Stone travels north to Sorenia and decides to find his father and gain the power of inheritance. In the end, neither was found, and he barely survived his life - and his father's sword and armor. His journey to find his roots was a particularly sad experience.

Stone knew that the Thundering Knights had been re-established, but he was shocked by the level of hatred that ordinary people had towards the Knights.

Shuma, the Maker of Light and the first Thunder Knight, repelled the forces of darkness in the Age of Dreams. The Age of Power began. Then it is believed that the gods have renounced humanity – the Cataclysm.

People begged the knights to help them, just as they used to ask Shuma to help them. But the knight could only watch as the nightmare descended from the sky, shattering Candela to pieces. The people cried out to the knight, but the knight could not help at all, and the people could no longer understand the knight. Standing in front of his ruined castle, Stone vowed to restore the reputation of the Sorenian Knights, even at the cost of his life.

But how could he restore the glory of the knighthood by fighting a group of priests?, he thought melancholy, and the path before him began to blur. He stumbled and quickly got back to his feet.

Shuma once fought dragons, give me a dragon, Stone dreamed. He looked up, and the scene began to dim, and he knew he was about to pass out. He blinked, and suddenly the scene became clear.

At the top of the Forest of Eternal Night, he and his companions had reached the foot of the ancient, glacier-covered mountain. He could see the trail winding its way around the towering peaks of the mountain, which the residents of Willow used to get to the campsite on the eastern slope of the mountain. Next to the trail stood a white elk.

Stone stared blankly with his eyes open, this elk was the most beautiful creature the knight had ever seen. Its massive body was greater than any elk the knight had ever hunted.

It held its head proudly, its bifurcated horns shining like a crown.

Its staring brown eyes were more spiritual than the white fur, and it looked directly at the knight as if it recognized him. Then it shook its head lightly and walked briskly toward the southwest.

"Stop. The knight roared hoarsely.

The others immediately turned back, their weapons unsheathed. Robert walked over to Stone. "Stone, what's going on?"

The knight involuntarily put his hands on his aching head.

"Stone, I'm sorry," said Robert, "I didn't know you were so uncomfortable. Take a break, we're already at the foot of the mountain at the top of the Forest of Eternal Night. I'll climb up the hill in no time—"

"No! look over there!" the knight grabbed Robert by the shoulder, pointing somewhere, "See? white elk!"

"White elk?" Robert searched in the direction Stone was pointing. "Where? I didn't see—"

"Right there," Stone whispered. He took a few steps forward, approaching the elk that seemed to have stopped waiting for him. The elk nodded, took a few more steps, and then stopped again to look at the knight. "It wants us to follow it. Stone took a breath. "It's like Shuma!"

"I don't see elk of any color," River Breeze said, his brown eyes searching the forest.

"Head trauma. Calamon nodded like a medicine seller. "Don't do that, sit down and rest—"

"You idiot!" the knight shouted to Calamon. "Your brain falls into your stomach so you can't see the elk. You don't want to shoot it for dinner! I'm telling you—we've got to follow it!"

"Delirium from head trauma. River Wind whispered to Robert. "It's very common. ”

"I'm not sure. Robert said. He thought about it for a few minutes, and when he spoke again, there was obvious hesitation. "I can't see the animal myself, but there are people around me who can see it, so I'm willing to follow it as in the old man's story. His hand casually stroked the ring carved with a fine ivy pattern, thinking of the blonde elf woman who wept for him.

"You're saying we're going to follow a creature we can't see?" Calamon asked, mouth wide open.

"It's not the strangest thing we've ever done," said Rodrith mockingly, "but that's the story of the old man at the inn, and the one who brought us to such a land—"

"We chose to wade through this troubled water," Robert interjected. "We used to hand over the crystal staff to the Grand Priest and leave, but in the past, we escaped a more sinister situation with one mouth. I suggest we follow Stone, it's clear that he's been chosen, just as River Breeze was chosen to receive the Crystal Staff. ”

"But this elk is not going in the right direction at all!" argued Calamon. "You and I both know that there are no roads in the west of the forest. No one has ever been there!"

"It's better this way!" said Scarlet Moon suddenly, "Robert said that these monsters must have blocked all the roads. Maybe that's the way out. I think we should follow the knights. With that, she turned around and followed Stone away, not even looking back at the other people's reactions - it was obvious that she was really used to ordering others. River Wind shrugged and shook his head slowly, but he and the others followed Scarlet Moon as they walked forward.

