The Undercurrents of Night and Abyss
After leaving the Strategic Hall—its atmosphere still heavy yet now ignited with fresh hope—the group was led by one of Queen Sylvia Sunshine's personal guards toward the dedicated rest area. At a dimly lit corner, Fa quietly tugged at the sleeve of Queen Sylvia Sunshine's robe, which shimmered with a moonlit halo, using the shadows for cover.
"Your Majesty, a word in private. There is one more matter of utmost importance," Fa whispered, her eyes signaling the need for absolute secrecy.
Queen Sylvia immediately understood. With graceful elegance she raised a hand to dismiss the escorting guard, then walked with Fa to the deepest part of a secluded, deserted corridor lined with ancient vine relief carvings. The air held only the faint sound of their breathing.
From a hidden storage compartment within her under-armor, Fa carefully withdrew a token. It was neither gold nor wood; its material was warm and lustrous like the finest ink jade, yet it carried a strange, chilling coolness to the touch. The token was engraved with a pattern of thorns entwining a crescent moon. At its center was set an extremely tiny gem fragment that radiated a profound, abyssal dark sheen—as though a miniature, secret-laden night sky had been sealed within it. An ancient, hidden, and immensely powerful aura subtly emanated from the token: this was none other than the "Shadowmoon Root Token" personally bestowed by the Dark Elf King Malagoth in the depths of the Ink-Dark Forest, at the Thorn Crown domain!
The instant Queen Sylvia Sunshine's gaze fell upon the token—and especially when her keen elven senses captured its unique, unmistakable fluctuation originating from the other side of the World Tree, from the eternal dark aspect of the Well of Eternity—her eternally graceful, serene face, which seemed capable of embracing all things, showed genuine, uncontrollable shock for the first time. Her emerald eyes widened dramatically; her pupils contracted slightly from sheer astonishment, and even her steady, measured breathing faltered for a moment.
"This… this is… the 'Eternal Night Covenant'?!" Her voice trembled with rare vulnerability, filled with disbelief and even a trace of awe. "The Dark Elf royal line… His Majesty Malagoth… actually gave this to you?" She jerked her head up to look at Fa, her gaze suddenly extraordinarily complex—shock mingled with an indescribable scrutiny, as though she were seeing this human woman anew. "Light and shadow, sun and moon… though both our elven branches trace their origin to the World Tree, our paths diverged centuries ago. We have not interfered with one another; at times we have even harbored suspicion and estrangement. For His Majesty Malagoth to offer the 'Eternal Night Covenant' as a token of trust… Fa, what exactly did you accomplish in the Thorn Crown?"
The token's significance was staggering. It was far more than a mere credential; it represented one of the highest levels of commitment and recognition, backed by royal bloodline and ancient oath—an assurance that, when the bearer called, a portion of the entire Dark Elf race's strength would fight on their behalf! It was tantamount to entrusting part of an entire people's destiny!
Meeting the queen's shocked and probing gaze unflinchingly, Fa replied calmly: "Deep within the Ink-Dark Forest at the Thorn Crown, we successfully diagnosed, treated, and dispelled the ancient shadow-curse poison that had afflicted His Majesty Malagoth's beloved daughter—Princess Ilya Twilightshade. Out of gratitude and recognition of our capabilities, His Majesty personally granted this pledge. He declared, 'See this token as though seeing me in person.' When the time of our greatest need arrives, the Dark Elf race will answer this summons and fight for us." She paused, lowering her voice even further. "This matter is classified at the absolute highest level—perhaps even more so." This was a card buried even deeper, even more lethal.
Queen Sylvia took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the tidal waves surging in her heart. Her slender, slightly trembling jade-white hand reached out with reverence; her fingertips gently brushed the warm-yet-cool Shadowmoon Root Token, carefully sensing the mountain-heavy power of the ancient vow sealed within. She closed her eyes; her long silver-white lashes quivered faintly. When she opened them again, her emerald gaze had regained its calm—but the light deep within shone brighter than the most brilliant stars, filled with a tranquil insight into the turning of fate and an unprecedented resolve.
"Light and shadow ultimately belong to the same heaven and earth, both bathed in the grace of the World Tree," she said, her voice carrying the clarity of one who had pierced through veils of history, together with unyielding determination. "Since His Majesty Malagoth has offered the 'Eternal Night Covenant' as bond, it means the ancient divide is not an impassable chasm when the entire world faces annihilation. This is the moment for the elven race to move toward wholeness once more. The Emerald Forest will make every preparation to receive and support our Dark Elf allies." She gave Fa a solemn nod. The weight of this covenant from the depths of shadow was no less than the entry of the Winged Race and the soul-body race into the war! For the first time in centuries, light and shadow within the elven race had reached a strategic tacit understanding across the gulf—for the shared goal of survival. Its implications were profound beyond measure.
