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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnW8Xc3MI9
“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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7ReryzcMV
The warriors around them tensed, weapons drawn. The air thickened with anticipation.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3wM0xrXwX
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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqNmUwhEFW
*Rustle… rustle…*
The noise drew closer, as though unseen eyes lurked in the void.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvZSFXSlN9
Lu Feng held his breath, straining to parse every sound. His pulse merged with the wind into a dissonant symphony.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHLipNIApJ
Then—figures emerged.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3FKLEbevrG
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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaso0KzWHoi
“Who are you?” Lu Feng demanded, voice low but firm.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoGuoFJKc5
“Tak. A wanderer,” the man replied, steady as bedrock. He nodded to the youth. “Raphael. A strategist.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJ8GzbkDR6
Lu Feng’s wariness lingered—too many had betrayed him under sweet words. Yet these two bore no hostility, only exhaustion… and hunger.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT2KW1SJLJ
“A… guide sent us,” Raphael said carefully. “We seek to join you. To fight the darkness.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGFz9ckkzY
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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8qXZVHZIE
“How’d you find me?”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHz0rZAprN
Tak’s jaw tightened. “The Blood Fiend Sect destroyed my home. I ran… met Raphael, who’d lost just as much.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenY2UsehfU
Raphael nodded. “The guide… they knew *you* could end this.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBwnW6erEB
Lu Feng’s chest burned—rage, grief, resolve colliding. He exhaled slowly, then extended a hand.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrB0cMME7E
“Welcome to Dusk Fortress.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27gW8P4zUq
Their grips sealed the pact.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgsaR2Dxyi
“A spar,” Lu Feng提议, eyes glinting. “To see what you’re made of.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYa0dhqJIH
Tak grinned, fire igniting in his stare. “Try to keep up.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUOUSSRgcl
Raphael twirled his staff. “You’ll need more than brute strength.”
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4p3mKopG8O
—
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY1n3qOWwS
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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIVn1eotJS
By dusk, their movements harmonized—trust forged in sweat and steel.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWbOh6SNYv
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.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjl95nRxNM
Silence fell.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VrtZufYMM
Lu Feng rose slowly, fingers curling around his sword. “Seems dinner’s delivered itself,” he murmured, a feral grin spreading.
228Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbK9VihH5o
The darkness beyond the firelight *shifted*.
ns216.73.216.247da2
