The stone chamber's silence exploded as boots hammered against the floor, dust clouds swirling while Arthur's squad pushed forward.

Their packs held rolled murals, sealed tight, and the archaeologists trailing behind them couldn't contain their excitement about the discovery, even with exhaustion weighing them down.

Arthur walked at the front, steady as always. His fingers traced the edges of an ancient map, its faded ink holding secrets from a world long gone.

Torchlight threw jagged shadows across the walls, reminding him of what they carried.

They'd rested, checked their gear, caught their breath.

Now there was only one direction left.

But when they reached the chamber's end, the world just dropped away.

They stopped at a dead end.

A massive pit opened before them, so deep their torches barely touched the darkness.

Spanning the void was a bridge made of pale stone, cracked and worn by centuries.

Its surface gleamed with brittle dust, like it was barely hanging on.

Chains dangled from somewhere above, swaying in a breeze that rose from the depths.

The abyss groaned like it is alive or something.

Nobody spoke,even the chatty archaeologists stood frozen.

Ethan broke the silence first.

"Well," he said with a tight grin, "looks sturdy enough... if we were ants."

A few nervous laughs, then silence,the pit swallowed sound like it would swallow anything else.

Arthur studied the ancient map in his hands, lips moving as he read.

Finally, he spoke in a low voice: "This is the Bone Bridge."

Several archaeologists flinched at the name.

Arthur's face darkened as he examined the narrow walkway. "It's loaded with traps," he said. "The map shows that much, but it doesn't say what kind."

He looked up at his team, commanders and soldiers and scholars all waiting.

"We cross," he said. "Carefully. No screw-ups."

They reorganized,Gunner and Holt took point with soldiers testing each stone, shields up like they were expecting arrows.

The archaeologists bunched together behind them, nervous but obedient. Ethan and Stone brought up the rear.

Every step onto that ancient span made it groan beneath them. Dust drifted down into nothing. Each footfall felt like rolling dice with death.

Then their luck ran out.

A hollow crack echoed under Gunner's boot. The stone plate ahead of him split apart and tumbled into the abyss.

He jerked back just in time, watching the broken slab disappear into haunting silence.

"Pressure triggers," Arthur muttered. "Watch your step."

Hearts pounding, they crept forward. Each soldier tested the ground like it might betray them.

Some plates trembled but held. Others shook so hard they had to jump gaps with surgical precision.

The archaeologists huddled together, knuckles white, breathing loud in the stillness.

Ethan, always the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "I don't know about you guys," he whispered, "but I'd rather swim with sharks than trust my life to a bridge older than dirt!"

"Shut it, Ethan," Holt growled, though his mouth almost twitched.

Step by step, they crossed.

Every creak sounded like a gunshot. Every crumbling fragment threatened to be their last warning.

But they kept going.

The far side grew closer, its massive archway framed by jagged rock looking almost welcoming. They could almost taste safety... until everything went wrong.

It started with a tremor.

Stone felt it first through his boots, a vibration that set off alarms in his head. He stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing.

Then Ethan's stone shuddered violently. The plate behind him followed. Then another.

The whole section cracked like glass.

"Move!" Arthur's voice boomed like thunder.

The soldiers surged forward, dragging archaeologists with them. Gunner and Holt leaped onto solid ground as their escape route crumbled.

Ethan's grin vanished into pure terror. "Oh hell...."

The bridge beneath him disintegrated completely.

Stone lunged forward and grabbed Ethan's pack strap as everything fell away.

Ethan teetered on the edge but Stone roared and hurled him forward with everything he had.

Ethan crashed onto solid stone, gasping. Horror twisted his face as he turned back.

Stone was gone.

For one heart-stopping moment, he dangled there. Then he plummeted as the slab crumbled beneath him.

"STONE!" Ethan screamed, a raw cry that shattered the silence. Pure panic in every syllable.

Arthur and the others bolted toward the edge, but too late. The void had claimed him.

Stone's figure fell through the darkness, his cloak billowing like a battle flag. Then, with sudden determination, he grabbed the black wine flask Arthur had given him.

His arm swung back.

The flask soared upward, glinting against the abyss before landing in Arthur's outstretched hand.

Arthur's eyes went wide.

Then came Stone's laughter, echoing through the air like a defiant war cry.

"Boss!" His voice boomed up from below, strong and unbroken. "I'm sorry, I won't be able to drink the Bloody Tyrant with you!"

The void swallowed his roar.

Stone's laughter echoed on, fading like distant thunder but burning into their souls.

Then silence fell like a curtain.

Only the abyss remained, empty and eternal.

Arthur stood at the edge, head bowed. The wine flask dangled from his fingers, swaying gently as if mocking the emptiness in their hearts.

Ethan dropped to his knees, pale as death, hands clutching his head.

"No... no... no...! This can be happening...no....no...no....Stone...Stone..."

His voice cracked into sobs, body shaking. "Stone! Damn it, no!"

The other commanders stood frozen in shock. Gunner clenched his fists until blood dripped from his knuckles.

Holt's jaw trembled despite his efforts to stay composed.

Each man carried grief differently, but none could escape it.

Even the archaeologists whispered among themselves, shaken to their core. They all understood what they'd lost in that moment of darkness.

Arthur stayed silent.

His shadow stretched long across the bridge, unmoving and heavy with sorrow.

The flask clinked softly against his gauntlet, trying to break through the silence that wrapped around them all.

The pit stretched endlessly before him, a chasm not of stone but of loss.

They'd faced countless dangers together, fought monsters, survived traps, seen bloodshed and death. But this was different.

Stone hadn't just been a commander. He'd been family, a brother whose absence felt like an open wound.

The silence dragged on, thick and unbearable.

Finally, Ethan shattered it with a hoarse scream...

"STONEEEE!"

His voice cracked as it bounced off the pit walls. He slammed his fists against the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Nobody stopped him,they all felt it, the weight of loss pressing down like an anchor.

Arthur turned slowly, his face a mask,the flask in his hand felt like a lifeline, his grip tightening until veins stood out like ropes.

For a moment, a storm brewed behind his eyes: rage, grief, and emotions he refused to let break free.

In the heavy silence, Arthur leaned closer and whispered so softly only the nearest could hear: "Your laughter will stay with us."

He closed his fist around the flask as if it held not just liquid but memories, a promise to remember.

The squad stood frozen, breaths heavy, hearts feeling empty.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.