Alex moved slowly, each step deliberate. He knew the temple's layout relatively well since the last time he was inside, having explored a decent chunk of it the previous time he entered before he was scared away by The Whisperer.
'Nearly there.'
His goal was the thin corridor he had met The Whisperer in during his last encounter with it.
Alex's idea was that even if the explosion itself was somehow not powerful enough to kill The Whisperer, then the resulting collapse of the surrounding temple would finish the job.
The place was already practically falling apart, so the explosion would be all he needed to take the whole thing down on top of The Whisperer.
The only downside was that he would also be crushed alive within it as well...
But that was a problem for him to face in the future.
Besides, the test only said that he had to assassinate his target.
It didn't say anything about Alex surviving...
'Here!'
After a few more minutes of slowly making his way through the temple corridors, he arrived back at the thin corridor where he had first spotted The Whisperer before.
He found a spot in the wall where a stone was missing, and placed the bomb inside.
He unravelled the makeshift fuse and set it in place nearby, ensuring it was able to burn without obstruction.
'Look at meee....'
'I see youuuuu...'
Right as he finished setting up, Alex heard the whispers invade his mind once again, but he fended them off with his will.
Instead, he was focused on something much more important.
Footsteps.
He head the creepy and disjointed footsteps of The Whisperer approaching from ahead of him in the corridor, and he stood as still as a rod up until the moment the footsteps stopped right in front of him.
'I'm facing The Whisperer right now!'
Alex thought nervously as he fought to stop himself from removing his blindfold.
'LOOK AT ME...'
But suddenly, the intensity of The Whisperer's invasion of his mind shot up, and he was barely able to control the movements of his hands.
His eyes had already shot open underneath the blindfold, and there was only a thin piece of cloth between Alex and The Whisperer, preventing him from having his soul sucked out.
'Fuck...'
"..."
But even after a few dozen seconds, nothing happened.
'Did I miscalculate? Did I fail to mix the black powder correctly? But the test bomb worked...'
Boooooooom!
But before he could even question himself any further, he was thrown away by a shockwave into the distance.
'I guess I just miscalculated the time...'
The ground shook, and a massive plume of dust and debris shot up into the air.
Alex turned to the direction of the explosion, feeling the vibrations through the air and ground, and waited as the ancient structure crumbled, the force of the blast shattering stone and wood alike.
The sound was deafening, echoing through the forest, but Alex was unaffected thanks to already being deafened by The Whisperer.
He dropped to his knees, coughing up blood as he felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
'Fuuuuuuuck....'
And he passed out.
***
An hour later.
As the dust settled, the previous lush, green clearing with an ancient temple adorning the middle of it had been turned into a pile of rubble.
Trees, rocks, stones and shrubbery alike had all been thrown about, making the place resemble the desolate and creepy forest that surrounded it.
'Ughhh, did I pass the test or not?'
Alex gradually awoke, expecting to wake up in the blank space with the AI informing him of his result in the test.
'Huh, why haven't I heard anything yet?'
Confused, he opened his eyes.
'So I am in the blank space, but where's the AI?-'
Alex thought to himself.
But his thoughts were forced away from him as he was suddenly filled with horror.
'Red.... eyes....'
The Whisperer was in the space with him.