Leah sighed softly, her eyes were gentle but firm, as if she could penetrate the darkness and see the light of the future. "No matter how long and difficult the road ahead is, as long as our hearts are still tightly connected, nothing is impossible."
The conversation by the campfire ended quietly, but the expectations for the future and the commitment to the mission spread quietly in the night, as if even the stars were moved by it. At this moment, a rush of footsteps interrupted the tranquility, and a panting messenger broke into the camp. His arrival, carrying new information, also added a bit of uncertainty to the upcoming journey.
"Warriors, I am a messenger from a nearby town. There is news that may be crucial to you." The messenger's eyes were both anxious and expectant. "It is said that the leader of the dark forces, an existence named Shadow Lord , will hold a ceremony in the abandoned ancient city tomorrow night with the intention of strengthening his dark power."
As soon as these words came out, the three of them looked solemn. The abandoned ancient city, that cursed place in ancient legends, if the Shadow Lord really succeeds, the consequences will be disastrous.
"We have no choice, we must stop him." Su Mo's words were decisive. He looked at his partners, his eyes flashing, "Tomorrow is the day of the decisive battle."
"Yes, we not only want to win, but also completely destroy his ambition." Sebastian clenched his fists and pointed the tip of his sword straight at the night sky, as if he had foreseen the coming battle.
"Then, let's start preparations now." Leah stood up. Her voice was calm and decisive, like a breeze on the lake, soothing the tense atmosphere. "Rest, strategy, supplies, everything must not be careless."< br>
As they began to get busy, the messenger stepped aside and silently stared at the three brave men chosen by fate, his heart filled with awe and hope. He turned and left, thinking silently in his mind that he wanted to bring this news back to the town and let people prepare, just in case...in case those three people couldn't come back, at least they could continue to fight until the light shined on the earth again.
The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds and shone on their figures ready to go, the entire camp was filled with high morale. The villagers spontaneously came to see him off, their faces no longer filled with fear, replaced by trust and determination.
"Go, heroes! Take our blessings and defeat the darkness!" The old man's voice sounded again. This time, more villagers joined, and their voices gathered into an ocean, stirring the hearts of everyone who was about to travel.
The team set off, carrying everyone's hopes and heavy responsibilities, towards the abandoned ancient city.
Along the way, they met many fleeing villagers. Their eyes were full of fear of the unknown, mixed with expectations for the team in front of them. When a woman holding a child passed by, she murmured in a low voice: "May the gods bless you and bring peace to this world."
There is less communication in the team, everyone is silently digesting the upcoming challenges, and there is an indescribable sense of tension in the air.
Near dusk, they arrived at the outskirts of the ancient city. The dead silence was eerie, and there seemed to be countless pairs of peeping eyes hidden in the ruins of the ancient city. Sebastian looked around warily: "The atmosphere here is not right, everyone, be careful."
"It seems that the Shadow Lord has set up a dragnet to wait for us." Ivan agreed softly, his hand unconsciously placed on the hilt of the sword.
Leia closed her eyes lightly and sensed the fluctuations of the surrounding elements. After a moment, she frowned slightly: "There is a strong negative energy gathering in the center of the ancient city. That should be the location of the ceremony."
"We will act separately. Alvin and I will attract attention head-on. Leah, you will use your speed advantage to go around and interfere with the ceremony. Remember, you have to be fast." Su Mo quickly formulated a plan, knowing that time was running out.
"Understood." The two nodded in agreement and prepared their own preparations.
As night fell, the moon hid behind the clouds, only occasionally shining a few rays of light to illuminate their path forward. The three of them spread out according to the plan and went deeper into the cursed land step by step.
While Alvin and Sebastian were fighting fiercely with a group of black guards, Leia quietly walked through the ruins, her target pointed directly at the source of the negative energy.
In the center of the ancient city, on an ancient altar, the figure of the Shadow Lord loomed. He was performing some ancient ritual, muttering words, and his whole body was wrapped in a dark energy. The energy was ready to move like a living creature, trying to swallow all light.
"Stop!" Leah's sudden appearance broke the calm of the ceremony. A stream of light gathered in her hand and she struck the Shadow Lord fiercely.
"Hmph, you don't overestimate your capabilities." The Shadow Lord smiled contemptuously and easily deflected the attack, but this move also exposed his position.
Almost at the same time, Su Mo and Sebastian eliminated the last group of guards and rushed over. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the Shadow Lord roared angrily. The dark wind in the entire ancient city seemed to respond to his call, forming sharp shadow blades and attacking the three of them.
"Concentrate, don't be separated!" Su Mo shouted. They stood back to back in a circle, each using their abilities to resist waves of attacks.
The battle became intense and both sides were evenly matched. At this moment, Leah discovered the key to the ritual - a black stone exuding an evil aura, located in the center of the altar. "That stone is the core of the ceremony! Destroy it!"
Upon hearing this, the three of them tried their best to break through the defense line. Sebastian and Alvin restrained the Shadow Lord, while Leah took the opportunity to get close to the black stone. Just as she reached out to touch her, the Shadow Lord let out a deafening roar and rushed towards Leia desperately.
"Be careful!" Su Mo's heart tightened, but it was too late. He saw the shadow lord's giant claws were about to tear Leah apart. At the critical moment, a dazzling light fell from the sky, and it turned out to be the weapon he had obtained before. The power of the water element turned into a shield and enveloped Leah, blocking the fatal blow.
"How could..." The Shadow Lord looked horrified. He had never expected that these people could gain such powerful power.
Leah seized the opportunity, condensed pure light in her hand, and smashed the black stone hard. With a roar, the black stone shattered, the Shadow Lord wailed in pain, and his figure gradually disappeared into the night sky, and the darkness that shrouded the ancient city also disappeared.
