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Chapter Ten: Entering the Temple
When Lara arrived at the temple, she saw a group of workers struggling to open the entrance. Among them were Mr. Paul and Alex West's former associate. She wasn't too surprised. Smirking, she pressed the accelerator and reached the back of the temple.
William arrived shortly after. He glanced at the entrance, then quickly moved toward Lara.
He had eaten some dry rations with water and watched her from a distance. She seemed slightly confused, searching for a girl. The girl had a strange appearance, and William sensed a faint presence in her small body. A weird feeling, but not unusual—after all, this was a world where humans coexisted with vampires.
Lara boldly jumped into a well-like shaft. William climbed to the top, accessing a path inside. At that moment, he heard the sound of collapsing stones. The other side opened a passage.
He took a strap from his backpack, hung from it, and slowly descended. Once at the bottom, he hid in a darker corner, observing.
Lara, in another corner, scanned the incoming groups, searching for something—circular engravings or similar patterns. She seemed to find something, paused, then moved to the edge of a wall. Loudly, she announced:
"Mr. Paul, the mercenaries have started shooting!"
Lara took cover behind a pillar. After a few seconds, Paul's warning ended the shooting.
"Lara, why are you here?"
"Alex, you're here too? What a surprise!"
"Mr. West, continue the countdown."
"21… 20… 19… 18… 17… 16… 15… 14…"
"Paul, you're wrong. That's the wrong location."
"Lara, why should I believe you?"
"You can choose not to, but if I'm right, you'll have to wait another 5,000 years. The choice is yours."
"9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3…"
During the countdown, Paul hesitated. Finally, he handed a round object resembling a compass to Lara. She quickly inserted it into a crevice.
"2… 1… Done."
Everyone held their breath; only the sound of time passing echoed. William watched eagerly from a corner, like watching a thrilling movie. He didn't understand why Lara was helping these people who seemed like villains, but he instinctively knew the story would reveal everything eventually.
The sharp tip of a wooden mechanism, suspended from a rope, began to move. Each swing brought it closer to a blue-yellow glass. Lara leapt onto the swinging rod, and with her momentum, struck the glass. Yellow liquid spilled out, and in the center, near Alex and Paul, a liquid metal resembling mercury rose, revealing half of a triangle engraved with strange patterns. Lara seized the opportunity, snatched the half-triangle, jumped off the rod, and hid behind a stone pillar.
Paul tried to speak, but the liquid metal moved toward the stone statues, branching into multiple arms and merging into the figures.
To everyone's astonishment, including William, the statues came to life and started moving.
Paul signaled Alex toward the compass. Alex attempted to move quickly, but several animated statues blocked the path.
Gunfire echoed through the hall. William watched with excitement—the precise and deadly movements of Lara with her weapons, Paul's cunning, Alex dodging statues while holding the compass, and the liquid metal forming a massive six-armed statue in the center of the hall.
After Alex secured the compass, he and Paul exited with the mercenaries.
Lara intended to leave but was stopped by a towering six-armed statue, each arm wielding a massive sword. She aimed her gun and fired as much as she could. The statue slowed, losing one head and two arms. Lara ran out of bullets, and a single blow from the statue sent her flying several meters.
With no hope of escape, she crawled behind a pillar, gasping. Heavy footsteps drew nearer. Just as she tried to rise, a man dressed in black with a mask—or snow-white hair—descended from above. He grabbed an automatic weapon and began firing at the statue.
I approached Lara. I fired the last round, and in her astonished blue eyes, I tossed a grenade at the statue. I grabbed Lara with one hand and ran toward the exit, counting down in my mind. At the last moment, I pressed her against a pillar, shielding her with my body.
Lara looked into my pale blue eyes, and I into her black ones. Neither of us said a word. Two seconds later, a loud explosion shook the area. I placed a hand over Lara's mouth and whispered in her ear:
"I wasn't here. You did this yourself. Bye."
I retreated to a hidden corner.
Lara regained her composure and started running. The mercenaries couldn't catch her. She stopped near a tall waterfall, turned, and saw Alex aiming his gun at her.
"Give me the half-triangle, or I won't shoot you."
"Alex, you can't shoot me."
She winked at him, dove into the waterfall, and disappeared into the deep waters.
William, from a distance with his sniper, had been waiting to take a shot at Lara before Alex, but nothing happened. Lara had gone, and William knew he had to follow her.
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