sacred forest

Yuno and Sara walked out of the kingdom gate, where vast plains covered in frost stretched out before them, while the trees of the sacred forest loomed on the horizon, dark and mysterious under the fading morning sun. The wind was cold, but Sara pulled her coat tighter around her body, determined to move forward.

"So, what's our plan?" she asked as she walked beside Yuno, her eyes fixed on the distant trees.

Yuno glanced at the map again, then said, "We need to get to the spring before sunset. We don't know how dangerous the forest is at night, so it's best not to stay there too long."

Sara nodded in agreement, but her curiosity was evident in her tone as she asked, "You seem so calm about all this… aren't you even a little worried?"

Yuno smiled lightly, but didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, looking out into the forest, "There's no point in worrying now, we just need to be prepared."

The two continued walking through the plains, but as they approached the forest, the atmosphere gradually began to change. The air became heavier, and the giant trees cast long shadows on the ground, making the light slowly fade even though the sun had not yet set.

At the entrance to the forest, Sara paused for a moment, looking into the darkness lurking between the trees. "Yuno… Do you feel something strange?"

Yuno looked around cautiously. There was a mysterious energy permeating the air, as if something was watching them.

"Yes…" he whispered, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Stay careful, we might not be alone here."

The two entered the forest, and as they took their first steps inside, they suddenly heard strange whispers echoing in the air, as if the trees themselves were whispering in low, incomprehensible voices.

Sara stepped closer to Yuno, whispering fearfully, "This isn't normal… I feel like we've entered another world."

Yuno swallowed, but tried to remain calm. "We have to move on, don't be distracted by these sounds."

The two continued walking, and as time passed, the sounds gradually faded away, but the place still felt unsettling. The ground was covered in huge roots, and the trees were intertwined in a way that made it difficult to see the sky.

"You know…" Sara said, trying to ease the tension, "This is my first time on an adventure like this, I didn't expect it to be this scary."

Yuno laughed lightly, although he wasn't entirely comfortable. "Well, at least it won't be boring."

But before Sara could respond, the two heard the sound of branches breaking very close to them, as if something huge was moving between the trees.

They stopped immediately, exchanging nervous glances.

"Did… you hear that?" Sara whispered.

Yuno nodded as he slowly drew his sword. "Whatever it is, it's not small."

Suddenly, glowing eyes shot out from between the trees, and a huge shape began to emerge from the darkness.

There was a massive creature, its skin like stone, and its eyes glowing a faint blue. This was… the Stone Guardian!

Sara gasped, while Yuno muttered anxiously:

"We found the spring… but it seems the Guardian found us first."

Yuno and Sara stood there, staring at the massive creature that had emerged from the trees. The stone guardian was like a giant statue moved by ancient magic, its body covered in finely carved rocks, its pale blue eyes watching them without showing any emotion.

"This… is so huge…" Sara muttered, trying to control the trembling in her voice.

Yuno tightened his grip on his sword, then said in a low voice, "Don't show your fear, maybe he wouldn't attack us if we weren't a threat."

But before he could test his theory, the guardian slammed his massive foot into the ground, causing a violent tremor that split the ground beneath them.

"Or maybe it's the opposite!" Sara screamed as she jumped away from the crack that had appeared beneath her.

Yuno quickly backed away, looking at the stone guardian who had begun to move slowly but surely, like a living mountain preparing to crush everything in its path.

"No way, we have to fight!" Yuno shouted, then ran towards the stone guard, his sword shining in the dim light of the forest.

Sara, despite her fear, quickly followed him, drawing her small dagger. She wasn't sure how she could help, but she refused to stay idly by.

The guard raised his massive stone arm, then brought it down forcefully towards Yuno, who jumped at the last moment, avoiding the blow that shattered the ground and raised thick dust around them.

Amidst the dust, Yuno took advantage of the opportunity, jumped onto the guard's arm, then quickly ran over his body trying to reach his head. But the guard, as if sensing his plan, suddenly turned his body, causing Yuno to lose his balance and fall!

"Yuno!" Sara shouted as she rushed towards him.

