Chapter 5: Back to the tomb

"Guys, so what do we do about Emily? It's been eight hours and she's still not waking up," Eric muttered, his jaw ticking.

"We'll have to wait till tomorrow. If she doesn't wake up, then we'll figure out what to do," Caleb replied, his voice low, though the worry in his eyes betrayed his calm tone.

The fire burned low as silence settled among them. One by one, exhaustion pulled them under—Eric slumped against his pack, Caleb stretched out by the dying flames, and Ivana kept her eyes on the tent until sleep finally claimed her.

Once again she found herself in the ruins of the temple,from the shadows, he emerged—the bronze-skinned man with golden eyes that glowed like molten fire.

He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving hers. "You don't belong here," his voice rumbled, deep and commanding, and full of resentment. "But you've woken me… and now you must face the consequence."

Ivana's chest tightened as he looked over her,his gaze like a predator observing a prey.

"Come to the tomb," he whispered, his eyes burning brighter, his words "Alone."

The ground trembled beneath her feet, stone cracking apart as the shadows seemed to drag her downward. Ivana gasped, reaching out—but the man only smirked, fading into the darkness as his voice echoed one last time:

"Come… before it's too late."

Ivana woke up with a gasp,Eric groaned awake, rubbing his eyes. "Morning already?" He squinted at the sun climbing the horizon. "Feels like we barely slept."

Caleb was already on his feet, "We'll need to decide fast," he said grimly. "If she's not better, we can't just sit here waiting."

"I'll go check on her," Ivana offered, ducking into the tent.

The sight made her stomach knot. Emily's face was pale, her skin clammy, her dress soaked through with blood from reopened wounds.

"Her condition's worse," Ivana said quietly as she stepped back out, a frown pulling at her face. "Her dress is drenched with blood."

Eric cursed under his breath. "We need to find out where she kept the ring—then return it before this curse eats her alive."

Caleb's jaw tightened. "Ivana, go through her things. See if you can find it."

"On it." Ivana moved quickly toward the Jeep, rifling through Emily's scattered belongings with trembling hands. The desert wind whispered against her back, every second dragging like an eternity. "Please, let me find it," she muttered under her breath.

Then her fingers closed around something cold and solid. She drew it out—and her breath caught. A sapphire ring glinted in the sunlight, its blue stone unnervingly bright, almost pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Found it!" she called, jogging back toward them, the ring clutched tight in her palm.

"Great. Now, Ivana, stay with her. Caleb and I will return the ring," Eric said with a faint smile, already reaching for it.

"No!" Ivana snapped, clutching the ring to her chest. Both men froze at her outburst. Realizing how sharp she sounded, she swallowed and steadied her tone. "I mean… no. You guys stay with her. I'll go alone."

Eric's eyes narrowed. "Are you crazy?" His stare bore into her, searching for cracks in her resolve.

"No, I'm not." Her voice was calm now, She met his gaze without flinching. "I left my parents' notebook there. If I'm

returning the ring, I'll retrieve it too."

"Caleb's gaze flicked to the backseat of the Jeep, where the worn notebook lay in plain sight. His jaw clenched. She was lying, but he said nothing.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

"I'm sure," she replied, managing a small smile. "I'll be fine."

"Ivana, I don't know why you're insisting on going alone," Caleb said firmly, "but I'm coming with you."

"But—"

"And that's final." His tone brooked no argument. "Eric, stay with Emily.""And that's final," he cut her off, his tone brooking no refusal. "Eric, stay here and take care of Emily."

Before she could protest again, Caleb took her by the arm and dragged her toward the Jeep and pushed her in the passenger seat before climbing into the driver's seat and starting the car.

In the side mirror, Eric stood watching with his arms crossed, worry written all over his face as they drove off.

"Ivana," Caleb finally said, breaking the silence. "It's my duty as the group's leader to make sure everyone's safe… and you know that."

She glanced at him, noticing the worry etched on his face. "I know," she said softly. "But I need to do this. I left my parents' notebook there, and I thought I could return the ring while I'm at it."

Caleb's eyes flicked to the road ahead, then to the backseat. "And you couldn't come up with a better excuse? Ivana, we all know how much that notebook matters to you."

Her cheeks flushed as she realized he had seen through her lie "I… I thought I left it there," she mumbled, embarrassed, avoiding his gaze.

"Right" Caleb rolled his eyes.

"Caleb, I'm going in alone," she said, voice firm, as they reached the pyramid.

He raised an eyebrow. "Alone? Are you serious? After everything that's happened?"

"I have to," she insisted. "I need to return the ring before anything else goes wrong. I'm not reckless—just trust me, okay?" Her eyes pleaded.

"Well, you're acting reckless now," he muttered, then gave a reluctant shrug.

"Fine. Thirty minutes. If you're not out by then, I'm coming in."

"Thank you," she said, hugging him quickly before slipping into the pyramid, clutching the ring.

"Hope I don't get into trouble coming in here alone," she muttered as she reached the tomb's entrance, taking a deep breath before stepping inside.

"You're here," she heard, a low, amused voice echoing through the tomb. She looked ahead and froze—there he was, the bronze-skinned stranger with golden eyes.

"Th-thank you for saving me yesterday," she whispered. "But… how do you always appear in my dreams?"

"How dare you speak without my permission, mortal?" He appeared before her in a blink, his presence overwhelming.

"I…ugh," she stammered, but a sudden force sealed her lips, making speech impossible.

"Now, kneel, mortal," he chuckled, and she felt the invisible power push her to her knees.