At the same time, on the way to the rest area, Yuyuer deliberately fell a few steps behind to ensure no one was watching. From inside his scale armor he withdrew a small, exquisite conch shell carved from a faintly glowing deep-blue mother-of-pearl—"Abyssal Echo Conch." He brought it close to his lips and softly began to chant an ancient, melodious fishfolk ballad imbued with mysterious power. The song did not travel through air; instead it transformed into a strange psychic wave that followed the invisible ley-line network of ocean tides connecting all waters, crossing vast spatial distances to reach the unfathomable depths of the Vortex Sacred Domain.
"…Mother… great Mother of the Deep… the Muret Continent bleeds; all living beings wail… The boundary between land and sea grows blurred under the mad encroachment of the Doomsday Rebirth organization… Their vines do not merely devour the earth; sooner or later their roots will reach the ocean's edge and pollute our home… I beseech you, listen to the lament of the storm. Let the children of the deep… take up arms and ride the waves… to protect the world we all depend upon, to safeguard the future of our sea folk…" Yuyuer's psychic voice was filled with sincerity, grief, and resolute pleading. Bathed in the gentle blue light from the crystal orb in his arms, he appeared incomparably sacred and solemn.
A moment of silence, as though time itself had frozen. Then, within the deep-blue conch, an invisible tide seemed to surge; a brighter azure halo bloomed. A majestic, loving, yet boundless oceanic female voice—spanning space and time—sounded directly in Yuyuer's mind, audible to him alone: "My child, Mother has heard your call. You yourself are the inheritor of the sea folk's future; the will of the ocean is with you, the wisdom of the seas flows in your blood. Every decision you make will represent the will and future of our people. Mother trusts your judgment and will respect your choice. Go—fight for the beliefs you hold, fight for this continent shrouded in Doomsday Rebirth's shadow, fight for the shared future of all living beings. The warriors of the deep will answer your summons and ride the waves to your aid. But remember," the voice grew gravely serious, "never betray your kin, never forget your bloodline, and never forget our shared heart of the ocean—the cradle of life that nurtures all things."
The conch's glow gradually faded, returning to calm. Yuyuer gently stroked the warm shell, feeling the lingering oceanic power within. His eyes shone with unshakable determination and a profound sense of responsibility. The deep-sea reinforcements—this force that commanded tides and leviathans—were already on their way!
Three mighty new armies (Winged Race, soul-body race, sea folk) together with one crucial hidden force (Dark Elves) were converging from sky, abyss, ocean, and shadow!
Prelude to the Decisive Battle
The heavy alloy door of the rest chamber closed behind them, temporarily shutting out the clamor and tension of the outside world. The room was spartan yet fully equipped: comfortable rest pods, energy recharge ports, and basic medical facilities. The group gathered and sat; though their bodies were utterly exhausted, their eyes burned with unusual brightness—like stars in the night.
Winged Race, soul-body race, Dark Elves, deep-sea folk… An invisible yet incomparably powerful alliance network was quietly being woven, encompassing sky, land, ocean, and shadow! And their small team would serve as the sharpest, most covert dagger—thrust straight toward the heart of Doomsday Rebirth on the western front: Sunwest City! They would uncover the terrifying truth hidden beneath those ruins and ignite the first ray of hopeful counterattack in the raging inferno engulfing the continent!
Outside the window, Muret City lay shrouded in wartime blackout dimness and oppressive tension. Distant patrol footsteps and the low growl of vehicle engines occasionally echoed. Inside the rest chamber, the will of hope and decisive battle burned quietly yet fiercely—like an inextinguishable flame kindled in darkness. The operation they were about to launch was far more than an infiltration and reconnaissance mission; it was a desperate gamble staking the fate of billions of lives across the Muret Continent. Every member knew full well how crushing the responsibility on their shoulders had become—they were no longer merely adventurers seeking truth; they had become the executors of covenants and the pivotal fulcrum of destiny, bearing the hopes of sky, abyss, ocean, forest, mountains, and countless races! Sunwest City—once a prosperous metropolis bathed in blazing sunlight, now a malignant tumor rooted and spreading under Doomsday Rebirth—would be their first true test in the roaring flames of war, the first scorched earth they must cross to fulfill their sacred pacts!
The air was thick with the mingled scents of machine oil, energy cells, and medicinal herbs, together with the eerie stillness that precedes a storm.
In the wartime rest chamber that night, lighting was deliberately suppressed; only a few wall-embedded energy lamps emitted faint, icy blue glows. These pinpricks of light barely outlined the figures seated around the simple alloy table. Every face showed exhaustion, yet deep in their eyes burned an immovable flame of resolve—that was Fa and her squad.
