The vaulted cross-hall lay behind them. Arthur ans the squad moved forward through the echoing dark, their boots heavy against the stone.

They kept a tight formation, disciplined despite the grief still clinging to them. They were tired and beaten down.

Just then the passage bent sharply, narrowing before widening again. The oppressive air of the tomb shifted as they stepped into the next chamber.

This one was smaller, far more intimate than the sprawling hall they were in before,yet its design demanded respect.

At the far end, raised on a platform of carved obsidian, stood seven thrones.

They formed a semicircle, towering yet human-sized, each made from a different shade of stone.

Strange glyphs etched on them with careful detail. At first glance, they seemed to radiate both invitation and warning.

Above the thrones, carved into the wall with precision so sharp it looked new, was an inscription:

"Sit where you belong, or perish."

The words hummed faintly in the air, vibrating against the bones of anyone who dared read them.

Arthur's group halted at once. The archaeologists froze mid-step, their eyes wide, notebooks forgotten in trembling hands.

Professor Adrian adjusted his glasses slowly, a soundless gasp escaping his lips.

Holt muttered under his breath, tightening his grip on his rifle. "Not a fan of chairs anymore."

The commanders spread out, instinctively forming a defensive half-circle around Arthur.

Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly. His keen gaze swept across each throne in turn.

Pride.

Wrath.

Greed.

Cowardice.

Betrayal.

Ambition.

Silence.

Over each throne, a sin was inscribed in peculiar glyphs, the ancient Azurian script was carefully carved into each throne in great detail.

The squad didn't advance any further.

The atmosphere itself seemed to caution them against it.

But just then footsteps sounded from behind them. At the sound of the footsteps, Arthur and his men quickly turned their heads to see who was coming.

Emerging from the darkened passageway, where Arthur and the others came from, two figures stumbled forward broken and battered, dragging their weary bodies along with sheer stubbornness.

It was Ravik ans Caelum,they resembled less like men and more like vengeful phantoms haunting the remnants of their former selves.

Ravik's bloodshot eyes blazed with a wild intensity. His face was a mask of torment, every vein in his body pulsating with rage.

His uniform hung in tatters, and his body bore countless scars, yet he moved with the ferocity of a beast that had tasted too much blood to ever turn back.

In stark contrast, Caelum trembled visibly. Deep gashes marred his chest and arms, his skin as pale as death itself.

The sight of Arthur's intact squad,strong and standing tall,felt like salt poured into their festering wounds.

Ravik's lips curled into a grotesque grin as he let out a cracked laugh that echoed ominously against the stone walls.

"Thrones, is it?" he rasped, his voice dripping with madness. "Symbols, sins,judgments."

He staggered forward on unsteady legs, ignoring Arthur's unreadable gaze.

"This tomb… hah… this tomb has feasted on my men… my brothers… my soul…" His voice erupted into a roar. "And you, bastard! You led me here! You used me like a pawn!"

Spittle flew from his mouth as he lunged toward the throne carved with Wrath.

For one moment there was silence in the entire hall.

Then the throne's back split open.A barrage of iron spears shot forth with brutal precision.

Ravik's body jerked violently as he was impaled from spine to chest.

As blood sprayed across the stone floor, splattering nearby thrones,his scream wasn't one of pain; it was an unfiltered expression of hatred,resentment and unwillingness.

"Bastard …!" he roared through choked breaths filled with blood. "Even if I fall… my men… outside… they'll tell the world… they'll tell them all about this place! You won't...hah...you won't hoard it!"

He convulsed violently, blood bubbling from his lips.

His laughter followed,a raw and broken sound as life drained from his eyes.

With one final ragged exhale, Ravik slumped against the throne, skewered beyond recognition.

The hall fell silent once more.

Arthur's squad stared at Ravik's lifeless form in shock.

For what felt like an eternity, no one spoke; then several commanders released heavy sighs.

Arthur's gaze lingered only briefly on Ravik's corpse before cold detachment returned to his face: one less problem to deal with.

As for Caelum crumpled to his knees, his body shaking uncontrollably. His lips moved in a desperate whisper, forming broken words that echoed through the chamber.

"No… no more… no… no chairs… no sins… no more…"

He curled into himself like a frightened child, his pride shattered beyond repair.

Ethan's eyes narrowed in disdain. "Pathetic."

Arthur didn't even glance back; to him, Caelum was already a lost cause.

Instead, he stepped forward, joining Professor Adrian and the archaeologists as they cautiously approached the ominous thrones looming before them.

The scholars began to murmur among themselves, their voices low but urgent.

"Seven sins…"

"Each throne represents condemnation."

"The inscription says... sit where you belong..."

Professor Adrian adjusted his glasses, excitement dancing in his eyes despite the danger surrounding them.

"It's a test of humility! The Azurians revered balance and restraint. These thrones are trials for the arrogant: Pride, Wrath, Greed, Cowardice, Betrayal, Ambition,each one symbolizes failure."

Another archaeologist chimed in with urgency, "So then what's left? The only path that doesn't lead to condemnation..."

"Silence," Adrian finished breathlessly. "Silence is humility. It's restraint,the only safe seat."

Arthur listened intently without comment; his sharp gaze remained fixed on the Silence Throne.

With calm determination, he stepped forward and took a seat.

The throne shuddered beneath him. The stone groaned as ancient mechanisms stirred back to life.

Immediately a deep rumble reverberated through the hall

At the far wall, a massive stone door began to split apart,the heavy slabs shifted aside, revealing a gaping passage beyond.

Relief washed over the squad like a wave crashing onto shore.

"We're through!" Holt exclaimed with an exhausted sigh.

Ethan managed a weary grin. "Finally! I thought we'd die staring at furniture!"

The archaeologists nearly collapsed in joy while Adrian scribbled furiously in his notebook.

"Remarkable… humility conquering sin… what brilliance! What design!"

For just a heartbeat, hope filled the hall like sunlight breaking through clouds.

Before they can continue to be happy, a loud rumbled shook the hall as the ground shook violently once more but this time mlre intense than before.

Dust rained down from above as walls groaned and cracked under pressure.

The floor trembled ominously beneath their feet,jagged lines splitting across its surface like lightning strikes.

Arthur's instincts kicked into high gear as he snapped his gaze upwards.

"MOVE!" he barked urgently.

In an instant, the squad sprang into action, sprinting toward the newly opened passageway while Holt and others helped drag stumbling archaeologists along with them.

Behind them, the hall began to collapse.

Enormous boulders thundered down from the ceiling like angry giants, while ancient stone coffins shattered into dust with a deafening roar.

The thrones themselves splintered apart, sending Ravik's lifeless body tumbling into the gaping abyss below.

Arthur's group sprinted across the quaking ground, adrenaline pumping through their veins as they pushed themselves to the limit. Every breath felt like fire in their lungs.

But then there was Caelum,he remained frozen in place.

Curled up in a corner, his eyes were wide with terror, refusing to budge an inch.

His lips trembled as he muttered incoherently, lost in a world of panic while everything around him crumbled away.

Arthur glanced over his shoulder for just a moment.

In that fleeting instant, their eyes locked, Caelum's gaze was filled with despair, as if he were drowning in darkness.

And then… the floor gave way beneath them.

Ahhhhhhh...!.

Caelum screamed,a sound that echoed hauntingly through the chaos as he was swallowed whole by the collapsing abyss.

With no time to waste, Arthur turned back and raced through the massive doorway alongside his squad.

The last echoes of Caelum's voice faded abruptly, buried under tons of falling stone and dust.

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