The Third Valley

After days of trekking through rugged mountain passes, Eren and Leylin stood before the entrance to the Third Valley. The air here was heavy, the sky gray despite the rising sun, and the cold wind carried the scent of ancient ash.

"This place… it's different," Kieran said, looking inward. "It's as if the shadows here are thicker… stronger."

"Here we will find the key to the heart of the Greater Ashes," Eren replied firmly.

The party entered the valley, shadows gathering over the rocks like a slow-moving black cloud, silently watching them. With every step, Eren could hear the whispers of ash in the wind, faint voices saying:

"You're late… too late…"

Suddenly, the shadows attacked them without warning, black waves striking the earth and rocks with force, wrapping themselves around the fighters and trying to drag them into the darkness. Leylin unleashed blue flames, scorching the shadows into fiery streaks, but the numbers didn't diminish.

Eren was fighting in the lead, the wind swirling around him like a hedge, pushing the shadows away. But he sensed they weren't just attacking, they were protecting something deeper within the valley.

Myra shouted from behind, "They're protecting something! There's energy deep within the valley!"

With each passing moment, the shadows grew more violent, emerging from them black, humanoid creatures, their eyes glowing red, their bodies saturated with ash. Their blows were heavy, their scent carrying the hatred accumulated over centuries.

Leylin advanced beside Eren, her fire burning white with heat, as she said, "We have to get inside... now!"

The team struggled through the shadows. The battle lasted for hours, bringing down creatures one by one, but the ground shook beneath their feet the closer they got.

In the heart of the valley stood a massive black stone structure, surmounted by a pulsating red light, emitting wisps of black smoke that fueled the shadows in the valley. Before it stood a huge, tall shadow with smoky wings and glowing eyes, as if guarding this heart.

Eren stared at the massive shadow, "This is... the Greater Heart of Ashes."

The shadow roared, his voice nearly shattering stone: "You shall not pass... This land shall return to ash..."

The shadow rushed toward them, striking the ground with its wings, unleashing a black wave that swept the fighters back. Eren sped up, opening his body to the wind, creating small cyclones around him that broke the black wave, while Leylin unleashed a beam of white fire that pierced the darkness and forced the shadow back a step.

The ground around them erupted in fire and wind, as Eren clashed with the massive shadow, his fists enveloped by sharp winds that cut through the smoke, while Leylin directed her fire towards the core of the structure, attempting to break the flow of black energy.

The shadow shouted, "You cannot... He will return... The Ash Lord will return..."

Eren retorted with determination, "

Not while we are here."

With a powerful blow, powered by the wind, Eren tore the massive shadow's body in half, while Leylin fired her fire at the stone core, which began to crack and glow before exploding in a white light.

The shadows suddenly vanished, and ash fell like a quiet black rain to the ground. Everyone breathed deeply, as Eren stood before the shattered remains of the core, the cracks revealing the remains of a map engraved within.

Leylin reached out, touching the engraved map, and said in a low voice, "This... is a map to the true location of the Greater Ash Core."

Eren smiled, despite his fatigue:

We've found our next step.

He raised his head to the sky, where the wind was caressing the last ash of the shadows, and said:

It's time to end it all... in the place where the ash began.