Suddenly, a strange coldness spread through the forest, breaking the silence. Seely stopped in her tracks immediately. She felt the birds around her flee without a sound, and the ancient trees nearby trembled with fear. The trees whispered a single warning to her: "They are coming... run!"
Emerging from the mist like black smoke came a group of "Dark Shadow Warriors." These were no ordinary men; they were controlled by a dark sorcery. Their goal was to capture the healer who carried the Celestial Mark—the very heart of the forest.
"Where will you run, Princess?" a coarse voice echoed from within the dark shadows.
Seely tried to remain calm. She placed her hands on the earth and commanded the vines to protect her. In an instant, massive vines erupted from the ground, attempting to entwine the dark warriors. However, against the dark sword strokes of those warriors, the vines were hacked into pieces.
Seely possessed no combat skills. Her healing powers and connection to nature were neutralized before the dark forces. Although she tried to flee, the poisonous blade of a dark warrior pierced through her shoulder.
"Ah!" a cry of agony escaped her lips.
She collapsed to the ground. Her sky-blue cloak began to soak with crimson blood. Even the blue flowers near her withered in pain. The golden 'Celestial Mark' on her wrist began to dim.
"Capture her! Our Master needs her power," the shadow warrior commanded.
With half-closed eyes, Seely looked toward the sky. The image of the young man with the silver eyes flashed in her mind once more.
Meanwhile, Li Hua was running frantically through the forest. His heart pounded with an unknown fear. He was certain that the extreme cold and dark energy he felt were directly linked to his past. Tearing through the mist, he burst into the clearing where Seely lay.
But the sight he beheld made his blood boil.
Seely lay on the ground with her blood-stained cloak, and the dark shadow warriors had already finished wrapping her in a black magical net. She was unconscious.
"Release her!" Li Hua roared. The moment he grasped his sword, the golden star on it glowed with a magnificent light.
However, the dark warriors did not attempt to fight him. From a cloud of black smoke that rose among them, a terrifying figure emerged. It was a dark sorceress. She looked at Li Hua with a sneer.
"Stand still, warrior without a past! You have not yet regained your full power. Our 'Demon Queen' has waited a long time for both of you. This princess is now her property!"
She struck her staff against the ground, and a massive black storm erupted. Li Hua tried to leap forward while shielding his face with his arms, but the dark force hurled him backward.
Amidst the storm, the dark shadows carrying Seely rose into the sky and vanished. They were taking her beyond the forest to the "Dark Stone Palace," where death reigns supreme. The Demon Queen dwelling there intended to use the 'Celestial Mark' on Seely's body to amplify her own dark powers.
Once the storm subsided, the forest fell silent again. Only a few blue flower petals, soaked in Seely's blood, remained on the ground. Li Hua knelt and picked up the petals. His eyes burned with a silver fire.
"I don't remember who I am... but I know what I must do," he muttered to himself, clenching his teeth. "Demon Queen, prepare to pay the price to the entire dark world for what you have done to her!"
He sheathed his sword and began his journey in the direction Seely had been taken. He was no longer just a traveler without a purpose; he was a lethal warrior on a mission to save his companion.