As they slipped through the entrance behind the boulder, a staircase stretched before them, leading toward the heart of the island. The steps were beautifully carved, seemingly untouched by time or decay. It was unsettling—too clean, too new, as if someone had built them just yesterday.

Weapons drawn, they ascended cautiously, expecting an ambush. The island had been crawling with cannibals before, yet now, a strange silence hung in the air. No signs of life. No flickering torches. ...