The familiar bustle of Valoria's main square had always been a comforting sight for Arcodia. The vivid colors of banners flapping in the breeze, the sound of merchants haggling over goods, and the constant chatter of players discussing their latest quests. But today, something felt off.
The air was heavy, like a storm waiting to break. Arcodia stood at the edge of the square, scanning her surroundings. She'd been in the game long enough to know the rhythm of Valoria, but today, that rhythm had been broken.
An NPC blacksmith, usually hammering away at his forge with precision, was now standing still, staring blankly ahead. A nearby quest marker flickered, then vanished. Other players were murmuring in confusion, pointing at the inconsistencies in the environment.
"What's going on?" Arcodia muttered to herself. She approached the blacksmith, his vacant eyes following her as she moved closer. "Are you... okay?"
No response. His lips moved as if to speak, but no sound came out. Arcodia felt a chill run down her spine. Something was wrong, and it wasn't just a glitch. She could feel it.
Before she could think further, her message icon blinked with an unfamiliar name: Eldrin.
The name wasn't one she recognized, and yet it filled her with an inexplicable sense of urgency. She opened the message.
"Meet me in the Grove of Whispers. Alone."
Arcodia hesitated, glancing around at the distorted environment. She had never heard of Eldrin, nor had anyone ever told her about a place called the Grove of Whispers. The message felt ominous, but her curiosity outweighed her caution. If this had anything to do with the strange occurrences in Valoria, she needed to find out more.
The Grove of Whispers was a place Arcodia had never ventured before. Hidden deep within the forest, it was secluded, shrouded in mist, and eerily silent. The trees here were taller, their branches twisted in strange patterns, casting unnatural shadows across the ground.
Arcodia made her way deeper into the grove, her hand resting on the hilt of her weapon just in case. The further she walked, the quieter the world around her became. Even the usual ambient sounds of Valoria; birds chirping, wind rustling through leaves had disappeared.
And then, out of the mist, he appeared.
It's Eldrin.
The NPC stood with his back to her, cloaked in dark robes that rippled as if they were made from shadow itself. His presence was unnerving, yet there was something familiar in the way he moved like a figure she had always known but had forgotten.
"I've been waiting for you, Arcodia," Eldrin said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of urgency.
Arcodia's hand tightened around her weapon. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
Eldrin turned slowly, revealing a face etched with age, though his eyes glimmered with a light far too sharp for someone who should have been bound to the usual scripts of NPCs. There was intelligence in his gaze that made Arcodia's skin prickle.
"Who I am is not important. What matters is what I've come to warn you about," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "The Prophecy of Shadows. A force is rising, one that seeks to tear apart both this world and yours."
Arcodia frowned, her skepticism battling with the growing sense of unease. "What are you talking about? This is just a game. Whatever glitches are happening, the devs will fix them. Right?"
Eldrin's gaze darkened. "It is no mere glitch. The lines between this world and your own have grown thin. What you call a game is far more than that. There are forces manipulating both realms; forces that were never meant to awaken."
Arcodia's mind raced. It sounded impossible, but then again, so did everything she saw today.
"The vanishing quest markers, the erratic NPCs. That's part of this, isn't it?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
Eldrin nodded. "They are the first signs. Soon, the veil between worlds will fully tear, and when it does, both Valoria and your world will be consumed by darkness."
Arcodia's heart pounded in her chest. "What do you expect me to do? I'm just a player."
"There is more to you than you realize, Arcodia. The Prophecy speaks of one who will stand against the coming storm, one who walks between worlds." Eldrin took a step closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "You must gather your allies, trust those who understand the shadows, and seek the truth behind the Guild of Shadows. Only then will you have a chance to stop what is coming."
The name struck her like a bolt of lightning, the Guild of Shadows. She had heard Zenny mention it in passing, always with a cryptic tone. Could she know more about this than she was letting on?
"Wait," Arcodia said, stepping forward as Eldrin began to fade into the mist. "How do I find the Guild of Shadows?"
"You already know where to start," Eldrin replied, his figure slowly dissolving into the fog. "But beware, Arcodia. Once you step into the shadows, there is no turning back."
And just like that, he was gone, leaving Arcodia standing alone in the eerie silence of the grove.
That night, back in the safety of their camp, Arcodia sat with Kellan, Zenny, and Thorn, the crackling fire casting long shadows around them.
"I'm telling you, something isn't right," Arcodia said, recounting her encounter with Eldrin. "There's a dark force manipulating the game, and he mentioned something about the Guild of Shadows. I think it's more than just a bug or a glitch."
