The air around Black Mountain City had become oppressive, and everyone felt an indescribable heaviness. The four of them stood at the edge of the mining pit, gazing down into the bottomless black hole, where the roars and crashing sounds of the monsters still echoed. The creatures had completely lost their minds, almost ignoring all pain and death. Their bodies were battered and mangled, but they continued to relentlessly crash into the containment device at the bottom of the pit.
"What's hiding down there…?" Vivella crouched down, her gaze fixed on the crack in the ground, her brow furrowed.
"What are they trying to do?" she muttered to herself.
Dan stood off to the side, his focus already locked onto the containment device at the bottom of the pit. Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically, as if he had realized something. "Wait… these monsters are gnawing at the device. They're trying to destroy it!"
"Destroy the containment device?" Leo asked, confused. "Is there something down there?"
"It's the Black Ore!" Dan's voice grew urgent. "Cohen once said that the mutation of these monsters is connected to Black Ore! It's the source of their transformation!"
"Black Ore…" Faelar murmured, repeating the words, his gaze deepening. He seemed to have realized the seriousness of the situation.
However, despite their awareness of the potential danger below, it was too late to stop it. With a loud explosion, the containment device was finally breached by the monsters, creating a small crack from which black energy began to surge like a tidal wave.
The black energy carried an oppressive, suffocating pressure, as if it was draining the air around them. As the energy swirled, the crack widened, and the black energy twisted like a living thing, slamming against the surroundings. The atmosphere in the entire pit became even more eerie and terrifying.
"We've got to stop it!" Leo shouted.
But the monsters were beyond control now. They surged into the crack like a tidal wave, leaping toward the bottom of the pit without hesitation.
"Damn it!" Dan gritted his teeth and swung his twin blades, preparing to charge, but suddenly, several black tendrils shot out from the crack and quickly wrapped around the legs of the four of them.
"Run!" Vivella struggled fiercely, but the tendrils were too strong, and the four had no way of resisting. They were forcibly pulled into the pit.
The air in the depths of the pit was even more stifling, and the ground beneath their feet felt like sticky, viscous matter, exuding a suffocating aura. The tendrils threw them into a vast underground space, where they crashed to the ground. Though uninjured, the oppressive feeling of the situation was overwhelming.
"Where… is this place?" Vivella stood up, looking around with confusion on her face.
"The surroundings…" Leo was silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. "That's…"
Following Leo's gaze, they saw a massive Black Ore floating in the distance, surrounded by darkness with no light source. The ore's surface flickered with multicolored lights. Every time the light flashed, they could hear a deep, rhythmic heartbeat.
"This is…" Dan's voice was filled with doubt. "The energy emitted by this ore… seems to be affecting us."
Faelar remained silent for a moment, his expression becoming unusually serious. "This… is different from the Black Ore I know. Could it be absorbing energy?"
Suddenly, a low, resonant voice echoed from the ore, clearly and directly reaching the ears of the four: "Elf King Faelar, come to me."
The four instantly froze, turning in unison toward Faelar, their faces filled with confusion.
Faelar raised an eyebrow slightly, staring at the Black Ore, his voice deep. "What are you? Why should I come to you?"
As he spoke, a pitch-black butterfly emerged from the ore. Its wings appeared to be made of black energy, and each flap exuded a chilling aura. It circled once in the air, then flew directly toward Faelar.
Faelar immediately raised his hand to cast a spell, and blue light formed a protective shield, blocking the butterfly. However, to his surprise, the butterfly seemed unaffected by any barrier and effortlessly passed through the shield, flying directly into Faelar's forehead.
"Faelar!" The four shouted in unison, rushing toward him to try to free him from the spell.
But just then, Faelar's expression became vacant, his eyes hollow. His steps grew stiff, as if he was being completely controlled by some force.
"Come to me, I can give you what you desire most," the voice of the Black Ore echoed again, this time with a seductive tone, as if promising a great reward.
Faelar's body began moving uncontrollably toward the Black Ore. The four charged forward, trying to stop him, but Faelar's strength seemed to have grown immensely. He easily tossed them aside.
"Faelar!" Leo shouted, "Don't do something foolish!"
But Faelar had already lost all awareness. His steps were mechanical and determined, and eventually, he reached the Black Ore. His body involuntarily merged with the ore.
"Faelar!" Vivella screamed, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.
Suddenly, the Black Ore trembled violently, its light flashing. The ore shot out of the pit, rapidly ascending above Black Mountain City, pulling with it a powerful, irresistible force as it flew into the distance.
The four stood at the bottom of the pit, staring blankly at the Black Ore as it disappeared into the distance, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
A few seconds later, the four finally crawled out of the pit and stood on the ground of Black Mountain City. They were gasping for breath, covered in dirt and grime, looking disheveled.
"How could this…?" Vivella whispered, her voice trembling. "How did it turn out like this?"
Just then, Cohen walked over from a distance. Upon seeing the four, he frowned slightly, clearly sensing the unusual change in the air.
"How did you all get out?" Cohen asked. "There doesn't seem to be any movement outside. I didn't hear any sounds from the monsters, so I came to check."
But when his gaze fell on the Black Ore in the distance, his body froze.
A look of shock flashed across his eyes, and his mouth opened slightly, though no words came out. The aura emanating from the Black Ore seemed to overpower him, and the sight before him filled him with an unprecedented fear.
The four watched Cohen's reaction, silently shocked. They exchanged glances, each seeing the same questions and unease reflected in the others' eyes.
"What is this?" Cohen finally spoke slowly, his voice laced with a mix of shock and confusion.
"We don't know either," Leo whispered, his voice grave. "But this ore… we may have underestimated its danger."
