Walking to the Darkness

As they walked deeper into the darkness, the rain continued to pour relentlessly. The cold rain soaked their clothes, making their bodies shiver, but neither Cheonwoong nor Aria stopped. The deserted streets, with their sporadically flickering streetlights, were filled with a tense silence, thick with unease.

Cheonwoong glanced around cautiously and whispered,

"Aria, no matter what happens, stay right behind me."

Aria nodded at his words, her hand still clutching the mana stone tightly. Cheonwoong noticed the faint tremble in her hand.

"Don't worry too much. We can get through this," he said, trying to reassure her, though the unease in his own voice was evident.

As they walked through the rain, a strange noise reached their ears. It was a mix of grinding metal and the sharp sound of something slicing through the wind. Both of them stopped in their tracks and scanned their surroundings.

"What is that sound?" Cheonwoong muttered.

He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and pointed it into the rain-drenched darkness. But the rain was so heavy that the light scattered before it could reach far.

The sound grew closer and closer, as if something was approaching them.

Aria, anxious, said,

"Cheonwoong, those shadows from earlier... could they be coming back?"

Swallowing hard, Cheonwoong replied,

"That seems likely. We need to move faster."

As he quickly turned around, a shadow emerged clearly from the darkness. It had the shape of a person, but it was not human. Its limbs were unnaturally long and distorted, and its face was featureless. Even through the rain, it was unmistakably focused on them.

The shadow moved toward them slowly yet menacingly, and the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

Aria focused on the mana stone in her hand, her voice trembling slightly as she chanted,

"Las Fellios!"

(Explanation: "Las Fellios" is an ancient protection spell that creates a barrier of light, blocking the intrusion of dark entities.)

A brilliant light erupted from the mana stone, surrounding the two of them in a protective barrier. The shadow halted momentarily, unable to penetrate the light, but it reached out its hand as if trying to break through.

Cheonwoong clenched his fist tightly and said,

"This won't work for long. We have to keep moving!"

Aria nodded, maintaining the power of the mana stone as they moved forward together. The barrier of light shielded them, but the shadow continued to follow closely behind.

When they turned into an alleyway, another shadow blocked their path. This one was larger and more menacing. The two shadows moved to encircle them.

Cheonwoong charged at the shadow in front of them, holding a small knife in his hand. He wasn't sure if it would work, but he refused to back down.

Aria turned to face the shadow approaching from behind, suppressing her fear as she chanted another spell.

"Claritas Lumen!"

(Explanation: "Claritas Lumen" creates arrows of light that can injure dark entities.)

From the mana stone, sharp arrows of light shot out toward the shadow. The shadow let out a shrill scream as it was struck and staggered back. However, it didn't disappear entirely, instead beginning to reassemble itself. Aria gritted her teeth and prepared to cast another spell.

Meanwhile, Cheonwoong swung his knife at the shadow in front of him, but the blade seemed to have little effect. The shadow grabbed his arm, and a chilling sensation spread through his body, causing his movements to stiffen.

"Damn it..." Cheonwoong muttered through gritted teeth as he struggled to free himself from the shadow's grasp.

At that moment, Aria chanted another spell,

"Ignis Vola!"

(Explanation: "Ignis Vola" summons a sphere of fire to attack and repel nearby enemies.)

A fiery sphere erupted from the mana stone, engulfing the shadow in front of Cheonwoong. The shadow let out a tortured scream and retreated, giving Cheonwoong the chance to break free. He quickly called out to Aria,

"Nice work! Let's get out of here!"

The two of them ran down the street again, but the shadows continued to pursue them. The rain intensified, and their path ahead grew even darker.

Cheonwoong glanced at Aria, determination written on his face.

"To end this, we need to get stronger. And we need to figure out why these shadows are after us."

Aria caught her breath and nodded.

"You're right. We can't just keep running. We have to find out the reason."

They continued forward, but greater trials awaited them ahead.