Kahlan strode toward the top of the cliff, ten steps at a time, and soon left his men behind. He reached the top alone, screaming in disappointment at what he saw: four corpses, two Noxians, two Ionians.

He did not wait for his men and immediately plunged into Darje Ahira. He ran down in the dark, his feline eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness. He could taste the smell of humans in the air, and there was nothing wrong with going in that direction.

Karan quietly stepped into the darkness and his hunt began.

The forest that was gradually darkening was beautiful, but the girl had no intention of watching it, and stamped her feet along the winding path.

Glowing winged fireflies danced in the twilight, leaving behind them a glow-in-the-dark shadow, but the girl slapped them away from her face, unconcerned about the fleeting grace. She lowered her eyes to the ground and kicked a rock away, allowing it to leap between the tangled roots, oblivious to the setting sun shining through the dense canopy. The petals of the purple sable slowly opened, spitting shimmering pollen into the warm twilight, but she hurriedly passed by and twisted the stem.

Her cheeks burned red with shame and anger. The mother's reproach still lingered in his ears, and the ridicule of his brother and other children lingered.

She stopped, looked back at the broken petals on the path, and frowned. There's something wrong with it...... It seems like she's already-

Something black seemed to appear in her peripheral vision, and she looked around to see clearly. There were four dark shadows, but only when she wasn't looking directly at them.

She frowned in confusion. Probably not.

Something is very wrong.

Cilik and his three companions stood in a circle, looking down into the depths of the pond in the distance. A woman lay there, sunk below the surface of the water, her long pure white hair hanging lazily in the water.

Sindra. It's both her name and synonymous with destruction, representing succumbing to one's darkest fears and anger. To this day, the name is still cursed in many provinces.

Cilik takes off his hood and shows his face. The delicate indigo tattoos around her eyes seemed to writhe in the flickering light of the winged fireflies. Others also took off their hoods. All have the same tattoo on their faces, which is the symbol of the Guardian of Filol. Everyone looked down at Sindra with solemn expressions.

Half of the cavern had collapsed, and the other half was barely supported by the vast network of roots of an ancient tree that also wrapped around Syndra's limbs. The roots of the tree look like a loving mother holding the baby in her arms, but it also looks like they are suppressing her and restraining her, depending on your perspective. She could easily be mistaken for dead, but her chest rose and fell regularly, breathing in the pool's water.

Sindra didn't look vicious at all, but Ciric knew all too well how deceptive it was. This man had destroyed the Temple of Calm in the center of Filore. It was up to the spirits of the land to drag her down and trap her in a strange state of stalemate.

Chirik once questioned why Sindra had survived. Why not end her life and avoid the threat of her awakening from her slumber once and for all? Her elder father smiled and asked her why the land was still supporting her if it wanted her to die. Chirik was speechless, he didn't understand then, and he certainly doesn't understand now. Her old father always spoke of balance, but he was dead, killed by the Noxian sword, and many others who died with him, all of whom had served as jailers for the sleeping woman, but the people they were guarding were still alive. Where is the balance here?

As long as Sindra lives, she is a threat, and it is the watchfulness of Darje Ahira that Hirik and the rest of his companions keep watch over her. However, it is now under the control of Noxus...... There is a good chance that the idiots will release her, either through inadvertent negligence or through a self-righteous attempt to exploit her destructive powers.

No, the cost of this risk is too great. Sindra must die. Just tonight.

Cilik tosses the winged glowing ball to her brother and steps deeper into the pond, sword unsheathed.

"Wait," Aujin said.

"There's no time, man," said Cirick. "The Noxians will soon be able to catch up. We have to stop right away. ”

"But she may be our strongest weapon against it."

Cirick paused, slowly looking back at her brother, the expression on his face full of disbelief.

"After all, she's also an Ionian," Aujin continued. "She can be a great ally. With her, we can drive Noxus out of Ionia once and for all! ”

"And then, brother? Do you think she can be controlled? ”

"We don't have to control her!" Aujin stepped forward, his voice full of passion. "We can attack Noxus and bring war to their land. We can——。 ”

"You're so stupid, brother," Hillik interrupted, her tone mocking. She turned around and began wading towards Sindra, who was lying quietly not far away.

"I can't let you mess around, sis. We can't let it. ”

It was then that Cirik realized that her brother and two other companions had scattered and surrounded her, and the sabre rattle. "You won't let me?"

"Don't push us, sis."

Her gaze jumped between the three, calculating the distance, calculating if she could kill Sindra before they could come up. It should be close.

"I'm not going to force you," she said. "We're here to put an end to the Ionian threat – not to unleash it."

"This opportunity allows us to-"

"No," Chirik said. "Don't you understand? It is this division from within Ionia that is hurting us, being exploited by the Noxians. We have disagreements, quarrels, civil strife, and what we need most now is to work together. ”

"So work with us," Aujin pleaded.

Cilik gestured to Sindra, who was still and motionless. "She is a far greater threat to the land than to Noxus. Only a stupid person would have illusions of the opposite. ”

"Don't be so stubborn, just once in your life."

"You can't convince me, brother," she said. "How. Are you going to kill me? ”

"Please, don't let things get to that point."

The four men stood still for a second, unprepared to let the situation worsen.

At this moment, a shadow broke away from the original darkness of the cave and galloped towards them with murderous intent.

Cirick gave a warning and immediately leaned forward and sprinted. Her movements caught Augen and the other two off guard, and they all raised their weapons to defend themselves against her attack. One of them flicked his hand and flew out a pair of hidden weapons, his movements completely instinctive.

Cilik dodged the first throwing knife, but the second hit her, stabbing her deep into the shoulder, and she bit down in pain, squeezing a breath out of her teeth and falling into the water.

It was too late for the man who hit Chirik to realize that the real threat was behind him. The Ionian was lifted up, a blade piercing through his chest, the entire blade piercing through his body. Then he was tossed aside, and the shadowy sneak attacker quickly shifted, throwing away the sword, and the next target was Okin.

It was Vastaya, dressed in Noxian armor, who roared, his lips flipped back, revealing the fangs of a predator. A deafening roar echoed through the cavern.

Cirick struggled to his feet and recognized him. This is Karan, the shameless traitor of Presidian, who turned his back on his people and Ionia and surrendered to his enemies. Filol was a reward given to him, like a bone thrown at a well-behaved pet. She and several of her brother's friends died at his hands.