buildings were taller, the cars were stranger, and the people were... altered.
"Welcome to the future," a voice said behind them.
They turned to see a figure in a white coat, its eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Who are you?" Alex asked, her heart racing.
"I am Dr. Sophia Patel," the figure replied. "And you three are the most famous time travelers in history."
As they listened in stunned silence, Dr. Patel explained that they had been gone for over a century, and that their journey through the temple had changed the course of human history.
But as they tried to wrap their minds around this revelation, they realized that something was wrong. The dark figure was still out there, and it was coming for them.
"We have to stop it," Alex said, her voice firm. "We can't let it destroy our world."
Dr. Patel nodded. "I agree. But we need to understand how it works. The technology you brought back from the temple is unlike anything we've ever seen."
As they worked to unravel the secrets of the artifact, they realized that it was more powerful than they had ever imagined. It had the ability to manipulate time itself, bending the fabric of reality to its will.
But the dark figure was closing in, its presence growing stronger by the minute. They knew they had to act fast, or risk losing everything they had fought for.
"We need to use the artifact to our advantage," Jim said, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We can use its power to defeat the dark figure once and for all."
But as they prepared to face their enemy, they realized that the artifact's power came with a terrible cost. It was slowly draining their life force, turning them into shadows of their former selves.
"We have to find another way," Carlos said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We can't sacrifice ourselves to save the world."
But it was too late. The dark figure had arrived, its presence filling the room with an unspeakable evil.
And with that, the final battle began.