Bond of the mind - part two - chapter 1

"It looks like we're alone," said the stranger. He spoke to no one but the dragon standing before him, whose mouth emitted only a loud growl. Of course, the stranger did not expect an answer. This monster was incapable of communicating with other beings.

"If I remember correctly, every time you lose a limb or anything else, you reproduce. Is that right?" asked the stranger. He didn't expect an answer. The draconian just continued to growl. After a moment, however, it began to slowly move toward the stranger. He didn't sense any power from it. Neither dark nor light. It must have been just some insignificant worm. Now he lunged at it with its mouth open. He planned to end it as quickly as possible. He was already upon it. He clenched his jaws tightly, but felt nothing.

"If my mind does not deceive me, you must strike both of its hearts at the same time," said the stranger, who was now standing behind the dragon. The monster jerked its head toward him in an instant. It saw the stranger. But he was holding something in both hands. The dragon was overcome by the feeling that something was missing.

"Are you looking for this?" asked the stranger again, pointing both hands toward the monster. He was holding one of its hearts in each hand. Now the dragon lunged at him without hesitation. At that moment, the stranger squeezed both hearts, which were still beating in his palms. First, a tremendous groan escaped from the monster, and then blood spurted out of it, a great deal of it. The dragon fell to the ground. Its limbs were still twitching. The stranger dropped both hearts on the ground. They stopped beating and began to change from red to black. The stranger had been in this world long enough to know the weaknesses of all kinds of monsters. Moreover, this was not his first battle with a dracon. Finally, the monster was dead. The stranger did not even look back at May.

"Let her go. She doesn't belong to you," said the stranger. Then there was a long silence.

"Do you think you're in a position to ask for anything?" said the voice of the demon king. The stranger knew very well who the king was talking to. He also knew that the darkness was still there, watching his every move.

"Did you hear me ask you for anything?" the stranger continued. The demon king laughed.

"Unfortunately, little boy. I have plans for her. She would be a waste," he said. Then there was only a deathly silence.

Senna and Mirthana were still kneeling over Spark. Through the windows, they could see that dawn was breaking outside. Mirthana was still healing Spark, but she felt that she was reaching her limit. There was a knock on the door. Tragir entered.

"What's going on?" He didn't even finish his question when he noticed that both of them were bent over the floor on the other side of the bed.

"What's going on?" asked the dwarf, confused, as he made his way over to them. He noticed that they were both kneeling next to Spark. Mirthana was completely focused. She didn't even notice that Tragir was standing next to them.

"She started bleeding out of nowhere. We can't even wake her up," Senna replied with a grim expression.

"Keep an eye on her. I'll go check out the situation downstairs at the guild hall to see if anything's broken," Tragir concluded and walked back to the door. In a moment, he was gone. Senna noticed that Mirthana was starting to nod off. After all, they hadn't had time to rest since their battle with the giant. She was gifted, but people had their limits, and fatigue was taking its toll. She didn't know how she could help her. After all, she couldn't heal. After a while, Senna was overcome by a strange feeling. She decided to open the window in their room. As soon as she opened it and stepped away, the little girl appeared again. 

"What do you want here? Have you come to cause trouble again?" Senna asked. She really wasn't in the mood for this. Spark was in a bad way, and May still hadn't returned.

"Your friend will soon be out of energy. I can feel that she is at the end of her strength," said the little girl, without even glancing at Senna. She just stared intently at Spark, who was still lying on the floor.

"I came to help you, if you want me to. But I'll have to take her with me," said Yin, now looking into Senna's eyes with her golden eyes. This was a difficult decision for Senna, but she too felt that Mirthana couldn't hold out much longer. She also knew that Yin had somehow managed to help Mirthana before. The elf looked away and stared at Spark. After a moment, she closed her eyes and nodded.

Yin quickly jumped down from the window and crouched down next to Spark. First, she scratched the dog behind her ears, then quickly examined the exhausted Mirthana.

"You did a good job," she praised her. Then she placed her hand on Spark while snapping her fingers. She was gone in an instant. It was almost as if she had never been there. At that moment, Mirthana's head began to fall toward the ground. She was really tired, but Senna managed to catch her. Then she helped her to bed. She knew she needed to rest. After all, it was too much for one person. Meanwhile, Tragir returned to the room. 

"I have some news," said the dwarf. Senna looked at him and waited for him to tell her what he had found out.

