The western ridge was just beyond the treeline, the start of what would surely be a long, complicated journey to find the dark elves.
Esmeralda stopped at the edge of the forest, turning to face us with that unchanging smile.
"You might want to quicken your pace, I heard that the western ridge is haunted at night."
I froze the moment those words left Esmeralda's lips. Haunted? At night? My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively grabbed Arienna's arm.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, my eyes darting nervously around the darkening forest.
Esmeralda's haunting smile never wavered.
She turned and started walking deeper into the forest, her movements silent as if she were gliding above the ground.
Every few steps, she'd glance back at me, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"I'd keep up if I were you," She called, her voice barely above a whisper, echoing unnervingly in the trees. "The spirits don't like stragglers."
That was it. I wasn't going to wait around and test whether she was bluffing.
Without thinking, I grabbed Arienna by the wrist and yanked her along, practically dragging her down the path.
"Come on, Arienna! You heard her! No straggling!" I shouted, my voice a little more panicked than I would've liked.
Arienna stumbled slightly but kept pace, clearly trying to balance herself.
"Kira, calm down! You're—"
"Calm down?" I interrupted, glancing over my shoulder in case some ghostly figure was creeping up on us. "You heard her! The ridge is haunted, and we're walking right into it!"
Esmeralda floated ahead, her presence almost more unnerving the faster I tried to move.
She didn't seem to be in any rush, her pace slow and deliberate. Meanwhile, I was nearly sprinting, dragging poor Arienna through the underbrush.
"You're going to trip us both if you keep running like this!"
"We're not stopping until we're out of this creepy ghost zone!"
I insisted, my eyes darting around like every shadow was about to leap out and drag me into the afterlife.
The trees seemed to close in around us, their branches twisting in unnatural ways under the moonlight.
Every rustle, every creak, made my skin crawl. Was it the wind? Or something worse?
Esmeralda's soft, melodic laugh floated through the trees, sending another shiver down my spine. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Alright, enough!" I spun around, facing her, still clutching Arienna's arm like a lifeline. "You think this is funny? You've been creeping me out since the moment we met!"
Esmeralda floated gracefully toward us, her eerie smile never faltering.
"Oh, Kira, You do that all on your own."
"She has a point, you know."
"Shut up, Arienna!"
Esmeralda drifted closer, her presence unsettling, though her eyes twinkled with amusement.
"You should learn to embrace your fears, Kira. Maybe then, you wouldn't be so... jumpy."
"Jumpy?" I scoffed, my voice breaking slightly despite myself. "I'm not jumpy! I'm cautious!"
Esmeralda's soft laugh echoed again, almost blending with the rustling leaves.
"You're more entertaining than the spirits I usually talk to. Maybe I should keep you around."
"Keep me around?!" I barked, taking a step back. "I'm not some pet you can toy with! And stop with that creepy floating thing! Walk like a normal person for once!"
Her grin widened as she slowly descended, her feet finally touching the ground.
But even standing, she somehow managed to look otherworldly, like she didn't quite belong in this realm.
"There. Happy?"
"Not even close."
Arienna stepped in, trying to keep the peace.
"Kira, she's just teasing you. You need to calm down."
"Calm down?" I repeated, my voice raising an octave. "How can I calm down when—"
Before I could finish, a sudden rustling came from the trees behind us.
I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. Arienna went still, her hand reaching instinctively for her sword.
Esmeralda's smile remained, but her eyes narrowed slightly, glancing toward the noise.
"What... what was that?"
I whispered, my bravado vanishing in an instant.
The rustling grew louder, something moving behind the trees. My grip tightened on Arienna's arm, and I took a step closer to her, my eyes wide with panic.
"See? That's why I don't trust haunted forests!"
Esmeralda didn't react like we did. She stood perfectly still, her head tilted slightly, as if listening to something beyond our senses.
"Another dark elf? Interesting..."
The rustling in the bushes intensified, and before any of us could react, a figure leapt out from the shadows.
In one fluid motion, it landed right in front of Arienna, dropping to one knee with a grace that startled me.
The figure was cloaked in dark leather armor, their face obscured by a hood. A silver sigil glinted in the moonlight, marking them as one of the dark elves we had been searching for.
They knelt before Arienna with their head bowed, as if in reverence or submission.
"Lady Arienna," The dark elf said in a low, steady voice. "I've been awaiting your arrival."
I blinked, completely dumbfounded.
"What... what the hell is going on?"
Arienna's eyes widened in surprise, her grip on her sword tightening. She stepped forward, her voice sharp with urgency.
"How did you escaped past the shadowy forces?"
"Lady Arienna, your brother... Prince Daishin is the one that let me escaped from the shadowy forces... He used himself as a bait."
Arienna's face contorted with a mix of shock and anger. Her hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white as her grip tightened on the sword.
"My brother… Daishin…" Her voice trembled, a storm of emotions battling beneath the surface. "He used himself as bait?"
The dark elf nodded solemnly, still kneeling before her.
"Yes, Lady Arienna. He insisted it was the only way to give me a chance. The shadowy forces were closing in on the two of us, and without his sacrifice, I wouldn't have made it."
Arienna's face darkened, her voice trembling with a combination of anger and frustration.
"And what were you two thinking, trying to escape?" She snapped, stepping closer to the dark elf. "You couldn't wait for help? For me?"
The dark elf kept his head bowed, but his voice was steady.
"We had no choice, Lady Arienna. Time was running out, and the shadowy forces were tightening their grip. The prince knew we had to act–"
"To hell with Daishin! He's always doing anything reckless..."
