Knight of Magic: The Rise of Arisia

In the valley, the gale howled with a biting chill, as if it was going to devour everything. Jack and Alice stared intently at the man in the black robe in front of them. Their eyes were firm and resolute. The man in the black robe tightly hugged the magical treasure chest, breathing heavily. The wounds on his body looked even more hideous in the cold wind. There was a look of madness and perseverance in his eyes, as if he was going to drag the whole world into darkness.

Jack tightened his grip on the long sword in his hand and pointed the tip at the man in the black robe. His voice was as cold as the wind: "Put down the treasure chest. You have nowhere to escape!" Alice stood beside him, and the magic light at the tip of her wand flickered, ready to resist the dark power at any time.

Suddenly, the man in the black robe burst into laughter. His laughter was full of sadness and despair. He slowly took off his hood, revealing a haggard and weather - beaten face. To Jack and Alice's surprise, the man in the black robe turned out to be an old man. His hair was gray, and his face was etched with the marks of time, but there was a burning flame of unwillingness in his eyes.

"My name is Carl," the old man's hoarse voice echoed in the valley, as if carrying endless exhaustion and sorrow. "Once, I was also an adventurer in pursuit of justice. At that time, I was full of passion. In order to safeguard the peace and tranquility of this continent, I embarked on an adventurous journey."

At this point, a mist welled up in Carl's eyes, and his voice trembled slightly. "Many years ago, a sudden disaster struck my family. My daughter was seriously ill and on the verge of death. I searched the entire Aresia Continent for a way to cure her. However, all my hopes were dashed. It wasn't until I accidentally learned that the power in this magical treasure chest might be able to save her life."

Carl took a deep breath and continued, "For my daughter, I pursued the whereabouts of the magical treasure chest regardless of everything. I crossed countless dangerous places and defeated countless enemies, and finally found it. However, at the moment when I was about to obtain the chest, the dark power took advantage of my weakness and eroded my mind."

Listening to Carl's story, a twinge of pity welled up in Jack and Alice's hearts. They could understand what Carl had done for his daughter, but the dark power had made him lose himself and become an incarnation of evil.

"Even so, you can't hurt innocent people and let the dark power spread across the continent," Jack's tone remained firm, and he didn't let go of the long sword in his hand at all.

Carl gave a sad smile. "I know that since I set foot on this path, I can't turn back. The dark power has completely eroded my mind and made me cold - blooded. But before I die, I just want to see my daughter one more time." With that, he took out a shabby pendant from his bosom. There was a portrait of a little girl inlaid on the pendant. The girl in the portrait was smiling brightly. It was Carl's daughter.

Looking at the portrait of his daughter on the pendant, a look of tenderness and nostalgia flashed in Carl's eyes. However, this brief tenderness disappeared in an instant, replaced by an even more crazy and persistent look. Suddenly, he launched a surprise attack, frantically pouring his magic power into the treasure chest. A powerful dark energy gushed out from the chest and swept towards Jack and Alice.

Facing this powerful dark energy, Jack and Alice didn't back down at all. They cooperated tacitly. Jack waved his long sword, slashing out sword qi with purifying power, while Alice cast a powerful light magic to fight against the dark energy. The golden sword qi and the light magic intertwined, engaging in a fierce battle with the dark energy.

The impact of this energy made the whole valley tremble. The surrounding rocks rolled down one after another, as if they were going to bury the whole valley. However, Jack and Alice, with their tenacious will and deep trust in each other, stood firm in the face of this powerful energy impact. Their figures intertwined in the valley, and they put all their efforts into each attack, as if they were going to completely eliminate the dark power.

Under the double attacks of the golden light and the light magic, Carl's dark power gradually dissipated. His magic power was exhausted, and his life was coming to an end. He collapsed to the ground, and his eyes looking at the sky gradually became empty and powerless. "Sorry... daughter... Dad couldn't save you..." After saying these words, he slowly closed his eyes and left this world forever.

Looking at Carl's body, Jack and Alice felt a complex mix of emotions. They felt sympathy and regret for Carl's misfortune, but at the same time, they were glad that they had eliminated the dark power. They knew that this was just a small episode in safeguarding the Aresia Continent, and there were more arduous tasks waiting for them in the future. So, they gathered their emotions, picked up the magical treasure chest, and continued their new journey. In the afterglow of the setting sun, their figures gradually faded into the distance...