Each one took his dragonet with him and we hurried without losing a moment.

We had a bad feeling. Moreover, there was an abnormal activity among the nobles.

The corridors were full of people coming and going. We made as usual, to join our dormitories then we went down by the roofs and we went down without too much problem along the gutters by the back of the academy. We went towards the stone circles where the lunar doors gave.

Then, after checking that everyone was ready, I asked Rubix to do a reconnaissance flight without being noticed and after 5 minutes, she arrived at our feet.

"No problem! Clear!"

We took our stuff, the bare minimum, and headed for the gate. Everything was quiet this night. Only the wind contrasted with the silence and the night was clear.

The next thing we knew, we were in Cove. No time to dawdle... towards the temple, as if to follow the instructions of our mentor Gamblin.

On portal nights, there was always light in the temple, a little isolated from the rest of the village.

There was also an annexed building for the cleric to stay in and possibly collect a lost soul. In the temple there was also a kind of infirmary.

The building was old and still made of half-timbering. But from the stained glass windows, there was still light. So we hurried to see Father Damien who could guide us on our quest.

The door was still open and we entered the porch. Then we knocked on the inner door.

"Father Damien... Father Damien!!! It's us!"

And a figure crushed by the weight of the ages approached a small skylight with an oil lamp. He opened the small door to see who it was. He smiled as he saw us coming.

"I've been waiting for you, children... come in quickly... You were not followed?"

We said no and he lifted an inner door and the heavy door opened and we could jump into the arms of the pater.

After settling down near the hearth, the old man showed us the shining blade...

"Manu, it will be you who will prepare the purification to help Torin, you are strong enough now to lift a curse and your heart is pure enough to face the lords of the shadows, but it must be done at the new moon, but it also coincides with the opening of a portal that calls the heroes. That is, tomorrow!"

Then he searched parchments in his office filled with a mess or only he could find his way through. Then he gave Manu a parchment booklet with the rituals to be followed to perform an exorcism and a curse removal.

"I put the dagger in a safe place so until tomorrow, don't make yourself noticed, avoid being seen with your dragons... to avoid any questions."

Then I handed over Gamblin's letter about the mantras and the True Ankh.

Damien: "Ohhh. This piece from Heaven... How beautiful it is and how it shines!"

Seeing us, and seeing the ankh shining brightly.... he began to smile and hope.

"You are the hope of the new generation. The new generation of heroes... Here, I don't see a single hero but a tight team!I remember your parents, when they were your age. The ankh was also shining brightly. But since then, its light has dimmed... but today I am hopeful again... "

A tear flowed and we hugged between our shoulders the old man who was like a family member, a mentor, a friend and a grandfather who accompanied us all our youth.

He also caressed Rubix's cheek.

"You too have pure blood... Don't stray from the path."

Then his gaze darkened.

"Now that you're on a quest, you're adults and I have to tell you something that has to do with you, Torin..."

I was focused, but did the others need to know?

"You know your parents got you at the entrance of the Covetous dungeon... but on the way... three dark lords passed your parents. Ragul had the reflex to hide in the trees but also they were probably running away from Valtrax."

I knew about Valtrax but not about the Lords...

"They had Lord British.... Lord British is still alive! Prisoner, sealed like for a demon in a spiritual prison. With the demise of Lord British, Blackthorn took power in Britannia.

Though originally a good man, as he wore the Shield of Valor, the Shadow Lords turned him into a self-righteous tyrant, and those who opposed him began to disappear.

Those who had helped the Avatar in his quest for the Codex were declared outlaws and hunted. Meanwhile, the Shadow Lords began a systematic attack on the Virtues.

Although they could not enter and attack the dungeons of the Principles, they hoped to weaken them by eliminating the Virtues in the cities.

Blackthorn sought out those who knew knowledge that could help him, such as the Words of Power, but he was desperate for the Mantras so he could destroy the Shrines.

Some people fought the Shadow Lords, but they were defeated. They discovered that when they fought a Shadow Lord, they were drawn into a strange dimension, with ethereal barriers separating them from their allies. The Shadow Lord would then eliminate them one by one. Some brave heroes managed to defeat them, despite their physical strength and resistance to magic, but when they received a blow that would have killed any lesser creature, the Shadow Lord simply disappeared, only to reappear the next day without having suffered from the experience.

