Lior and her friends stood behind a large rock, watching the peaceful night in Lithzaruun. They had been here before, and they knew the kingdom always kept tight security around the castle.
Whenever they stole something, they were always careful—no one should ever see them. But tonight, the guards were stricter than usual. They expected it. The whole castle had been warned after what happened in Ignetarion.
They looked at each other, silently reading each other's thoughts. Then, all eyes turned to Jex—the master of illusion. He nodded and began walking toward the castle gate.
The others stayed hidden, waiting for Jex's signal.
Jex approached the lookout tower, and one of the guards noticed him. Using his illusion magic, Jex created two copies of himself, confusing the guard.
The guard stood up, ready to sound the alarm—but Kira quickly threw a potion that made him fall asleep. They nodded to each other. The mission had begun.
Jex and Kira went ahead. Jex used illusions to distract the guards watching the alleys. Kira used her potions to put them to sleep.
Thorne and Keal slowly made their way through the alley toward the castle.
Lior, still behind the rock, felt her power weakening. She tried to summon it to her hand, but it only flickered for a second—like a flame blown out by the wind.
"Not now…" she whispered, frustrated.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to move. Now or never, she told herself.
Jex, Kira, Thorne, and Keal reached the castle gate. They looked around and frowned—Lior wasn't with them.
They signed to each other, asking where she was. But everyone just shrugged. Just as they were about to go back for her, Lior arrived, smiling as if everything was fine.
But deep inside, she was terrified. Still, she pushed herself to finish the mission.
As they got closer to the palace's big door, they quickly hid when they saw guards approaching.
"This isn't good…" Thorne whispered.
"You're right…" Kira replied, eyes locked on the guards blocking the entrance.
More guards were walking back and forth, making it harder to enter the palace.
Lior looked at her friends. "Here's the plan," she said.
They moved as Lior instructed. Each wore a mask that represented them:
Lior: Squirrel mask
Kira: Skunk mask
Keal: Tiger mask
Thorne: Gorilla mask
Jex: Two-faced mask
The guards became alert when they saw Lior standing far away. They prepared to fight. But just as they moved toward her, the others began their part of the plan.
Lior ran to lure the guards away. Once they were far enough, she cast a sleep spell. The guards fell into dreams.
She placed empty bottles beside them to make it look like they had gotten drunk. She smiled playfully.
Once everything was set, she quietly ran to follow her friends. But she quickly hid when a door opened.
"That was close…" she whispered.
When the door closed, she continued and found her friends hiding in a hallway. She looked at them, confused.
"This room looks suspicious…" Jex said, peeking into the empty hallway.
"There's nothing there…" Lior replied. But as she stared again, something felt wrong.
"You're right. It's an illusion. It looks empty, but if you step forward, a giant rock will crush you," Jex explained, making everyone serious.
Lior had never bothered learning earth magic. She thought it was simple—useless. But now, she regretted it.
She walked closer to Jex. "What do we do now?" she asked, making her friends gasp and look at her in shock.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"You don't know?" Keal asked, suspicious.
Lior let out a heavy sigh, like it was the end of everything. Her friends stared at her, until she finally understood what was happening.
"To be honest, I don't know any earth magic. I thought it was easy. I didn't expect it to be like this," she explained.
They all sighed. They had to think. They wouldn't give up just because of that. They were already inside. Whatever happens, happens.
Lior faced them seriously. Her friends followed her lead. They knew Lior always had a plan—and her plans always worked.
"What will happen tonight… will happen," she said.
Her friends were shocked. Lior smiled and released a burst of power—black energy with black flames swirling around it.
Without hesitation, Lior stepped out from hiding and walked into the empty space. She didn't know what was waiting. All she knew was that this night had to end.
Even if Lior's friends didn't like the plan, they followed her anyway. She walked with a smile, calm and sure, while the others stayed close behind. The room looked empty—just stone and silence. But something felt strange. The air was thick, like it was hiding something.
Before Lior could step deeper into the dark part of the chamber, a huge force hit her. Her body flew across the room and slammed into the wall. The sound echoed. Her friends gasped and ran to her.