"No one is defending Rháda today," said Tragir. Senna immediately understood why. There were only two possibilities. Either the city had been saved, or the opposite was true. She didn't have to think about it for long.

"The city has fallen into the hands of the heyens. Everyone has orders to retreat here and regroup. The guild should let everyone know what to do soon," Tragir concluded. Unfortunately for them, it was the latter. But Senna felt too tired to think about it at the moment. The dwarf looked around the room. But he saw only Senna and the sleeping Mirthana.

"Something doesn't feel right. Weren't there more of us here?" asked Tragir. Senna nodded and explained the whole situation. For a moment, it seemed as if the dwarf was thinking about it, but then he just nodded and disappeared again. He headed down to the guild hall, where everyone would soon learn about the current situation. 

Senna put away the things she didn't need and then lay down on her bed. She needed at least a little rest. But without May, she felt like she didn't know what to do. Besides, there was so much space in the bed now that it scared her. She curled up under the blanket and hugged the extra pillow.

"May, where are you?" she said to herself, and then she managed to fall asleep.

May was still in the hospital. The doctors couldn't find any reason for what had happened to her. Even when they tried to talk to her, she seemed to be in a really deep coma. When her relatives came to check on her, they always took Spark for a short walk to get some fresh air, but their visits were not as frequent as they should have been. Her youngest sister Tara and their grandmother visited her most often. Tara really liked May, and when she needed something, May was always there for her. She always spent some time there and at least talked to Spark, even though May never answered her. Grandmother told Tara fairy tales on these occasions, hoping that May would hear them too. 

Senna finally woke up. First, she looked at the empty half of the bed. She wished for a miracle, that May was there again, watching her sleep. But nothing like that happened. She sat up on the bed. Mirthana was still asleep on her bed. She must have been really exhausted.  Senna got dressed and decided to go down to the guild hall. She planned to look around for Tragir and see if he had any news. She also planned to eat something and bring something up for Mirthana, because she couldn't guess when she would wake up. 

So she left Mirthana to rest and headed down to the hall. She could already hear loud discussions coming from downstairs as she descended the stairs. When Senna entered the room, it was still full of hunters. Some of them must have been those who had returned from the battlefield. She could tell by the bandages on their wounds. It wasn't difficult to find Tragir in the crowd. Senna's eyes quickly spotted him despite the large number of people currently in the hall. The dwarf was talking loudly with the other dwarves who were there. Dwarves really are the loudest of all creatures, Senna thought. She made her way over to him. She couldn't understand what they were talking about. Their speech was even worse than usual. One dwarf was too much. She smiled at the thought. She asked the dwarf to step aside for a moment. He immediately stood up and followed her.

"So, did you find out anything new? What's going to happen next?" Senna asked.

The dwarf nodded. "There are a lot of them," Tragir began, then took a deep breath and continued: "It has been a long time since the capital fell into the hands of the Heyencs. At the moment, there are about a thousand knights of the Order of the Sun and Moon here. As soon as they arrived, they ordered an attack to capture the city. In any case, the king survived the attack and is now in the hall of the dragon knights, here in the city."

It was a lot of information, but Senna didn't look surprised. The Order of the Sun and Moon had always specialized in one thing, and that was ending darkness. Moreover, the conquest of the capital was a truly critical situation. In any case, she now had something to think about. She just hoped that the little girl wouldn't show up here, because her presence would be recognized immediately. This order had no mercy on anyone. All they needed was to sense darkness in someone, and they were their target.

Senna said goodbye to Tragir and left him with his companions. She went to get some food and took some for Mirthana as well. Then she returned upstairs to the room. When she entered, she saw that Mirthana had already woken up.

"Any news?" she asked Senna, still sleepy. Senna shared everything she had learned so far with her over dinner.

"So it looks like we'll all be going back to fight soon..." Mirthana replied with a distant expression. She was still wondering if Spark would really be all right, accompanied by a little girl. Moreover, she didn't have a good feeling about what she had learned. The presence of these two orders had never been pleasant. Most of their members were just a bunch of heartless fanatics. It was impossible to negotiate with them once they had made up their minds. She sighed. Then she and Senna discussed the matter for a few more hours. Early in the morning, the bells rang unexpectedly throughout the city. They both knew why. The orders had arrived in the city. 

