Before Kessler could answer, the far wall exploded inward.

Lara’s lips curved. “Then let’s hope it’s well-guarded.”

The moment Soren’s fingers touched it, the floor groaned. The serpent’s path of pressure plates reversed. Magma hissed through new vents. Lara grabbed Kessler and hauled him toward a side tunnel. Soren ran the opposite way, box clutched to her chest.

Deep in the earth, the chamber began to collapse. Lara left Kessler at the tunnel mouth and went back.

“It’s not immortality,” Lara said quietly. “It’s the opposite. It’s the first death. The original expiration date coded into every cell. Open that box, and you don’t gain life—you release the blueprint for every plague, every decay, every end.”

They descended into the dark. Kessler’s flashlight caught a mosaic floor that rippled with heat. Lara knelt, pressing her palm to the stone. “Geothermal vents. The whole island is a furnace.” She pointed to a series of bronze pressure plates. “Step there, and the floor opens to magma. We follow the serpent’s path.”