The knight left the often inhabited path and walked southwest through the dense forest. At first it seemed that Calamon was right—there was no way out.

Stone pushed forward like a madman. But suddenly, a flat road appeared in front of them. Robert looked at it in amazement.

"Who or what animal cleared the way?" he asked the river wind, puzzled, who was also suspiciously inspecting the road.

"I don't know. The Plainsman replied. "But this path has been around for a while. It would take a long time for the fallen tree to sink deep into the dirt like this, and its trunk was covered with moss and vines, but there were no footprints on it—except for Stone's.

Since there was no sign of a man or animal walking on it, why wasn't it hidden by the woods?"

Robert couldn't answer, and he didn't have time to answer. Stone rushed forward desperately, and everyone could only try to keep up and keep him out of sight.

"Goblins, boats, lizardmen, invisible elk—what's next?" Hubble complained to the Khand.

"I hope to see elk as well. Wade said wisely.

"You can have someone hit you the head. "Although we may not see the difference in the end." ”

The companions followed Stone, who climbed the hill as if he were in a trance, unaware of the trauma and pain on his body. Robert could barely keep up with the knights. When he finally managed to keep up, he saw a terrible frenzy in Stone's eyes, and the knight was clearly following something.

The path led them to the slope at the top of the Forest of Eternal Night, and Robert saw that it led them to the valley between the two peaks—a place he knew that no one had ever visited.

"Wait a minute," he gasped as he tried to catch up with Stone. It was almost noon, although the sun was still obscured by dark clouds. "Let's take a break, I'm going to see what is going on down here. He pointed to a large rock on the mountain's peak.

"Rest—" Stone repeated blankly. He stared blankly into the distance, then turned back to look at Robert. "Yes, we can rest. His eyes sparkled.

"Are you okay?"

"Good. Stone wandered absentmindedly on the grass, his hand gently stroking his beard. Robert looked at him in bewilderment until everyone else had rushed to the small flat land.

"We're going to rest here. The half-elf said. Rodrith breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground in prostration.

"I'm going to see what's wrong with that road north to Haven. Robert added.

"I'll go with you. River Breeze said.

Rob nodded, and the two of them left the road together, climbing onto the large raised rocks beside the road. As they walked, Robert looked at the tall warrior, and he began to feel very comfortable working with this serious, resolute plainman.

River Breeze is very polite, so he also has a special respect for the side that Robert does not want to be known. The stroll at this moment was much more comfortable for Robert than the restless sleep of the previous night. He knew that his friends—because they knew each other so well—were speculating about his relationship with Ella.

Why did he decide to leave in a hurry five years ago, and why was he so disappointed when she couldn't come back five years later?

Riverbreeze didn't know anything about Ella, of course, but Robert knew that even if Riverbreeze knew Ella, it would make no difference to the plainman. This is Robert's private business, not his business.

Once they could see the path to Haven, they slowly walked the last few feet until they reached the edge of the wet stone. Robert looked down to the east, and from this angle he could clearly see the path leading to the camp. The river breeze pointed in that direction, and Robert noticed that there were many monsters moving along the path!

This explains why there had been an uneasy calm in the forest before. Robert pursed his lips, the monsters must have been preparing to ambush that way. Stone and the white elk he saw may have saved their lives. But it won't be long before the monsters discover this new path.

Robert glanced back, and looked incredulous—there weren't any new paths at all! The path disappeared behind them!

I must have seen a mirage, he thought, and he turned his eyes to the road to Haven, where there were a lot of monsters gathered, and it didn't seem to take much time to regroup. His gaze turned to the calm surface of the crystal lake, and then his gaze extended to the horizon.

He frowned, something was wrong. He couldn't see it right away, so he didn't tell River Breeze right away, but continued to look at the sky. The clouds in the north were thicker than ever before, and pillars of gray smoke were sticking out of the ground and reaching into the sky - this was it!

Robert grabbed the river wind's arm and pointed to the north. River Wind squinted, at first he couldn't see anything, then he saw - black smoke rising into the sky. His bushy eyebrows tightened.

"Campfire. Robert said.

"Hundreds of campfires," River Breeze continued. "A precursor to war. It's a sight that only a whole army can have when it's encamped. ”

"The rumors have finally been confirmed," Stone said when they returned, "that there is indeed a large army in the north. ”

"But whose army is that, and for what? what are they attacking?" Calamon laughed incredulously. "No one is going to send a force for this crystal staff. The warrior paused for a moment. "Probably not, right?"

