The Lost Loot Of The Dynasty

"I can't believe that you just did this, Mara," Xavier's voice echoed through the valley. His words sharp in disbelief and filled with anger. His body twisted and turned in midair, the wind howling around him like a wolf, cold and unforgiving as it whipped passed him. The Earth below was nothing more than a distance, a black hole, looming blur. Shiny rocks around him seems like an ancient beast, a dragon ready to devour him alive. His hands trembling with desperation, tried to claw the empty air, searching for anything___anything at all__that might slow his fall, break his descent and offer him a last chance to survive. But there was nothing. No edge catch him. No branch hold him that could give him another breathe. Time seemed to stretch, each second seems like an eternity. His heart raced in his ribs, not just from terror of falling, but the shock of betrayal that happened just few moments ago. 'She pushed me__?' The words echoed in his mind over and over___as his body continued feeling the air and imagining the depth. 'Mara'__the woman he loved and cherished, who he trusted his life with had pushed him through the cliff. Few seconds ago he was happy and laughing with her on their success and now everything shattered. All promises, the adventure and the laughs. It all had been a lie. 'Why__?' 'How__?' 'How had we come to this__? It hadn't always been this way. Once they were a team. The team of three. The shadows__Xavier Blackwell, Kieran Hale and Mara Wexley. They had adventured together, seeking ancient artifacts, exploring forgotten ruins, battling the hurdles. Their bond had been strong and unbreakable. But that was before the amulet. The amulet of the dragon King. A relic of unimaginable power, rumored to grant its owner the strength to control this world___ maybe the universe or something else because its all in the stories. No one truly had this amulet before. They had tracked its location for months, spent sleepless nights decoding maps, sneaking through traps and tunnels, and crossing dangerous landscapes. It was supposed to be one of their greatest adventure. But then it had torn them apart. "You don't understand Xavier," Mara's voice had been frantic, filled with a fierce energy that only came from greed, "This is everything__This amulet___its our future, our fortune. We can sell it. Imagine the money, the power we could have. The future we promise each other. We can live like a royalty, forget about all these struggles, these adventures. No more hiding from police. No more running from problems." Xavier took a deep breath, his heart heavy with the realization. His hands clenched into fists as he glared at her. "Mara___this isn't us___this isn't you. We are adventurers who loves to explore the world which hid somewhere under the dust of time. Not for some money or power." Mara stared at him as if he was speaking a different language or from another universe where money didn't matter. Her face was flushed with an excitement, her eyes wide with the hope of better future. "This is bigger than us, Xavier!! We've spent out lives barely scraping by. We deserve this. We can have everything. Just think about it. We'll never have to struggle again. You promised me the best future and I think this is our chance Xavier." Kieran, standing a few feet away, had looked on with a hint of concern, though his hands were stuffed into his pant pockets. His eyes darted between them, a sly smile playing at his lips. "You're just upset we beat you to it, Vee. You've always been good one, always thinking about the right thing, the moral and values. But you can't deny it__this amulet is worth a fortune. Hell!! we could retire after this." Xavier's heart had sunk into his stomach, the realization punched him like a brick to the chest. "Retire?" he whispered. "Is that all you guys care about? Money? Power? You've come this far only to steal? How can you forget why we've started this. We did this because we wanted to learn, discover and____" His voice cracked, words were not enough to describe the pain. "And because we were a family. The Shadows, and you're willing to throw that all away because of this 'amulet'? Kieran rolled his eyes as if he had not interested in this mess. "Xavier, your words cannot change our minds. We have made our choice. Now it's up to you to support us or break the team." "No," Xaviar said firmly. "You're wrong, both of you. It's_ it's not just a treasure hunt anymore. It's about 'who we are.' If you're willing to destroy everything for a quick payday, fine. But I don't want to be a part of it." Mara's tone changed in an instant. The fire in her eyes had dulled to something colder, something more calculating. "You don't understand. You don't have what it takes, Xavier. You're stuck in your little dream world where everything makes sense. Where everything is about the next great discovery. But wake up, this Dragon King's amulet is the key to everything." "Mara, please, listen to me with a calm mind," Xavier begged her, taking a step forward. "We can leave. We can get away with it. We can go back to how we were before. If we did this theft today, the police would catch us and we'd spend the rest of our lives either running from the police or going to jail." He paused. “I__I promise Mara, I will work hard and earn enough money for us." Her lips pressed together in a fine line, and for a moment Xavier saw something in her eyes, a hope___ or perhaps regret for her actions. But then it was gone, replaced by something icy that shielded her emotions. "No," she shook her head. "You should've thought about that before you tried to stop us." "What? Mara, no___please_____" But before he could finish speaking, she pushed him. It was not something he had expected. It was not a mere nudge, a push in jest. No, this was deliberate, powerful, and it was as if she wanted him to fall. His body had flailed, trying to catch its balance, but the earth beneath his feet had given way. The world had tilted violently, and in the next heartbeat, he had been falling. "Mara," the cry escaped his lips, strangled shout. His hands reached out for anything, but the cliff side was smooth and unyielding. His body twisted in midair, he feels like the ground rushing towards him. Ready to embrace him into its depth as if he was a part of it. The thought came to his mind in that moment, sharp and painful, "I'm going to die." Memories flashed before his eyes like a fading dream. And then, in an instant, the reality hit him hard. 'She did this.' She had chosen power and money over him. Over everything they had shared. He closed his eyes, bracing for the end. His final thought was a single question, hanging in the darkness: 'WHY____?"