The giant shadow stood behind the black gate.
Its two golden eyes slowly opened.
Rahim, Karim, Farid, and Zayan stood silently in the valley.
Nobody moved.
The air suddenly became very cold.
Karim looked at Zayan.
"Is that the Guardian?"
Zayan nodded slowly.
"Yes. It has been sleeping for hundreds of years."
Farid held his sword tightly.
"Then why did it wake up now?"
Zayan looked at the three keys in Rahim's hand.
"Because you brought the keys here."
Rahim looked at the keys.
The Silver Key, the Storm Key, and the Shadow Key were shining brightly.
"But we did not wake it on purpose," Rahim said.
"I know," Zayan replied. "But the Guardian does not care about that."
The ground suddenly shook.
BOOM!
A huge hand came out from behind the gate.
The hand was covered with dark armor.
Karim stepped backward.
"That is not a normal creature."
Farid nodded.
"No. It is much stronger."
The Guardian slowly walked out of the gate.
It was enormous.
Its body was covered in black armor. Two golden eyes shone from beneath its helmet.
In one hand, it carried a huge sword.
The sword was almost as tall as Rahim.
The Guardian looked at the three keys.
Then it spoke in a deep voice.
"Who brings the ancient keys?"
Rahim took a deep breath.
"I am Rahim."
The Guardian looked at him.
"Are you the chosen guardian?"
Rahim was not sure what to say.
"I don't know."
The Guardian became silent.
Then it raised its sword.
"Then prove yourself."
Karim became frightened.
"Rahim, what does it mean?"
Before Rahim could answer, the Guardian moved.
It was extremely fast.
The giant sword came toward Rahim.
Rahim quickly jumped to the side.
BOOM!
The sword hit the ground.
A strong shockwave spread across the valley.
Rahim fell to the ground.
"Rahim!" Karim shouted.
Rahim quickly stood up.
"I'm okay!"
Farid ran toward the Guardian.
"Stay away from him!"
He attacked with his sword.
CLANG!
Farid's sword hit the Guardian's armor.
But the Guardian did not even move.
Farid looked shocked.
"What?"
The Guardian pushed him away with one hand.
Farid flew several feet and landed on the ground.
"Farid!" Zayan shouted.
Karim ran toward him.
"Are you hurt?"
Farid slowly stood up.
"I'm fine. But we cannot defeat it with normal weapons."
Rahim looked at the Guardian.
The creature was coming toward him again.
Rahim raised the three keys.
Suddenly, the keys began to glow.
Blue light came from the Storm Key.
Silver light came from the Silver Key.
Purple light came from the Shadow Key.
The three lights joined together.
A bright shield appeared in front of Rahim.
The Guardian's sword hit the shield.
BOOOOM!
The entire valley shook.
Rahim was pushed backward, but the shield did not break.
The Guardian stopped.
It looked at the shield carefully.
"The keys have chosen you."
Rahim lowered his hand.
"What do you mean?"
The Guardian put down its sword.
"You are not their master."
It looked at the three keys.
"You are their guardian."
Rahim looked confused.
"What is the difference?"
The Guardian answered,
"A master uses power for himself."
"A guardian uses power to protect others."
Rahim remembered the crystal.
He remembered how he had sacrificed it to save everyone.
"I understand," he said.
The Guardian slowly nodded.
"But there is one final test."
Karim looked worried.
"Another test?"
Zayan stepped forward.
"What kind of test?"
The Guardian pointed toward the black gate.
"Beyond this gate is the Hidden Valley."
Farid looked at the gate.
"What is inside?"
The Guardian's golden eyes became brighter.
"The truth."
Everyone became silent.
Rahim looked at the gate.
"The truth about what?"
The Guardian did not answer immediately.
Then it said,
"The truth about the three keys."
Rahim's eyes widened.
"The three keys have a secret?"
"Yes," said the Guardian.
"They were not created to open a door."
Karim looked confused.
"Then what are they for?"
The Guardian turned toward the gate.
"They were created to stop something."
Suddenly, the ground began to shake again.
A dark sound came from beyond the gate.
Zayan's face changed.
"No..."
Rahim looked at him.
"What happened?"
Zayan pointed toward the gate.
"The Shadow Beast is coming."
Farid quickly looked behind them.
The same dark smoke that had surrounded the Shadow Beast at the temple was now moving across the mountains.
Karim became nervous.
"It followed us?"
Zayan nodded.
"It wants the three keys."
Rahim held the keys tightly.
"We cannot let it take them."
The Guardian looked at Rahim.
"Then you must enter the gate."
Rahim looked surprised.
"Alone?"
"No."
The Guardian looked at Karim, Farid, and Zayan.
"All four of you must enter."
Farid looked at the dark gate.
"And what about you?"
"I will stop the Shadow Beast."
Rahim shook his head.
"You cannot fight it alone."
The Guardian smiled for the first time.
"I have protected this gate for hundreds of years."
It raised its giant sword.
"I will protect it a little longer."
A loud roar came from the mountains.
ROOOOAR!
The Shadow Beast appeared in the distance.
Its dark body moved between the mountains.
Karim looked terrified.
"It is coming!"
The Guardian turned toward the beast.
"Go."
Rahim looked at the Guardian.
"Thank you."
Then Rahim, Karim, Farid, and Zayan ran toward the black gate.
The three keys began shining brighter.
As Rahim touched the gate, three symbols appeared.
A silver moon.
A blue storm.
A purple shadow.
The gate slowly opened.
Cold air rushed out.
Rahim looked inside.
There was a long dark path.
At the end of the path stood a huge ancient castle.
Farid whispered,
"What is that place?"
Zayan looked frightened.
"The Castle of the First Guardian."
Rahim stepped forward.
"Then that is where we need to go."
Behind them, another huge roar shook the valley.
The battle between the Guardian and the Shadow Beast had begun.
Rahim and his friends entered the black gate.
The moment they crossed it...
The gate closed behind them.
They were trapped inside.
And somewhere deep inside the ancient castle...
Something was waiting for them.
Something that already knew Rahim's name.
To be continued...