ruin

Chapter 4

"So, what do you think of Law? You two have a history, right?"

Shade hesitated, unsure how to respond but decided to be honest. "I can't say I have much of an opinion yet since we just become reacquainted a few days ago and we haven't seen each other in years but we used to be best friends, but from what I can tell, he's still the incredibly kind-hearted person I knew in the past." Shade's face remained obliviously red as he smiled at the thought. Raph looked at him and nodded with a grin. They all met up again to share what they had learned. Owen pulled out a map and spread it out on the table, using the information to pinpoint the area where the ruins should be. "Sadly, I assume you two came up with a blank on the ruin guardian as well?" he asked.

As they met up with the others they all shared what they have learned. And Owen pulled out a map and used the information to find the area where the ruin should be. " Sadly I assume you two can up with a blank on the ruin guardian as well?" Shads and raph nodded " I don't Like going to this blind but it seems we have no choice." law said with a sten face. When they investigated owen also went and got supplies, the headed towards they valley

As they dived deeper into the valley the heat became increasingly more difficult to deal with.

Since raph was a lion he could handle the heat way better than the most of the group. most of the group was sweating buckets. Owen felt sick from the heat, Shade had a headache from the heat and the smell Of the weird plants same with misaki, law had it the worst since he was wearing armor and couldn't even imagine what he felt like.

Holy shortcake!it's so nice and cold," Shade said not realizing his hand was still on Law's shoulder. Law's face turned red as he saw the amazement in Shade's eyes. All he could think was how cute Shade looked before quickly snapping out of his thoughts. Shade noticed Law's face was red and quickly removed his hand, apologizing profusely. "i am so Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.""It's fine," Law said, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Really,"Law added.

As the group found a quiet river and decided to rest there for a bit, law and raph were cooking at the moment since shade refused to cook after raphs commented about his cooking skills.

raph Didn't apologize Even when the others begged him to, his pride seemed to get into the way of that.

As the were sitting all the sudden something was coming through the grass and everyone had picked up their weapons well except shade who had some Of his tentacle-like shadow magic

Out and ready to defend But no one was prepared for what would happen next

A small creature emerged from the grass, looking more frightened than threatening. It was a tiny, rabbit-like creature with glowing blue eyes and soft, white fur. Shade lowered his shadow tendrils, curiosity piqued. "What is that?" he asked. As everyone lowered their weapons

Owen, who was really good at identifying animals and monsters, squinted at it. "I think it's a lumibunny. They're harmless and usually shy away from people." Owen said with a smile, The lumi bunny hopped closer, clearly drawn to the group's campfire. Misaki gently extended her hand, and the creature sniffed it before nuzzling her palm. "It's so cute," she said trying to maintain her composure . Owen chuckled. "Looks like we've made a new friend." great another pet" raph said as he looked at shade to everyone else's dismay.

The lumibunny's presence made misaki really happy as she fed it some scraps, and it stayed with them for a while, hopping around, it finally went home before disappearing back into the grass. It looked back at the group the ran into the grass As night fell, the group huddled closer to the fire. Shade sat next to Law, still feeling the coolness from his enchanted armor. He glanced at Law, who was staring at the stars.

the both fell asleep in each other company, As morning came as everyone started To walks up except for shade who was still asleep on top of Law, law knew both of them moved in their sleep as kids and knew he still did it but now wasn't sure what to do as shade started to wake up law began to panic

Shade yawned and slowly opened his eyes only to realize he was on top of Law and was sleeping like that. "Uh, morning," Shade said as he got up . "Morning. I, uh, didn't want to wake you." law said looking away from shade, Raphael, who was already stretching and preparing for the day, noticed the two and grinned. "Looks like you two had a good night's sleep." He spoke in a teasing voice. Owen and Misaki exchanged amused glances but said nothing. As they packed up the camp and started to make their way to Ruins of Eldoria.

After 2 hours of walking and not a single word was said until Owen spoke up. "We're getting close. The ruins should be just beyond that ridge," he pointed out, indicating a steep, forested hill, Raphael hefted his pack, ready for the day's journey. "Let's get moving then. The sooner we find this staff, the sooner we can stop the demon lords." Misaki nodded, her spear at the ready. "Agreed. We have to be prepared for anything."

Shade took a deep breath, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension but mostly he was nervous . He glanced at Law, who gave him a reassuring nod "This place gives me the creeps," Misaki whispered, breaking some of the tension, clutching her spear tightly. "Stay alert," Law advised everyone , his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "We don't know what might be out here"

"This is it, right?" Misaki asked Owen who nodded. The air was thick and dusty As they walked into the ruins, Owen could tell there was a lot of mana. It was very dark so Owen used some magic to make a light orb.

Owen spread out a map on a flat rock, pointing to various landmarks they needed to explore.

"We need to find the entrance to the inner sanctum," Owen explained. "According to the texts, that's where the legendary staff is likely to be hidden."

"And we'll probably face traps along the way," Misaki added, recalling the old texts they had studied. "Don't forget the guardian." raph Said before cracking his knuckles "Whatever it takes, we'll get that staff and stop the demon lords." he added

Shade's heart pounded in his chest as he led the way, guided by the memories of the book he had read in his previous life. They encountered various traps, from collapsing floors to hidden spikes. Shade's shadow magic proved invaluable, detecting and disarming several of them. "Good job, Shade," Law said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We wouldn't have made it this far without you." Shade knew this was not true because in the novel they did just fine fuled by the death of misaki at the hands of the fire salamander, everones eyes scanning their surroundings for threats.

After hours of navigating the ruins, finally they had reached a massive stone door covered in intricate carvings. "This must be it," Misaki said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Owen stepped forward, studying the carvings. "It's a puzzle," he said. "We need to solve it to open the door."

They worked together, each contributing their knowledge and skills. Shade used his shadow magic to manipulate the pieces, while Owen deciphered the clues. Law and Raphael provided the muscle to move the heavier stones. Finally, with a satisfying click, the door began to open, revealing a dark eerie room "Here we go," Law said, drawing his sword. "Stay close and stay alert."

As they stepped into the room the air grew colder and thicker. Shade felt a shiver run down his spine. They had come this far, and now the real challenge awaited them.