Kellan scoffed, leaning back against a tree. "Dark forces? Prophecies? Sounds like NPC nonsense to me. We've been through weird quests before. This is just some scripted event to keep players engaged."
"Maybe," Arcodia conceded, "but what if it's not?"
Zenny, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke, her voice soft but laden with an unusual seriousness. "The Guild of Shadows… isn't just a rumor or a story line. It's real. And it's powerful." Her eyes met Arcodia's, and for the first time, Arcodia saw a flicker of fear in the usually composed mage. "If Eldrin is warning you about them, then we need to be careful."
Thorn raised an eyebrow, his casual smirk fading slightly. "Wait, you know about this guild? You've never mentioned it before."
Zenny looked down, her fingers tracing the edge of her staff. "Because some things are better left in the shadows. But if what Arcodia says is true, we may not have that luxury anymore."
Kellan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So what, we're supposed to hunt down this 'dark force'? Sounds like we're walking straight into a trap."
Arcodia's resolve hardened. "Maybe. But if there's even a chance this is real, then we need to be ready."
Zenny nodded, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "I'll help you. But once we start down this path, there's no going back."
As the fire crackled and the shadows danced around them, Arcodia couldn't shake the feeling that their world had already begun to change—and that the real danger was just beginning.
The days following Arcodia's encounter with Eldrin were tense. The strange glitches and erratic NPC behavior continued, growing worse with each passing moment. It wasn't just isolated incidents anymore—entire quests were vanishing, players were being disconnected at random, and the once lively world of Valoria felt haunted by an unseen presence. The air was thick with paranoia, rumors spreading like wildfire across the game's message boards.
Despite Kellan's dismissal, Arcodia couldn't let go of Eldrin's warning. The idea of a dark force manipulating both Valoria and her own world was too terrifying to ignore. And with Zenny's quiet confirmation of the Guild of Shadows' existence, it was clear they had no choice but to investigate.
The problem was… they had no idea where to start.
"You sure about this?" Thorn asked as they made their way through the winding streets of a secluded village on the outskirts of Valoria. The place was eerily quiet, the residents either absent or uninterested in the group of adventurers moving cautiously through their midst. "I mean, we're getting off one cryptic message from some NPC. For all we know, this could be a wild goose chase."
"Maybe," Arcodia admitted, her eyes scanning their surroundings. "But Eldrin said I already knew where to start. I've been thinking about it, and the only lead we have is Zenny."
At this, Zenny, who had been walking slightly ahead, paused. She turned slowly, her expression as unreadable as ever. "You think I know more than I'm saying?"
Arcodia held her gaze. "You know I do."
The mage's lips thinned, and for a moment, it seemed like she might deflect the question with her usual cryptic tone. But then, much to Arcodia's surprise, Zenny nodded. "I've been holding back, yes. But not because I wanted to keep secrets. I didn't want to put any of you in danger."
Kellan, walking beside them, grunted. "Too late for that now."
Zenny led them to the outskirts of the village, where the trees grew thick and close, casting long shadows over the narrow path they followed. The air here was cooler, and Arcodia noticed how unnaturally quiet it was, even for Valoria. No birds, no wind. Just silence.
"The Guild of Shadows isn't just a myth," Zenny began, her voice low. "They've existed for as long as Valoria itself, hidden in the dark places of this world. Most players think they're just a faction of rogues or assassins, part of the game's mechanics, but they're much more than that. They operate outside the system, beyond the devs' control."
Thorn raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Beyond the devs? How is that even possible?"
Zenny glanced at him. "Because the Guild doesn't play by the rules of the game. They manipulate the code itself, bending it to their will. That's how they stay hidden, how they've avoided detection for so long. But it's not just about power—it's about control. They want to reshape Valoria, and from what Eldrin said, they might be trying to do the same in our world."
Arcodia felt a chill run through her. "You've had contact with them before, haven't you?"
Zenny hesitated, then nodded. "I was approached by them a long time ago. They saw potential in my abilities and wanted me to join their ranks. I refused, but that doesn't mean they've forgotten about me. If we're going to find them, I'm the key."
Kellan, ever the skeptic, folded his arms across his chest. "And what's the plan? We walk into one of their hideouts and ask nicely for answers?"
Zenny's eyes darkened. "No. The Guild won't reveal themselves that easily. They're watching us already—watching me. If we want to find them, we'll have to draw them out."
Arcodia frowned. "And how do we do that?"
Zenny looked at her, a grim determination in her eyes. "By making ourselves valuable. The Guild craves power and influence. If we show them that we can disrupt their plans, they'll come to us."
