Far away, where Clark had never set foot, there lay the City of Stars in the nation of Dranglik—also known as the City of Lovers.
Its grand palace towered above everything, unmatched anywhere else.
A secretary ran in fear through a hallway adorned with artifacts and burst into the minister's room.
The room was simple, far from extravagance.
"Sir… the undead army has moved," she said, her voice trembling.
The minister froze.
"What? How? Tell me everything."
"They're slaughtering everything in sight… and the sealed cave—the inheritance—has appeared. Also, the Statue of Light and Darkness is glowing intensely."
The minister smiled.
"The prophecy is coming true. The heirs have appeared… they will restore Dranglik's glory and lift the curse."
He recalled the ancient curse that had plagued the city for centuries, after the disappearance of the rulers of Light and Darkness, Ornstein and Lucifer.
Few families capable of producing magic and aura users had lost their talents.
Even the remaining magic users had weak powers, and to make matters worse, the Inheritance of the Sun Conqueror had emerged.
He commanded the secretary:
"Send soldiers to block the undead army, and bring me any living being you find in the forest."
"Yes, sir," she replied.
---
In the forest, Clark and Jin sat silently in the grim cave.
A full day passed without words, as if they existed in their own isolated world.
Clark dreamed of a happy place, beside him a beautiful woman with blue eyes and translucent blue eyebrows framing her face… but she vanished like a cold breeze.
Breaking the silence, Clark asked:
"Do you hear that?"
Jin replied:
"Yes… horses' hooves."
Stepping out of the cave, they saw a violent battle.
A hundred-man squad was fighting the undead.
Clark looked pale; both were exhausted.
One had bitten off a human hand, another a rat.
"Look… they came searching for the living," Clark said. "Maybe we can't fully trust them, but let's check. I think they're looking for us, not fighting the undead in the forest."
Jin nodded:
"You're right. Let's observe from the hill and assist them if needed."
Clark rushed down the mountain, ready to fight.
Their bloodthirsty instincts still burned, craving carnage.
A soldier reported to the squad leader:
"Sir… two new fighters have appeared."
The leader dodged an attack from a massive beast, struck, and killed it.
"Do not harm them. The minister ordered us to take any living beings to the forest and escort them to the palace. Perhaps they are the ones the minister meant to find."
"Yes, sir," came the reply.
Meanwhile, Clark and Jin faced the summoner.
Clark smirked:
"Looks like this is our second round… hahaha."
To be continued…