Chapter 51: The Dark Portal
After the battle with the darkness, there was no time for rest. We needed to prepare ourselves for the coming threat. Soon, we discovered that there were many portals opened by the "Ancient Darkness" throughout the world, each portal leading to a place filled with traps and dark creatures.
We had to close these portals. But how? We didn't have an answer.
We took the path that Lilia had told us might be the only solution, a path leading to the "Heart of Darkness," a place hidden from everyone and known only to a few ancient wizards. Only those who possessed ancient secrets could access it.
"We will walk through the dark forest," Lilia said confidently, though deep inside, she harbored undeniable concern.
"The dark forest?" I asked, hesitating. "Is it dangerous?"
"More than anything you've seen. But we have no choice." Lilia replied.
We walked through the dark forest, where everything around us was dark and gloomy, and the only sounds were the wind and distant murmurs of rivers. The trees blocked the light, and the ground was unstable, as if it moved beneath our feet.
Every step carried a threat. Yet, I felt I had become stronger than before. The power I had gained from copying magical skills was growing, and I was learning how to control it better.
Then, in the middle of the journey, we began to see something strange. A faint green light emanated between the trees, where there was a massive gate adorned with strange carvings.
"This is the gate," Lilia said, "but it's not an ordinary gate. It's a portal to the Heart of Darkness."
Every step we took toward it brought a feeling of awe. Were we ready to face the truth that lay beyond this gate? And would we be able to defeat what was on the other side?
In that moment, Lilia's eyes sparkled with mystery, and I knew she felt what I felt, but we had to move forward.
End of Chapter 51
Chapter 52: Through the Gate of Darkness
The eerie silence of the dark forest grew thicker as we neared the gate. The faint green light flickered oddly between the trees, as if everything around us had turned into faded colors in the face of that light.
Lilia didn't speak, only watching the gate in anticipation, as if she were gathering her strength for what was to come. The air was cold, as if the gate itself was draining the energy from everything around it. The closer we got, the more uncomfortable I felt.
"Eyad, remember, we can't let the darkness control us, no matter what we face here." Lilia said finally, brushing her long black hair gently with her hand.
"I'm ready, but... are you sure this is the way?" I asked, fear in my voice, though I tried to hide it.
Lilia nodded, then took steady steps toward the gate. I felt each step was heavy, as if the darkness was pulling me in.
We stopped in front of the gate, where its carvings shimmered with strange light, but there was nothing visible we could do. The gate was firmly shut, as if it resisted every attempt to open it.
"We need to find a way to open it." Lilia whispered, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
As we began moving around the gate, something strange started to happen. The carvings on the gate began to glow faster, as if something inside it was reacting to our presence. Moments of terrifying silence passed, then suddenly, a deep echo came from within the gate, as if it were breathing.
"The darkness does not forgive, but you cannot escape." The voice was strange, devoid of humanity, carrying an invisible threat.
The voice came from within the gate itself, and it felt like a direct threat to us.
"The darkness speaks." Lilia whispered, her voice betraying a real sense of unease. "We've opened a door to something deeper than just magic."
Before I could respond, the carvings on the gate gleamed even brighter, then suddenly, the gate opened with a deep sound resembling an ancient roar. It was as if ancient forces had been unleashed.
Through the gate, there was a distant and mysterious vision, an incomprehensible scene. Dark creatures moved in the shadows, and unexplained movements filled the scene, but we had to move forward.
"We have to go in." Lilia said, gripping my hand tightly. "The darkness may try to stop us, but it cannot."
End of Chapter 52
Chapter 53: Crossing into the Heart of Darkness
We entered through the gate, which was filled with dark paths, as if we had stepped into an entirely different world. Everything around us was dark and sorrowful. Trees burned without flames, the sky was dark without stars, as if we were in an unnatural dream.
The ground was covered in a layer of ash, as if the world here had died long ago. Every step we took brought more of a feeling of alienation.
"This is the Heart of Darkness..." Lilia whispered, "The place that does not recognize time or space. If we let the darkness control here, we will be the next part of the darkness."
Our steps were heavy. The darkness surrounding us pressed on our chests, and we had the feeling that everything here reflected our dark side. The feeling of being watched was constant, as if hidden eyes were monitoring us from every angle.
Suddenly, something moved in the distance. A dark figure approached us slowly. It resembled a human, but it was distorted in a strange way, as if it gathered shadows around it.
"You are the ones who meddle with the darkness..." The creature said in a strange, unfamiliar voice. "Do not think you can control this."
"Who are you?" Lilia asked, trying to keep her composure.
"I am the guardian... I am part of this world." The creature said, then its features began to distort further.
Suddenly, the creature lunged at us with unexpected speed, but disappeared into the air as if the darkness had swallowed it. However, before we could move, a group of other creatures appeared, beings that embodied the darkness itself.
"We must fight now, or we will lose everything." Lilia said, pulling a magical weapon from her cloak, ready for battle.
I had prepared for moments like this before, but I wasn't ready for the darkness that moved before us now. This wasn't an ordinary battle; it was a struggle with something beyond human understanding.
End of Chapter 53
Chapter 54: Confronting the Darkness
No matter how brave Lilia was or how powerful her magic, I never expected that what we were facing would be of this magnitude. The dark creatures that appeared before us represented a threat beyond imagination, as if every step we took was drawing us deeper into the heart of the darkness.
The guardian that appeared first kept fading into the darkness and reappearing in different places in illogical ways, its presence pressing on our nerves. I could feel time slowing, each passing moment capable of pulling us deeper into the darkness.