The floor shook. The walls lit up with glowing lines. The illusion faded. The empty space was not empty at all. Three stone giants stood tall, guarding a glowing pedestal behind them. Their eyes burned like fire. Their fists were bigger than shields.
Keal said, "That's no statue. That's three guardians."
The giants moved fast. One raised its arm and smashed the ground. Rocks flew everywhere. Thorne rolled aside and threw his black magic daggers, aiming for the joints. Sparks flew, but the giant didn't stop.
Jex slammed his staff to the floor. Vines made of dark clay wrapped around the legs of the second giant. Kira jumped onto the third giant's arm and punched with her glowing fists, powered by black magic. Each hit made the stone crack a little.
Kira shouted, "We need to break them down before the guards arrive!"
Lior stood up, her body hurting. She raised her sword, black flames dancing around the blade. She ran forward, dodging falling rocks, and slashed at the chest of the first giant. The sword left a deep crack, but the giant roared and swung its arm again, knocking her back.
The second giant broke free from Jex's black vines and slammed both fists into the ground. Stone spikes rose from below. Thorne jumped between them, slicing at the giant's legs. Kira landed another punch, this time breaking a piece of its shoulder. Jex summoned a wave of dark power that wrapped around the third giant's arm, holding it back for a moment.
Lior shouted, "Keep pushing! They're cracking!"
The giants roared louder, their bodies glowing with heat. One slammed its foot, sending a shockwave that threw everyone back. Dust filled the air. The fight was far from over.
Keal raised a wall of crystal to block the next attack. Jex used his staff to shake the floor, throwing one giant off balance. Thorne climbed onto the back of another, stabbing deep into its neck joint. Kira and Lior fought side by side, their swords glowing with black fire.
Thorne yelled, "One down! Two more to go!"
Just as the first giant collapsed, the palace doors opened wide. Guards in Green stone armor rushed in, their weapons glowing with earth magic. They moved like a wave—fast, strong, and trained. At the front was a tall woman with silver hair. She held a halberd burning with obsidian.
Her name was Commander Odessa
"You broke the seal," she said. "Now you face the wrath of Lithzaruun."
Jex muttered, "We're surrounded. This just got worse."
The guards attacked without mercy. One slammed the ground, creating a pit beneath Keal. He jumped back and raised a black shield. Another guard threw a spear made of stone, but Jex blocked it with a black patwhole
Kira fought with the commander head-on. Her fists clashed with the halberd. Sparks flew. Commander was strong—her strikes were heavy and fast. But Kira didn't back down. She dodged, blocked, and countered with black magic punches.
Thorne vanished into shadow, striking from behind. His daggers cut through armor, but the guards kept coming. Keal summoned spikes from the ground, trapping two guards. Jex used his staff to shake the floor, throwing others off balance.
Commander shouted, "You don't know what you're touching! That gem holds a cursed soul!"
The second giant fell, crushed by Keal's crystal hammer. The third giant roared and charged, but Lior met it head-on. Her sword burned with black fire. She slashed upward, cutting through its chest. The giant froze, then crumbled.
Lior gasped, "We're almost there. Just hold them off!"
Behind the broken giants, the pedestal glowed. On it sat the Green Gem of Lithzaruun. She stared at it like it is calling her. Lior limped toward it, her sword dragging behind her.
She reached out and grabbed the gem. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt the same feeling as what she felt on the first gem when she held it
Happines and longing. But Lior didn't mind it
Lior whispered, "We have it. Now we run."
The commander screamed and threw her halberd, but Keal blocked it with a final burst of black wave. Jex opened a tunnel beneath them, using his black magic. One by one, they jumped in—bleeding, tired, but alive.
Kira shouted, "We're not dead yet. Keep moving!"
They crawled through the tunnel, the sound of falling stone behind them. The guards couldn't follow. When they reached the outer caves, they collapsed on the ground—bruised, burned, and breathless.
Lior held the Green Gem close to her chest. Feeling what inside of it. Its light was soft now, like it was resting too.
The gem was not treasure. It was a something they didn't know
They had stolen the protected gem. And they had survived.
Thorne smiled weakly, "we better trained much. The next mission it would be worse than this"
They let out a small laugh, knowing the road ahead wouldn't be easy.
But for now, they had each other. And the gem.
And the night at Lithzaruun was finally over.