The ground beneath their feet trembled, sending a cloud of dust cascading from the ancient ruin's ceiling. Jonash coughed, struggling to see through the haze. The glowing artifact in his hands felt heavier than it had moments before, as if it were a lead weight instead of a polished sphere.
"Move!" Eryk's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. He stood at the edge of the chamber, his sword raised as the twisted creatures advanced. The things moved unnaturally, their limbs jerking in ways that defied logic.
The ruin groaned again, and this time, the sound was unmistakable: the place was collapsing.
"Jonash!" Ava grabbed his arm, her face pale but determined. "We have to go now!"
Jonash hesitated, his eyes darting toward Eryk. "What about him?"
Eryk turned his head slightly, just enough to meet Jonash's gaze. "I'll hold them off. Get out of here!" He swung his sword in a wide arc, forcing the creatures to retreat for a moment.
"No!" Jonash shouted. His grip on the artifact tightened. "We don't leave people behind!"
The ruin shuddered violently, cutting off any further argument. The ceiling cracked, sending a chunk of stone crashing down inches from where they stood. Ava tugged on Jonash's arm again, her voice breaking with urgency.
"We're out of time!"
Reluctantly, Jonash nodded. Together, he and Ava sprinted toward the nearest passage, their footsteps echoing loudly as they navigated the uneven ground. Behind them, Eryk's shouts mingled with the guttural growls of the creatures. Jonash stole a glance over his shoulder just in time to see Eryk land a decisive blow, his sword cleaving through one of the monsters. But more were coming, too many for one person to handle.
"We'll come back for him," Ava said, as if sensing Jonash's turmoil. Her voice was firm, but there was an edge of doubt she couldn't quite mask.
The passage narrowed as they ran, forcing them to move single file. The walls were jagged, scraping against their arms and shoulders. Dust and debris rained down from above, filling the air with a choking thickness that made it hard to breathe.
"Left or right?" Jonash shouted when they reached a fork.
Ava hesitated for a fraction of a second before pointing to the left. "This way!"
Jonash didn't argue, following her lead. The sound of the ruin collapsing behind them grew louder, a deafening roar of destruction that made it clear they couldn't stop—not even for a moment.
But then they heard it.
Eryk's scream.
It was a sound that cut through everything else, piercing and raw. Jonash froze mid-step, his body instinctively turning toward the direction of the noise.
"No," he whispered. His chest tightened, and for a second, he couldn't move. The image of Eryk, surrounded by those twisted creatures, flashed in his mind.
"Jonash, we can't go back!" Ava's voice was pleading now, her hand gripping his sleeve with a strength that surprised him. "We'll die if we do!"
"But he—" Jonash's words caught in his throat. He knew she was right, but the thought of leaving Eryk behind felt like a betrayal.
Another scream echoed, this one more distant, and then… silence.
Jonash clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. He wanted to scream, to turn around and charge back into the chaos, but his legs wouldn't move. Or maybe it was Ava's grip that kept him rooted to the spot. Either way, he felt helpless. Powerless.
"We have to go," Ava said again, softer this time. Her face was pale, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "If we stay, we'll end up just like him."
Reluctantly, Jonash nodded. His legs felt like lead as he forced himself to keep moving, to follow Ava down the twisting, crumbling passage. Each step felt like a betrayal, each breath like a reminder that he had left someone behind.
They burst out of the ruins minutes later, stumbling into the jungle's dense foliage. The sunlight was blinding after the darkness of the ruin, and for a moment, Jonash couldn't see anything. He doubled over, gasping for air, his hands gripping his knees.
Ava collapsed next to him, her back against a tree. Her chest heaved with exertion, and she wiped at her face with a trembling hand. "We made it," she said, though her voice lacked any sense of triumph.
Jonash straightened slowly, his eyes scanning the jungle around them. The ruins were still collapsing in the distance, the sound of stone grinding against stone reverberating through the air. He could barely make out the entrance they had escaped from, now completely buried under rubble.
He felt a hollow ache in his chest, a gnawing emptiness that no amount of fresh air could fill. "He didn't make it," he said, his voice flat.
Ava didn't respond right away. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet. "We don't know that. Maybe he found another way out."
Jonash turned to her, his eyes hard. "You don't believe that."
Ava looked away, her jaw tightening. "What else am I supposed to believe, Jonash? That we left him to die? That those… things tore him apart while we ran away? I can't think like that. Not if we want to survive."
Jonash didn't argue, but her words did little to comfort him. He dropped to the ground, sitting with his back against a tree. The artifact was still clutched in his hand, its glow dimmer now but still present. He stared at it, hating it for what it had cost them.
"What the hell is this thing, anyway?" he muttered, turning it over in his hands.
Ava glanced at it, her expression wary. "I don't know. But it's important. Too important to leave behind."
"That doesn't make it worth Eryk's life."
Ava didn't reply, but the silence between them spoke volumes.
The jungle was quiet, unnervingly so. Jonash had expected to hear the usual sounds of wildlife—the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves—but there was nothing. It was as if the jungle itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
"We need a plan," Ava said after a long stretch of silence.
Jonash looked at her, his brows furrowing. "A plan for what?"
"For whatever's next," she said, gesturing to the artifact. "That thing didn't just wake up the ruin. It's part of something bigger. And if we don't figure out what it is, we're screwed."
Jonash wanted to argue, to tell her that the artifact didn't matter, that they should focus on surviving. But deep down, he knew she was right. The artifact wasn't just some random treasure. It was a key, a piece of a puzzle they didn't yet understand.
"Fine," he said, standing up. "But first, we need to find somewhere safe. I'm not sticking around here."
Ava nodded, and together they started moving deeper into the jungle. Every step felt heavy, weighed down by the knowledge of what they had lost. But they couldn't afford to stop, not now.
They didn't get far before the system's voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Warning: Party member disconnected. Survival ranking decreased."
The words hit Jonash like a punch to the gut. He stopped in his tracks, his heart sinking.
Ava froze too, her eyes wide with shock. "Disconnected…?"
Jonash swallowed hard. He didn't need the system to spell it out for him. He knew what it meant.
Eryk was gone.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The jungle seemed to press in on them, its silence more oppressive than ever.
Jonash clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "I should have gone back," he said, his voice low. "I should have—"
"No." Ava's voice was firm, cutting him off. She stepped closer, her gaze steady. "Don't do that to yourself. You couldn't have saved him. None of us could."
Jonash looked away, his throat tight. He wanted to believe her, but the guilt gnawed at him like a hungry beast.
"We have to keep going," Ava said, her voice softer now. "For Eryk. For ourselves. We can't let his death be for nothing."
Jonash nodded slowly, though the weight of his guilt didn't lessen. He tightened his grip on the artifact and started walking again, each step a small act of defiance against the grief threatening to consume him.
They didn't know where they were going or what awaited them. But one thing was certain: the game wasn't over. Not yet.