117

The moonlight was as clear as water, and the cold light sprinkled on Lily's arm. Her skin was pale and almost transparent, and it was frighteningly cold, like a piece of cold jade. Mark's heart tightened, and he instinctively grasped Lily's wrist to check. In the reflection of the moonlight, he suddenly found a strange mark on the inside of Lily's wrist, like some kind of ancient rune, emitting a faint black light, which was particularly dazzling on the pale skin. The mark seemed to be alive, wriggling slightly under Lily's skin, emitting bursts of cold breath.

Lily suddenly shook off Mark's hand, as if she was electrocuted. She looked at Mark in horror, her eyes full of struggle and pain, as if there were two forces fighting fiercely deep in her heart. Her breathing became rapid, and her chest rose and fell violently, as if something was about to break out of her body.

"Lily!" Mark exclaimed, trying to grab Lily's hand again, but she dodged.

Lily turned around and ran towards the depths of the wilderness. She was incredibly fast, like an arrow from a bow, and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye. Her white robe fluttered in the night wind, like a ghost, leaving an erratic white shadow on the desolate wilderness.

"Lily!" Mark shouted again, and he chased after her without hesitation. His steps were steady and powerful, and every step he took on the hard ground made a dull sound. His eyes were fixed on Lily's figure, and his eyes were full of determination and determination.

The wind in the wilderness whistled past, rolling up the sand and stones on the ground, hitting Mark's face, bringing a stinging pain. He squinted his eyes, trying to resist the invasion of the wind and sand, and his eyes never left Lily's figure.

In front, a figure vaguely appeared in Mark's field of vision. The figure was tall and thin, like a dead tree, swaying slightly in the night wind. It looked a bit like Toby. He turned his back to Mark and stretched out his hand in the direction of Lily, as if calling her.

Mark's heart trembled, and he quickened his pace, trying to catch up with Lily. However, he found that the ground under his feet had become soft at some point, like a swamp, and his pace slowed down significantly. Every step he took seemed extremely strenuous, as if he was stuck in a quagmire and couldn't get out.

At this moment, the figure let out a sharp whistle, which was as piercing as the cry of a night owl, echoing in the empty wilderness.

Hearing the whistle, Lily suddenly sped up and rushed towards the man like a moth to a flame.

The figure grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her into a black vortex that suddenly appeared. The vortex was like a huge mouth of the abyss, emitting a suffocating dark breath, swallowing all the light and vitality around it. A person and a shadow disappeared in an instant, leaving only the empty wilderness and the howling night wind.

Mark staggered and almost fell. He rushed to the place where the vortex disappeared, but only saw the empty wilderness. Some black energy remained on the ground, like ashes after burning, emitting a faint smell of sulfur.

"Lily!" Mark called Lily's name desperately, his voice echoing in the wilderness, but he got no response. He knelt on the ground, his hands tightly grasping the ground, his knuckles turned white because of excessive force. His heart was full of regret and self-blame. If he could have discovered Lily's abnormality earlier, if he could have been faster, perhaps this would not have happened.

"Damn it!" Mark pounded the ground fiercely, venting his anger and powerlessness.

Mark got up from the ground, staggered back a few steps, his eyes fixed on the black marks left on the ground. He bent down, picked up a little black powder with his fingers, put it to the tip of his nose and sniffed it, and a pungent smell of sulfur rushed straight to his forehead. He suddenly shook off the powder in his hand, and the black powder stained his rough fingertips, as dazzling as a stain. A few crows in the distance were startled and flapped their wings to fly into the inky night sky. The wind in the wilderness whistled past, rolling up the dead grass and gravel on the ground, making a whimpering sound.

He looked around, and he was alone in the empty wilderness. The night was falling, and the stars were twinkling, but they could not dispel the haze that enveloped his heart.

"I must find her." Mark whispered to himself, his voice hoarse, as if squeezed out from the depths of his throat. He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and began to carefully observe the surrounding environment. The black marks on the ground were intermittent, extending into the distance, like a black venomous snake, crawling.

Mark walked in the direction of the black marks, his steps heavy and slow. He pushed aside the dead branches and thorns that blocked the way, and scanned everything around him with sharp eyes, not missing any clues.

After walking for about an hour, a low bush appeared in front of him. A path was vaguely visible in the bushes, and the trees on both sides of the path were twisted and deformed, and the trunks were covered with strange symbols, like some kind of ancient text.

Mark slowed down and approached the bushes vigilantly. He pushed aside the branches and leaves of the bushes and walked carefully into the path. The path was winding and led to an unknown direction.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him: "Are you looking for something?"

Mark turned around abruptly, staring at the direction of the voice with vigilance.

A man wearing silver leather armor and carrying a bow and arrow walked out of the woods. The man was tall, with a beard and sharp eyes, revealing a shrewd and capable look.

The man was Captain Edmund.

"Captain Edmund? Why are you here too?" Mark asked in a deep voice.

"I followed you here." Edmund replied.