"The crystal wand is only one part of the story," Rodrith hissed. "Don't forget the vanishing constellations. ”

"Kids'!" Hubble scoffed. He lifted the empty sac, shook his head, and sighed.

"I'm not lying to children," said Rodrith, gritting his teeth, rising like a snake from the leaves of the trees. "You'd better respect what I say, dwarf!"

"Again, the elk!" Stone said suddenly, his gaze fixed on a large rock—perhaps not to him. "It's time for us to go. ”

The knight began to walk, and the others hurriedly gathered their things and followed.

They climbed higher and higher along the trail – the road seemed to pop in front of them – and the wind changed. A breeze blows from the south, carrying the scent of autumn dreams. When they came to the recess between the two peaks, it drove away the dark clouds and let the sun peek out of the clouds.

It's already afternoon. They took a brief break before they began to climb the groove between the two peaks that Stone insisted on. Stone still insisted that the elk lead the way.

"It's almost dinner time. Calamon sighed heavily. "I can eat my boots!"

"I also think they look delicious. "I hope that elk is flesh and blood, so that perhaps it can be used for something other than to get us lost." ”

"Shut up!" Stone turned angrily to the dwarf, fists clenched. Robert quickly stood up and grabbed Stone by the shoulder.

Stone glared at Hubble, his beard shaking with anger, and then he broke free of Robert, "It's time to go." He whispered.

When they walked between the two peaks, they could clearly see the blue sky on the other side. The south wind whistled over the peaks at the top. They walked cautiously, and the small stones under their feet made them trip over many times. Luckily, the space is so cramped that they can easily balance against the mountain wall.

It took about thirty minutes to reach the other side of the Eye of the Prayer Prayer. They looked out into the valley below, the turquoise waves of the savannah beneath their feet rising and falling to the forest at the other end. The blue sky overhead, the sun was mild, and the dark clouds were tossed aside.

For the first time in days, they felt that their overcoat was too heavy, and only Rodrith still shivered under his red cloak. Hubble, who had been complaining all morning about the cold weather and heavy rain, now complained about the sun, too dazzling to keep his eyes open, and too hot for his helmet to burn.

"I suggest we drop the dwarves down the mountain. Calamon yelled at Robert.

Robert laughed and said, "He'll keep complaining all the way, and that's going to leak our whereabouts." ”

"No one down there could hear him. Calamon's broad hand gestured to the forest below. "I bet we must be the first living people to look down on this valley. ”

"The first group of 'living people,'" Mr. Rodlis gasped. "Dude, you're not wrong this time. Because you're pointing to the Dark Forest. ”

No one spoke. The river breeze shifted uneasily, and Scarlet Moon walked over to him, staring at the forest below, her eyes wide open. Hubble cleared his throat and closed his mouth again and stroked his long beard. Stone looked at the forest calmly, and so did Wade.

"It doesn't look evil at all!" said the Khandman excitedly. He sat cross-legged on the ground, drawing his map with a charcoal pen, trying to draw the way to the Eye of the Prayer Peak from below.

"'Appearance' is like that of the Kande, and it is not to be easily trusted. Rodlis said sarcastically.

Wade frowned and wanted to reply, but he caught a glimpse of Robert's eyes on the side, so he had to turn back and concentrate on drawing. Robert walked over to Stone. The knight stood on a large rock on the cliff, and the south wind blew his long hair and tattered cloak.

"Stone, where's the elk? Can you still see it?"

"I can see it. Stone replied. He pointed down. "It went into the prairie, and I could see the road, straight into the forest. ”

"Walked into the Dark Forest. Robert muttered.

"Who said it was the Dark Forest?" Ston asked Robert.

"Rodris. ”

"Phew!"

"He's a mage," Robert said.

"Then he's crazy. Stone replied, shrugging. "But if you want to stay on this hillside, do whatever you want! I'm going to follow the elk—just like Shuma, even if it leads me into the Dark Forest!" Wrapped in his cloak, Stone jumped off the boulder and began to walk down a path.

Robert said to the others, "The elk took him straight into the forest. He said. "Rodlis, how sure are you that this forest is the Dark Forest?"