The black mineral in the air pulsated wildly, its glowing light growing increasingly intense with each flicker, as if every flash caused the air itself to tremble. Gradually, the form of the black mineral began to change, its outline twisting and transforming into a humanoid shape. The figure's face was indistinct, but with each tremor, an oppressive force made everyone present take a step back involuntarily.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot through the air. The black mineral seemed to be guided by some kind of power and, in an instant, transformed into the shape of the Elven King Faelar. But this was no longer the Faelar they knew. His body was completely overtaken by the black mineral, his limbs twisted, and two pairs of colorful wings sprouted from his back. Each time the wings spread, countless multicolored butterflies flew from them, exuding an unsettling aura and a chilling sense of threat.
Faelar's eyes had turned entirely white. They appeared hollow, devoid of emotion, yet carried an invisible force, as if they could see through the world's hypocrisy.
"What is going on?" Luna's voice trembled as she stared at Faelar, a surge of unease rising within her. The figure before her was nothing like the Elven King she once trusted.
"This… This is impossible!" Vivella gritted her teeth, shock and fury filling her heart. "Faelar, how could you have become like this?"
In the blink of an eye, Faelar suddenly swung his wings, sending gusts of wind so powerful that they nearly ripped the air apart. Without warning, he shot forward like a bolt of lightning, aiming directly at the group.
"Watch out!" Leo shouted. He barely had time to react, and as Faelar charged toward them, the group scattered in a hurry to avoid his attack.
But in that moment, Faelar swiftly extended a hand and gripped Luna's neck. His cold, unyielding grip seemed to possess endless strength, tightening around her throat. Luna's face began to pale as she weakly grasped his wrist, struggling to break free.
"Let her go!" Leo roared, swinging his sword at Faelar, but Faelar effortlessly sidestepped, as if dismissing all attacks. Just then, Dan and Vivella attacked from both sides, trying to distract Faelar.
Faelar seemed to realize the danger and abruptly released Luna, spinning around to attack the others. As he moved, his body began to shift again, his wings violently flapping, releasing a torrent of multicolored butterflies that filled the air with their ominous fluttering sounds.
"Quick! He's using these butterflies to distract us!" Vivella shouted, her arrows already nocked and ready to fire at Faelar. However, Faelar had already conjured a massive magical barrier in the air, shattering her arrows as soon as they touched it.
Meanwhile, Cohen's figure appeared in the distance. He didn't charge straight at them but instead sprinted toward Black Mountain Castle. Seeing him run toward the castle, the group didn't stop their actions, knowing Cohen must have his own plan.
However, Faelar clearly wasn't going to let anyone leave. Watching Cohen's retreating back, a cold smile tugged at the corner of Faelar's mouth. He then released a surge of magic, which quickly coalesced into a blood-red magical chain, rapidly spreading and forming a giant magic circle that trapped everyone in its grasp.
"What is this?" Dan exclaimed, looking at the chains inside the magic circle. He had tried to dodge earlier but was now trapped, struggling in vain.
"Blood-red chains? This must be a binding spell!" Vivella took a deep breath, attempting to fire an arrow at the magical chains, but the arrow couldn't penetrate the blood-red magical shield.
"We're trapped!" Leo also realized the urgency of the situation, swinging his sword, only to find that he couldn't break the bindings. "Faelar, wake up! This isn't you!"
But Faelar's gaze remained vacant, showing no signs of response. He raised his hand, and the center of the magic circle lit up with a bright glow. Long spikes suddenly shot from the wings on Faelar's back, like arrows, and shot toward the chests of the group.
The group desperately dodged, but the spikes were coming too fast to avoid. At that moment, a loud explosion echoed from afar. The long spikes from Faelar's back were suddenly interrupted by a blast, and the shockwave from the explosion shook the black mineral's power, pushing Faelar back a step.
They saw Cohen running toward them, carrying a bunch of explosives, his face showing signs of anxiety.
The explosion's smoke spread, and Cohen used the opportunity to quickly turn and prepare to escape. He wore specially made metal boots, moving as swiftly as the wind, but Faelar was right behind him, not giving Cohen a chance to escape.
"Stop chasing! Stop chasing! You're so scary!" Cohen cried out as he ran, clearly frightened by what he saw, but he didn't stop throwing bombs. He hurled them toward Faelar.
"Run, run fast!" Cohen's voice echoed through the smoke, continuously tossing bombs, the explosions shaking everyone's nerves. One bomb hit Faelar, causing his body to rock violently. Though he was injured, he didn't stop pursuing. Instead, he grew angrier, and the number of long spikes from his back doubled, shooting toward the group with even greater threat.
"Everyone, be careful!" Luna shouted, but before she could finish her warning, a long spike shot toward them at incredible speed.
Faelar soared back into the air, flapping his wings with intense force, creating a powerful wind pressure. More long spikes appeared, like a deadly hailstorm, shooting toward the group.
"Block it!" Dan screamed, swinging his sword with all his might to defend, but the number of spikes was overwhelming, and hardly any of them could be blocked.
In a matter of seconds, the long spikes had trapped Dan, and one of them pierced his chest with brutal force. Dan's body shuddered, blood splattering out, a flicker of pain and reluctance flashing in his eyes.
"Dan!" Leo shouted in horror, rushing forward to try and save him, but Faelar was already closing in, ready to strike again.
"Faelar, wake up! The magic stone is controlling you!" Vivella shouted again, using all her strength to fire an arrow, hoping to disrupt Faelar's attack.
But Faelar, fully consumed by the black mineral, remained unmoved. His vacant eyes showed no recognition, and once again, his wings spread wide. The long spikes behind him turned into a deadly storm, shooting toward the group.