Spread across the table was the sealed intelligence packet personally handed over by Queen Sylvia Sunshine. An old parchment scroll with slightly worn edges exuded the faint, elegant fragrance of ancient forests and magical seals. Written in the flowing, graceful lines of elven script interwoven with the square, clear characters of the common human tongue were dense clusters of critical intelligence, successive geological scan maps, and crystal-imprinted copies of the final reconnaissance images taken before Sunwest City fell.
Fa's slender fingers slowly traced the rough surface of the parchment with gentle yet undeniable strength.Deep within her right eye, a shimmering expanse of light—azure, dark green, and silver—flowed and intertwined like living things, deciphering every line of text and every map marker with superhuman speed. Her fingertip finally stopped at the center of the map—the location of Sunwest City. There, a huge, blood-dripping red symbol drawn in thick, glaring ink encircled it, signifying the former glory and present deathly silence of the fallen fortress. Surrounding it were several smaller scarlet dots marking key strongpoints and military installations.
The room's air felt solid with tension; only the soft rustle of turning parchment broke the silence. At last Fa raised her head. The light in her star-eyes settled into calm. Her voice was not loud, yet it struck like a hammer against the stillness: "Tomorrow morning, we depart." Each word was clear, hard, and beyond dispute. "We travel by sea, infiltrate Soundwest Harbor, then proceed overland to penetrate the core of Sunwest City. Time… is our greatest enemy. We cannot delay a single moment."
Arya's emerald eyes, deep as forest pools, reflected the cold blue light and flickered with worry: "The sea route offers better concealment, but Doomsday Rebirth's patrol fleets are no mere decoration. We must exercise extreme caution."
"Salsa, you will be one of our key safeguards at sea," Fa said, turning her gaze to the soul-body girl hovering silently beside the mechanical cat frame. Salsa's translucent soul outline trembled like rippling water in the dim light; the mechanical cat's amber electronic eyes glowed steadily, silently accepting the grave trust.
"I will give everything," Salsa's voice entered their minds directly via psychic link—calm, unwavering, yet carrying an ironclad promise.
Yuyuer cradled the crystal orb containing oceanic wisdom; its blue light illuminated his unusually profound gaze: "The moment Salsa's hawk detects enemy presence, I will construct a 'Submersible Bubble' with water elements to envelop the vessel and sink us beneath the waves, evading their detection."
"An excellent countermeasure," Fa nodded in approval, then looked toward the child of nature. "Lin Ya, we need a ship that can sail under Doomsday Rebirth's very nose. Can you manage it?"
Lin Ya closed his eyes; thick lashes cast shadows across his lids. He seemed to listen to the whispers of wind and the pulse of the earth. After a moment he opened his eyes; verdant natural spirit energy flowed visibly from his fingertips like threads of light: "The gifts of forest and seashore are sufficient to weave us a sturdy vessel that can blend into the ocean."
"Excellent." Fa's gaze finally settled on Celestia. "Celestia, after we land at Soundwest Harbor, your aerial reconnaissance and rapid-strike capability will be decisive. Maintain maximum vigilance."
Celestia's ice-blue eyes were like eternal frost; her six wings folded tightly, faint crackles of wind and thunder dancing at her fingertips: "No prey escapes the hunt of wind and lightning."
The decision made, the taut atmosphere in the rest chamber eased slightly—only to be replaced by the brisk urgency of imminent action. Everyone immediately began checking and preparing gear. TISK's thick fingers ran over the rune-covered surface of his Lava Hammer; icy blue and fiery red light patterns pulsed across the metal like breathing, accompanied by a low, menacing hum of contained fury. Kayla's lips curled into a feral grin; blue electric arcs snapped restlessly across her Thunderclaw gauntlets, as though eager for blood. Rex's armor emitted faint hydraulic whispers; weapon bays on shoulders and arms opened and adjusted, ensuring the nano-swarm could deploy in an instant. Zhamisi carefully wiped her twin poisoned curved blades "Venom Fangs" with a cloth soaked in special oil; her scarlet snake pupils gleamed with cold, lethal light in the gloom.
The night outside was thick as spilled ink, drowning Muret City. One by one the city's lights went dark, leaving only the heavy, rhythmic tread of patrol squads echoing through empty streets, occasionally punctuated by the distant, earth-shaking muffled booms from far-off battlefields. Inside the rest chamber, Fa and her companions lay quietly, eyes closed in rest. No one truly slept; every nerve was strung tight like a drawn bow, gathering strength, waiting for the moment of release at dawn.