"Half-elf, how sure do you think a person can be about something?" replied the mage. "I'm not sure if I'm still alive the next second. But you can walk into the forest where no one has ever come out alive. The most certain thing in life is death, Robert. ”

The half-elf suddenly felt the urge to throw Rodrith off the mountain. He looked at Stone, who was already halfway up the mountain.

"I decided to follow Stone," he said suddenly. "It's up to you to decide whether you want to or not, I'm not responsible. ”

"I'm going too!" Wade struggled to his feet as he received the map into the scroll box, and ran quickly to the half-elf's side.

"Nonsense!" Hubble frowned at Rodrith, flicked his fingers mockingly, and strolled over to Robert's side. Although Scarlet Moon's face was pale, she followed without hesitation. The river breeze walked towards them more slowly, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Robert breathed a sigh of relief - he knew that the barbarian knew many terrible legends about the Dark Forest. Finally, Rodrith walked briskly towards them, startling his brother.

Robert smiled and looked at the mage. "Why did you come along?" he asked.

"Because you're going to need me, half-elves. The mage hissed. "Also, where do you think we can go? You have led us so far that there is no way back. There are only two options you have for us - early death, early superbirth, or being killed by Ling Chi. He walked down the hill, "Brother, are you coming?"

As the brothers passed by, the others looked at Robert uneasily. The half-elf felt like a fool, and Rodrith was certainly right. He asked everyone to follow him so far away, but he tried to make it seem like his choice was just to make his conscience feel better. Angry, he picked up a rock and dropped it down the hillside.

Why did he take the lead in the first place? Why did he have to be forced to get involved in the affair when he just wanted to find Ella and tell her that he had decided to stay with her until he was old?

But Ella didn't return to him. She has a 'new master'. That's probably why she-

"Hey, Robert!" the Kander's voice came over.

"I'm coming!" he muttered.

When they reached the edge of the forest, the sun was just over the zenith. Robert estimates that there are about three to four hours of daylight left to use. If that elk continues to lead them on a flat trail, perhaps there will be a chance to get out of this forest before sunset.

Stone sat comfortably in the shade and waited for his companions. They slowly left the steppe, and no one was in a hurry to enter the forest.

"The elk walked in here. Stone stood up and pointed to the waist-length grass.

Robert didn't see any footprints. He took a sip of water from a kettle that was almost empty, and looked at the forest. As Wade said, the forest doesn't look evil at all, on the contrary, after the autumn sun, its shade looks very attractive.

"Maybe there's some prey in there," Calamon said, shaking his knees. "Not an elk," he hastily added, "perhaps a rabbit or something." ”

"Don't shoot anything, don't eat anything, don't drink anything in the dark forest. Rodrith whispered.

Robert looked at the mage, his hourglass-like eyes distinct. In the strong sunlight, the golden skin shimmered with an evocative sheen. Rodrith leaned against his cane and shivered as if he were afraid of the cold.

"A child's bedside story," Hubble murmured, but the dwarf's tone lacked confidence. Although Robert knew that Rodrith had a special sensitivity to such things, he had never seen him so affected.

"What do you feel, Rodlis?" he asked quietly.

"There is an incomparably powerful magic in this forest. Rodrith gasped.

"Evil?" Robert asked.

"To those who have evil in their hearts, yes. The mage replied.

"Then you're the only one of us who needs to be afraid of this forest. Stone told Rodlith coldly.

Calamon's face flushed with rage, and his hand reached for the sword. Stone's hand also reached for the long sword. Robert grabbed Stone by the arm, and Rodrith grabbed his brother's hand. The mage glared at the knight, his golden eyes shining with sparkles.

"It will soon be known," Mr. Rodrith said, his voice so low as if it were squeezing out of his teeth. "We'll find out soon. Leaning his staff, Rodrith turned to his brother, "Do you want to follow?"

Calamon looked at Stone angrily, and then followed his twin brother into the woods. The others followed them, leaving Robert and Hubble to remain in the towering and rocking grass.

"I'm too old to do this, Robert. The dwarf said suddenly.

"Nonsense," the half-elf replied with a smile. "You're still getting stronger when you start working!"

"No, I'm not referring to physical aging. The dwarf looked at his wrinkled hands—"I'm old enough, though." I mean spiritual aging. Ten years ago, before anyone else was born, you and I walked into a forest of magic without thinking. But now ......"

