With the king's orders already out, the group was still sitting in their cabin, staring at the bubbling cauldron in front of them.
Fayra clapped her hands together, grinning. "Well, at least we know one thing! The potion works! Now we just gotta make sure that—"
Alice cut her off immediately. "—that no one finds out about it."
Fayra smirked. "Oh, sweetheart, that ship has sailed. That masked guy took all the info straight to the castle. We're basically on a kill list now!"
Ethan let out a heavy breath. "So if the king sends people after us, we've got two options: we run… or we fight."
Luna crossed her arms. "Fight? Against the king's army? We've got a few dragons, sure, but this is a war, Ethan. We're not ready for that."
Selena, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke. "Then we hide. But not here."
Alice was quick to ask, "Then where?"
Selena's lips curled into a mysterious smile. "There's a place… somewhere no one dares to go."
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
Ethan frowned. "If no one dares to go there, why the hell should we?"
Selena's voice was calm but firm. "Because it's the only place the king can't find us."
Alice whispered, her face pale, "You're talking about the Hollow Veil, aren't you?"
Silence.
Ethan stared at Selena. "You're kidding, right? The Hollow Veil? That place is crawling with monsters that even we don't stand a chance against!"
Fayra sighed. "Unless you have a better idea, speak up now. 'Cause if we stay here, we're dead."
A heavy silence filled the cabin.
Finally, Ethan muttered under his breath, "Damn it… fine. We go to the Hollow Veil."
Everyone looked at each other. They all knew stepping into the Hollow Veil meant venturing into the unknown—a land full of dangers beyond their imagination.
But against the king? This might just be their only shot at survival.
And so, their journey into the darkness began.
Getting Ready for the Journey to Hollow Veli
The sun hadn't fully risen yet, but the cabin was already a battlefield. Ethan frowned as he struggled to tie up a bag and glanced at the others. "Why does everyone turn into wild ants whenever we have to leave?"
Fayra, her head halfway inside a cabinet, responded, "Because we're heading into a forbidden forest full of monsters, traps, and terrifying deaths! This isn't some casual trip where we come back in one piece!"
Selena, sitting lazily at the table while inspecting her nails, raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you sound so excited? It's like you're getting ready for a vacation."
Alice let out a deep sigh, looking uneasy. "I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know… something feels off. Like someone's been watching us from the start…"
Ethan placed a hand on her shoulder and smirked. "You always have a bad feeling! If we listened to every weird hunch of yours, we'd be hiding in this cabin for the rest of our lives."
Alice shot him a glare, but before she could argue, Luna walked in holding a map. "Alright, I checked the possible routes to Hollow Veli. We've got one easy path, which is probably full of traps… and a hard path, which might be safer."
Ethan looked at the group. "Well? Which one are we taking?"
Luna shrugged. "Since we always end up picking the worst possible option, we're going with the hard path… and still getting into trouble."
Fayra, still stuffing things into her bag, mumbled, "At least we've got those dragon-growth potions. Might come in handy."
Everyone gave a nod. They were ready… or at least, they thought they were.
At the same time, miles away, inside the grand halls of the royal palace, a cloaked man stood before the king's throne. His sharp eyes gleamed beneath the hood of his long black cloak—the same man who had been tracking Ethan and his group for weeks.
The king's gaze was cold and calculating. "Well? What news have you brought me?"
The man's voice was calm but sharp. "As I mentioned before, they've created something they shouldn't have. A potion… one that reveals all hidden beings."
The king's eyes narrowed. "A potion that can expose any concealment? That is… troubling."
The cloaked man continued, "But that's not all. They're preparing to leave… heading straight for Hollow Veli. I suspect they're after something even more dangerous than their potions."
The king tapped his fingers on the throne's armrest. "Fools… they have no idea what lies in that forest."
The man nodded. "What are your orders, Your Majesty? Should I stop them?"
The king's lips curled into a cold smile. "No… let them go. But keep a close watch. I want to see what awaits them."
The cloaked man gave a slight bow and stepped back into the shadows, disappearing just as mysteriously as he had arrived.
The king stared into the flickering fire of the grand fireplace, murmuring under his breath, "Let's see how long you survive…"
The Deception Plan – Entering Hollow Veli
The soft glow of dawn was slipping through the tall trees, but inside the group's forest cabin, the scene was anything but peaceful—chaotic, noisy, and completely out of control.
Ethan scowled as he looked around. "Why does everyone turn into headless chickens every time we have an important mission?"
Fayra, sitting on the floor and wrapping something in a velvet cloth, didn't even look up. "Because this isn't a normal mission, genius! We're heading to a place no sane person would even dream of going!"
Selena groaned and flopped onto the table, her tone utterly bored. "Can we for once just leave like normal people? Just one time—one single time—without running into a cave demon, a cursed cult, or a starving beast?"
Luna, who had just walked in holding a map, smirked. "Nope, because that would make for a really boring story."
Ethan huffed and crossed his arms. "Alright, fine. Let's go over the plan again. What's the goal?"
Luna spread the map out on the table. "We need to trick the king into thinking we're heading straight to Hollow Veli. But in reality…"
Alice picked up where she left off. "In reality, we're sending a bunch of moving decoys while we take a different route."
Ethan nodded. "Exactly. And that means we need three things: One, decoys that look like us. Two, enough magic to make them seem real. Three, an escape route that won't get us caught."
Fayra grinned mischievously. "Lucky for you guys, I've already handled the first two!"
Everyone turned to stare at her. Fayra pulled back the velvet cloth, revealing several small, mechanical dolls underneath—each resembling a hilariously exaggerated version of the group.
Ethan's decoy, wearing a ridiculous-looking cloak, suddenly blurted out in a stiff voice, "I'm Ethan! I'm so brave! Let's go!" …before faceplanting onto the floor.
Selena's decoy dramatically threw its hands in the air and declared, "I am the most beautiful being in the land!" …before its head popped off.
Alice's decoy grumbled in a monotone voice, "I have a bad feeling. Someone's watching us."
The entire room went dead silent as they all turned to Fayra.
Ethan blinked in disbelief. "You seriously think these are gonna fool anyone?"
Fayra lifted her chin proudly. "Hold on, I'm not done yet!"
She pulled a potion out of her bag and splashed it over the decoys. A purple glow wrapped around them, and in seconds, their ridiculous forms shifted—now, they looked exactly like the real group.
Selena's eyes widened. "Whoa… okay, I gotta admit, that's actually kinda impressive."
Ethan rubbed his chin. "Alright, first step is done. Now, how do we send them towards Hollow Veli in a way that looks believable?"
Luna traced her finger along the map. "We make it look like we're taking the main path with the decoys, but in reality, we'll use a hidden route."
Alice, still skeptical, asked, "And what if someone gets close enough to notice they're fake?"
Fayra smirked. "That's what the defensive spells are for. Anyone who tries to get too close… well, let's just say they'll be greeted with a small explosion."
Everyone turned to stare at her again.
Ethan let out a deep sigh. "Alright, fine. Let's just hope this plan actually works."
They gathered their things and slipped out of the cabin, moving quietly while their decoys took the obvious path. The trap was set.
But the real question was—would anyone actually fall for it? Or had someone already seen right through their plan from the very beginning?