Welcome to Shadow Vale

Max opened his eyes slowly. His head ached for the force of travelling through that doorway was too much for him. He tried to remember what had happened but he couldn't cause he had forgotten everything. He stood up and looked round him. He was at the entrance of a cave which was sealed.

"You are awake?" Jake's voice came from behind.

He looked at Jake. " Sorry, do I know you?"

Jake knew what was going on. " It's the effects of the travel, it will wear off in an hour or so." Jake turned back and motioned at Max to follow him. He led max to the entrance of a large city.

"There are people in that city." Jake said to Max.

"Where are we?" Max asked.

"I don't know, but we will find out." Then he got up and headed for the city entrance. After hesitating for a while, Max ran after him.

While they were still on their way, they heard swooshing of wings behind them. They looked back only to discover a huge flying vampire bat. It shrieked and started moving towards them.

"Run!!!" Jake yelled. They both ran towards the city entrance. Max tripped and fell. The creature moved closer to Max.

He called out for Jake but he was too far to hear.

An arrow flew into the bat and it dropped dead. Max was about losing consciousness but he was able to see the figure of his savior and it was the figure of a lady.

Max opened his eyes slowly, he was still feeling the effect of the travel. He could hear voices but his vision was blurry.

"His vitals are normal." A voice said.

A feminine voice replied. "Oh, thank Goodness."

The he passed out again.

Max woke up feeling fine. His headache had vanished. He looked at the place he was and it was like a cell.

" You are awake." Jake spoke.

Max didn't notice Jake's presence beforehand.

" I'm sorry, I didn't notice you were there."

" It's okay, but you do remember everything now, right?"

" Yeah, I do." Jake got up and walked to the cell bars. "Where are we?"

"Shadow Vale."

Max turned back to Jake. "Shadow Vale?"

"Yeah, it's a hidden world — or so they say."

" What of the girl?"

" She called herself a hunter of the Vale."

Max sat on the floor. " What does that mean?"

" Even I don't know." Jake got up. " Now that you're back, we need to find a way out of this cell."

" Do you have a plan?"

Jake smiled. " I always do."

A cop on duty was passing through the cell when suddenly he heard screams coming from within the cell.

He quickly took the key from his back pocket and opened the door. He entered expecting to see someone dying but that was not what he saw. He was attacked from behind by Jake. Jake knocked out the cop with an iron rod he had picked from outside the cell.

"Good, let's go." Jake said to Max as they ran out the cell and headed for the police station exit.

Jake led Max to the male restroom.

"What are we doing here?" Max asked him.

He pointed to the window. "That's our way out."

Max didn't like this but he didn't have any other alternative.

Jake went through the window and Max followed.

They had not gone far when Max sighted the girl that saved him some distance away fighting the same ugly things that invaded his home.

Jake noticed Max was hesitating.

"Let's go, Max." He told Max.

"I'm not going. Let's help that girl."

"Why? Have you fallen in love so fast?"

"I'm not in love. She helped us so let's repay the favor."

Jake sighed. " Okay, let's go."

The girl was already getting worn out. Then she saw the boys running towards her.

Max helped her up. " C'mon, let's do this."

" Idiots! Weren't you escaping?" She asked them.

" We came to help you." Jake said.

" Did I tell you I needed your help?"

The boys didn't reply.

" Fools, you've just got yourselves killed."

The ugly creatures rushed at them and that was when Max and Jake realized that they were about to be killed.

Jake was given a punch which sent him flying towards a brick wall.

Max was on the floor receiving punches from a demon sitting on top of him.

Suddenly Max and Jake felt something run through their body. It became stronger and stronger.

Back at the hunters home, lay a sword and a lance in two separate glass box. Both the weapons started vibrating simultaneously like they were being summoned. The vibrations became stronger till they broke their glasses and flew out with speed towards Max and Jake's direction.

Max managed to get up with the aid of the strange energy flowing through him. He felt the need to raise his palm up. He did it and a sword flew into it. Same thing with Jake as a lance with a golden tip flew into his arms.

It was like they were one with the weapon in their hands.

Jake looked at the ugly beings and smiled. Suddenly fire surrounded his lance and he used it in attacking the hordes of hell.

Max held his sword tight as the sky got darker and thunder was heard. Within a minute, lightning bolts rained down from the sky upon the ugly beings, killing every last one of them present there.

The girl was impressed and suprised at the same time.

Max faced the leader who was a girl with black hair and blue eyes. She was an extremely beautiful lady.

"Where is my mother?" Max asked her.

"I don't know anything about your mother." She replied without any ounce of fear in her voice.

"Liar!" Max ran towards her with a supernatural speed. He was so fast that no one could see him. He raised his sword to strike the lady but she blocked it with her sword. They both went into a speed battle. Clashing of swords were heard but they weren't seen. The clashing combined with the speed set both their swords on fire.

"What's happening?" Jake asked the girl.

"It's the Hunters speed. Only few hunters know the skill."

" So you are saying that Max Is a Hunter?"

"I'm not saying anything."

The fight stopped and both the parties were on their feet.

"You are good. I give you that but you are still a novice." She said and that was when they noticed that her sword was stained with blood.

Max held his lower right abdomen. It was bleeding. He fell on his knees in pains.

The lady walked up to him and held up his chin.

"I should finish you off, right now. But I'm not my brother who kills novices." She smiled. "Survive this and then we can have a real fight." She turned her back and walked till she disappeared into thin air. Then Max collapsed.