Aden adjusted the straps of his worn-out backpack, his fingers brushing against the cold steel of the knife tucked at his waist. The air was thick with dust and the heavy scent of decay. He hadn't expected the job to lead him here—a crumbling temple deep in the ruins, where silence pressed against his ears like a vice.
The others had called him crazy for taking this job. The pay was suspiciously high, but Aden wasn't in a position to be picky. In a world that had lost its system, opportunities were scarce, and survival was a constant battle. If some rich bastard wanted something fetched from a ruin, who was he to refuse?
His boots crunched against the stone floor as he stepped further inside. The temple's architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen—towering pillars covered in inscriptions, walls lined with faded murals depicting warriors locked in battle. But what unsettled him the most was the feeling that the temple was… watching.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind him. The sound echoed through the empty halls, making his pulse quicken. Aden turned sharply, reaching for his knife, but the entrance was sealed—solid stone, no cracks, no hinges.
A trap.
Aden exhaled through his nose. Calm down. Panic gets you killed.
He stepped forward cautiously, his eyes scanning for movement. The torches along the walls flickered to life one by one, casting eerie shadows that danced across the floor. The murals seemed different now—less like paintings and more like warnings.
Then, the ground beneath him shifted.
Aden lunged to the side just as the floor collapsed where he had stood. He barely managed to land on solid ground, his heart hammering. Shit. This wasn't just some abandoned ruin—it was a trial.
He rose to his feet and took another step forward, but the moment his foot touched the ground, symbols lit up across the floor. A low rumbling sound followed, and from the darkness ahead, something moved.
The first trap had been simple—this one wouldn't be.
If this was a test, he had to beat it. Because the only way out… was forward.