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Elythion sat beside Vilaria, keeping his voice calm and warm, as if soothing a child haunted by a nightmare. He gently placed his hand on her trembling shoulder, taking a deep breath before speaking, his voice deep and steady like a quiet breeze on a clear night:
"Vilaria… look at me."
She did not respond at first, still trapped in that moment, her glassy eyes staring into nothingness, as if she could see the shadows of the past dancing before her.
He leaned in closer and spoke again, his tone even softer:
"You are here now, safe. The danger has passed. You are surrounded by your friends… Ragarath is outside, Serinus is watching over the camp, and Darcian and Valinor are beside you. You are not alone."
Slowly, her eyes began to change. They were no longer as lifeless as before; instead, they filled with a faint spark of life.
"You survived. You faced something none of us were prepared for… but you returned to us. That alone is proof of your strength."
His voice lowered slightly as he continued:
"I know this fear. I know how it creeps into your heart like the shadows of night, whispering that you will never be safe again. But you are stronger than this fear. Stronger than what happened there."
A single tear welled at the corner of Vilaria's eye, but it did not fall. It simply lingered, caught between pain and reassurance.
Elythion offered a warm smile, one filled with the memories of all the battles they had fought together, all the moments when they nearly lost hope but endured nonetheless:
"I have seen you bring down foes far greater than that man. I have seen you perform miracles with your mind and heart before your magic."
Vilaria closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled slowly, as if expelling the ghost of fear from her body. When she opened them again, the uncertainty was still there, but it had retreated behind a thin veil of calm.
Elythion patted her shoulder gently and said,
"Rest now, Vilaria. You need it. The battle is over, and we are here to protect you, just as you always protect us."
She finally whispered in a voice so faint it was barely audible,
"Thank you… Elythion."
Then, she slowly rested her head on the pillow, allowing herself to sink into a peace she hadn't felt in a long time. Elythion remained by her side for a few moments, watching as she drifted into sleep, before rising quietly and leaving the tent, carrying a new weight in his heart… a weight of unanswered questions.
When Elythion stepped out of the medical tent, the air was slightly cold, carrying whispers of weary soldiers between the tents. He had barely taken a few steps before Ragarath appeared before him, standing firm as always, his expression tightened with concern.
Ragarath spoke in a low but serious voice,
"Things have become more complicated than we expected, Elythion. We need to return to the kingdom before we lose more."
Before Elythion could respond, Serinus emerged from the shadows, standing a short distance away. His voice carried a hint of sarcasm, but beneath it was genuine unease:
"And that's not all… The villagers here are starting to get on my nerves with their strange smiles. There's something unnatural about this place."
Elythion froze for a moment, then looked at both of them, his sharp eyes reflecting his unwavering determination. Lifting his head confidently, he said,
"I won't leave until I know exactly what's going on. There is a mystery hiding behind those smiling faces, and I won't go before I uncover it."
Ragarath was silent for a moment, then sighed and nodded, as if his stubbornness had finally yielded to his old friend's resolve.
"As you wish, Elythion… but don't let your stubbornness lead us into a trap."
Serinus let out a small chuckle, but there was no real amusement in it. He waved his hand dismissively, as if drawing a line in the sand:
"I won't stay here more than four days. If we haven't discovered anything by then, I'm leaving with whoever wishes to come."
Ragarath shot him a long, challenging look, as if his words were an insult to Elythion's pride. The air grew tense between the three of them for a brief moment, until Elythion felt the weight of the situation and cut through the sharp silence with a firm yet calm voice:
"Three days, not four."
Then, he locked eyes with Ragarath, a deep gaze carrying an unspoken message: This is not the time for us to fight.
Ragarath understood without the need for more words. The tension in his features eased slightly, and he gave a silent nod, as if they had reached an unspoken agreement.
Elythion then turned away, his eyes scanning the distant horizon, as if trying to pierce through the veil of mystery shrouding the village. He knew something dark lurked here… and he had to uncover it before it uncovered them.
—--
The Next Day:
Elythion entered the command tent early in the morning, as faint rays of sunlight slipped through the tent's opening, casting golden streaks on the dusty ground. The atmosphere was quiet, yet something in the air buzzed with an unspoken tension.
As soon as he stepped inside, he found Vilaria seated on one of the wooden chairs, her hands clasped in her lap, her eyes shimmering with traces of exhaustion and worry. Despite the fatigue evident on her face, there was a firmness in her posture, a seriousness that could not be ignored.
Elythion offered a slight smile and spoke in a calm tone,
"Good morning, Vilaria. Did you get some rest?"
She lifted her head and looked at him with her deep eyes, then nodded slowly.
"I feel better now, Elythion… but there's something I need to tell you before anything else."
Elythion's expression shifted to one of immediate seriousness. He sat in front of her, resting on one knee, as if trying to close the distance between them—not just physically, but emotionally as well.
"I'm listening. Tell me everything."
Vilaria took a deep breath before speaking, her voice carrying a slight tremor but remaining steady in its message:
"That night… when the bandits pursued us, the real danger wasn't them. We were being watched the entire time without realizing it. And when he appeared… the man in the black cloak… it was as if the darkness itself had decided to move."
She paused for a moment, staring at the ground as if reliving the moment in her mind, then continued,
"He wasn't like any sorcerer I've ever seen before. His power… was different. He didn't need incantations or words. Everything about his magic was silent, as if the darkness obeyed his will alone. I saw him strike Darcian without even moving. Just a glance, a simple gesture, and the spell was cast. His magic isn't just power… it's something else, something darker and deeper than any magic we've ever known."
Elythion sat silently, listening to every word with intense focus, his brows furrowed, his features reflecting a mix of concern and concentration.
Vilaria continued, her voice lowering slightly,
"When I tried to use protective magic and a blessing of fortification on Valinor, he didn't even care. It was as if he didn't see us as a real threat. And when he struck Valinor… I saw something terrifying in his eyes. It wasn't anger or hatred… it was emptiness. As if he was crushing us not out of malice, but simply because that's what he does."
She fell silent for a moment before adding in a hushed voice filled with restrained fear,
"I felt something else too… a strange energy seeping into the air around him. Not just magical energy, but something deeper, as if the darkness itself was alive around him."
Elythion lowered his head for a moment, absorbing every word she had spoken. Then he lifted his gaze to meet hers, his eyes gleaming with clear determination.
"What you're describing isn't ordinary magic… maybe that's what makes it so powerful. We need to learn more about this man and the source of his power. We can't face him without understanding what we're up against."
Vilaria placed a hand on her forehead, as if trying to dispel the troubling thoughts, then said,
"Elythion… this isn't an enemy that can be defeated with swords alone. We need to prepare… and perhaps even rethink how we fight this battle."
Elythion stood up, extending a hand to help her to her feet, then spoke with a faint smile, one that carried unshakable resolve,
"We've faced darkness before, Vilaria. This is just another chapter in our story. We will understand it… and we will defeat it."
She nodded slowly, drawing courage from his words, though the shadows in her heart still lingered.
"I hope you're right."
Elythion stepped toward the tent's entrance, pausing for a moment before turning back to her,
"Get some sleep now. You still need rest—we'll need you at full strength soon."
She watched as he exited, his words echoing in her mind… as if she were holding onto them to face what was yet to come.
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If you like the story ! please support it
And the best way to do this is through patréon
You get access to +5 chapters !
Or even 12+ chapters if you want !
So please check out my patréon
https://www.patréon.com/c/zakx205
Don't forget to change "é" to "e"