A few hours after the orders arrived in the city, something happened that none of them expected. Tragir ran into the room.

"Come down quickly. I have new information about what to do," he told them both.

Then he quickly turned and ran back downstairs. He sounded very serious, so Senna and Mirthana followed him immediately. Downstairs in the guild hall, one of the spokesmen for the two orders was already standing. What he told them did not please either of them. 

"Here is the information we have managed to gather, so we will share it with everyone who will be participating in the fighting," he began, addressing everyone. "According to our informants, there are now nearly ten thousand heyens in the occupied city, and several thousand other servants of darkness. We have also managed to find out who is currently leading them."  took a deep breath and continued, "The army of heyens in the city is led by an unknown girl with long white hair and black eyes. Unfortunately, we don't have enough information about her yet, as she has never been seen among the heyens. Two of the ten heyen leaders are also with her in the city. More precisely, Number Two and Number Three. We are leaving early tomorrow morning, so everyone prepare yourselves properly and get some rest," concluded the spokesman for the orders, then bowed to everyone and left the guild hall.

But the three of them stood there as if they had lost their voices.

"Don't you think..." Mirthana began, but Senna interrupted her: "No. Definitely not."

But she didn't sound very sure, and there was doubt in her voice. Tragir looked as if he wanted to object, but Senna didn't let him speak.

"We're leaving with the others tomorrow morning. Only then can we be sure," she concluded the debate. Then she left Tragir and Mirthana behind and disappeared from the guild hall. She needed to get some air and breathe deeply.

She set off to walk around the city. Although it was already afternoon, there wasn't much to see. In fact, apart from the fact that the city was literally overflowing with hunters, soldiers, and now even knights of the order, there was little to see. They were either just standing around or preparing for tomorrow. There were very few people from other places, such as merchants. Only those who worked directly in the city were moving around.

Senna felt a lot of eyes on her back again. It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all, and it was even worse than inside the guild. Partly because it wasn't exactly common to see elves in human cities. She decided to climb the walls. Once she got there, she looked towards the capital. But Rhády was nowhere to be seen. The darkness enveloping the city continued to spread, and it was impossible to see through it. But Senna felt that they had to go there tomorrow. It was as if something was pulling her there. Then she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Finally, she was able to relax a little. There was no need to linger outside in plain sight. She jumped down from the ramparts and quickly made her way back to the guild. Neutrality prevailed in all guild buildings, in all kingdoms, so hunters always felt safer inside. Soon she was in her room. Mirthana was already there, getting ready for bed.

"Is everything okay?" asked the forest girl. Senna just nodded silently. But Mirthana didn't want to let it go. She knew that Senna needed some contact too. So she shared some more information with her and also told her what she and Tragir had agreed on.

"Thank you," Senna said, trying to smile. Mirthana knew that they weren't as close as Senna and May, but she was glad nonetheless. Then they both got ready for bed and soon fell asleep. After all, they were leaving before dawn.

Early in the morning, they were both ready. It wasn't long before Tragir arrived. 

"Ready, girls?" he asked them, smiling from ear to ear. The dwarves couldn't sit still and do nothing. It didn't take long for them to be ready to go. But Senna suddenly closed the door and leaned against it.

"I think we should go ahead of the whole army," she said, waiting for their reaction.

"I had the same feeling yesterday when I saw you. According to what they told us yesterday, we really should get there first," said Mirthana, which really surprised Senna.

"It will be dangerous, but... dwarves are made for such things," added Tragir, and if he could, he would have smiled even wider.

"Thank you," added Senna. Then Tragir held out his hand in the middle and raised it, expecting the others to join him. They hesitated for a moment, but then Mirthana placed her hand on his, followed by Senna.

"Let's go," said Tragir, and then the whole group set off together. 

Everyone outside was still getting ready and causing a commotion. Except, of course, for the commander of the dragon knights and the knights of the order. But they paid no attention to them. No one could force the hunters to fight, so they could leave at any time. The group of three set off at a brisk pace toward the edge of the spreading darkness. It took only a few hours before they stood before the darkness, which seemed to grow before their eyes. Up close, it looked like a giant bubble. Senna was about to step forward.

"Wait," Mirthana stopped her and continued, "Are you sure it's safe to just walk in there?"

"I really don't know. I've never seen anything like it," replied Senna, but she couldn't think of any other explanation. Meanwhile, bright white flowers began to grow on Mirthana's staff. She picked two and gave one to each of them.

