Kael set out again with the first light of the day. Today, he would look for answers to all the questions brought by yesterday. After bidding farewell to the town, he moved deeper into the forest. What the wise man said echoed in his mind: "There are always those in the shadow." Was this just a warning or a sign of a threat? Kael struggled with these thoughts as he took his steps.
He spent the night in an abandoned hut on the side of the road. The hut had not been used for a long time. There was moss on it and even the walls were full of large cracks. But Kael knew he needed to rest here. Being alone at night kept him locked in his thoughts, while always increasing the strength within him. This loneliness, in a sense, gave him strength. Kael spent the night without getting out of his thoughts for a moment.
The next morning, Kael set out again. The weather was grey, clouds covered the sky. The gloom brought by the weather made one feel the heavy burden of the journey. At that moment, he noticed movement ahead. As he got closer, he saw a group of men emerging from the depths of the forest. The dark cloaks they wore made them look like ghosts lost in nature.
Kael started paying more attention. These men were not like the people who normally walk in the forest. Each of them was moving silently, like a shadow. He slowed down for a moment and watched them. There was a strange restlessness inside him. After all, every new person he encountered on this journey was either an enemy or a mystery.
A few minutes later, the men passed Kael. At that moment, someone noticed Kael's gaze and stopped slowly, turned to Kael and smiled strangely. This smile made Kael even more uneasy. "If you want to get to the end of the road, you need to be a little more careful," the man said, slowly raising his hand.
While Kael tried to decipher what the man's words meant, one by one the men silently disappeared into the depths of the forest. The threat behind the words was clearly evident. Kael felt the dark emotions inside him more deeply. These men were either part of the Shadow Ones or another force that served them. Either way, he was facing danger.
Kael's inner intuition had awakened him. He thought the men might just be pawns. But something was missing. What the men said reminded him more and more each day that he was not alone on this journey and that there was a threat around every corner.
As the hours passed, Kael continued on his way. After a while, he heard a deep voice from far away. Like voices in the shadow, like a dark call. He realized that the voice he heard was directed towards him. At that moment, Kael's whole body began to alarm. There was a danger. But this time, he had to see his enemy. He was one step closer to confronting the darkness within himself.
As he moved towards the direction of the sound, another group appeared before Kael. This time, they had swords and arrows in their hands. Looking at each other, they took a step towards Kael. They were slowly, slowly approaching him. Kael noticed that there was a single purpose in his eyes. They were just obstacles, and Kael had to overcome them. He felt ready to take them down, one by one, with a single move.
However, before he fought, he noticed something else. The expressions on the men's faces showed that the dark power coming from them was not only a physical threat, but also a spiritual tyranny. In an instant, they all looked deeply into Kael's eyes. These looks could make him think that everything was an illusion. But Kael will use the power within him to reveal the truth behind these shadows, no matter what.
Suddenly, the men began to move quickly. He noticed one of them drawing an arrow, the others drawing their swords and advancing rapidly towards Kael. Kael prepared to defend himself. As he wielded his sword, he felt as if time was slowing down. His eyes were shining with a sense of revenge and desire to save.
The closest man made the first move and swung a sword blow towards Kael. Kael quickly stepped back and let the blow pass him by. Then, he swung his sword and struck the man sharply in the stomach. As the man collapsed, Kael turned to the others. Every move of his sword whispered death. As another man aimed his arrows, Kael quickly dashed to the right and deflected the arrows. Then he targeted the archer with his sword and struck him in the stomach.
Only one man remained. However, this last man did not fall as easily as Kael expected. He was strong and determined. As he swung the sword, each blow became more deadly. Kael planned his every move carefully to avoid being left defenseless. After a while, he finally broke the defense of the man in front of him and pointed his sword at his throat. The man looked at Kael in surprise for a moment, then collapsed to the ground with a sob.
Kael took a deep breath at the end of the battle. His body was tired, but his victory had offered him a moment of relief. Deep in this dark forest, he realized once again how dangerous the shadows he encountered really were. But this was just the beginning. He had to continue to face the darkness within him, because the journey was leading him to greater dangers.
Day 6: Behind the Shadows
In the early morning hours, Kael emerged from the depths of the abandoned forest and set out on his journey again. Although the cold air hit his face sharply, it was a kind of awakening for Kael. Every step pulled him deeper into darkness. The men's words kept echoing in his mind: "If you want to get to the end of the road, you need to be a little more careful." This warning created fear in Kael. But beyond the fear, there was something else; a desire. He wanted to reveal them, these shadows, at last.
As the day progressed, the atmosphere of the forest grew thicker. The trees grew so close together that almost no light could pass through. The only thing that stood out in his mind was the image of the lost princess. He would do whatever it took to find her. As he progressed, Kael began to sense yet another unknown threat. With each passing minute, he was getting one step closer, pushing the limits of both his enemies and the darkness within him.
A group of men appeared ahead. They looked like the men he had encountered the night before. Their cloaks were blowing in the wind and they were moving like shadows. As Kael stepped towards them, he realized that everything was part of a much larger plan. These men were just simple pawns. Slowly, but steadily, Kael approached the group members. Someone's eyes turned towards him, just like the night before. The man's gaze seemed to have a deep meaning.
"Kael," the man said, his tone cold as he mentioned his name. "Don't question the shadow forces any further. It ignores you, but you continue to confront it."
Kael seemed to understand what the man said, but only one emotion stood out on his face: determination. The anger within him caused him to resist the threat of these dark beings who were getting closer to him every moment.
This group wanted to test Kael once again. They had knives, swords and arrows in their hands. Holding his breath, Kael drew his sword to prepare for battle. As he circled around the men, his eyes were eager to get out of them on one side and from the depths of darkness on the other. The anger within him was aimed at much more than the existence of these men.
Suddenly, one of their leaders stood in front of Kael and smiled. "What's your goal, Kael? Are you that angry about the princess's disappearance?" he said. "Or is your real goal to find your own identity in this fight with the shadows?"
Kael suddenly tensed up as he looked into that man's eyes. Something was starting to explode inside him. He decided to fight. Now, everything meant only one thing: to survive and find the truth.
The men made the first move. Someone swung his sword at Kael. Kael quickly dashed to the right, allowing the blow to pass. Then he quickly turned around, swung his sword and reached his target, knocking someone down. He showed no mercy to the other men who remained. Each of them became an obstacle to Kael. As they fell one by one, Kael quickly disarmed each one.
As the battle drew to a close, the leader's gaze was still focused on Kael. This man noticed the dark power within Kael and knew he had to be a little more careful. But Kael wasn't going to stop no matter what.
In the end, the leader's last move failed and Kael knocked him out as well. Out of breath, Kael fell silent for a moment. Everything was silent in the forest, but this silence told him something: There was a greater danger on the road, and that danger was rapidly approaching, becoming much more frightening.
After a short rest at the end of the battle, Kael continued on his way. But one thing always resonated within him: These shadows and dark forces were just the beginning. Now, something bigger was waiting for him, a real threat to him.
"Come, Kael," Aldric said, the sarcastic tone in his voice clearly focused on Kael. "Your time has come. If you want to save the princess, you must get past me first!"