"Be happy!" said Robert. He tried to lighten the mood, though he was also bothered by the dwarves' unusual melancholy. For the first time since leaving Willow, he took a closer look at Hubble. The dwarf looked old, but he always looked so old. His face, buried under his beard and lowered eyebrows, was wrinkled, like an old piece of leather. The dwarf grumbled, too, but he always complained. The difference was in the eyes, the flame of thirst for adventure in it was gone.

"Don't let Rodlis scare you," Robert said. "We had time tonight to gather around the campfire and laugh at his ghost stories. ”

"I want to try it too. Hubble sighed. He was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll drag you down one day, Robert." 'Why should I be involved with this old dwarf?' I don't want you to think that. ”

"Because we need you, you nagging old dwarf!" said Robert, placing his hand on the shoulder of the old dwarf who seemed to be carrying a heavy burden. He pointed to the figures of others in the forest. "I need you, Hubble. They're all like that...... So young. You are as stable as a rock, so I can rely on you with confidence~"

Hubble's face flushed with joy, but his expression looked a little unnatural. He stroked his beard and cleared his throat vigorously. "Yes, yes, but you're always so sentimental. We're wasting our time, and I want to get out of this ghostly woods before sunset. He muttered. "I'm so glad it's daytime. ”

Chapter 10 of the text, the Dark Forest, the Resurrection of the Dead, and the magic of Rodlis

The only thing Robert felt when he entered the forest was to be lucky enough to escape the power of the autumn tiger's sun. The half-elves began to recall all the legends about the Dark Forest—ghost tales that circulated around the campfire at night—without forgetting the warning of Rodrith. But Robert felt that the forest was more alive than any forest he had ever visited.

There was no dead silence here that they had experienced earlier. The little animals chatted merrily, the birds squeaked on the high branches, the insects with colorful wings flew around, and the leaves shook and rustled. There was no breeze blowing, but the flowers were swaying – as if the plants had come to life.

Everyone in the party enters the forest as if they were facing a great enemy, with their weapons in their hands, ready to face the challenge. After a period of careful not to make a cracking sound from the leaves, Wade said it was "a bit of an idiot." So everyone relaxed—except for Rodris.

They walked along a flat, obvious stretch of road for about two hours. The sun slowly sank in the west, and the shadows dragged longer and longer. Robert felt a sense of peace in the forest. He wasn't afraid that the winged monsters would follow him. Evil seems to have nothing to do with the forest, unless—as Rodrith says—everyone brings the evil in their hearts.

Robert looked at the mage, and Rodrith walked alone with his head bowed. The shadows of the forest seemed to gather on the young mage. Robert felt a chill and realized that the sun was about to set and the temperature was rapidly dropping. Now is a good time to think about setting up camp.

Robert pulled out Wade's map and looked at it at the last rays of light. The map was made by the elves, and the map marked the words Dark Forest where they were, but the forest had no clear boundaries, and Robert wasn't sure if it was in it or in the forest further south.

Rodrith must be wrong, this can't be the Dark Forest - Robert thought, even if it was, the so-called evil could only be a mage's fantasy. They kept walking.

Soon it was dusk, and the light at this time would make everything seem to come to life. The team began to slow down, and Rodrith dragged his legs, breathing more and more rapidly. Stone's face turned pale.

The half-elf was about to call everyone to stop and set up camp, as if hearing his thoughts, when a flat green meadow appeared at the end of the road. Clear water gurgled from beneath the ground, trickling down a small stream.

The meadow is covered with soft, inviting grass and is surrounded by tall trees that seem to guard the meadow. When they saw the meadow, the sky turned a dark red, and then the sun disappeared without a trace, and night covered the land.

"Don't leave this road. As the teammates started walking into the grass, Rodriz said.

Robert sighed, "Rodrith," he said patiently. "We're not going to have a problem. The road is right next to it and not very far away. Come on, you need rest too – we all need it. Look this way—" Robert held up the map—"I don't think this is the Forest of Eternal Night, judging by the map—"

Rodrith dismisses the map with contempt. The other companions ignored the magician's advice and left the path on their own and set up camp.

Stone sat down against a tree and closed his eyes in pain. Calamon looked at the little shadows running around in the woods, swallowing his saliva.

Calamon gestured, and Wade immediately ran into the woods to find firewood.

Looking at them, a mocking smile appeared on the mage's face. "You idiots. This is indeed the Dark Forest, you'll know by tonight. ”

He shrugged. "But like you said, I need plenty of rest. However, I will never leave this path. Rodrith sat down on the road with a dark brown staff beside him.