The evening light was streaming over the capital’s rooftops as Valdor and his party left the guild. The streets were bustling with life, but all eyes were on them — some gazing with derision, others with curiosity.

Kael unfurled the parchment.

“Ruins on the northern edge of the valley. Eliminate the monsters. Classic.”

“Nothing is ever as simple as it looks on paper.” — Valdor muttered. — “The guild is testing us.”

Arwen raised an eyebrow.

“A test? You think they’ll ask us how many monsters we killed when we get back?”

Valdor stared straight ahead.

“No. They’ll check to see if we make it back at all.”

Noah snorted. His hands were practically itching with sparks of fire.

“In that case, let’s show them we’ll return in flames.”

“If you burn down the ruins, we won’t find out anything.” — Mayuri interrupted coolly.

Valdor raised his hand, silencing them.

“Enough. Arguing won’t help. Where we’re going, the only thing that matters is whether we can stick together.”

The group left the capital and entered the forest. The path led through a valley. The silence was unnatural.

Kael frowned.

“I don’t even hear any birds.”

“The calm before the storm.” — Valdor replied, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Arwen crouched down, examining the ground.

“Footprints. This can’t be a human. Something bigger.”

Valdor knelt beside her and touched the indentations in the ground.

“These aren’t natural imprints. They’re... something man-made.”

Noah smiled wryly.

“All the better. I like a challenge.”

Valdor looked him in the eyes.

“Challenges are good, Noah. But remember, if you don’t think, the challenge becomes your grave.”

The ruins emerged before them at dusk. Cracked arches, the shadows of columns, and the scent of dampness and dust in the air.

“It looks peaceful.” — Kael remarked.

“Peace is the loudest lie." — Valdor replied.

A roar rang out. The echo reverberated through the ruins. Figures emerged from the darkness: humanoids covered in a black crust, their eyes glowing red.

“They’re not monsters. They’re soldiers of the Empire… transformed.” — Arwen hissed.

Valdor stepped forward and drew his sword.

“Let’s go… team.”

The monsters howled and charged.

Steel clashed against steel.

Kael fought like a shield, parrying heavy blows. Valdor appeared beside him, deflecting attacks with brutal precision.

“Hold the line, Kael!” — Valdor shouted.

“I’m trying!” — he replied, gritting his teeth.

Arwen leaped to the side, her daggers flashing in the darkness.

“Focus on their legs!” — Valdor shouted, slicing another monster from shoulder to hip.

Mayuri cast barrier after barrier. One shattered under an enemy spell, but another immediately took its place.

“Their magic… is unstable!” — she shouted. — “I can sense the source!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Valdor spotted a pulsing red light at the heart of the ruins.

“The source… that’s where the answer lies.”

Noah roared, unleashing a wave of fire.

“That source can wait until they stop biting me!”

Valdor cut down another opponent, then shouted loudly, his voice cutting through the chaos of battle:

“Listen to me! We won’t let ourselves be distracted! We hold the line, and then we break through to the center.”

The monsters’ bodies fell, but new ones kept pouring in. Sweat poured from Kael’s forehead, and Arwen was panting, but her blades didn’t stop for a moment.

“They never end!” — she cried.

“That’s exactly why we have to keep going!” — Valdor replied, parrying a blow and countering with a lightning-fast thrust.

Mayuri, trembling from the effort, raised another barrier. — “Valdor… if we don’t destroy that source, this battle will never end!”

Valdor looked at her and nodded.

“You’re right. But if we fall apart now, we’ll never make it there.”

His sword sliced through another monster, and his voice carried above the roar of battle:

“We’re in this together! And together, we’ll fight our way through this hell!”

Night fell over the ruins, and the battle raged on. The monsters grew in number, and the source pulsed ever brighter, as if feeding on their exertion.

Valdor sensed that their line was beginning to crumble. He looked at his team: Kael was staggering, Arwen was covered in blood, Noah was gasping for breath, and Mayuri was barely holding her spells together.

That’s when he made his decision.

Valdor raised his sword, and his voice rang out loud and clear:

“Listen up! You have to hold on. I’m going to the source!”

“What?!” — Noah roared. — “That’s suicide!”

“This power responds to me. If anyone is going to end this, it’s me.” Valdor looked him in the eyes.

Kael took a step toward him.

“I can’t let you do this!”

Valdor placed a hand on his shoulder. — “You’ve already done more than I could have asked. Now your job is to protect them.”

Arwen snorted, anger in her eyes.

“Valdor...”

“Trust me.” — he said with a brief but confident smile. — “If it doesn't work out, at least you'll know we fought together.”

The monsters lunged at them. Valdor parried two blows, delivered a powerful slash, and surged forward, cutting a path toward the pulsing red light.

“Valdor!” — Mayuri reached out her hand toward him, but her barrier cracked, and she had to focus on defending herself.

Valdor didn’t look back. Each step was heavy, but sure.

“The Source is mine…” — he whispered.

And alone, he plunged into the darkness