"Eyad, don't get close!" Lilia said cautiously as she prepared to cast a spell. "If it touches you, we'll be in real trouble."
I felt my hand on the hilt of my weapon, and I focused on recalling all those battles I fought in video games, but this time, it was different. There were no buttons to press or instructions on a screen. This was my real life now.
The dark guardian tried to attack us again, but this time we had a plan. Lilia was proficient in strong defensive spells. As it approached us, she cast her magic, creating a field of bright green energy that blocked both light and darkness. But the guardian didn't stop.
"You won't succeed..." The guardian screamed in a voice that sounded like cold whispers. "You are only a tool in a larger game."
It closed in quickly, as the darkness around it surged faster. It moved between places at an impossible speed, as if time itself couldn't keep up with it.
"Eyad, you must use your power!" Lilia said, turning to me quickly.
"But I don't know how!" I answered, filled with despair.
"Believe in yourself!" Lilia said as she moved her hands through the air, forming a new magical shield around us.
I needed to activate my new power, but how? How could I use my ability to copy skills?
At that moment, I remembered what they had said about "copying skills." Suddenly, I realized that I could copy Lilia's abilities. The magic wasn't in my hands, but in my thoughts. I focused all my strength, and suddenly I felt a massive energy surge through my body, then unleashed a magical beam similar to Lilia's.
The green light I released was more powerful than anything I expected. A cloud of light pierced the darkness, causing a massive explosion. The guardian recoiled for a moment, trembling under the force of the attack.
But despite all that, it hadn't been destroyed yet.
"You are only giving the darkness more time..." The guardian said in a strained voice, breathing heavily.
"We won't let you control this place!" Lilia said, standing firm. "Eyad, we need a combined attack!"
I understood what she meant, and I had finally regained the ability to fully use my new power. I focused on Lilia's magic, then merged it with my abilities, starting to repeat the spells I had just seen, combined with the rare skill energy I possessed.
The bright green light reflected in our eyes, and I began to notice a change in the dark creatures. There was a pressing effect, as though I was becoming part of the attack.
At a critical moment, we launched our combined attack. A ball of bright light struck the dark guardian with incredible force, and a scream rose in the air as its dark body shattered.
But after a moment of deep silence, the guardian began to reassemble, this time stronger and more violent.
"This is not the end of the game." It said, grinning with a dark smile, as if the defeat was merely the beginning of a larger confrontation.
I knew the battle wasn't over yet. The darkness was still waiting for us.
End of Chapter 54
Chapter 55: Darkness Spares No One
One moment after another, we were faced with an unavoidable threat. The dark guardian had reformed, and its eyes pulsed with a darkness deeper than anything we had ever seen. It seemed to draw its power from something even deeper than this earth, or perhaps from this world itself.
"It doesn't stop, does it?" Lilia said calmly, despite the tension that gripped her body. Her hands moved quickly, weaving spell after spell, but she knew we were in real danger.
I knew my power alone wasn't enough. The rare skill I possessed was good for defense or light attacks, but facing the dark creature before us required something greater, something that couldn't be mimicked.
"Eyad, don't focus only on physical strength," Lilia said, as she approached me, gesturing toward her mouth, "The trick here is in the heart of darkness. Not everything can be defeated with magical power."
Her words were filled with wisdom, but that didn't change the fact that we were lost. The next attack from the dark guardian was even more violent. It launched a beam of deep darkness that seemed to devour everything in its path. Its beam didn't only span the distance but penetrated the air as if the very atmosphere was filled with darkness.
"We have to escape!" I said quickly.
"No, we don't have the luxury of escape!" Lilia replied, and with her, came a new magical strength. Her hands glowed with a field of bright blue light. "Eyad, put your hand on mine now!"
I didn't need an explanation, I quickly placed my hand on hers, and soon I felt an unprecedented surge of energy through her. At that moment, I began to see blurry images, fast movements, as if I were seeing the future. This was the true secret to my power: copying, not just skills, but even thoughts and energy itself.
As I did that, the magical interactions between us began to grow unexpectedly. The magic combined between my power and Lilia's created an invisible shield, slowly forming between us and the dark guardian.
But we weren't safe yet. In an instant, the guardian vanished before us, and darkness engulfed everything around us. I felt strange pulses within my body, as if dark threads were holding us from every side.
Suddenly, in a moment of extreme tension, we felt something unusual. The barriers of darkness tore apart, and before us appeared the guardian once again, but this time, it was different. Its eyes glowed with deep black, and its hands trembled from the rising power within its body.
"There is no use in resisting!" The guardian said, its voice echoing through the surroundings.
Lilia raised her hands once more, but this time, her magic changed. Nothing like we had seen before, it was a hidden magic, growing stronger, its consequences scattering in the air like waves of dispersed light.
"Eyad, this is your time!" Lilia said, finishing her spell in an instant.
My hands trembled, but I felt something strange. Just like before, when Lilia's spells repeated in my body, I now felt capable of copying this magic. With every pulse of the heart of darkness, I gathered the energy and returned it, stronger and denser.
"Now, we won't give up!" I said, and with every word I spoke, magical power gathered around me. With a force from deep within, I launched a beam of magic infused with cosmic energy, and this beam pierced the darkness like lightning.
The light filled the area, and the dark guardian began to slowly disappear under the weight of the attack.
But despite all this, the guardian smiled a dark smile.
"You've slowed me down, but the mission has not ended. Surprises are still to come."
And in a moment, it started to fade away into the darkness, leaving behind a cold whispering shadow.
End of Chapter 55