Despite this, Shadow Lords do have their weaknesses. The very fact that they hunt the Avatar and his companions so persistently shows that they have reason to be fearful, for it seems that their weaknesses could be exploited by those strong and cunning enough to find them.

Shadow lords cannot move during the hour between midnight and 1am. During this time, the power of the Sanctuary of Spirituality seems to keep them in place. The only places the Shadow Lords cannot enter are the Principle dungeons.

These places still hold their powers at bay, and those who fight Blackthorn can find refuge there. But beware, they can enter if they are invited by saying their name out loud.

Each of the Shadow Lords is opposed to a principle of the Avatar. The two brothers are Hate and Lie, while the sister is Cowardice. Their names are rarely spoken, as they can be heard and if invited by the call of their name, they can enter any place, even dungeons. You will have to pray at each Shrine and a Mantra will be revealed to you alone. Then you will go to the dungeons of virtues and the sacred flame will be the reward of the tests and you will have the words of power to enter the dungeons of darkness, those that lead to the world below.

I don't know more but according to the legend, Britannia is under the sway of the three Lords of Darkness. These "brotherly" triplets are the literal embodiments of the opposites of the principles of truth, love and courage.

Although these creatures are eternal, immortal and indestructible, they can normally only act in the hearts of men and are powerless to affect physical events except through their victims.

Long ago, the evil Mondain was defeated by the stranger who became the Avatar. Shepard is the Stranger's name. His Gem of Immortality was shattered into three fragments, which remained powerless for many years, their power neutralized by the proximity of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, which, unbeknownst to the Stranger of Mondain, Minax, and Exodus, was in a nearby temple.

Years later, the Stranger who became the Avatar found the Codex, which was brought to the surface of Britannia by the Great Council. This caused a great volcanic upheaval, creating a new island, on which the Codex was enshrined.

More importantly, the eruption caused the formation of a vast underworld, and removed the balancing power that neutralized the shards. Cracks in the sea floor caused whirlpools that could carry ships into the underworld. One of these ships hit an island and ran aground. There were four survivors. The captain of the ship, Johne, recovered and explored the island.

He found the shards of the immortality gem, and their evil was such that they could force him to kill his friends. Using the shards for such a dark act gave the ever-present dark lords a chance they had long been waiting for. From the blood of the murdered crew members, they created physical forms, incarnations of their own natures.

They imprisoned Johne, and lured Lord British into the underworld. They then defeated him in the depths of darkness, where his power was diminished, and imprisoned him in a supposedly inescapable prison, forged with the same magic created to bind demons."

Then the old man took another drink of mead.

"I have coffee for you but have a glass (a capsule) of liquor blessed by the gods. "

We each took this fire water and it burned our throats a little.

"I know you are too young but there is a good chance that this will be the last time we will see each other. I've had a good life despite the uncertain times but I still hope for a better world. So here's to it!"

We all had a smile on our faces but also a tear. I felt it was our last meeting... Fate... or instinct...Danger could be everywhere. Now we understood why our parents had secret meetings all the time. They knew...And they are in danger!!!

We have to warn them.

Damien : " I'm risking my life for this...

This is a copy of Lord British's quest journal... The scribe Remoh managed to survive the hell. He was tortured and murdered for this journal by Amon and Lord Blackthorn. He entrusted it to me, fearing for his life... he knew too much.

All surviving knights and former heroes involved in any way were arrested or murdered and deported to the Black Fortress, on an island. Your parents stayed away from politics and the peasant life protected them until now so that you could live and have a happy childhood.

They were also protected by the gods and virtues so that the new generation of heroes could exist."

After interminable goodbyes, the night was advanced but we resumed our way home, but in our back, a shadow had followed us. Like a moth, and in silence, a dark, young but powerful being was watching for our departure.

Ravenus, a name as black as a raven, had landed not far from Damien. He listened and missed nothing of our conversations.

Quick as lightning, he rushed to the old man's back after he waved goodbye to us on the threshold of the temple.

The light on his back was too dim to illuminate the immediate surroundings. We had to come back the next day for the ritual with Manu but...We walked briskly without looking back, the farewell too hard looking back. But we should have.

We would have seen the dark silhouette of a dragon the size of Rubix enter.