In the depths of the dark cave, where shadows stretch like heavy specters, Darin stood looking at Valor, who trembled with pain and regret, like a lost child seeking refuge. Valor's moans filled the emptiness of the cave, as if the stillness of the place echoed his fear. He slowly raised his hands, his eyes pleading with a glimmer of hopeful tears as he fought to stay alive.
"What are you doing?" Darin said in a cold voice, wiping blood from his mouth with a tattered piece of cloth from his clothes.
The turmoil was evident in Valor's eyes, as if he were begging for safety. He whispered in a trembling voice, struggling to catch his breath, "I don't know! I regret this; I don't want to die! I'm scared... What happens after I die? No, I don't want this anymore!" He stared at Darin, as if his hope was feeding off his friend's presence.
Darin remained silent for a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossing his features, as if an internal struggle was trying to be hidden. Then, in a calm voice, he said, "Hey, you're a foolish person. You may have no reason to live, but you have to cling to anything, to always look up. If you look down, you'll find nothing but that terrifying abyss slowly swallowing you."
As hope began to fade from Valor's eyes, he slowly raised his hands towards Darin, asking for salvation one last time, saying, "Please, Darin, there has to be a way... save me!"
Darin continued to look at him in silence, his eyes carrying the weight of conflicting thoughts. For a moment, his hand extended slightly, then stopped, as if something was weighing down his heart. Finally, he sighed deeply and turned his back on Valor, heading deeper into the cave, leaving his friend in his cold darkness.
Valor looked on with wide eyes, unable to believe what was happening. He was the one who had saved Darin, given him a name, taught him how to live, how to see the light amid the darkness. But now, in this moment of weakness, he had abandoned him.
Bam!
His hand gradually fell and hit a stone, making a loud noise. His breath ceased, and his body began to lose its warmth. In the darkness behind him, a black eye stared at him. When it confirmed his death, it dispersed into black mist and moved away from the cave's entrance.
...
Catcha
Inside the cave, Darin held a small lit lantern in his hands, then kicked the iron table in front of him away. He grabbed a metal axe and began to dig with all his strength.
In the pitch darkness and under the dim light of his lamp, Darin bent down, plunging his hands into the hard floor and started digging with all his might. Sweat dripped from his forehead as his nails broke against the hard rocks, but nothing would stop him from his goal. Strike after strike, each heartbeat pushed him to dive deeper into the frozen ground until his hand touched something cold and metallic, different from the surrounding soil.
After moments of frantic digging, he was able to free the small box from the depths of the earth. He lifted it with trembling hands, looking at it with eyes burning with suppressed hope. This box contained everything that Valor had known about this world throughout his life.
Darin slowly opened the box and revealed a collection of dust-covered books. He picked up the top book and dusted it off, reading the title aloud: "Records of the Ancient Glow Bearers."
...
In the desert, winds laden with sand swept over a figure standing on a distant sand dune. It began as a faceless shadow; rays of scorching sunlight fell upon it from the sky but failed to reveal its face. It was like a black dot out of place in this yellow and golden world.
The shadow was holding an unconscious child in its arms while looking toward the horizon. A slight tremor passed over the surface of the shadowy figure, making it turn around.
A light wave of black mist floated in the air, moving toward the shadow and merging with it. "Hahaha, human suffering is always free entertainment for those who watch closely from afar." Once the information injected into that small shard was restored, the shadow laughed with a sound akin to an annoying screech.
"Humanity has specialized in creating suffering, even competing in an unofficial contest: who suffers more and complains less." The shadow pondered for a moment, then looked at the child in its arms, saying, "Aren't you just the same, little friend?"
"Now, those fools have really reached the foot of the mountain and begun searching for the ruins. It's time to finally unleash that mysterious legacy." The faint shadow murmured to itself before transforming into a large cloud of black mist and floating away into the desert.
...
Somewhere near the Dead Lakes, a few tents stood against the winds and high heat. Nearby, several people were doing maintenance on their vehicles.
"What do you mean by that, Gaius? Didn't I tell you to listen to my orders until the job is done? You're just a bunch of mercenaries; you have no say!" By the vehicles, William stood angrily, shouting at Gaius, the muscular figure standing before him.
"As I said before, this mission has dragged on long enough. Tomorrow, we will attack that tribe and wipe them out. Now, we don't have much time to sit and chat. Only a month remains until the Breath of Death, and we must make preparations to survive." Gaius replied forcefully, already annoyed at taking orders from this weakling, but still had to follow the orders to avoid upsetting those from the southern kingdom.
"I told you before, they have an energy lord at level two. I hope you can survive him!" William shouted again.
"I don't think he cares about the life of any ordinary person. So, we'll kill whoever he wants, then leave."
"Fine, do as you please, but I won't go with you. Go and bring me the head of that damn Oliver, and your mission will be over." William waved his hand and then left for the tent.
"It's good that you convinced him; it would have been bad if it dragged on longer. We lost ten members in the last Breath of Death." One of the mercenary members, with dark skin and a slender build and sharp features, approached Gaius, watching William leave angrily with a sarcastic expression.
"Hey, your perspective is still superficial, Harith. Not everyone in the Marundra Desert fears those toxic winds. It's only scattered groups like us who suffer every time the Breath of Death comes." Gaius sighed, his expression becoming a bit formal. He had suffered greatly at the hands of those winds, to the point that his sworn brother died in his arms from poison after barely surviving the breath.
"Leave him be; if it weren't for his support from a huge figure in the kingdom, we wouldn't even think about accepting his mission with the little money he has now. What should we do tomorrow if we anger an energy lord? Our deaths would be certain." Harith asked with some doubts.
"Don't worry; I have confidence in handling things. Just finish fixing the vehicles." Gaius replied with confidence, then left.