The Fallen Islands
On one of the Fallen Islands...
The Human Emperor was engaged in a fierce battle alongside the Captain of the Imperial Guard, his soldiers, knights, and mages against the demons attacking the island.
The battle was intense.
The sounds of clashing weapons and desperate cries echoed everywhere as the Emperor fought beside his forces, trying to drive the demons back.
But...
About halfway through the battle, the Emperor sensed something strange.
He paused for a moment.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon the battlefield.
Then...
A familiar aura appeared.
A terrifying aura erupted from the sky and began spreading across the entire island.
The Emperor immediately looked up.
At that very moment, he heard a familiar voice.
It came from the heavens.
He also sensed an immensely powerful presence approaching the island.
The Emperor fixed his gaze on the sky.
And there...
He saw the very sight he had hoped never to witness again.
Legions of black monsters appeared overhead.
They were the same kind of creatures once controlled by the mysterious figure he had fought before.
And the monsters were not alone.
The Emperor also saw the mysterious figure itself.
It hovered above the island, surrounded by the black creatures.
Its ominous aura poured down upon the island.
The dark aura spread at an incredible speed.
It quickly enveloped the entire island.
The moment the Emperor saw it...
He shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Captain of the Guard! Soldiers! Knights! Mages! Watch out! There's an attack from the sky!"
But...
He could not warn everyone in time.
The aura was faster than he had expected.
Only a handful of people managed to resist it.
The Captain of the Guard was among them, along with only a few knights.
Those knights had released their powerful auras beyond their bodies, and those auras protected them from the mysterious black energy.
As for the rest of the soldiers...
They could do nothing.
The mysterious aura spread rapidly.
Within seconds...
It covered the soldiers' bodies.
Then it engulfed the knights who had failed to protect themselves.
It spread to the demons as well.
In fact, the aura spared almost no one on the island.
Within moments...
The soldiers, knights, mages, and demons began to change.
They transformed into monsters.
The Emperor looked around him.
Both fury and horror filled his eyes.
He could not believe what he was seeing.
Only moments earlier, the island had been filled with soldiers, knights, mages, and demons.
Now...
Most of them had become mindless monsters.
The Emperor quickly scanned the battlefield.
He found only ten knights and his Captain of the Guard still resisting the mysterious black aura, struggling to protect themselves from its influence.
The dark aura had engulfed the entire island within mere seconds.
The Emperor shouted as he watched his soldiers, knights, and even the demons transform before his eyes:
"Leave the island immediately!"
But...
The moment those words left his mouth...
The worst happened.
Nearly everyone on the island completed their transformation.
Before the Emperor, the Captain of the Guard, and the remaining knights could escape...
They were surrounded.
The soldiers, knights, mages, and demons had already transformed into terrifying monsters and encircled them from the ground, while the black monsters released by the mysterious figure descended from the sky.
The island was surrounded on all sides.
There was no clear path left to escape.
The Emperor, the Captain of the Guard, and the surviving knights found themselves trapped on the Fallen Island.
The very island they had fought to protect had, within moments, become a land overrun by monsters.
As for the mysterious figure...
It remained in the sky, silently watching everything unfold.
Meanwhile...
On the continent of Mira...
Nott finally returned to the place where Uul and Yord were waiting.
He emerged from the shadows and walked toward them.
Uul and Yord looked at him, waiting for his report.
Nott told them everything he had overheard throughout the Dark Elf city.
He spoke of the scattered conversations, the seed capable of becoming a Sacred Tree, and the Dark Elves' belief that they were no longer inferior to the Elves.
Yord listened carefully.
When Nott finished speaking, she fell into thought.
Then she said:
"There must be a secret behind that seed."
She paused before continuing:
"There has to be something we don't know. How could the Dark Elves accomplish something like this?"
She looked at Nott and Uul.
"A Sacred Tree of their own? That's impossible... isn't it?"
Uul looked at both of them before saying:
"We need to uncover the truth."
He thought for a moment.
Then he continued:
"I'll draw the attention of the great power protecting the palace. Meanwhile, Nott, you and Yord will infiltrate it and discover what they're hiding."
Silence filled the tunnel for a few moments.
Nott considered Uul's proposal.
He knew the plan was possible in theory.
But...
There was a problem.
The power surrounding the palace was no ordinary force.
It was obvious that something extraordinarily powerful was protecting it.
Nott raised his head and slowly shook it.
"No."
Uul and Yord looked at him.
Nott continued:
"It's too dangerous."
Then he calmly added:
"It isn't worth the risk."
Nott saw the situation differently.
He had no intention of entering the palace only to discover that the force guarding it was far stronger than they had anticipated.
Instead, he wanted to use the city itself to obtain the information they needed.
Then...
An idea crossed his mind.
He looked at Uul and Yord.
"Let's do something else."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Let's reveal what we've learned to the outside world."
Uul looked at him with interest.
Yord continued listening.
"There must be many who would want to know whether that seed is real."
Then he added:
"If the outside world learns that the Dark Elves possess a seed capable of becoming a Sacred Tree, countless factions will become interested."
He paused again.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Everyone will want to know what that seed truly is... and what it can do."
Then he continued:
"And some of them will send powerful forces to investigate."
He looked toward the distant palace.
"Once they keep that great power protecting the palace occupied..."
Then he turned back to Uul and Yord.
"That's when..."
A calm smile spread across his face.
"We'll seize the opportunity, slip inside, and uncover the truth about that seed."
Silence followed.
It was a completely different approach from simply storming the palace.
Instead of confronting the immense power and its guardians themselves, they would allow others to open the way for them.
Nott looked at Uul and Yord.
Then he asked:
"What do you think?"
The plan had already begun taking shape in his mind.
If it succeeded...
They might uncover the secret of the seed and the Sacred Tree, and learn why the Dark Elves' power had grown, without having to confront the terrifying force protecting the palace directly.
But...
None of them knew what awaited them inside that palace.
Nor did anyone know the true nature of that mysterious seed.
Meanwhile...
Far away from them...
The Fallen Islands had descended into an even greater catastrophe, as the mysterious figure continued carrying out its plan.
Thus...
Events in two different places began unfolding at the same time, with each side moving one step closer to something that could completely change the course of everything yet to come.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]