---
Chapter Eleven: The Difficult Choice
After half a day of walking along the river and tracking Lara Croft, William reached the city of temples, Angkor Wat—a fascinating ancient city with sugarloaf-shaped buildings.
Through his binoculars, he saw Lara speaking with a bald Buddhist monk. She took a bowl from the monk, drank from it, then glanced at her injured arm with surprise. She simply smiled at the monk, and the monk returned a calm, reassuring smile, as if saying, "See? I told you."
William was astonished. Did the water in Lara's hands hold magical powers, or did the monk possess some extraordinary ability like mutants? He would have to discuss this with Merlin once he returned.
After the Croft family's staff arrived, Lara traveled with them back to London. Not far behind, William's jet also took off.
While in contact with Merlin and the Men of the King organization, William recounted all the events in Cambodia. Merlin's response—advising him to carry out his actions more carefully—left William dissatisfied, but he showed nothing on his face. After all, all agents are often displeased with their organization, let alone a rookie like William. Merlin and the others knew this, but there was nothing they could do.
They were agents, and orders had to be followed precisely. That Lara knew she was being protected highlighted William's negligence during the mission. He shouldn't have left any trace of himself.
Overall, William wasn't yet suitable for protection duties, but he had to learn in order to handle future missions. The organization would investigate the presence of magical powers or mutants—these strange phenomena were too advanced for a rookie like William.
For him, it didn't matter. He knew that in time, everything would become clear.
The next day, William followed Lara to one of London's churches. In a corner, he found a hidden passage. Lara entered first, and like a shadow, William followed.
Sounds came from the hall opposite. William glanced upward—several high seats were there, and Lara sat on the tallest one. Paul was next to her, speaking about Lara's father.
"Are you not happy that Lara can see her father and be with him?"
"You lie. This won't happen—it's dangerous."
"No, Lara. Together, we can do it. With the triangle and the key, we can wield a power beyond human comprehension. This is our last chance. We can hold time in our hands. You and I—we can do it together."
Lara turned and exited through another door.
Paul sat back, satisfied; he knew Lara would make her choice.
"Just follow Lara," Merlin's voice echoed in William's mind.
Time… could one really go back to the past?
William had always wished to recover his memories, but he knew extreme, unknown methods could yield disastrous results. He steeled his mind and followed Lara.
Lara was lost in thought, unaware that someone even more bewildered than her was watching.
William waited for Lara's choice. He knew this decision was far more important to her than to himself. For him, it was just memories—perhaps unpleasant. For Lara, it was her beloved father.
Would Lara make the difficult choice? William waited.
The next day, Lara, accompanied by Bryan Gage—who was also tracking her—boarded Mr. Paul's cargo plane, along with his mercenary team, Alex West, and an elderly member of the Illuminati. They headed north toward Asia—Russia.
According to Merlin, today would witness a solar eclipse over the North Pole for the first time in five thousand years. It coincided with the planetary alignment of the solar system.
Lara's team, with Eskimo sled dogs, ventured deep into the Arctic.
William followed them closely.
---