The sun had barely risen over the jagged peaks when Elias, Mei, and Tomas stood at the base of the great mountain. The map they had found in the abandoned miner's hut the night before hinted at a secret entrance—one that led deep into the heart of the mountain where, according to legend, rivers of gold flowed beneath the stone.
"Are we sure about this?" Tomas asked, his voice edged with uncertainty. He clutched his pickaxe, his fingers tightening around the worn wooden handle.
"We've come too far to turn back now," Mei replied, determination in her eyes. She traced her fingers over the ancient symbols on the rock face, trying to decipher the clue. "The map says 'Where the dragon's eye watches, the path is revealed.'"
Elias scanned the towering cliffs above. Then, he spotted it—a natural formation shaped like an eye, carved by centuries of wind and rain. "There!" he pointed. "It must mean something."
As they approached, Mei ran her hands over the stone beneath the eye-shaped crevice. There was a faint outline of a symbol, almost invisible beneath layers of dust and moss. She pressed against it, and with a deep rumble, the earth beneath them trembled.
Slowly, the rock face shifted, revealing a narrow passageway leading into darkness. A gust of stale air rushed past them, carrying the scent of damp stone and something else—something metallic. Gold.
Tomas gulped. "I don't know if that's inviting us in or warning us to stay out."
Elias grinned. "Only one way to find out."
With lanterns lit, they stepped inside. The tunnel walls shimmered faintly, veins of gold threading through the stone. Their excitement grew with each step, but soon, the passage widened into a cavern—and what lay before them stopped them in their tracks.
A massive chasm stretched before them, its depths unknown. A rickety wooden bridge, ancient and barely intact, was the only way across. But worse than that—on the far side, something moved. Something large.
A low growl echoed through the chamber. Eyes, golden and fierce, glowed in the darkness.
Something was guarding the mountain's treasure.