But he managed to spin in the air, and landed on the ground with difficulty, rolling to cushion the impact. When he raised his head, he saw the guard raise his arms again, preparing for a stronger blow.

"If we don't find his weak point, we'll be crushed here!" he said as he got up, his breath quickening.

Sara looked around quickly, then noticed points of faint blue light glowing through the cracks between the guard rocks.

"Yuno! There's a strange energy flowing through his body! Maybe if we hit those points, we can weaken him!"

Yuno looked where she pointed, then gripped his sword tightly, his eyes shining with new determination.

"Well… let's test this!"

The next moment, the two of them rushed together, ready to fight a battle they weren't prepared for… but they had no choice but to fight.

Yuno rushed at lightning speed, using the wind element to enhance his movement, and jumped high, targeting one of the glowing cracks in the stone guard's body.

"Now!" He shouted as he aimed his sword directly at the radiant point, but before he could strike, the guard moved with unexpected speed, striking him with his huge stone hand, sending Yuno flying into the air before crashing into a tree with force!

"Yuno!" Sara shouted as she ran towards him, but the guard didn't give her a chance. He raised his giant foot to smash it, but she jumped back at the last moment, dodging the blow that made the ground shake violently.

Yuno quickly got up, holding his aching shoulder, and looked at the guard with eyes blazing with determination. "Well… direct force won't work, we have to change our strategy."

Sara, still trying to comprehend the magnitude of this challenge, asked as she retreated beside him, "But how? He doesn't give us any chance to reach his weak points!"

Yuno closed his eyes for a moment, then said, "We have to use the winds intelligently… I'll manipulate my movement and hit him from different angles until I find a real opportunity!"

"What about me?" Sara asked, grabbing her small dagger.

Yuno looked at the ground for a moment, then smiled lightly and said, "Okay, I want you to distract him, keep him busy while I look for a suitable angle to attack."

Sara nodded quickly, then began running around the stone guard, jumping and dodging his heavy blows while trying to distract him by shouting and throwing small stones at him.

Meanwhile, Yuno focused on the wind element, taking a deep breath before taking off at a tremendous speed, using the wind currents to boost his jump.

"This is my chance!" he shouted as he aimed his sword at one of the bright spots, but…

Before the strike could land, the guard suddenly moved again, as if his body was sensing the incoming attacks!

"What…?!" Yuno was shocked to see how the guard turned his body at the last moment, causing the blow to hit the solid rocks without causing any significant damage!

Yuno fell to the ground rolling, while the guard let out a loud roar before raising his arm to deliver a crushing punch towards him!

"Yuno, watch out!!"

At the last moment, Yuno used the wind to speed up his movement, narrowly avoiding the blow as he felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"This creature… doesn't just rely on its strength, it seems to predict our movements!" He muttered as he quickly got up, watching the guard's movements intently.

Sara approached him with a gasp, saying, "I tried to distract it but it was barely affected, as if it had a special awareness!"

Yuno bit his lips in thought, then said, "If it anticipates my direct attacks… then we have to trick it somehow!"

But how?

The two stood there, panting as the stone guardian still stood tall in front of them, like an unmovable mountain. Time was running out, and if they didn't find a solution soon, this might be their last battle…

Yuno sat on the ground, panting in exhaustion, as Sara stood behind him, placing her hands on his injured shoulder, the healing elements glowing a soft blue, their warm energy spreading through his body. Despite the pain, he couldn't stop thinking.

"This Guardian isn't just a pile of rocks…" Yuno muttered as he stared at the massive beast from afar.

Sara, who was focused on healing him, asked him in a low voice, "What do you mean?"

Yuno took a deep breath before answering, "At first, I thought his movements were slow, but they're actually calculated… He doesn't waste a single move, and always dodges our strikes at the last moment."

Sara nodded slowly, thinking about his words, then said, "It's like he sees the attacks before they happen…"

Yuno frowned, then shook his head, "Exactly! I don't think he has normal senses like us, but he seems to sense the flow of energy around him. That's why, whenever I used wind or tried to land a powerful strike, he would move before I could hit him."

