a/n: these two characters youre abt to see are named Graham and Lyre. They're both males. Graham is a Norwegian Strawberry Blonde and he's CUTE and Lyre isn't mine but he's an english guy with green hair okay THERE HAVE FUN please enjoy this i almost cried while writing it it's sad

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The Mayan Temple (nicknamed The Temple of Stars) was falling apart at every step the boys took running through it. They were running from some magical, mysterious creature that was lunging at them as the temple itself collapsed into oblivion. Graham was clutching tightly onto the gems and treasures he'd collected. He'd tried putting it in his backpack, but the temple had started shaking before he'd gotten the chance.

Lyre was right by his side, looking down at the crinkled map in attempt to find their way out of that hellhole. The ink on it was so smudged and the light in there was so dim (the torches were bright purple, but it didn't radiate a ton) that he couldn't make out what was on the map. The green haired male shrugged it back and chucked it at the monster following them. That map in the face didn't help them out like Lyre had hoped. It'd just angered the beast more. It's speed increased, which caused the creature to gain on Graham and Lyre.

The strawberry blonde grabbed Lyre's hand and tugged him forward. Their hands didn't disconnect as they sprinted out of the building at a speed that their bodies could barely handle without toppling over. Despite their desperate efforts, the beast was on their tails. It's teeth were sharp and it was evident that thing could rip them into shreds in seconds. It was foaming at the mouth as it traveled furiously after them. This thing had been rumored by the ancient Mayan people as the 'Gem Keeper', the protector of the temple. Any that took gems from the temple would have to face the wrath of this ferocious monster. Graham and Lyre were finally finding out what all the hard-to-decipher tales meant. They were experiencing it first hand.

Lyre was starting to slow down, and Graham was starting to speed ahead of him. Panic and sweat dripped down Graham's forehead. His heart was beating a mile a minute to the point where he could nearly hear his heartbeat in his ears more than the louder-than-life killing machine behind them.

"You can't slow down on me now!" Graham exclaimed, their key out of that hellhole in sight, "We're too close for you to give up and slow down!" His voice had a tone of desperation in it, as if in the event that Lyre died, Graham would too. Like Graham needed Lyre to stay alive, or else something bad would happen to him.

Once again, the blonde tugged Lyre forward. He clutched onto the green haired males hand tightly, squeezing it to the point where barely anything could cause Graham to lose his grip on his friend. He didn't dare look back at how close the creature was to them, but he could feel its presence right behind him and it sent chills down his spine.

"We're almost there!" Graham exclaimed, brows furrowing.

Right as Graham said that, he felt the pressure from his hand being released. He looked back, but kept running. He say Lyre under a huge chunk of the collapsing temples brick. Lyre had a pool of blood forming around him, and he was barely surviving. Graham stopped dead in his tracks. He looked up and saw the Gem Keeper getting closer and closer with each second. The blonde rushed to Lyre. He slid on his knees down, his cargo shorts ripping slightly.

"Come on!" He outstretched his hand, clasping it onto Lyre's free one, "I'm gonna get you out of here!" He tugged and tugged, neither Lyre or the brick above him budging.

Tears started to swell in his eyes as he kept tugging. He knew his attempts were futile, but he couldn't stop. He had to get Lyre out of there. He was the one that got Lyre into this mess! He was the one that brought up that dumb temple in the first place! Were a few gems worth losing your best friend, your literal partner in crime for?

"Come on! Please!" Tears started to roll down Graham's freckled cheeks as he kept tugging and tugging, "I can't leave this place without you!"

Lyre groaned in agony, "Go without me." He said, "You're gonna get yourself killed trying to pry me out of here. Go!"

"But-But-- I can't leave you!"

"You have to!" Lyre insisted, "To save yourself, go!" He pulled his hand away from Graham's, "I'll be okay."

"You-You won't!" His voice was desperate, hurting, churning with emotion, "You'll die!"

"Graham," Lyre gulped, "leave this place and never look back. I'll still be alive if you tell people about me, about US. Now go!"

The blonde looked above Lyre and saw the gem keeper dangerously close. He glanced back at Lyre, gulping down his tears and emotions, "I-I'm sorry, Lyre."

And with that, Graham bolted. His satchel full of gems was wrapped tightly around his body. Something to remember Lyre by, that damn satchel. Graham didn't dare look back. He couldn't. He jumped out of the open space in the wall and fell on the ground with a couple newfound grass stains on his clothes. He scrambled to his feet and saw the Gem Keeper on Lyre. It stared at Lyre for a moment, then lunged (which is HORRIFYING). Graham looked away, and the shrill scream that echoed throughout the temple and the forest was enough to notify Graham of Lyre's fate.

He looked back through the hole in the wall. The Gem Keeper was flying towards him at the fastest pace Graham had seen yet. That creature was nearly to Graham when debris from the temple fell, covering the hole. Graham's breath hitched as he heard the screeching of the creature that killed Lyre.

"Rot in hell!" Graham yelled through a whirlwind of fury and loss.

The temple collapsed after that, and Graham got blasted back by the dust and impact. He hit a tree and slid to the ground, groaning. He'd gotten a piece of debris stuck in his hand. The blonde groaned and got up with wobbly legs. He stared at the ancient temple now in ruins and crumbles. His breathing was uneven and his cheeks were tearstained.

By this point, Graham was numb. The emotions he'd felt mere seconds ago were gone, and now he was a mere shell. His eyes trailed across the area, the aching pain in his hand nearly nonexistent.

"No one!" Graham started, "No one can ever be killed by you ever again! Lyre is the last life you'll ever take!" He sniffed, yelling to a bunch of crumbled bricks on the ground.

He hadn't noticed that he was crying again. He'd only noticed when he subconsciously put his good hand on his cheek to wipe the tears off. Graham's breath hitched and he pulled his hand away. There was a strange color tint from where his tear had been, compared to the rest of his dusty body.

Graham slowly backed up. He couldn't stand that place anymore. He had to go. He had to get out of that place or else that state of numbness he was in would be destroyed and he'd be rummaging through that debris to find whatever remains of Lyre were left. Graham got to the car and sat inside it. He put his hands on the steering wheel, and as he did he felt this weird feeling come over him.

The last time he and Lyre were at peace together was when Graham was in the passenger's seat and Lyre's hands were exactly where Graham's were in that very moment. The blonde gulped and started the car.

For once, the Temple of Stars had one, and only one person who survived to live its tale.