Chapter 107: A Glimpse of Light
The shadow attack tore apart the coalition's fighting plan. Though everyone worked together, the damage at the outpost made even the strongest leaders nervous. The sisters came back looking worried, aware that the shadow threat would keep growing worse.
The room at the war council turned quiet as the leaders met. There was a chill in the room, and everyone in the room sensed the fear coming.
Looking solemn Natasha spoke up with strong determination to say 'We cannot yield to hopelessness this time'. They target us to make us afraid beyond action. We need to act decisively."
Alison stood next to her and showed her agreement with a small head gesture. Our response must start the battle against them. We're just reacting to danger, and that's making our situation worse. We require a strategic transformation of tactics.
Dren hit the table with his fist. What specific steps do we need to take right now? Only our weapons fail, and they hide like spirits!
From his position next to the maps Ira murmured "Our search may be misguided". These unnatural shadows are different from what nature created. We must look at new ways to solve our problems.
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That evening Natasha entered the underground records room at Vellion. Yellowed documents and maps stood in quiet rows against worn shelf edges that marked endless centuries. Ira said he thought old writings might be the key to finding an answer.
She arrived with a lantern and food later, following Natasha. He left the parcel on the table because you worked without stopping through the entire day.
As Natasha kept reading she answered "I can't" without raising her eyes. I know we need to find something important in this place. Our search needs to find answers to this problem.
From across the table Alison observed as Natasha reviewed every page with detailed focus. When she worked hard, he both respected and understood why she was driven.
Natasha stopped her search, with her finger ready to select a specific part. She pointed at the text with enthusiasm in her words.
Alison leaned closer. According to the text shadow and light fought an ancient battle while warriors used weapons containing Heart energy. According to this text such weapons could counteract powerful dark entities.
From her shining eyes Natasha knew they had found their answer. We need to find ways to rebuild these weapons to win our fight.
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The girls showed their research to the council on the following day. While doubts were strong in the room, people also started to believe there might be a way out.
Based on existing results Natasha insisted that they could recreate the weapons. "Our biggest challenge is making sure we can create these weapons properly."
Alison said we must use our most potent Heart power to forge these weapons. We depend on top talent from the entire settlement network. Everyone in the coalition needs to join forces to make this work.
The council members said yes, but trust remained shaky. Since speed was essential they had to make their preparations under constant pressure.
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When the weapons project started Alison formed a new team to explore the outpost ruins. They wanted to find what made the shadows' attacks fail.
The scene was haunting. The remains of burned wood, damaged walls, and a sad feeling surrounded us. The team went slowly, holding their guns ready, knowing they couldn't help if the shadows came back.
The team found a barely alive young woman among the destroyed buildings. The woman's pupils stared wide while her skin took a ghostly tone. The woman told them how a black-clad person controlled the shadows, and their eyes lit up flames like firewood burning.
He squatted down next to her while speaking in a soft voice. "Did you see where they went? Please tell us your knowledge of their location and if you saw anything.
With little strength she pointed toward the jungle's southeast area. "Deep… deep in the jungle. There's… something there."
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As we returned to Vellion, Natasha was making sure the blacksmiths finished their job. Every group - blacksmiths, Heart-wielder experts, and scholars - came together to make weapons that drew power from light. People worked frantically around the forge which now burned hotter than usual.
She showed the blade to Natasha, which she held in her hand. "Sure, it's not perfect yet, but we've made real progress," she concluded.
She held the blade and sensed its weight plus the tiny electrical charge running within. "We're on the right track. Keep pushing."
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Alison came back that night with information about the survivor she found. "She pointed to an area where shadows moved to the southeast," he told us. "We need to investigate."
Natasha nodded. "We'll take a small team. We can't let more people die while we work on this.
The three of them headed into the woods with care early in the morning. It became harder to breathe and see straight through the dense trees and darker light. The jungle plants seemed to pause their growth as if everyone waited for something to happen.
They spent the entire trek before happening upon a lost temple deeply buried in the trees. When they found the temple, they saw a totally new building style. HighColumns covered in plants, with wall carvings showing fights between light and darkness.
In hushed words Natasha confirmed "This is it."
During exploration they discovered where shadows had been—his marks disappeared into vapor and left burned marks on the rocks. Every step we took felt like someone was watching us, and the air was far colder than normal.
He squatted down next to her while speaking in a soft voice. "Did you see where they went? Please tell us your knowledge of their location and if you saw anything.
With little strength she pointed toward the jungle's southeast area. "Deep… deep in the jungle. There's… something there."
---
As we returned to Vellion, Natasha was making sure the blacksmiths finished their job. Every group - blacksmiths, Heart-wielder experts, and scholars - came together to make weapons that drew power from light. People worked frantically around the forge which now burned hotter than usual.
She showed the blade to Natasha, which she held in her hand. "Sure, it's not perfect yet, but we've made real progress," she concluded.
She held the blade and sensed its weight plus the tiny electrical charge running within. "We're on the right track. Keep pushing."
---
Alison came back that night with information about the survivor she found. "The survivor told us the shadows moved away toward the southeast," he reported. "We need to investigate."
Natasha nodded. "We'll take a small team. We can't let more people die while we work on this.
Their movement started early morning while keeping alert in the dense vegetation. It became harder to breathe and see straight through the dense trees and darker light. The jungle plants seemed to pause their growth as if everyone waited for something to happen.
The team had to walk for a long time before finding an old building covered by plants in the forest. The building style amazed them because its tall vine-covered spires showed battlefield scenes between light and darkness.
Natasha noticed it right away by feeling her heart racing fast.
While moving through the ruins, they located signs of shadow activity - footprints that disappeared into fog, and burn marks left on the rock surfaces. Every step we took felt like someone was watching us, and the air was far colder than normal.