shadow light

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the forest outside Yuexi Village scarlet. Alken was walking alone on the forest path, holding an old one-handed sword tightly in his hand, the blade of which was full of carvings from the years. His emerald eyes scanned the surroundings, feeling uneasy in his heart. Today, he found strange runes by the spring outside the village. Although he couldn't understand the twisted lines, he always felt that something was wrong.

"I hope it's just me being too preoccupied." He murmured in a low voice and quickened his pace, trying to get back to the village before dark. As an ordinary apprentice magician, his life has always been ordinary. His only dream is to become the strongest guardian in the village and protect the kind villagers.

However, before he could walk out of the forest, a rush of footsteps came from behind. Alken turned around suddenly and saw five masked robbers emerging from the shadow of the trees, the light of their swords flashing in the sunset, and murderous intent rushing towards them.

"Boy, hand over what you have on you!" the leader of the bandits roared, pointing the long knife directly at Alken's chest.

Arken's heartbeat accelerated instantly and sweat fell from his forehead. He gritted his teeth, and the hand holding the sword trembled slightly, but he did not flinch even half a step. "There's nothing worth grabbing here, get out of here!" he roared, with a hint of stubbornness in his voice.

"Seeking death!" The robber sneered and slashed with his knife. Arken barely dodged by turning sideways, and the blade scraped across his arm, leaving a shallow bloodstain. He stabbed out with his backhand sword, but was easily blocked by another bandit. The opponent's strength and speed far exceeded him, and the apprentice's level 2 magic power seemed insignificant in front of this group of desperadoes.

"With this little ability, how dare you act like a hero?" The robbers laughed and approached step by step. Alken stepped back continuously, leaning against an old tree, his chest heaving violently. He knew that he might really have to confess here.

Just when the blade was about to fall, a ray of emerald light flashed through the forest, piercing the night sky like a shooting star. A figure suddenly appeared in front of Alken, slender but swift. He waved his short staff lightly, and a blazing flame instantly engulfed the nearest robber.

"Ah!" The robber screamed and fell to the ground, the flames burning on his body, and the air was filled with the smell of burning. The other robbers were stunned for a moment, then roared and rushed towards the figure.

Arken's eyes widened and he saw clearly the person who rescued him - she was a young girl wearing a shabby cloak, with long brown hair like a waterfall exposed from under the cloak. Her face was hidden in the shadows, and only a pair of emerald eyes were clearly visible, shining with determination and anger. She turned around and looked at Alken, her voice was cold and cold with a hint of urgency: "Why are you still standing there? Run!"

Alken came back to his senses and gritted his teeth to keep up with her pace. The two of them ran through the forest, followed by the robber's curses and footsteps. The girl looked back from time to time, waving her short staff continuously, intertwining flames and wind blades, forcing the pursuers back. Her movements were clean and neat, and the strength of her magic power made Alken secretly frightened - this was at least the level of a fifth-level apprentice, far beyond his ability.

"Go left!" the girl suddenly shouted, pulling Alken to turn to a hidden path. Her palms were warm and strong, but they were trembling slightly, as if she was trying to hold on. The two ran into a dense forest, finally got rid of their pursuers, and stopped panting.

"Who are you? Why did you save me?" Arken held his knees and asked breathlessly. His eyes fell on the girl, trying to see her face clearly.

The girl took off her cloak, revealing a delicate but pale face. She was slightly shorter than Alken, with a stubborn look in her eyebrows and pursed lips, as if she was hiding some secret. Those emerald eyes were strikingly similar to his own, but they had an extra layer of meaning that he couldn't understand.

"My name is Vera." She replied simply, her voice tired but firm, "Rescuing you... is just a convenience. I am also running for my life. Those robbers are not just here for you."

"Escape?" Alken was stunned, with countless guesses flashing through his mind, "You mean, they have a bigger goal?"

Vera nodded, looking towards the forest in the distance, and said in a low voice: "They are looking for something, something I can't let them take away." She paused, then turned to look at Alken, with a trace of complicated emotions flashing in her eyes, "The runes you just saw are related to me."

Arken's heart was shaken, and the twisted runes beside the spring emerged in his mind. Just as he was about to ask, Vera suddenly swayed, knelt on one knee, clutched her chest and gasped. Her face became paler, and her arm under the cloak revealed a scar that was deep enough to see the bones, and blood slowly seeped out.

"You're injured!" Arken quickly squatted down and tried to help her, "What's going on? You were so powerful just now..."

"Leave me alone, go quickly!" Vera pushed his hand away, with a hint of urgency in her voice, "They will catch up soon, and I can't hurt you."

Arken did not move, but looked at her firmly: "I will not abandon you. You saved me, and I will help you this time." He took out a rag from his backpack and awkwardly bandaged her wound. Vera wanted to refuse, but was unable to resist due to excessive blood loss, so she could only let him move.

At this moment, footsteps were heard again in the forest, accompanied by low curses. Arken looked up and saw several black figures approaching quickly in the distance. He gritted his teeth, pulled Vera up, and whispered: "Hold on, let's run away together!"

Vera looked at him, and the resistance in her eyes gradually turned into a hint of warmth. She nodded slightly and stood firm against his shoulder. The two supported each other and stumbled deeper into the woods. The sunset completely sank, darkness enveloped the earth, and the roar of the robbers got closer and closer...

Just when they were about to be overtaken, Alken opened his eyes suddenly and found himself lying on a familiar wooden bed, his clothes soaked in cold sweat. The moonlight was bright outside the window, and the village was silent. He breathed heavily and murmured: "Is it a dream?"

However, when he turned to look to his side, his heart suddenly shrank - a figure was lying quietly beside the bed, his cloak slipped off, revealing a pair of closed emerald eyes. That was Vera, her chest was rising and falling slightly, the scars on her arms were clearly visible, and blood was still slowly seeping out.

"This...isn't this a dream?" Arken's eyes widened, his mind in confusion. who is she? Why does it appear here? The faint sound of footsteps outside the window made him feel a biting chill - was the crisis really coming?

The moonlight was like silver, shining in the familiar wooden house in Yuexi Village, but it could not dispel the haze in Alken's heart. He stared at the unconscious girl beside the bed - Vera, with the thrilling "dream" still lingering in his mind. Her emerald eyes were tightly closed, her pale cheeks were stained with dirt and blood, and the wounds on her arms were shocking. The blood seeped out slowly, staining the worn cloak red.

"What the hell is going on?" Alken muttered to himself, his heart beating like a drum. He reached out and touched Vera's forehead lightly, and the cold temperature came from his palm, which made him tremble. The dream just now was so real - the robber's sword light, her flames, the two of them escaping hand in hand - but now, she was lying here for real, as if she had walked out of a dream, but on the verge of death.

The faint sound of footsteps outside the window broke his thoughts, rapid and chaotic, accompanied by low curses