Deep in the Valley of the Lost, a ruins hidden among the mountains lay before Elena's eyes. There is no brilliant palace here, there is no dazzling brilliance, only the ruins eroded by time and the strange light and shadow interwoven. In the center of the ruins was a huge altar, surrounded by intricate carved runes that seemed to have life, flowing slowly in a faint red light.
Elena crossed the misty path and finally set foot on this land. The Shadow Blade followed her in silence, making no further attempt to attack or even to reveal a word. He brought Elena to the altar, stopped and whispered, "The High priest has been waiting for you for a long time."
Elena looked up and her eyes rested on the figure at the top of the altar.
It was a figure in a black robe, heavily embroidered with the runes of the Castaway camp, and with scarlet fringe at the cuffs. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, revealing only a pair of sharp and deep eyes, as if they could Pierce the heart. In his hand he held a scepter with a dark red jewel at the top, which gave off an eerie glow.
"Welcome to the land of the abandoned, Elena Cassirer." His voice was deep and magnetic, with an ineffable authority.
Elena looked straight up at him, her eyes cautious and unyielding. "Do you know my name?"
The high priest smiled and walked slowly down the altar, the sound of his staff striking the ground echoing through the empty ruins. His eyes glanced over Elena, as if to examine, as if to confirm: "A soul that has turned its back on angels, but has not fallen into the abyss of demons... Whether your existence is the long-lost hope of abandoning the camp or a new disaster, I have not yet decided."
"I am not your scourge, nor do I need your salvation." Elena responded bluntly, her voice calm and firm, "I am here to find strength, I need to abandon the support of the camp."
The high priest was silent for a moment, the light in his eyes deep and complex. He began slowly: "Do you know what the abandoned camp is? We're not angels, we're not demons. We are the third possibility beyond light and darkness - the embodiment of betrayal and freedom. Choosing to stand here means you will always be abandoned by the gods and even forgotten by the world."
Without hesitation, Elena said: "Those things, I lost."
The high priest's eyes became sharp, and his voice was low but irresistible: "Are you willing, then, to bear the cost of abandoning your son?" We never take an oath lightly, and every one who abandons a child must pay a corresponding price."
Elena's fists clenched slightly, her chest lit up with the familiar anger and determination: "If the price is my fate, then I am ready."
A vague sense of oppression filled the air, and the high priest looked at Elena in silence, the scepter tapping gently on the ground. A faint vibration came from beneath his feet, as if the earth were responding to his power.
"Do you know who I am? "Asked the high priest suddenly.
Elena shook her head, her eyes still calm. She knew that the power and status of this man far exceeded that of any abandoned child she had ever dealt with before. There was awe in the Shadow Blade's eyes, and he dared not even look up at the High Priest.
"I was a priest of the Angelic camp, called Kavell Rahman," said the High priest, who lifted his hood to reveal a cold face with a deep scar at the corner of his eye, the mark of betrayal. "I was the most pious servant of the gods, preaching the Gospel for the light, but when I saw that the light was only the cloak of power, I turned my back."
With a hint of cynicism in his voice, he continued: "The abandoned camp has accepted me, and I have become a priest and high priest here. I no longer serve any god, but live only for my forsaken son."
Elena was silent for a moment. She could feel the weight of the man's words. Cavill's experience seemed to resonate with her, but she knew that the path to abandonment was far more complicated than she had imagined.
Cavell held out a hand, and a black and red glow emerged from the palm, like a beating heart. That is the core strength of the Renunciation camp - the "source of depravity."
"You want power, but the power of abandoning your son is not a gift, it's a legacy." Cavill said, "Every renounce must be tested and face their own fears and obsessions before they can truly master their own power."
He handed the light to Elena with a look of scrutiny: "This will be your first step. The source of the Fall will lead you to the depths of your soul and confront your past and your future. If you fail, you will be consumed by this force and reduced to ashes."
Elena did not hesitate to reach out her hand, palm touched the light of the moment, a cold feeling straight to the depths of her soul. Her eyes closed and her body trembled uncontrollably, but her steps did not flinch.
Cavill looked at her, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in a rare hint of approval: "Interesting... Maybe you really can change our fate."
The light gradually engulfed Elena, her consciousness plunged into endless darkness. There, memories of the past, unsolved hatreds, and the unknown fate of the future all begin to intertwine in the depths of her soul.
The high priest stood before the altar and watched all this in silence. There was anticipation in his eyes, but also a faint sense of unease. He knows that this woman may become the biggest bet of the abandoned camp, and the price of this bet may be the fate of the entire camp.