The Shadows of the Forgotten Temple

Chapter 3

The jungle erupted into chaos. The serpentine figure that emerged from the fissure coiled its colossal body, its iridescent scales catching the faint moonlight. The air itself seemed to hum with an unnatural energy, and the villagers—once confident in their ambush—had scattered in fear.

Jax grabbed Elena by the arm and pulled her behind a crumbled stone wall. “What the hell is that thing?!” he hissed, his voice barely audible over the roar of the beast.

Elena’s eyes were wide with a mixture of awe and terror. “It’s a manifestation of Axul,” she whispered. “Or at least the creature that the Mayans trapped with the Heart.”

“You’re telling me this is why the Heart was buried?” Jax asked, peeking around the corner to watch the villagers as they fell to their knees, chanting in desperate, frantic tones. “To keep that thing locked away?”

“Yes,” Elena replied. “But something’s wrong. The Heart’s energy is reacting. It’s as if...” She trailed off, her mind racing. “As if it’s calling to the creature.”

Jax cursed under his breath and checked his ammo. “Great. And we’re the ones holding the damn key. Any chance we can just toss the Heart back into the hole and call it a day?”

“It’s not that simple,” Elena said. “The artifact isn’t just a lock; it’s a source of power. If we throw it away now, we might make things worse.”

“Worse than a giant snake god breaking out of the ground?” Jax asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Before Elena could respond, the creature’s molten-gold eyes locked onto their hiding spot. A low, guttural growl rumbled through the air, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

“It sees us,” Elena said, her voice trembling.

“Run!” Jax shouted, grabbing her hand and sprinting toward the jungle.

Branches slapped against their faces as they tore through the dense underbrush. Behind them, the serpent let out a bone-shaking roar and began to move, its massive body flattening trees and crushing ancient ruins in its wake.

“Do you have a plan, Doc?” Jax shouted, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

“Get away from the village!” Elena called back. “It seems tied to the area around the fissure. If we can put some distance between us, maybe it’ll stop pursuing.”

“Or maybe it’ll just eat us a little farther from home,” Jax muttered, but he didn’t slow his pace.

The jungle was alive with noise: the crashing of trees, the distant shouts of the villagers, and the ominous hiss of the serpent as it closed in. Despite its size, the creature was unnervingly fast, its body weaving through the dense foliage with ease.

Elena’s mind raced. The Heart of Axul pulsed against her chest, its energy growing more intense with every passing second. She didn’t know if it was responding to the creature’s proximity or if it was fueling its wrath, but either way, they were running out of time.

“Wait!” she shouted, skidding to a halt. “We can’t just keep running. We need to figure out how to stop it.”

Jax turned back, his expression incredulous. “And how do you suggest we do that? Talk it to death?”

Elena ignored his sarcasm and pulled the Heart from her satchel. The artifact glowed brighter than ever, its jagged surface shimmering with an inner fire. She could feel its power vibrating through her fingertips, almost as if it were alive.

“The Mayans built this to trap the creature,” she said. “There has to be a way to use it again.”

“Right,” Jax said, firing a few shots into the jungle as the serpent’s glowing eyes appeared through the trees. “Because ancient death magic is totally our area of expertise.”

Elena ignored him, focusing on the Heart. She closed her eyes, letting its energy wash over her. Images flashed through her mind—glimpses of the past, of priests chanting in the shadow of the temple, of the creature writhing in agony as it was bound by their ritual.

“There’s a way,” she whispered. “But we’ll need to get it back into the fissure.”

Jax stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “You want to drag that thing back to where it came from? We barely got out of there alive!”

“It’s the only way,” Elena said. “The Heart is a conduit. It can contain the creature’s energy, but only if it’s in the right place.”

“And what happens if you’re wrong?” Jax asked.

Elena met his gaze, her expression grim. “Then we all die.”

Reluctantly, Jax nodded. “Fine. But if we’re going to do this, we need a distraction. Something to keep that thing off our backs long enough to get the Heart in position.”

Elena glanced around, her eyes landing on a fallen tree covered in vines. “We can use the terrain to slow it down. If we can lead it through the denser parts of the jungle, it might give us enough time.”

Jax raised an eyebrow. “You’re betting our lives on some bushes and a prayer?”

“Do you have a better idea?” Elena shot back.

Jax sighed. “Fair point. Let’s do it.”

The plan was simple: lead the serpent back to the fissure, use the Heart to reactivate the sealing ritual, and hope for the best. Of course, “simple” didn’t mean easy.

As they retraced their steps toward the ruined village, Elena and Jax did their best to stay ahead of the serpent. The creature was relentless, its massive body crashing through the jungle like an unstoppable force of nature.

When they reached the outskirts of the village, they found it in ruins. The villagers who hadn’t fled were either dead or hiding, their chants silenced by the destruction.

“This is it,” Elena said, clutching the Heart tightly. “We need to get it into position.”

“And what about the giant murder snake?” Jax asked.

“I’ll handle the ritual,” Elena said. “You just keep it busy.”

Jax gave her a grim smile. “No pressure, right?”

Elena hurried to the fissure, her mind racing as she tried to remember the steps of the ritual. The glyphs she had seen in the temple flashed through her mind, their meaning just out of reach.

“Come on, come on,” she muttered, placing the Heart on a stone pedestal near the edge of the fissure.

Behind her, Jax was doing his best to keep the serpent’s attention. He darted through the ruins, firing his pistol and shouting insults at the creature. It roared in frustration, its molten eyes fixed on him.

“Elena, whatever you’re doing, do it faster!” he shouted.

Elena ignored him, focusing on the Heart. She began to chant the words she had seen in the temple, her voice trembling but steady. The artifact pulsed in response, its glow intensifying.

The ground shook violently, and the serpent let out a deafening roar. Elena could feel the Heart drawing in energy, its power reaching a fever pitch.

“Almost there,” she whispered.

With a final burst of light, the Heart released a shockwave of energy. The serpent let out a piercing scream as it was pulled toward the fissure, its massive body writhing in defiance.

“Elena, it’s working!” Jax shouted.

The ground beneath them began to crumble, and Elena barely managed to grab the Heart before the pedestal collapsed. She stumbled backward, clutching the artifact as the serpent was dragged into the fissure.

The light faded, and the jungle fell silent.