"Keep them with you, just in case. These flowers can partially absorb the darkness around you, but when they start to fade, you'll know their effect is wearing off," said Mirthana, feeling that there was nothing more she could do. She nodded to Senna to signal that they could continue.

Senna stepped inside. It was really like walking through an opaque wall. The visibility inside was much better than it had seemed from the outside. They could see the Rhády standing a few hundred meters in front of them. It was a truly enormous city. But now it was completely covered in cobwebs.

"No more insects," muttered Tragir, who wasn't exactly thrilled.

"We have no choice. We have to keep going," whispered Senna. At that moment, however, she began to draw her bow, which already had an arrow ready.

"You know that doesn't work on me," said a familiar voice. After a moment, the owner of the voice appeared before them. It was none other than little Yin.

"I must say, your senses have improved, elf," the little girl added. But Senna was still aiming at her. They didn't know what her intentions were.

"Why are you here? And where is Spark?" Senna asked without hesitation.

"Don't worry, she's fine. You should be glad your friend kept her alive for so long. A little longer and nothing could have helped her," replied the little girl. But Senna was still not satisfied. Yin sighed and continued, "I'm not happy to be here, but he asked me to help you get as far away as possible." Then she looked away to show her dissatisfaction.

"If that's really true, we'll be very grateful," said Mirthana this time. She knew that the girl had saved her life earlier. Then Mirthana looked at Senna.

"Okay..." said Senna, although she didn't look very happy.

"It can't be worse than those insects," added Tragir. Senna didn't know whether to take this as proof of his optimism, but she didn't comment on it.

"I hope you'll play with me as a reward! Haha," Yin said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Then she finally started walking forward. The group followed her, keeping a slight distance between them. Thanks to her eyes and the fact that she was a child of darkness, Yin could see better than the others through the darkness that tried to deceive their senses. She was therefore the best guide for them, without them realizing it, because she could see exactly where the enemy patrols were walking and avoid them.

Soon, little Yin led them close to the city walls. The sight of the cobwebs above them was not very pleasant, but who knows how far they would have gotten on their own. Here and there, they saw giant sleeping spiders above them. It was a little nostalgic, but mostly terrifying.

They slowly crept toward the entrance gate. Here, Yin stopped everyone without saying a word. It wasn't long before creatures of darkness began to emerge from the gate.

"The people from the city are approaching, so they're getting ready. We can't get through here," whispered the little girl. She thought about her options. She could simply move herself, but she couldn't take everyone with her. Moreover, even this ability had its limits.

"Hmm... I have an idea," whispered Mirthana. She crouched down toward the wall and began to make a dent in the dirt. Then she threw one of her arrows into it. She closed her eyes and began to whisper something. Senna could hear her, but even she couldn't understand what she was saying. She felt as if she had never heard this language before, and she had heard a lot in her life. It lasted about five minutes. Mirthana didn't stop, but it finally became clear to everyone when something began to sprout from the ground and stretch up along the wall. They were tendrils that intertwined with each other. Mirthana finished. She got up from the ground.

"Someone will have to cut through these cobwebs a little so we don't get caught in them," Mirthana suggested, although she wasn't really sure who could do it. Yin smiled. A scythe appeared in her hand. In the blink of an eye, she was done. Now everyone could see how sharp her weapon really was. The cobwebs she cut did not move an inch. Then she just smiled and pointed at the vines. 

"Hurry up," whispered the little girl. Senna had already started climbing up. Mirthana followed her.

"You'd better wait until I'm up before you climb up with that skirt," Tragir said to the little girl. After all, he had no intention of looking up a little girl's skirt, and it wasn't easy to climb blindly, especially at his height. Yin just grinned. Then she silently pushed off from the ground and was already standing at the top.

"Kids," Tragir muttered and began to climb.

Senna, Mirthana, and Yin were already waiting at the top. It took the dwarf about ten minutes to climb up. When his head finally appeared, everyone looked surprised.

