At 6:00 p.m., Klaus sits alone in the grand palace dining hall, waiting for Lily. The polished marble floors reflect the dim glow of the golden chandelier above. The long table is elegantly set, but the food remains untouched, slowly cooling on silver platters. Klaus drums his fingers on the armrest of his chair, growing anxious with every passing second.
Meanwhile, Lily walks briskly through the quiet corridor, her soft footsteps echoing against the stone walls. Just as she nears the dining room, three men dressed in dark, tattered cloaks emerge from the shadows. Without a word, they seize her and cover her head with a thick black cloth. Her muffled cries fade as they vanish into the darkness.
At that very moment, Klaus receives a sudden, vivid vision—an image of Lily being abducted flashes in his mind. He bolts up, heart pounding, and races through the halls to where she was taken. But when he arrives, she's gone without a trace. He searches the grounds frantically, calling her name, but it's as if she vanished into thin air. Desperate and breathless, he returns to the palace and informs Theo.
Together, they begin scouring the area, leaving no stone unturned, but there are no clues, no signs—just silence.
Klaus, feeling helpless, retreats to the palace garden and kneels in the snow-dusted grass. He closes his eyes, entering deep meditation. As he concentrates, a faint blue light starts to glow from his eyes, and the air turns icy cold. The garden shivers as snow begins to fall once again in Eldoria. Frost creeps up the marble pillars, and the wind howls with a whisper of magic.
Through his vision, Klaus sees the direction Lily was taken. The power of the ice spirit surges in him, uncontrollable. Walls around him begin to freeze and crack. Theo rushes in, quickly using his inner flame to stabilize Klaus's soul and ground him.
Without delay, they travel to the place Klaus saw in his vision. They arrive at a massive cave entrance shrouded in mist and thick vines. The ground is damp, and the air carries a strange, metallic scent. They proceed with caution. As they move deeper into the cave, Theo steps on a hidden trigger. A loud click echoes—and the floor gives way beneath them.
They crash into an unknown chamber, lit by flickering torches. Before they can react, a hissing gas releases from the walls. Their vision blurs, muscles weaken, and they collapse into unconsciousness.
Moments later, they awaken, tightly bound to pillars in a cold, echoing temple. Symbols of the Leviathan are etched into the stone around them. Strange talismans hang from the walls, radiating a power-dampening energy.
A man in black armor kneels before a tall statue of the Leviathan. He burns incense, murmuring in a foreign tongue.
Theo shouts, "Hey old man, where is this place?"
Klaus demands, "Where's Lily?"
The man turns slowly, his eyes hidden beneath his helmet. His voice is deep and gravelly. "How do you know Lily?"
"I ask again," Klaus says, straining against the ropes, "how do you know Lily?"
The old man presses a button on the altar. The ground beneath them rumbles, then splits. Klaus and Theo plunge into a lower basement. The room is colder, darker.
They look up to see Lily suspended in the air by chains. Her body is bruised, blood staining parts of her clothes. Her breath is shallow, her head hangs low.
The old man emerges from the shadows. "She's being punished for failing to kill the wielder of the Sword of Val'Thar."
Theo's brow furrows. "Kill me? Why?"
"This temple was built to serve the Leviathan," the man says, stepping forward. "He is the god of the new world. He will bring peace, justice, and vengeance. He will purge evil from this world."
"That's not true," Theo retorts. "The Leviathan only seeks to destroy the world."
The old man snarls, his voice cutting like steel. "You babble too much. Let me tell you a story."
"500 years ago, a race called the Nelves , beloved by the heavens. They were gifted with the power to live five times and wield strength beyond your comprehension. But they chose isolation, living deep in the Abyss. Their hearts were made of immortal pills.
When their king sought peace, he revealed them to humanity and signed a treaty. But your kind was greedy. They drained us, enslaved us, and slaughtered us. When they discovered our hearts, they attacked our home.
Our king, near death, met a being called Shadow of Darkness. In exchange for revenge, he gave his body, the being also told him that he would take The powers back in the future.The Leviathan was born—a colossal serpent fueled by fear. We worshipped him as he tore through the human world.
Then came a man wreathed in celestial flames. He sealed the Leviathan with the Sword of Val'Thar, but couldn't destroy him. The souls that survived wait in silence. We are those souls. The evil spirits you fight? They are us and a few of your kind that sought for more power we grant them but turn them all to evil souls. But humans have grown stronger... stronger than before."
Klaus, stunned, asks, "Is Lily one of your kind?"
"Yes," the old man says. "She was sent to kill the sword's wielder. But she failed—because she fell in love with a human."
Klaus's eyes widen in disbelief.
Lily stirs, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispers.
Klaus's emotions erupt. His eyes blaze icy blue. Ice begins to swirl wildly, creeping across the temple walls. The power dampening talismans crack and freeze. Klaus screams, and enormous shards of ice erupt around them.
Theo is nearly caught in the storm, but the freezing energy shatters the talismans. He breaks free and steadies Klaus. They rush to Lily, free her, and begin their escape.
Soldiers block their path in the hall. Theo ignites his sword and unleashes Flaming Descent—one of the basic techniques from the Phoenix Sword. A powerful slash sends the enemies flying.
They flee into the night.
Back at the palace, Klaus calls for the royal physician. Lily is treated and rests for two days. Finally, she wakes to find Klaus by her side.
Disturbed and ashamed, she asks, "Why did you save me... after knowing the truth?"
Klaus smiles gently. "If you really wanted to kill Theo, you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of saving my life."
Tears fill her eyes. "I'm sorry."
That evening, as Theo and Deborah sleep under the full moon's glow, the room is bathed in silver light. Deborah stirs. Her eyes turn pitch black. She rises, walks toward the sealed chamber of the Sword of Val'Thar, and places her palm on it. A dark aura pulses from her hand—but the sword rejects the aura.
She leaves, shutting the heavy door behind her. The sound wakes Theo. He follows quietly.
Deep in the Forest of Eloh, Deborah stops, speaking to herself. Her voice is strange, distant.
"Deborah!" Theo calls.
She turns. Her eyes clear. Confused, she whispers, "This is what I've been talking about… I don't know how I got here."