When the first ray of real sunlight penetrated the clouds and illuminated this ancient land, the three of them leaned on each other tiredly, with relieved smiles on their faces.
"We did it..." Su Mo whispered, with hope shining in his eyes.
"I hope this is a new beginning." Ai Wen stroked the sword lightly, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Yes, a new beginning." Leah also smiled, with a hint of gentle determination in her voice, "The light has finally returned, but this is just the beginning. There are still more corners of the world waiting for us to illuminate."
At this time, rapid and excited footsteps came from the distance, and a young villager almost ran over. He was panting and his eyes were full of surprise: "You...you really did it! The old people in the village said that the sky became Brighter than ever, the darkness is gone”
Su Mo and the three of them looked at each other and smiled. They knew that from this moment on, they were not only warriors, but also beacons of hope in this land. Sebastian patted the young man on the shoulder: "Tell everyone that no matter how deep the darkness is, as long as there is light in your heart, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome."
The young villagers nodded vigorously, with admiration and hope shining in their eyes, and turned around and ran back to the village, loudly announcing the exciting news along the way. His voice echoed in the morning air, awakening more sleeping hearts.
As the news spread, more and more people gathered outside the ancient city. Among them were the elderly, children, and some who once had despairing faces now turned into gratitude and awe. An elderly woman walked forward tremblingly, holding a hand-knitted scarf in both hands, and handed it to Leah: "My child, this is a little bit of my heart. You have given us hope, please accept this warmth." .”
Leah took the scarf and felt the remaining warmth on it, which was the most sincere gratitude from the people. "Thank you, this warmth is more precious than any reward. We will continue to guard until the light shines in every corner."
While everyone was immersed in the joy of victory and the longing to rebuild their homeland, a mysterious traveler in a cloak quietly appeared on the edge of the crowd. His eyes stayed on the three heroes, deep and full of interest. The traveler approached a villager who was talking and asked in a low voice: "Excuse me, are they...?"
"Oh, are you an outsider?" The villager stopped what he was doing and explained enthusiastically, "They are the warriors who defeated the shadow lord and brought us light. That one is Su Mo, who has both wisdom and courage; that one The tall one is Sebastian, whose sword is like the light of justice; and the beautiful lady, Leah, whose power comes from the purity of her heart. They are heroes to us all."
An imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of the mysterious traveler's mouth, as if he had found something in their story. "It's really interesting. The heroes' journey seems to have just begun." He said to himself, and then disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind endless reveries.
As the sun set, the three of them gathered together and looked at the setting sun in the distance. They had both emotions and plans for the future in their hearts.
Su Mo coughed lightly and broke the brief silence: "Although we have won, I know that the Shadow Lord may be just the tip of the iceberg of a larger dark force. We cannot relax our vigilance."
"That's right." Sebastian continued, "Besides, there are still many people who need our help. We have to find other places eroded by darkness and bring light there."
Leah nodded, with a gentle light shining in her eyes: "No matter what the road ahead is, the three of us, plus everyone who believes in the light, will always find a way."
While they were talking, a gust of wind blew by, seeming to bring a distant call, the call of another world waiting to be saved. The three of them looked at each other, with new determination and hope in their eyes.
"So, where is our next destination?" Ivan's tone was full of expectation and challenge.
"No matter where we are, as long as the light has not yet arrived, it is our path." Su Mo responded, his eyes were determined, as if he had seen the many tests ahead.
As night fell, they set out on the road again, with the crowd behind them and the cheers fading away.
"Hey, have you heard? Those heroes are setting off again!" In the tavern on the corner of the street, two travelers in coarse clothes were talking while drinking.
"Yes, I heard that they are going to a forgotten valley this time, where ancient secrets are said to be hidden, as well as terrifying monsters!" Another person lowered his voice and pretended to be mysterious.
"Those guys are really brave. If it were me, I wouldn't even dare to go near that place." A passing farmer interjected, his eyes full of awe, "But they can always create miracles, right?"
"Miracle tall, I think he has a tough life." In the corner, a bearded man muttered, "My brother was missing in the last battle. Don't tell me about being a hero. I only know that I am a hero." My brother will never come home again.”
The big man's words made the surrounding area suddenly quiet, and people exchanged complicated looks. Some were sympathetic, while others were helpless. At this moment, an older traveler stood up slowly, his eyes gentle but firm: "Young man, I can understand your anger and sadness. But you have to know that it is because of them that most of us are Being able to sleep peacefully at night. No one wants to lose their loved ones, but they choose to stand in front and bear it for us. Perhaps, giving the heroes some trust and understanding is also the best support we can give them."
The big man didn't respond, he just lowered his head and clenched his fists. The hotel was lost in thought for a while, until the sound of rapid horse hooves outside broke the silence, followed by the cry of a young messenger: "Latest news! Su Mo and the others arrived in the Forgotten Valley, and it is said that they found an ancient sealed The castle contains secrets that can overturn the world!”
This news was like a pebble thrown into a lake, causing an uproar immediately. People started discussing and speculating about the truth behind the castle and how the three heroes would deal with the new challenges.
"A sealed castle? It doesn't sound simple." A middle-aged man wearing scholar's clothes pushed up his glasses, "If that's the case, they may need the help of historical documents to unlock the secrets of the castle."< br>
"Secret? Haha, I bet there must be countless treasures hidden inside, enough for them to eat and drink for several lifetimes!" A drunken fat man interjected, causing several sneers from around him. As the night gets darker, the conversation in the tavern still continues, but for the three Su and Mo in the distance, a new adventure has quietly begun. In a secluded camp in the Forgotten Valley, they sat around a campfire with an old map spread out in front of them, marking their findings. (End of chapter)