"What? Try climbing with that hammer," Tragir said quietly, looking offended. Mirthana almost laughed, but managed to cover her mouth in time. Soon everyone was on the ramparts. However, they noticed that the darkness was beginning to dissipate in the distance. It was clear to everyone why—the army had arrived. While the Knights of the Sun were always more physically gifted, there was a reason they had joined forces with the Order of the Moon. The knights of this order never carried weapons, but their lunar magic was truly powerful. Strong enough, at least, that the darkness began to dissipate. The group knew they had to hurry. Yin led them further into the city. They managed to slip unnoticed to the king's palace, which stood right in the center of the city. They stood at the entrance. They carefully opened the huge gates and slipped inside one by one. Then they quietly pushed the gates shut behind them as quietly as possible. They breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally inside. They hoped that the worst was behind them. But Yin felt the overwhelming power of darkness.

In the long entrance hall where they were now standing, candlesticks began to light up slowly, stretching from one end of the hall to the other.

Now everyone could see it. At the other end of the hall stood a creature shrouded in black with a hood over its head. In its right hand, it held a spear made entirely of dark flames.

"It's one of the Ten," Yin whispered to the others. She knew that now there was no avoiding confrontation. 

"One," came a voice from the other side, and then the voice continued, "My name is Tia. My official name is Three. I will be your opponent." She took off her hood. Her long hazelnut brown hair fell out from underneath. Her eyes burned with darkness.

Yin's head hurt so much that she fell to the ground. She had no idea what was happening. Mirthana immediately bent down to the girl.

"Are you all right?" she asked in a kind voice. Yin herself had no idea what was really going on. She hadn't encountered anything like this in a long time. Trojka wasn't even the first of the Ten heyens she had met.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" asked Tia. But she didn't wait for an answer. An apple appeared in her hand. She took a big bite out of it. Then, with a quick flick of her wrist, she threw the apple at the girl. It was so fast that even Senna had trouble following it, let alone reacting. Yin, despite holding her forehead with one hand, managed to catch the apple with the other. When the apple touched her palm, it was as if thoughts flashed through her mind for a moment. She saw apple orchards and trees full of apples. It was just a moment. Yin now looked closely at Tia. She couldn't remember if she had ever known her or met her somewhere, but a feeling she had once felt was passing through her body. But now she couldn't concentrate on that.

"So... we still have a little time. What brings you here?" Tia asked, looking everyone over carefully. She was already holding another apple and tossing it around. However, everyone in the group was reluctant to speak. The darkness emanating from the Three was so strong that it was really difficult for them to be in her presence. Everyone felt the pressure, except for Yin.

Senna took a deep breath.

"We came to see who your leader is here..." the elf managed to say. But she felt as if saying that sentence had exhausted her.

"That girl? Hm... I don't know her myself. She's only been with us for a short while, but even I find it really difficult to be in her presence," replied Tia with a laugh.

"Can you take us to her?" asked Mirthana this time. It was easier for her to speak. After all, the flowers on her staff protected her more than the others. Slowly, however, they began to fade. 

"It depends. Your bodies definitely. But if you're still alive..." came the reply from Three. Now she looked at them with a serious expression. Then she gazed off into the distance for a moment, her head turned to one side.

"They're getting in..." she muttered to herself. Her words were, of course, meant for the army advancing toward the city. Yin finally calmed down and was able to stand up again. 

"We don't have time for your chatter, you're just slowing us down," said the girl, and she ran towards Three. She was so fast that it was difficult to follow her. She was already holding her scythe in her hand, preparing to strike. 

"Desperate..." Tia could be heard say. She raised her dark spear and threw it at her. Due to the speed at which it flew, it was impossible for Yin to dodge it. She felt it pass through her. The others now saw from behind that she had a hole in her body. The spear flew past them and smashed the gate behind them. 

Blood poured from the girl, spurting from her mouth. She staggered but did not stop completely. The group behind her could not believe she was still standing, as such an injury would have been fatal to them. She was already at Three. She was now holding another dark spear. Their weapons clashed. The darkness covering their weapons caused an explosion upon impact. Tia remained standing in her place, but Yin was thrown backwards and landed near the group. Now the differences in the strength of the darkness were truly visible. The hole in the girl's body had time to heal as Tragir helped her back to her feet. 

It was becoming clear to everyone that they were not yet strong enough to compete with the Trio.

Tia covered her mouth and yawned. She did it on purpose to show how bored she was. Then she looked away again. 

"To show you that even some of us on the dark side can be lenient sometimes, I'll let you live today. I have to be somewhere else now," Tia said suddenly. This was unexpected for the group. They didn't expect one of the highest-ranking members of the Ten to just let them go. 

