The days passed. The cold of the winter only got worse, freezing trees branches and small water puddles that were left over from the rain. The landscape perfectly reflected the beauty of December.

In the forest of Neldor, Luana, Lucas and Leo continued their search incessantly. They had been walking all day, and as before, the scenery hardly changed.

Luana remarked.

Lucas replied.

"

After a few minutes of walking, sunset approached.

Lucas suggested.

the princess replied, nodding her head.

With that, the small group settled down below a cluster of trees which was surrounded by a few bushes.

Lucas took charge of setting up the tent while Luana gathered some wood with Leo's help to light the fire.

After that, the young knight lit the fire and sat down in front of it. He gave Leo a piece of meat and began to prepare their dinner.

The young princess sat down next to him to help him.

said Luana, chuckling.

Lucas replied, smiling slightly.

she asked, confused.

he replied, blushing slightly.

she added.

he said, smiling affectionately.

He took the middle-sized wooden bawl that contained the dinner which consisted of vegetable soup with small pieces of meat, and put it between him and Luana to eat together alternately.

she said, smiling at him.

The princess took the spoon and tasted the preparation.

she exclaimed in joy.

he replied, smiling.

They continued to dine in silence.

An expression of surprise appeared on the girl's face.

he said with a determined look.

she replied with a small smile.

she asked, surprised.

she replied excitedly .

he added, smiling.

she added, laughing lightly.

he replied, smiling.

Luana blushed by hearing his words.

After that, they ate in silence. Then, Luana got up to sleep in the tent while Lucas and Leo stood guard.

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In the middle of the night, footsteps were heard from the bushes. Leo directed his gaze to where the sound came. He smelled a scent that was unfamiliar to him.

The animal started to growl slightly which woke Lucas who was leaning against a tree, asleep.

he asked sleepily.

He stood up and walked over to the wolf and stroked its head gently.

he asked again.

The animal continued to look straight ahead, growling aggressively.

The bushes were starting to shake abruptly indicating that there was something hiding there.

Lucas put his hand on his sword which was accroached on his waist and prepared himself to attack.

Suddenly, a small squirrel came out of the bushes then ran away at full speed when it saw the wolf in front of it.

Seeing this, Lucas sighed.

The latter continued to fix his gaze in front of him.

Leo looked ahead one last time before turning around and walking towards the tent. He lay down on the floor and fell asleep, oblivious to the fact that a pair of golden eyes were watching them.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

The next morning, once awakened, the small group set off on their way.

The morning passed by as usual. They walked for hours in the same setting.

In the middle of the day, they stopped for lunch and to rest a little.

said Luana.

Lucas replied.

Leo started to growl slightly to get their attention.

Lucas asked.

After a little moment of silence, Leo walked quickly towards the path in front of them.

Lucas and Luana followed him and found themselves in front of a dead end of very tall trees. Leo was standing right in front of them.

Lucas whispered.

Leo started to rub his muzzle against a tree trunk, then turned to look at his master.

Luana said.

They walked towards the tree wall.

asked the young knight.

he concluded.

Lucas pressed his hand on the tree trunk in front of him.

Suddenly, the earth began to shake slightly, pushing the trees aside to make room for a long path. It was like some sort of a tunnel.

Luana whispered, amazed.

said Lucas.

They took that path.

══════ ∘◦❁◦∘ ══════

After an hour of walking, they saw a light at the far end and followed it. When they exited the tunnel, they found themselves in an immense plain with very dark green grass and a gray cloudy sky.

the princess noticed.

replied Lucas.

In the middle of the plain was a gigantic tree with a large dark brown trunk and long branches with very dark green leaves.

Luana whispered.

As they walked towards it, they could notice a sort of small arched gap on the the tree's trunk.

Looking intently inside, they saw a magnificent plant of a pure white color.

Luana started, not believing her eyes.

he answered.

Suddenly, wooden bars appeared to close the small gap and trap the plant in it.

the young girl asked, confused.

The sky grew much darker and the atmosphere grew heavier.

a gruff voice echoed.

Lucas asked calmly.

Leo began to growl aggressively as the young knight stepped in front of the princess, putting his hand on his sword to protect her.

Looking towards the tree, they were shocked to see a person coming out of the trunk as if they were part of it.

Luana whispered.

Once the person was completely out, they could see her perfectly.

It was a very tall, middle-aged man with shoulder-length brown hair and a short beard. His eyes were all black, scaring anyone who looks at them, and his skin was a similar color to the tree trunk, just like a camouflage.

Lucas asked coldly.

The young knight shoot him an icy glare that the man returned in the same way before sighing.

he said, bowing elegantly.

Luana froze when she heard his name.

she whispered.

he replied, smirking.

The young princess widened her eyes in surprise.

He looked at her insistently, a scary aura emanating from him.

he said with a psychopathic smile.

After that, he turned his gaze to Lucas.

the young man asked curtly.

The monster burst out laughing loudly, looking like a mentally ill person.

Lucas replied, tightening his grip on his sword.

Luana replied.

Ravak asked, confused.

A heavy silence settled between them. The only sound that echoed was that of the wind.

she asked hesitantly, a hint of hope in her eyes.

she added, determined.

he asked, a sly smile on his lips.

The monster stayed silent for a moment, stroking his beard and smiling.

The sky turned black and the wind started to blow harder than before.

Leo stood in front of Lucas and Luana and began to growl aggressively as he moved into a defensive position.

"

Huge monsters with dark auras emerged from the ground like mud and slowly advanced towards the small group, murderous gazes in their eyes.