Tales of chronicles

Then came a brittle rustling from the treetops. Flare halted, her fingers grasping her dagger. Lita was alerted, her eyes sweeping the branches, yet there was nothing. Only the wind, or so she thought.

Then there suddenly appeared a figure, dropping seamlessly into the thick underbrush with feline grace... a woman in dark, flowing robes that appeared almost shadowy against the night. The face was hidden in shadow, but even the hood could not hide the cold gleam of a glance from her from the focus of the dim light.

"Oh, well,"

she said with an ironic smirk as she regarded the armed woman,

"what do we have here? A little princess and her devoted assassin?"

Lita's heart pounded against her chest. This woman was a powerful force, one that seemed almost suffocating in its presence to Lita-an ominous force, for sure.

Flare instinctively moved in front of Lita protectively, an icy, offended, and prepared-for-fight look on her baby face.

"Who are you?"

she said.

The woman chuckled airily, uncrossing her arms and slouching against the wall with comfort.

"You don't know me, assassin, but I know you. And I know who your little friend is."

With this, she flicked her gaze down to Lita with laser-like intensity.

"The daughter of the Destroyer. I'm surprised you've made it this far without attracting more attention."

A chilly bolt of dread shot down Lita's spine.

"What do you want?"

The woman's smile turned into a razor-sharp grin, her lips curled back.

"Want? Oh, I don't want anything from you. But others do. The Northern Princess, for one. She's been searching for you for years, you know. And when she finds out you're heading for the Temple of Shadows, well... let's just say she won't be happy."

Lita gripped the hilt of her dagger so tightly that her knuckles whitened.

"Why tell me?"

"Consider it a warning. The Temple isn't the only danger in your path. There are beings whose movements in the shadows do not share the same interest in your survival."

"If you are not here for a fight, then get out of here,"

Flare declared, gripping her dagger tighter.

"I am interested,"

she quirked an eyebrow.

"Calm down, assassin. I'm not in the mood for a brawl right now. Not yet, anyway."

Her attention turned back to Lita. "But this much you should be told, girl: while the temple may have the answers you seek, it will test you beyond what you can imagine. And if you're not careful, it will break you."

She backed away and disappeared into the darkness as if the black were swallowing her whole with no effort.

Lita stood, struck dumb for quite some time, trying to gather her wits together. Who on earth was that woman? And why the warning?

"Keep moving,"

Flare said tensely.

"She's dangerous, and she's right about one thing. The temple's nothing to scoff at."

Lita nodded solemnly. She could see that the path leading ahead would not be easy, but there was no room in her heart for fear. The Temple of Shadows seemed to be her only hope for understanding her magic, and she had to get there anyhow, with whatever dangers inside awaiting her.

Onward they traveled, with the weight of the words of their mysterious visitor bending ominously through the air. The Northern Princess, the trials of the temple, the shadows moving in secret—everything was starting to come together.

Her own power expanded, and threats were close at her heels. Lita needed to be stronger, smarter, and more willing than she had ever been.

And with the Temple of Shadows growing closer, she was poised to face her greatest trial yet.

Just as Lita and Flare were preparing to press deeper into the forest, the air around them suddenly became chilled. The fog thickened disturbingly, swirling almost as if driven by an invisible force. Suddenly the very shadows that had been hovering around deep into the trees began to stir, condensing into recognizable forms—Shades, just as the ones they had come across before.

But this time, there were surely more of them. Dozens, if not hundreds, emerged from the dark, their glowing eyes trained on Lita.

"It's an ambush,"

Flare hissed, stepping right in front of Lita, dagger drawn.

"They've been waiting for us."

Lita could hardly breathe.

"But how? We've dealt with them before! Why come back?"

Flare's eyes darted around, her body tense.

"It's not random. Someone sent them. This was a planned attack."

The woman from the forest swept into Lita's mind. The warning. The shades hadn't been here by chance. It was all a setup, a trap.

A wave of panic washed over Lita as the shades drew closer, but Flare was already in motion, alert and ready. Lita found herself shoved behind Flare, who raised her dagger as soon as the first shade darted toward them. In an expert motion, Flare sliced at the creature with her enchanted blade, causing its shadowy body to dissipate without a trace.

"Stay behind me!"

Flare barked while sweeping another attack to the side. These shades were quicker than before, their ghostly bodies flickering in and out of the mist, which made it hard to know where they were going next, but Lita was done standing by.

She had power—more power than she knew. And if this were a setup, then someone was testing her. Testing what she could do. This sent a jolt of determination straight to her heart.

"I'm not hiding this time,"

Lita muttered and stepped out from behind Flare.

"Lita—what are you doing?"

Flare shouted, but Lita was already erecting her hands, calling forth the energy that surged within her.

The shades edged nearer, whispering through the fog. *Daughter of the Destroyer. You cannot escape your fate.*