Sara looked at him worriedly, then said, "So, even if we knew his weak point, we wouldn't be able to hit it if he was able to predict our movements."

Yuno was silent for a moment, then looked up at her, his eyes shining with new hope, "Not necessarily… What if we could trick him?"

Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Trick him? How?"

Yuno smiled despite his exhaustion, and said confidently, "If he relies on sensing energy, we have to send him false signals… We have to create multiple sources of energy so that he doesn't know where the real strike is coming from!"

Sara's mind began to work quickly, then her eyes widened as she understood: "We can use the Wind Element!"

Yuno nodded excitedly: "Exactly! If I fill the area with fake airflows, his perception will be scattered and he will lose the ability to distinguish the real attack from the illusory one!"

Sara smiled, for the first time since the fight began, then said excitedly: "Then… let's carry out our plan!"

Yuno stood up, feeling a new energy flowing through his body. He looked at the stone guard, then at Sara, and said: "This is our only chance… If it doesn't work, we might not get another chance."

Sara nodded, her readiness reflected in her eyes. "We won't fail."

Then, the two of them took their positions, ready to carry out the plan…

Yuno began to jump quickly between the trees, using the wind element to create multiple air currents moving in different directions, as if there were multiple Yunos surrounding the stone guardian. The wind was blowing everywhere, stirring up snow and scattering dry leaves, making it impossible to distinguish where the real attack was.

"Let's see if you can predict this time!" Yuno shouted, as he continued to move at an extremely high speed, randomly changing his direction.

The stone guardian, who was relying on sensing the flow of energy, began to sway in place, trying to pinpoint the source of the danger. Raising his huge hands, he began to randomly strike the air, but all his strikes hit nothing!

Sara, who was watching from behind, saw how the monster began to tense up and slow down in its reaction, so she smiled and said to herself: "It's working… It can't tell the real attack from the imaginary wind!"

At that moment, Yuno jumped high from the trees, using the wind to push him up, then directed a powerful sword strike towards one of the bright spots on the guard's body.

However…

Before the strike could land, the monster moved at the last moment!

Yuno's eyes widened, he didn't expect that the monster would still be able to predict despite all the distractions! He tried to adjust his course, but he had already lost his balance in the air!

"Yuno, watch out!" Sara shouted, but she couldn't do anything but watch the guard raise his giant hand to strike him directly!

"Not yet!" Yuno quickly muttered, and instead of resisting the fall, he used the wind to quickly rotate his body, then he shot forward with the wind instead of going backwards!

This time, instead of directing the strike himself, he released a powerful stream of wind directly towards the guard's weak spot!

"Take this!"

The wind exploded violently at the bright spot, causing a small crack in the stone guard's body!

Yuno landed on the ground rolling, panting, while Sara quickly ran towards him: "I hit him!"

But the Stone Guardian didn't fall...

Despite the crack, he was still standing, but his movements became slower!

"We're close..." Yuno muttered as he got up, looking at the monster who was starting to lose his balance a little. "We need to focus on that point until we completely destroy it!"

Sara grabbed her dagger, and smiled, saying: "Then let's end this!"

But at that moment... A roaring sound came from the Stone Guardian, as if his anger had reached its peak!

Then suddenly, his entire body glowed with tremendous energy, and the ground beneath him began to shake violently!

The battle wasn't over yet... It had even become more dangerous!

The Stone Guardian glowed with violent energy, and his body began to crack, but instead of collapsing, he became stronger and faster! The energy emanating from him was terrifying, as if his strength had reached its peak!

Yuno and Sara stepped back slightly, watching as the crack in the Guardian's body did not cause him to become weaker, but rather revealed a mysterious blue light glowing from within him.

"This isn't normal…" Sara muttered, watching the glow carefully. Then she realized something, her eyes widened and she quickly said, "Yuno! That light… It's the elixir!"

Yuno looked at her in shock, then at the Guardian, and began to understand. "The elixir… So this is what's keeping him alive!"

