Time passed, ten days went by.

Aria was on the verge of collapse. Xander's screams continued unabated, echoing through the tower every day, leaving her feeling utterly miserable. She believed Xander's stay at Echo Tower was accelerating his mental deterioration. But what worried her even more was Hawk's failure to return on time. Time seemed to accelerate abnormally fast, and even without venturing into the depths of the Northwood, Aria could keenly sense the disturbances in the seal. In the town, incidents of wild beast attacks occurred one after another, causing many messengers to frequently request leave due to fear. She and Oliver were busy every day until late into the night, sometimes even until dawn.

One day, Aria delivered a message to the Royal Post located south of Sovereign Bastion. Walking down the winding road with an empty bag slung over her shoulder, she was knocked to the ground by a tall horse coming at her. The cavalryman was furious, cursing loudly, as behind him was a luxurious carriage.

Angry, Aria sat on the ground, rubbing her sore arm, her dress covered in mud.

Suddenly, the carriage door swung open. As the person stepped out, wearing shining leather boots, Aria recognized the familiar figure instantly.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I'll get rid of this commoner right away."

"It's okay, she's... a royal messenger," King Magnus gestured. As King Magnus approached her with disdain in his gaze, Aria looked down at the mud, realizing she was just a messenger in the eyes of King Magnus, not worthy of meeting the gaze of the esteemed king.

"Get up."

Aria trembled all over, quickly getting up.

"Accompany me to the graveyard. I want to pay homage to my deceased wife."

"So, you still remember," Aria murmured. But she was astonished, realizing that King Magnus had not forgotten his mother's memorial day.

They walked towards the Royal Cemetery at the foot of the mountain. As Aria passed through the heavy guard, entering the walled cemetery, a mix of excitement and sadness surged within her. The cemetery was filled with pink flowers, and the fragrant scent of flowers wafted in the air. Although it should have been the season of autumn leaves falling, the place was instead a sea of flowers.

They arrived at a lone tree under which stood a polished white jade tombstone. However, Aria quickly shifted from grief to anger. The tombstone bore no dates, no names, not even a single carving. The bleak tombstone only had a single letter engraved on it, D.

"Her name isn't D, she's your wife. Doesn't such status deserve a name?" Aria pointed at the tombstone, her voice filled with anger.

"She was just an ordinary woman. According to royal family law, burial here requires honor and lineage. I cannot go against it."

"Ridiculous. Then why did you marry her?"

"I did it to protect her." Magnus looked at her, his regal demeanor tinged with even more coldness. "Your scales frightened everyone, they thought she gave birth to a demon. It made your mother miserable, and she begged me to do this."

"Royal family law." Aria scoffed. Magnus's words pierced her heart. "Xande doesn't have scales, why send him away too? Because he won't speak?" Aria growled softly, never having vented her anger at the king, but this time was different. Ten years of anger burned in her chest.

"Hawk told you about the seal." Magnus's voice remained cold.

"I don't understand, what does that have to do with sending Xander away?"

"If the Iron Guard cannot hold the seal, Sovereign Bastion will cease to exist. Everyone associated with me will be killed. So, to let you survive, I need you to stay away from Sovereign Bastion. Yesterday, I received a message from Hawk. He should arrive in about a week."

"Did Hawk manage to get reinforcements from the demigods?" Aria asked unexpectedly.

"Unfortunately, no. Even if they agreed, it would be too late."

"You mean the demigods refused?"

"All of that is irrelevant now. I will lead the Iron Guard to the seal, as it's about to disappear, earlier than Thanatos. When Hawk returns, he will come to Echo Tower to find you, and you and Xander will follow him away from Sovereign Bastion."

"What about you?" Aria inquired.

"Guarding the seal is my responsibility, even if it means sacrificing my life." Magnus's voice was firm and ruthless.

Aria silently nodded, understanding her father's sense of duty and determination. Though filled with anger and discontent, she also understood that she and Xander must obey the king's orders and leave the tower.

A chilling wind blows through, enveloping the air with an eerie sensation.

Led by King Maguns, the expeditionary force ventured into the dark Northern Woods. However, Aria remained uncertain about how her father would confront the vanished seal. Standing on the hillside, her eyes followed the King's figure disappearing into the vast forest. Dawn's faint light illuminated her face, revealing inner anxiety and unease. Nevertheless, a hint of reassurance lingered within her, recalling her conversation with the King at the graveyard, understanding why she and Xander had to leave the tower.

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A lightning bolt streaked across the horizon, illuminating the valley, outlining the overcast sky, casting a peculiar hue around.

Aria felt a surge of unease welling from within, as if forewarning the impending ordeal. Ahead lay unknown dangers, yet she believed, no matter what challenges awaited, she needed to bravely confront them.

Just then, a shadow leaped out from the thicket.

Aria startled but soon sighed in relief.

It was the King's hound.

The hound frantically bounded around, its green eyes flashing eerie glints. Aria pushed it away, feeling troubled.

Suddenly, a sharp scream pierced the silence.

Aria gasped as she noticed the hound had her skirt in its mouth.

Impatiently, she shoved the hound aside and turned away, feeling even more irritated.

Back at Echo Tower, Aria encountered Oliver again.

"Aria, something big's happened," Oliver rushed towards her, panting heavily. "Xander... he's gone missing..."

"What?" Aria exclaimed in shock.

"Xander's gone missing," Oliver repeated. "With all the recent messages from Skydornis, we didn't notice Xander. I've sent the messengers out to look for him."