"Before I leave you, I'll give you some advice. Don't try to continue if you value your lives," she concluded, and then disappeared in an instant. The group stood there as if in a trance. Soon, however, the pressure from the presence of the Three subsided, and now everyone could breathe properly.

"What was that?" Tragir finally managed to say. He had never met anyone like that before. But he wasn't the only one. 

"We shouldn't be here..." added Mirthana disappointedly. It was clear to her that this was something they weren't prepared for. Silence fell among them. 

"If you want, I'll take you back," Yin said after a moment. She could see that everyone had their eyes downcast and seemed unsure of what to do next.

"I... I have to keep going," Senna managed to say. She knew this was difficult, and she wasn't sure if she would make it out of here alive, but she needed to know who this girl was who led the forces of darkness here. She couldn't give up. She hoped to at least find out some information about May.

Someone had to know where she was. 

"We're a team. Let's keep going," Tragir said after a moment of silence, breaking the uncomfortable silence that now reigned among them all. Mirthana just smiled and nodded. Senna was really grateful for this, but the thought that something might happen to them because of her was not pleasant. 

"Let's go then," said the little girl and stepped forward. They reached the end of the hall. There was a wide circular staircase leading up and down. But the little girl felt that they had to go up, so she led the others. None of them expected the staircase to be so long. 

On the way up, they saw several smaller doors leading off to the side. They must have led to different rooms, but they didn't have time to explore. They reached the last step. There was another wooden door in front of them. It was the end of the staircase, so there were no more turns. They agreed that this door must lead to the main hall. They began to open it carefully, but the door hinges were noticeably worn, making a creaking sound as they opened.

Soon they were all standing inside. It was a truly enormous hall. All the windows were shaded, so visibility was poor. They noticed that dark smoke was spreading across the floor. The air inside was truly saturated with darkness. It was several times worse than when they entered the bubble. It was really difficult to breathe properly. They noticed lots of different ornate columns supporting the ceiling across the entire area of the room.

A red carpet stretched from the gate in the center to somewhere ahead. So they moved forward cautiously. 

They kept looking around to warn the others in case they noticed any movement. 

"So someone managed to get this far," said a woman's voice. It wasn't long before, just like in the entrance hall earlier, candles slowly began to light up from the back to the front. 

The king's throne was now visible in front of them. It seemed to glow in the reflection of the candlelight. This was because it was covered in gold.

There were two people in front of them. The group could now see them clearly because they were about twenty meters away. Both figures in front of them were shrouded in hoods. The girl sitting on the throne was surrounded by burning dark flames. The only thing clearly visible about her was her pure white hair, which was now stained with blood. Whether it was hers or someone else's was no longer clear.

Next to her stood another figure. It had to be the woman who had spoken to them. They concluded that this must be Number Two, based on the information they had received earlier. Long, light hair hung from under her hood. 

"I assume you wish to die, since you came here," the woman continued. Yin's ears pricked up again at the familiar voice. She couldn't take her eyes off the woman. Slowly, without realizing it, she began to approach her, while the group remained where they were.

The girl was really close. Suddenly, the woman was standing in front of Yin. She grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. The girl felt like she couldn't breathe, but she couldn't take her eyes off her. She didn't know why. The woman slowly removed her hood with her other hand, revealing her face. 

Yin felt tears running down her cheeks without knowing why. Without thinking, she reached out to touch the woman's hair. But in an instant, the woman threw her against one of the pillars near the group. It was a strong blow, and Yin seemed to be stunned. It took her a moment to get up. Everyone in the group now had a look of horror on their faces. 

"No one allowed you to approach. Know your place, child of darkness," the woman said again. Her voice was really cold compared to their experience with the Three.

Meanwhile, outside, the army continued to advance without much difficulty. Thanks to their coordination and strength, they had no problem repelling the forces of darkness. The darkness had a large army, but they lacked any coordination or tactics, so the people were able to advance steadily. The Three caused the most damage outside. They stood in the tower of the ramparts and threw one spear after another from there. The moon shields that protected the army and were maintained by the Order of the Moon through constant muttering were indeed strong and able to absorb most of the spears, but the power of the Three was undeniable, and each time at least some of the spears managed to pass through and hit someone. Fortunately, these were not always fatal wounds. They were slowly approaching the walls, from which giant tarantulas began to jump out at them. These caused a bit of chaos, as those who were unable to jump out of the way in time were crushed under their weight. Moreover, the moon shields were unable to block them as they passed through, as they could only protect the army from inanimate objects.