The Stone Guardian wasn't just a rock creature, he was powered by the power of the elixir itself, making him able to predict movements and sense the energy around him!

"If we can destroy the source of the elixir inside him… He'll collapse completely!"

Yuno looked at Sara and smiled, "Then we have to focus on that point directly!"

Yuno took a deep breath, then quickly took off, using the wind to push him towards the monster, while Sara began to gather her healing energy in her other hand, not to use it on herself, but to charge her attack to directly affect the elixir!

"Sara! I'll open the field for you, and you have to deliver the final blow!"

Yuno jumped high, then began to spin in the air, using the wind to create a small tornado around him. With his tremendous speed, he approached the stone guard and dealt a powerful blow with his sword to his foot, causing him to stagger!

At the same moment, Sara seized the opportunity, and quickly ran towards the guard's chest, where the blue glow was even brighter!

"Let's finish this!"

With all her strength, Sara directed her hand filled with healing energy towards the shining point, but instead of healing the guard, the elixir inside began to react violently!

"That's it! It's weakening!" Yuno shouted, as the stone guardian let out a loud roar, its body beginning to collapse.

Then, suddenly… the blue glow exploded, and the entire guardian disintegrated into pieces of rock, then turned into dust that scattered with the wind!

Silence enveloped the place, and nothing remained except a small stone emitting a faint blue light… the elixir itself!

Yuno and Sara stood panting, looking at the small stone that remained.

"We… did it?" Sara asked, not believing that the fight was over.

Yuno, despite his exhaustion, smiled and said, "Yes… and on top of that, we got the elixir."

Sara bent down and picked up the small stone, feeling its slight heat in the palm of her hand.

"This elixir…" she muttered, before looking up at Yuno and smiling. "It might be the key to our next strength."

Yuno looked at her, then at the horizon where the sky was still dark from the snowstorm, but he didn't feel the cold this time.

"Let's keep going." He said confidently.

Then, taking the elixir, they continued their journey into the unknown.

The guard led them through the wide stone corridors inside the castle, where the dim light from the torches reflected off the walls decorated with ancient carvings. Sara looked around curiously, while Yuno remained focused, holding the elixir in his hands carefully.

When they arrived at the great hall, the leader of the centaur army was standing near a stone table, studying a large map of the area. He raised his head as they entered, his eyes focused directly on the glowing stone.

"I see you've both returned safely… and with something interesting." The leader said in his deep voice, taking a step forward.

Yuno reached out to show him the elixir and said, "This stone is what kept the Stone Guardian alive… Its energy is unlike anything we've seen before."

The leader frowned, taking the elixir from Yuno, studying it carefully. For a moment, he seemed to remember something, before looking at them seriously.

"This is no ordinary stone…" he muttered, then raised his head to stare at them. "You must see the King immediately."

The commander wasted no time, and soon Yuno and Sara were standing in front of the massive door leading to the royal throne. When the door opened, a vast hall with a high ceiling was revealed, where the Centaur King sat on his stone throne, surrounded by a number of his advisors and warriors.

The king was a large man, with a thick white beard, and sharp eyes that shone with wisdom and experience. When the commander approached him, he bowed respectfully, then extended his hand to offer him the elixir.

"Your Majesty… these two travelers have found the Stone of Life."

The whispers of the advisors and warriors rose, as if the name that had just been said carried great weight in their history.

The king looked at Yuno and Sara, then at the glowing elixir, before saying in a deep, majestic voice:

"Tell me everything… How did you get it?"

Yuno and Sara exchanged a quick glance, before Yuno began to recount the events of the fight, explaining how they discovered that the elixir was the Stone Guardian's life source, and how they were able to stop it by targeting the energy within it.

After the story ended, the king remained silent for a moment, as if in deep thought, then said:

"This stone is not just a source of energy… it is part of an ancient legacy, a power that has been hidden for centuries."

He then rose from his throne, and walked towards Yuno and Sara, staring at them seriously.

"If this elixir has found its way to you… then something greater is coming your way." He then added to his words with a reassuring tone, "In any case, you are both welcome to this kingdom and we will treat you as one of our own."