The plan was risky, but it was their best option. Zenny had devised a strategy to hack into one of the Guild's secret caches of information, a risky endeavor that would not only expose their current operations but also paint a target on their backs. It was the only way to force the Guild to make a move.
They set up their base in an abandoned ruin deep within Valoria's wilderness, far from the prying eyes of other players and NPCs. Zenny spends hours tracing the Guild's hidden network, using her magical abilities to manipulate the code and locate their digital footprint. Arcodia, Kellan, and Thorn kept watch, knowing that the moment Zenny initiated the hack, they would be vulnerable.
"This feels like a bad idea," Kellan muttered, his sword resting on his lap as he leaned against a crumbling wall.
"Since when do we ever have good ideas?" Thorn quipped, twirling one of his daggers absentmindedly. "Besides, it's exciting, isn't it? We're taking on the most dangerous secret organization in the game. How many players can say that?"
"Let's hope we live to say it," Kellan muttered under his breath.
Arcodia, standing near the entrance of the ruin, kept her eyes on the horizon. Every flicker of movement in the shadows made her tense. "Zenny, how much longer?"
"Almost there," Zenny replied, her fingers dancing through the air as glowing runes and lines of code surrounded her. "Just a little more…"
Suddenly, the surrounding air shifted. The shadows seemed to stretch and warp, pulling away from their natural shapes. Arcodia's pulse quickened as she stepped back from the entrance. "Something's wrong."
Before anyone could react, a cold voice echoed through the ruins.
"You shouldn't have come here."
Arcodia whirled around, her heart hammering in her chest. From the darkest corner of the room, a figure emerged, cloaked in shadow, her face obscured by a hood. The surrounding air crackled with an unnatural energy.
"The Guild of Shadows doesn't take kindly to intruders."
Zenny's magic flared, her body glowing with a defensive aura. "We're not here to play nice."
The figure tilted their head, a smile curling beneath the hood. "No, you're here to die."
In an instant, the room was filled with movement. More figures emerged from the shadows; rogues, assassins, and spell casters, all clad in the dark attire of the Guild. Arcodia drew her weapon, adrenaline surging through her veins.
"Looks like they found us first," Kellan growled, rising to his feet, sword in hand.
"Good," Thorn said with a grin, already slipping into the shadows. "It's more fun this way."
The battle erupted around them, fast and brutal. Arcodia parried a strike from one of the assassins, her mind racing. The Guild was faster, more organized than any enemy they'd faced before. Every move was calculated, every strike meant to weaken and disorient them.
But they weren't just any adventurers.
Kellan's sword cleaved through two attackers at once, his sheer strength forcing the Guild members to retreat. Thorn moved like a shadow himself, slipping between enemies and taking them down with quick, precise strikes. Zenny stood at the center of the chaos, her magic swirling around her in a storm of light and energy, deflecting attacks and unleashing blasts of power that sent enemies flying.
Arcodia fought with everything she had, her blade flashing in the dim light as she blocked, dodged, and countered. But even as they held their ground, the realization settled in, this was only the beginning. The Guild had come to stop them, and they wouldn't stop until Valoria was theirs.
The battle raged on, the group fighting as one, their movements in perfect harmony. For every creature that fell, another seemed to rise, but they didn't falter. With each strike, they grew stronger, more confident. The bonds they had forged in the Abyss held firm, and together, they pushed forward.
Kellan's blade cut through the last of the shadowy creatures, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "That's all you got?"
But the figure at the far end of the hall hadn't moved. It watched them in silence, its presence growing more oppressive with each passing moment.
Arcodia stepped forward, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the pull of the Abyss, the weight of the darkness threatening to overwhelm her, but she refused to give in.
"You can't defeat us," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at the edges of her mind. "We're stronger than you think."
The figure's voice was cold, mocking. "Strength is nothing in the face of eternity. The Abyss will outlast you all."
Zenny stepped beside Arcodia, her magic swirling around her hands. "Maybe. But we won't let it consume Valoria. Not while we still stand."
The figure's form began to shift, dissolving into the shadows. "Then the Abyss will consume you, one by one. It is only a matter of time."
As the figure disappeared into the darkness, the oppressive energy in the room began to dissipate. The shadows retreated, and the air grew lighter, though the sense of unease lingered.
Arcodia exhaled slowly, lowering her staff. "It's not over yet. But we're ready."
Kellan, Zenny, and Thorn gathered around her, their faces tired but determined. They had faced the Abyss, confronted their fears, and emerged stronger from it. The darkness wasn't gone, but it no longer held the same power over them.
Together, they turned and walked out of the obsidian fortress, the path ahead uncertain, but their bond stronger than ever.
Whatever lay ahead, they would face it together.