The largest and strongest man of the Order of the Sun was named Anaydal. He stood at the head of the entire army and led them forward with his large golden two-handed sword. He had a broad smile on his face as he dealt with the forces of darkness. He felt that they had to stop the Three as soon as possible, because the number of their spears passing through the shields was increasing. 

"Raithore, you will lead the army now. I must deal with her so we can advance more quickly," Anaydal said to the man who was his direct deputy and also the second strongest member of the Order of the Sun. He nodded silently. 

Anaydal then leaped forward and with a mighty jump reached the city walls. Tia noticed this and jumped down from the tower in an instant.

"I see someone couldn't wait," she remarked, taking a good look at Anaydala. He exuded tremendous power, accompanied by the power of light. But he didn't bother to answer and immediately lunged at her. Their weapons clashed. Sparks flew as light and darkness collided. Tia felt something she couldn't see fly past her head during the clash. The tower behind her split in two and began to collapse to the ground. Tia was so surprised that she couldn't help but show her surprise on her face. This was the delayed effect of Anaydala's weapon. 

"You of the Order never cease to amaze me," Tia said with an enthusiastic smile. It was clear that she was finally enjoying herself after a long time, but she couldn't fully concentrate. After all, she needed to keep an eye on how the battle was progressing.

Anaydal was making it difficult for her, though. His attacks were relentless, not giving her a moment to slow down. Moreover, it wasn't enough to just block his blows. She had to watch out for the delayed effect of his sword, the " ." She soon figured out how it worked, so it was easier to guard against. The army was slowly but surely approaching the main gate and pushing the dark forces back into the city. Tia knew she would have to leave soon. After all, with the army they had here, the outcome of the battle was inevitable. 

Another blow came from Anaydal. This one was even stronger than the previous ones. One would think that the longer it lasted, the weaker they would become. Tia was pushed back several steps. She touched the rest of the tower with her back. 

"Damn," she muttered. Only now did she realize that she had been retreating in the wrong direction. This was exactly where Anaydal wanted her. He hadn't given her a moment to jump aside. Another blow came. She felt the pressure, but there was nowhere to retreat. The knight immediately prepared for another strike. This time it came from below, aiming upwards. There was a flash of light reflecting off the golden sword. It passed through her dark spear. She felt pain. She knew she had lost her arm. There were some glowing marks left at the end of her arm. She soon realized what they were, because she couldn't restore the arm she was now missing. Another blow was already aimed at her. This time from the side. She had nothing to deflect the blow with. Fortunately, she managed to react in time and ducked so that the sword narrowly missed her head. The darkness was closing in more and more. She noticed the sun's rays spreading across the ground and heading towards the center of the city. 

"Before I kill you, you can answer me one question," said Anaydal, preparing to strike the blow that would end Trojka's life.

"What would you like to know?" replied Tia. She knew she had lost, so there was no reason not to answer.

"Why did you attack this city? What is your goal?" Anaydal asked.

"Hmm... Why this city... I'd say this is just a test attack," said Tia, looking thoughtful. "As for the goal, you're asking what the Darkness wants? That's simple. As long as there is light, there will be Darkness," she replied to the second question.

"I see. So you're just destroying people's lives as usual, regardless of anything else. I guess we can't expect anything else from you," Anaydal concluded their conversation. His sword was already pointed at Tia. 

The sword stopped again against a dark spear, but this time it wasn't Tie's. The spear belonged to Two, who was now standing in front of Anaydal. The surprise caused his sword to bounce off, throwing him off balance so that he had to jump back a few meters. But he noticed something he had never seen before in the forces of Darkness. Two bent down to Three. She embraced her and then helped her to her feet. 

"See you again sometime," said Tia, and they were gone. 

"It seems that not all of them are the monsters they used to be," Anaydal muttered to himself, waving his sword around him. He was well aware of the heyens standing behind him, who were planning to surprise him. But he had sensed them the whole time. They simply collapsed to the ground.

Then he slung his sword over his shoulder and walked back toward their army. 

The group now stood only in front of the veiled girl, who was still sitting there motionless. No one else had been there since Two disappeared in the blink of an eye. 

