Chapter 94: And So It Begins
The air hung heavy with tension as Lara and the others gathered in a tight circle, their expressions betraying the anxiety that coursed through each of them. The dolls had been destroyed. Now came the moment of truth: had their efforts actually worked?
"Do you think we did it?" Kay whispered, his voice barely audible in the stifling silence of the room. The stone walls seemed to absorb his words, leaving nothing but the faint echo of uncertainty.
Jonas shifted his considerable weight from one foot to the other, the floorboards creaking beneath him. "I don’t know," he muttered, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I hope so."
Aziel’s fingers crackled with faint blue electricity nervously. Tiny sparks danced between his fingertips as he struggled to maintain his composure. "Only one way to find out," he said, nodding toward the wooden door.
It couldn’t be this easy, could it? The thought hung unspoken between them, a collective doubt that none dared to voice aloud.
Lara was swallowing hard as she stepped forward. The weight of everyone’s stares pressed against her back as she approached the door. Each footstep echoed through the now dead silent room, the sound unnaturally loud against the stone floor. The distance to the door seemed to stretch endlessly before her, though in reality, it was merely a few paces away.
When she finally reached it, Lara stood frozen before the weathered wood for what felt like an eternity. Beads of nervous sweat trickled down her temples, tracing cool paths along her flushed skin. She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with the musty air of the ancient room, trying to steady her trembling hands.
She slowly extended her arm, fingers outstretched toward the worn brass handle that gleamed dully in the lamplight. Time seemed to slow as her hand inched closer, the anticipation building to an almost unbearable intensity. When her fingers finally made contact with the cool metal, she paused, gathering her courage for one final moment.
With a swift and decisive motion, the handle began to turn—