Trails of magic

Chapter 20: The Dark Secret

The stranger's eyes seemed to gleam with excitement as he began to speak. "The shadowy figure that's been following you is a creature known as a Shadowborn," he said. "It's a being of dark magic, created by the ancient civilization that once thrived on this land."

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I listened to the stranger's words. A creature of dark magic? Created by the ancient civilization?

"What does it want?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger's expression turned grim. "The Shadowborn is a servant of the Dark Lord," he said. "It's been sent to stop you from fulfilling your destiny as the guardian of the ancient power."

I felt a surge of determination. I would not let the Shadowborn stop me. I would not let the Dark Lord win.

"But how can we stop it?" I asked, looking at the little girl.

The stranger smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "I can help you with that," he said. "But first, you need to know the truth about the ancient civilization and the Dark Lord."

I nodded, my heart pounding with excitement. I was ready to learn the truth. I was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

"Tell me," I said, my voice firm.

The stranger nodded, his eyes glinting with excitement. "The ancient civilization was a powerful and advanced people," he said. "They possessed knowledge and magic that was beyond anything we can imagine today."

I listened, entranced, as the stranger told me about the ancient civilization and their incredible achievements.

"But there was a darkness within them," the stranger continued. "A darkness that grew and spread, until it consumed them all."

I felt a shiver run down my spine as I listened to the stranger's words. A darkness that consumed an entire civilization? What kind of evil was that?

"What happened to them?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger's expression turned grim. "They were destroyed by their own darkness," he said. "And the Dark Lord was born from the ashes of their civilization."

I felt a surge of horror. The Dark Lord was a creature of darkness, born from the ashes of a civilization that had been consumed by its own evil.

I knew that I had to stop him. I had to stop the Shadowborn and the Dark Lord, no matter what it took.