"Now you have your chance, while no one else is here," Yin whispered to the group.

The group knew this, but the darkness emanating from the girl was so strong that it was really hard for them to move. Moreover, a feeling of fear was slowly but surely growing within them. But this was the reason they had come this far, Senna thought.

Finally, she managed to stand up, even though it was really difficult. She began to move slowly toward the throne. The girl sat there motionless. 

Senna was getting closer. Mirthana, Tragir, and Yin were still in their places, just watching her advance. Now she was so close that she could almost see the lower part of her face. She reached forward to pull off the hood. But then she felt something pass through her leg. Without even blinking, she now saw a sword passing through her thigh muscle. It hurt a lot, but she was already in worse shape, so she didn't make a sound. Senna fell to her knee. The girl in front of her was no longer sitting. She stood up. Senna could feel her watching her. 

Now the girl touched the sword and began to pull it out slowly. The pain Senna felt now was truly terrible. But she didn't have time to focus on it for long. After a moment, she felt the blade of the sword against her neck. She raised her head and looked up at the girl, whose face was still hidden under the hood. She felt the blade on her neck tremble, as if the girl in front of her was experiencing some kind of internal struggle. It only lasted a moment. Now she swung. Senna closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do. She felt tears escaping from under her eyelids. But no blow came. She saw that it wasn't just the girl standing in front of her.

"Can't you control yourself enough to kill even your best friend?" said a voice. It was the voice of a stranger standing next to the girl, holding her hand, which was clutching a sword. The girl's face was still hidden, but she noticed that tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"And you don't even recognize your own daughter?" the stranger continued. He was speaking to the pair standing behind him, ready to attack him. It was, of course, Two and Three, who had returned. Both aimed their spears at the stranger. They struck, but missed. The stranger was now standing next to the rest of the group, including Senn. All three began to approach them slowly.

"How many times have I told you to stay out of my way?" the girl said. But it wasn't her voice. The Lord of Darkness was speaking through her.

"I wouldn't have enough fingers to count them all," came the reply from the stranger, who smiled from under his hood. The trio did not stop and slowly approached the group. They began to feel the pressure growing as they got closer. 

Now the doors to the hall burst open. Anaydal, Raithor, and several other knights of the order entered. The room was illuminated by the light that accompanied them. 

"Well, well... what a nice catch," said Anaydal as he looked around the room. First, he looked at Two and Three. They were two of the ten senior generals. But he had never seen the girl in the middle before. Then he looked at the group. A dwarf, an elf, and a wood nymph. He remembered them when he saw them leaving the city. But there were two other figures that were even more interesting to him.

"Even the most wanted child of Darkness is here, and..." He looked closely at the man who was shrouded in black. Now the highest leader of the Order looked truly surprised.

"How is this possible? You should be dead," he said, staring intently at the stranger.

"I'm sorry. I must have forgotten to die," replied the stranger, smiling again. For a moment, there was silence among everyone. Senna continued to stare at the girl, while Yin now watched Two. They both heard clearly what the stranger had said. 

All three slowly began to remove their hoods. They were equally exposed. Now Senna and Mirthana could no longer hold back and began to cry. The middle girl's bright white hair fluttered, stained with blood in places. Even so, it still looked like the purest snow. No one in the group could bring themselves to say anything. Two women now stood on either side of the girl. One had hazelnut brown hair and the other had light hair. Yin felt that after all these years, she saw something familiar in her. But she couldn't remember why. Somewhere inside, however, she felt that this woman was really important to her, and she couldn't hold back her tears either.

"It looks like you're spared for today," said the girl, then turned her back on everyone. Now a dark gate opened in front of her. Two and Three had already entered. None of them made a move to stop them. Not even Anaydal and the members of the orders. They were aware that fighting would be disadvantageous for them in the current situation. Besides, they couldn't get to them right away. The stranger was still standing between them. The girl also stepped towards the gate.

"Please... stay, May!" Senna cried out. The girl stood motionless for a moment. Her body was visibly shaking. Then she too passed through the dark gate, which began to close behind her. Senna ran after her. Her leg had healed in the meantime. But the stranger stood in her way and shook his head. Senna collapsed to the ground and cried loudly. The stranger bent down to her. 

"You have to let her go for now," he whispered. Something in his words gave Senna hope. The trio was gone for good, and light began to stream through the windows in the hall.