Lin and his companions moved silently through the lanes of the village that faded into darkness.
The air was heavy, as if imbued with an ancient fear that haunted the spirits.
Falcon held a faded map, while Aiden followed with unsteady footsteps, his eyes watching every shadow that moved around him.
Falcon said in a low voice: "The place is close. "But the road is full of traps. Nyx won't let us get too close."
Whispers began to creep through the shattered walls, faint, unintelligible voices, as if the shadows themselves were trying to speak.
Len said, tightening his grip on the air sword: "Do you hear that?" Aiden nodded, his face as pale as the dead, and said, "They're... They're coming."
Suddenly, terrifying creatures, like a mixture of humans and monsters, emerged from the shadows.
Their bodies twisted and their limbs seemed to move unnaturally.
Their eyes were black holes that looked directly into their souls.
Falcon shouted: "Stay alert! These are no ordinary beings, they feed on our fear."
The battle began.
Lin used his power to unleash a tornado that scattered the creatures, while Falcon fired energy blades from his weapon.
Eden, frightened but determined, grabbed a metal stick and tried to defend himself.
But every time one creature was eliminated, another appeared, as if the darkness was endless.
During the fight, Lin felt like something was messing with his mind.
Images from his past began to appear before his eyes.
He saw himself as a child with a knife in his hand and two people in front of him, a man and a woman.
He tried to shake off the visions, but he felt an invisible hand grabbing his soul.
"Don't let them manipulate you," Falcon said, cutting one of the creatures: "Don't let them manipulate your mind! These shadows use our worst fears against us."
Lin took a deep breath, focused on the reality in front of him, and managed to shake off the visions.
After a battle that lasted what seemed like hours, the creatures began to retreat, and the darkness slowly disappeared.
Aiden said, panting with fatigue: "Is... "Is it over?"
Falcon replied, looking toward the horizon: "No, this was just a test. The next one is worse."
They moved slowly toward their destination, and the whispers returned, only more pronounced.
"It's dangerous," Lin said, looking ahead: "It's something dangerous. I can feel it."
The atmosphere began to change, the wind became heavy and the smell suffocating.
The shadows around them began to take shape, as if preparing for something great.
As they approached the site, they saw on the horizon a giant object shining with a golden glow, but it was surrounded by a halo of darkness.
It was a Solarium, but it was not what they had described.
Its majestic form was terrifying, like a combination of light and corruption.
A powerful voice echoed through the place, saying: "Who are you to enter my land?"
As Lin and his companions approached the site, the sky was covered in dark shadows that cast an eerie calm on the ground.
Between each step, the place pulsed with an invisible horror that seemed to be silently watching them.
A black sun appeared, glowing in crimson-red colors, a halo of destruction and desolation around it.
That was the Solarium, an entity that had once been a symbol of light, but now had lost its smiling face of comfort, replaced by a giant eye glowing with hatred.
Falcon said, his voice strained with dread: "Solarium... This form is not just a metamorphosis, it is a curse. Such a thing cannot belong in the world as we know it."
Solarium began to speak in a double voice, conveying pain and anger all at once: "You, weak beings, who dared to enter my shadow... Have you come to save the unsalvageable? You are now trapped in this world. There is no escape."
Lin began to feel something strange in the air, as if the village itself had become a stranger to him.
Then came a sharp and shocking realization, with an echoing inner voice saying: *"Lin, you are now in the Shadow World. The village you entered was the portal. What you see is not Earth."
Len shouted: "Falcon, this is not a normal place! We're in a different world, a world connected to the village but under Nyx's control!"
But Solarium didn't give them a chance to comprehend.
He unleashed a wave of searing energy, like a crimson fire devouring everything in its path.
Everyone ducked to avoid the attack, while the ground began to crack from the impact.
Lin shouted: "We must unite if we are to survive!"
Lin raised his **Air Sword**, directing a powerful tornado towards Solarium to deflect his attack.
However, the attack only affected the edges of his aura.
A fiery attack using the **Fire Bow** followed, as Lin shot flaming arrows towards the big eye.
The air burned with intense heat, but it didn't completely break Solarium's defense.
Solarium said in a voice full of sarcasm: "You don't understand... "Nyx didn't take me, I let him in. Humans don't deserve the light, because they like to hide in the dark!"
Falcon froze, Solarium's words planted doubt in his heart.
He said in a hesitant voice: "This... It's not true. Solarium would never betray us."
As the battle intensified, Lin decided to use the **Trilateral Water Spear**.
He summoned water energy and directed an ice wave towards the ground below Solarium to freeze it, momentarily slowing it down.
Lin shouted: "Falcon, focus! We have to find his weakness!"
Falcon replied in a shaky voice: "The eye... It's the source of his power, but it's also the source of his pain. If we break his connection to it, we might be able to save him!"
Lin didn't hesitate.
He used his **Rock Hammer** to smash into the ground, creating a massive earthquake that disrupted Solarium's attack and momentarily knocked him off balance.
He then summoned the power of the **Dirt Spear**, directing the sand to create a barrier to protect his comrades while he planned the next strike.
"Solarium, you are not this: "Solarium, you are not the entity I see now! You are a symbol of the Light, and you can return if you are freed from Nyx!"
Solarium laughed sadly, saying: "The Light? The Light is an illusion. Ask your leader Mickey, ask him what he did. He started it all."