One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The wind howled as we stood before the entrance.

A massive stone gate, half-buried in the jungle, covered in ancient carvings.

Some looked human.

Some... did not.

I swallowed hard.

"This place looks abandoned."

The Elder didn't respond.

Instead, he pressed his palm against the stone.

The air shifted.

And slowly—

The gate opened.

A Descent into Darkness

We stepped inside.

The torches on the walls lit themselves, flickering with blue flames.

Cold.

Wrong.

Like the fire wasn't fire at all.

Shira walked beside me, her grip tight on her dagger.

"This place shouldn't exist," she murmured.

I agreed.

But it did.

And we had no choice but to move forward.

The Whispers Return

The deeper we went, the heavier the air became.

Like something was watching.

The whispers were back.

Faint.

Distant.

But they weren't words.

Not anymore.

They were memories.

Faces I didn't recognize.

Voices crying out.

Screams that never ended.

And then—

We reached the center of the tomb.

And I saw them.

The Lost Ones

The room was massive.

And in it—

Were statues.

Hundreds of them.

Each one frozen mid-motion.

Eyes wide.

Mouths open in silent terror.

A chill ran down my spine.

"They aren't statues," Shira whispered.

I turned to her.

"What do you mean?"

Her fingers trembled as she pointed.

"They were alive once."

I stared.

At first, I wanted to deny it.

But then I saw the details.

The cracked skin.

The fear in their expressions.

These weren't sculptures.

These were people.

People who had been chosen.

Just like me.

And now—

They were nothing.

The Truth of the Watchers

The Elder stepped forward.

"This is the fate of those who resist," he said softly.

"This is what happens when the Watchers grow impatient."

My hands clenched into fists.

No.

That wouldn't be me.

I wouldn't end up like this.

There had to be a way—

A way to fight back.

And then—

The torches flickered.

And a new voice echoed through the tomb.

Not a whisper.

Not a memory.

But something real.

Something alive.

"You have come far."

I turned.

And in the shadows—

Something moved.