Maria and John spent the next few hours pouring over the map, studying the cryptic symbols and marking etched into it's surface. They worked in silence, their mind focused on deciphering the secrets of the map.
As they worked, Maria couldn't shake off the feeling that they were missing something . The symbols seems to dance across the page, taunting her with their secrets.
"John look at this," Maria said, her slender fingers tracing a series of intricate markings on the edge of the map.
John leaned in, his light gray eyes scanning the symbols. "what am i looking at?," he asked.
"This markings," Maria replied.
"They look like some sort of code, i think they might be the key to deciphering the map."
John eyes lit up with excitement. "Let me take a closer look," he said, his fingers tracing the map.
As they worked, the symbols begin to reveal their secrets. The code was complex, but Maria and John were determined to crack it.
Suddenly John eyes widened with excitement. "Maria i think have got it ," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Maria's heart skipped a beat. "what is it?" she asked, her blue eyes locked on John's face.
"The code," John replied. "It's a riddle. And i think i know what it's saying."
Maria's heart narrowed. "What's the riddle?" she asked.
John took a deep breath. "It says 'Where shadow falls, darkness rises. Seek the light in the heart of the forest.'"
Maria's mind reeled as processed the riddle. what did it mean? And how did it relate to the lost city?
As they pondered the riddle, the room fell silent. The only sound was the soft hum of the fluorescent lights overhead.
And then without warning, the light flickered and died. The room was plunged into darkness
Maria's heart skipped a beat. What's happening?
"John what's going on?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
But john didn't respond, instead he was frozen in place, his eyes fixed on something in the distance.
Maria followed his gaze and what she saw made her blood run cold.