Lu Feng’s heart pounded like a drum, his palms slick with sweat.
The faint footsteps echoed through the night—light as a cat’s tread, yet heavy with danger. His eyes darted across the shadowy thickets and trembling treetops, every rustle now suspicious.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMPMJKpaHN
“Stay still. Something’s off,” Lu Feng whispered urgently to Ai Liya, who trembled in his arms. She closed her eyes, channeling what little divine energy remained, ready to fight.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRjoPxYb6K
The warriors around them tensed, weapons drawn. The air thickened with anticipation.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCvz17TGEY
Tak, his sword gripped like an extension of his arm, scanned the darkness with hawk-like intensity. Raphael, already mapping escape routes in his mind, muttered strategies under his breath.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHP0Dgm052
*Rustle… rustle…*
The noise drew closer, as though unseen eyes lurked in the void.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMq6wS0Nxx
Lu Feng held his breath, straining to parse every sound. His pulse merged with the wind into a dissonant symphony.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeJFTXoAUT
Then—figures emerged.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVu5d4cNzE2
A towering man led the group, his tattered battle robes failing to hide muscles forged in war. His gaze, unyielding as stone, locked onto Lu Feng. Behind him stood a slender youth, a staff glinting in his hand, magic simmering at its tip.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuvEe48Fz2
“Who are you?” Lu Feng demanded, voice low but firm.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlEHX5Po1e
“Tak. A wanderer,” the man replied, steady as bedrock. He nodded to the youth. “Raphael. A strategist.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL42BxKIWFh
Lu Feng’s wariness lingered—too many had betrayed him under sweet words. Yet these two bore no hostility, only exhaustion… and hunger.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILaTpFUOGI
“A… guide sent us,” Raphael said carefully. “We seek to join you. To fight the darkness.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0mE8E0VQn
Lu Feng’s resolve flickered. The @moss simulator had aided him thus far, but the enemies grew stronger. Allies like these—seasoned, sharp—might tip the scales.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyvgB7rUZO
“How’d you find me?”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvqa583ERs
Tak’s jaw tightened. “The Blood Fiend Sect destroyed my home. I ran… met Raphael, who’d lost just as much.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNwTuK0TEA
Raphael nodded. “The guide… they knew *you* could end this.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13D3mfH4nQ
Lu Feng’s chest burned—rage, grief, resolve colliding. He exhaled slowly, then extended a hand.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6HKFZJTWC
“Welcome to Dusk Fortress.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBdwMN5MYc
Their grips sealed the pact.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrajnF9eKm
“A spar,” Lu Feng提议, eyes glinting. “To see what you’re made of.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZLi7lA3Ul
Tak grinned, fire igniting in his stare. “Try to keep up.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEwGxMDAqA
Raphael twirled his staff. “You’ll need more than brute strength.”
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbixTVQqKIN
—
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhg3rOrhuR
The clash erupted. Tak’s sword thundered, each strike earthquaking the field. Raphael wove spells like a composer, redirecting blows with calculated precision. Lu Feng commanded with tactical brilliance, while Ai Liya’s moonlight magic danced between shadows.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwYN7K3zX4
By dusk, their movements harmonized—trust forged in sweat and steel.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfS5NFwZTce
Around the campfire, laughter briefly drowned the night. But as embers dimmed, the Shadowmoon Cat at Lu Feng’s feet suddenly bristled, fur standing on end. A guttural growl ripped from its throat, green eyes blazing toward the woods.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMKR8EtQ1J
Silence fell.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBW5TsPqdNV
Lu Feng rose slowly, fingers curling around his sword. “Seems dinner’s delivered itself,” he murmured, a feral grin spreading.
236Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwy8CF1r223
The darkness beyond the firelight *shifted*.
ns216.73.216.238da2