Arienna's voice broke as she dropped to her knees on the forest floor, her sword clattering beside her.
The weight of her brother's sacrifice hung heavily in the air, and I could see the anger in her eyes slowly morphing into despair.
"What happened to the others?" She whispered, her voice cracking. "What about the other captured dark elves?"
The dark elf hesitated, clearly caught off guard by her sudden shift in demeanor. He finally raised his head, his expression serious.
"Still in the fortress of the shadowy forces... they are draining our magic power and several of us are completely drained out."
Arienna's breath hitched at the dark elf's words.
The thought of her brother enduring whatever torment awaited him, trapped in the fortress, fueled the fire of her anger.
"Draining magic? What do you mean? Why would they do that?"
The dark elf's gaze met mine, his eyes filled with grief and despair.
"The shadowy forces feed off our power. They draw strength from our magic, weakening us to subdue our kind."
I slam my feet on the ground, my posture is straight and confident. I don't feel any fear in me anymore, I just feel the need to rescue those who's in need.
I slam my fist on my palm, the chilling air fills the air. My magic is swirling inside me like it's about to explode.
"I don't know what we're up against... But I know your people is important to you, Arienna."
She looked at me with those concern eyes of her but I shrug her off with a confident smile.
"Don't worry, I'm going to save your clan even if our race is not fond of each other."
Arienna stared at me, her eyes still filled with turmoil, but I could see the spark of hope fighting to resurface.
Her grip on her sword tightened once more, though this time it wasn't from despair. It was determination.
"Kira…"
She began, her voice softer now, as if struggling to balance her emotions.
"I am thankful to have met you... you're such a wonderful person, but if they are feeding on our magic... then their magic is going to be stronger than what normal human could produce."
Arienna's words hung in the air, her concern is palpable.
I could sense the weight of her thoughts, her fear for her people and her brother mingling with the dread of what we were about to face.
I knew she was right... these shadowy forces weren't something to take lightly, I knew that already since I've faced one of them before.
"I have faced one of them before... he was no joke, he's dodging all of my attack like nothing."
Arienna looked at me, her eyes widening with surprise.
"You've fought one of the shadowy forces?"
"Yeah, I think he was part of them. I can feel the same vibes from the wound of that subordinate of yours."
Arienna's expression darkened as she processed my words, the weight of the situation sinking in deeper.
Her gaze shifted back to the dark elf kneeling before her.
"You're wounded?"
The dark elf hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Slowly, he pushed back his cloak, revealing a deep gash running down his side. The wound was raw, pulsing with a dark, sickly energy that seemed to cling to him like a parasite.
"It's not... lethal," He muttered, wincing as he shifted. "But the magic lingers. It's draining me, little by little."
Arienna's face hardened as she knelt beside the dark elf, her hand hovering over the wound.
Arienna's hand trembled slightly as she reached out, her magic glowing faintly, attempting to assess the damage.
The dark energy surrounding the wound seemed to push back against her, resisting her efforts.
"This is worse than I thought," She muttered, her brow furrowing in concentration. "Their magic is corrupting your life force."
Esmeralda, who had been eerily quiet throughout the exchange, stepped forward, her presence suddenly more grounded and serious.
"He won't last long if we don't act soon."
I glanced between Arienna, the injured elf, and Esmeralda, feeling the urgency of the situation weigh on me.
But this is not the time for this, my body is itching for a fight.
Without saying a word, I turned and started sprinting through the forest.
Branches whipped against my arms, the wind rushing past as I tore through the dense underbrush.
The forest blurred around me, a maze of twisted roots and gnarled trees that seemed to shift in the fading light.
My feet pounded against the uneven ground, each step sending a jolt through my legs, but I didn't care. I couldn't stop.
The shadows grew deeper with every passing second, the canopy above barely allowing the moonlight to guide me.
My mind raced with the image of those dark elves, trapped, their magic being drained, powerless against the forces lurking ahead.
I could almost feel the weight of their suffering pressing on my chest, fueling my urgency.
My breath came in short bursts, the chill of the night air biting at my lungs, but the fire inside me blazed hotter.
I had no idea what lay ahead, but that didn't matter anymore.
I was running toward the unknown, driven by a single purpose... to fight, to save, to stand against whatever monstrous force awaited me at the fortress.
The ground sloped upward, the start of the western ridge rising before me.
My muscles burned as I pushed harder, my heart thundering in my ears.
The trees thinned, opening up to jagged rocks and sharp cliffs that lined the ridge like teeth. I barely noticed the change in terrain, my focus locked on the path ahead.
The fortress had to be close.
I leaped over a fallen log, barely breaking stride, my magic stirring within me, crackling just beneath the surface. It wanted out. It wanted to be unleashed. And soon, it would be.
As I neared the top of the ridge, the air grew colder, the wind sharper as it cut through the night.
The world below stretched out like an endless ocean of darkness, but just ahead, something caught my eye, a faint glow, almost like a dying ember.
I skidded to a stop as I reached the peak, my boots digging into the loose gravel beneath me.
My breath hitched in my throat when I saw it... nestled against the side of the mountain, just below the ridge, was a massive fortress. It loomed in the shadows, its towering spires piercing the night sky, casting ominous silhouettes over the land.
The fortress was unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Dark stone walls rose high into the sky, twisted and jagged as if grown from the very earth itself.
Spiked battlements jutted out, and faint lights flickered from within the cracks of the structure, glowing with an eerie, unnatural hue.