The fall felt like both a split second and an eternity.
It was as if the memories of the past twenty years flashed through Echo’s mind all at once. Clinging tightly to Ryan, she pressed her head against his chest. The solid strength of his body, the firm arms around her, and the steady presence he gave off dissolved her fear in an instant, replacing it with a strange sense of calm.
Thud.
The endless descent came to an abrupt halt.
Echo felt them hit the ground and roll a few times as Ryan absorbed the impact, shielding her in his arms. She could feel the tension in his body as it stiffened beneath her.
Without thinking, she immediately asked, “Are you okay?”
She wasn’t clueless-Ryan had taken the brunt of the fall for her. From this height, if it weren’t for him, she’d have been seriously injured. As it was, she only felt a few scrapes and bruises.
In the pitch-black darkness, she couldn’t see Ryan’s expression, only felt him shift as he pushed her off and sat up, muttering coldly, “I’m not dead.”
Hearing that, Echo relaxed. If Ryan said he was fine, then he really was. She pressed her hands against the ground and slowly got up. The surrounding darkness was suffocating, and she didn’t dare move too much.
Groping for Ryan’s hand, she helped him to his feet and asked, “Where are we?”
There was no answer-only the unmistakable tension radiating from Ryan. Echo clammed up, realizing she’d just asked something dumb. Of course, Ryan wouldn’t know where they were either. And it seemed like this mess was partially her fault, even if she hadn’t meant for it to happen.
The space was so dark that not a sliver of light cut through. When the lid of the sarcophagus had fallen with them, the clear sound of stone hitting stone confirmed that the area was made of solid rock.
Echo, used to the glow of city lights, wasn’t prepared for complete darkness like this. The oppressive blackness gnawed at her nerves, making her instinctively shuffle closer to Ryan. There was something primal about how the dark triggered fear.
Ryan, sensing her approach, reached out and pulled her firmly against his chest.
Pressed against him, Echo focused on the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and the panic that had been building in her slowly ebbed away.
With her nerves settling, she finally asked, “So, do we just wait? Or do we try something?”
“What else can you do but wait?” A dry, raspy voice echoed through the darkness, making Echo jump.
There was a third person down here.
Who was that?
Clinging tighter to Ryan, she glanced around in the void.
Ryan, however, didn’t seem the least bit surprised. His voice was cold as he asked, “Who are you?”
Ryan had always been eerily perceptive when it came to sensing others. He must have already heard the heavy breathing from nearby. Since the presence carried no intent to harm, Ryan hadn’t reacted aggressively earlier.
“Just another unlucky soul, same as you,” the stranger sighed, his voice tinged with resignation.
Hearing it was a person and not something supernatural, Echo felt her anxiety at ease. She wasn’t one to believe in ghosts or curses, but inside a pyramid, the eerie atmosphere could make anyone’s skin crawl. Outside, people might be scarier than gods, but down here? Gods felt much more unsettling.
“Clement?” Echo called out, raising her voice slightly.
There was a pause, and then the man responded with surprise. “Huh? How do you know my name? Wait-did someone actually come looking for me? I didn’t think anyone would.”
Echo nudged Ryan, urging him to answer. But Ryan didn’t react at all, standing there coldly as if Clement weren’t even there.
Echo rolled her eyes. What a difficult man!
Echo turned toward the sound of Clement’s voice, still holding onto Ryan. “Who else would come looking for you?” she said gently, catching the loneliness hidden beneath Clement’s surprised tone.
Clement clearly hadn’t expected anyone to come looking for him. After a long pause, he suddenly blurted out, “Is it Little Ryan? Is it really Little Ryan?” His voice, which had sounded lifeless just moments ago, now brimmed with excitement.
Echo broke into a silent laugh, glancing up toward Ryan.
Little Ryan? That name couldn’t be more mismatched with someone like Ryan.
Little Ryan…
Little Ryan…
The way Clement said it sounded so awkwardly affectionate. Even though she couldn’t see Ryan’s expression in the darkness, she could feel the cold fury radiating from him. Her grin only widened-Little Ryan, ha! That’s priceless!
Just as she was having way too much fun with it, she felt a hand brush her neck, reminding her to cut it out. Her thin neck wouldn’t stand a chance if Ryan decided to squeeze it, and for the sake of her survival, she wisely reined in her amusement.
Okay, okay. No more fanning the flames.
“Who gave you the right?” Ryan’s cold, razor-sharp words sliced through the air. The lethal edge in his tone was unmistakable.
Clement, clearly out of touch after so many years apart, didn’t recognize Ryan’s voice immediately. But that one sentence was all the confirmation he needed.
Bursting with joy, Clement shouted, “Little Ryan! It really is you, Little Ryan! I thought I’d never see you again. I can’t believe you came to rescue me. Little Ryan, I’m so happy-your uncle is so, so happy!” His excitement wavered toward the end, his voice cracking with emotion.
Echo didn’t need to see Ryan’s face to know just how bad things were getting. The air grew thick with murderous intent. She could practically feel it-if Clement didn’t stop with the Little Ryan nonsense, Ryan was going to kill him. If the ancient traps didn’t get Clement first, Ryan’s fury would.
“Do yourself a favor and drop the Little Ryan thing. Just call him Ryan,'” Echo whispered urgently, wrapping both arms around Ryan in an attempt to hold him back.
Clement seemed clueless, switching between laughing and crying. If he kept pushing, Ryan just might snap and really kill him.
“If I hear that name one more time, you’ll never make it back from the North Pole,” Ryan muttered, his voice colder than ice, heavy with finality.
There was a brief silence before Clement, finally realizing how serious things were, adjusted his tone. “Litt… Ryan… I really am glad you came for me.”
His voice had steadied, more fitting for a man his age, no longer giddy with emotion. It was clear the shock of Ryan showing up had made him lose control earlier, but now, with enough time-and a good dose of Ryan’s threats-he had pulled himself together.
“How do we get out of here?” Ryan cut straight to the point, not interested in any heartwarming reunion. Or maybe, he’d never intended to have one in the first place.
Clement chuckled bitterly, his voice still hoarse. “Get out? We’d need some light first. I can’t see a damn thing in here, and there’s no way I’m stumbling around blind. Unless…” His words trailed off just as a faint light flickered to life.
Ryan looked down to find two glowing pearls in Echo’s hand. His expression remained unreadable.
Echo grinned sheepishly, lowering her gaze. “Oh… right. I forgot about these.”
She had snagged the luminous pearls earlier without even thinking. It wasn’t her style to leave behind treasures once they were within reach. Though she generally followed a strict rule of only going after her intended targets, the pearls were part of the haul this time.
With her lightning-fast reflexes, Ryan hadn’t even noticed when she’d pocketed them.
Still, she had genuinely forgotten about them until now.
The faint light broke through the absolute darkness, casting a narrow beam that illuminated the space around them.
Everything on the ground came into view, and the sight of shallow bloodstains made Echo’s heart skip a beat. She shot Ryan a sharp glance, quickly handing him one of the glowing pearls.
“Where are you hurt?” she asked, her voice tense with worry as she knelt to inspect his leg. The blood was at his feet-it had to be Ryan’s.