"He's usually in his room, how could he go missing?" Aria glanced at the bustling crowd, kicking the hound away in frustration.

"Maybe he heard the residents discussing the King's departure to the Northern Woods and went to bid farewell?"

"Given his state, how could he possibly go far? Did Xander mention where he wanted to go?"

"Well... there's something odd..." Oliver pondered carefully. "He's been lingering near the door today, holding a painting in his hand. It's... yes... it's the King... and a black dog..."

"A dog?"

A neglected observation suddenly dawned on Aria. She glanced back at the black fur hound behind her. She thought of an extraordinary circumstance because this dog had been barking frantically since she came out. And now, it followed her here, until Aria noticed its anomaly.

"Do you know where Xander is?" Aria addressed the hound.

"You think it knows?" Oliver asked.

"It's been chirping all day today; maybe it's trying to tell me where Xander is," Aria said hesitantly.

The hound let out a loud bark, darting back and forth in the alleyway. It seemed like it wanted to lead them somewhere.

"Come on, Oliver, let's follow it," Aria urged.

They followed the hound through the town and into the wilderness.

They trailed behind for quite a while until the air became tainted with a foul odor, and Aria realized they were heading towards the Northern Woods. But with the sky now overcast, they hadn't noticed the withered trees around.

Aria surveyed the surroundings, finding only debris and ruins in the dense darkness.

"Hold on, this place reeks of death, what should we do?" Oliver asked nervously.

"We can only keep following the dog; perhaps it really does know something."

Soon after, Aria found one of Xander's shoes next to a rock the hound had sniffed. It confirmed Aria's conviction that they were heading in the right direction. Her brother had already lost one leg, and now he had lost one shoe. Aria felt anxious. Xander must have encountered trouble to lose a shoe. The mountain path was rugged; how could that child possibly proceed barefoot?

They continued along the route led by the hound, traversing through the dark woods. The distant howls of the hound seemed to guide them forward.

Gradually, the ground sank, the trees became sparser, and the surroundings grew increasingly desolate. In a desolate wilderness, they finally encountered a dark, barren forest, trees withered, devoid of any life, like a realm of death.

"This is the Forest of Death," Aria's voice was low and heavy; she felt the cold, deathly atmosphere pervading the air.

"Are we going in?" Oliver asked, his eyes flickering with fear.

Aria pondered for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Yes, we must go in and find Xander." Her tone was filled with determination and courage. Even though it was a realm of death ahead, she didn't hesitate to take a step forward.

They slowly entered the Forest of Death, stepping on the thick layer of fallen leaves, making a rustling sound. The dead branches reached out like ghostly claws into the air, shrouding the entire forest in a sinister atmosphere.

"The atmosphere here is too eerie," Oliver's voice was low and trembling.

"Stay vigilant; we don't know what Xander might have encountered," Aria reminded, her eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

A gust of cold wind whistled past, rustling the fallen leaves. They felt a chilling coldness engulfing them, as if an invisible force was blocking their path.

Aria furrowed her brow tightly; she could feel a strange energy permeating the air around them. "We can't stop," Aria said, "Xander might be ahead, and we must keep moving forward."

They braved the chilling wind, stepping on the thick layer of fallen leaves, advancing step by step. Strange sounds echoed through the dead forest, sending a shiver down their spines.

A dim light flashed ahead, catching their attention. They quickened their pace, running towards the direction of the light. As they drew closer to the light, the surroundings began to subtly change. The stench in the dead forest grew thicker, as if the scent of death had enveloped them.

When they pushed through a thick layer of leaves and finally arrived where the light was coming from, the sight before them made them stop in their tracks.

An ancient altar stood there, covered in moss, emanating an ancient and mysterious aura. In the center of the altar lay a damaged crystal monument. The crystal reflected the light, displaying some peculiar patterns that looked more like unknown glyphs.

"It looks like a place of worship," Aria observed the scene before her, her brows furrowed. She approached the altar, feeling the lifeless quietness.

"There's someone," Oliver exclaimed. He pointed over there, his lips turning white.

Aria squinted and observed carefully, only to realize it wasn't a person but the body of a soldier, a body decayed and eroded by time.

"Aria, let's leave," Oliver said.

"Don't be afraid, it's a corpse," Aria interrupted Oliver, but her voice was filled with puzzlement. "But why would a soldier's body appear here?"

The hound began to growl lowly, its alertness heightening the tension of the scene. An invisible threat permeated the air, as if ready to erupt at any moment.

A shadow darted from the woods; something was approaching them. However, amidst the hound's frantic barking, a pair of eerie green eyes suddenly appeared.

Aria was stunned, her whole body numb with shock. The creature trailing them was a Night Ghoul, emitting a terrifying roar, sounding like a monster torn apart.

The sounds in the dead forest grew more intense, and the hound suddenly barked incessantly at them. Before Aria could grasp the situation, she was struck by a tremendous force. She fell dizzyingly onto the muddy ground, feeling as though her back had been fiercely scratched. She tried to shout, but the noise around her made her voice almost inaudible. The wail of the Night Ghoul mingled with the roar of the hound, as if composing a symphony of death in the dead forest.

"Watch out!" Oliver's warning suddenly rang out.

But it was too late.

A Night Ghoul pounced towards Aria, its fangs gleaming with malice. Aria widened her eyes in terror, but the muddy ground beneath her prevented her escape. She could only watch in fear as the massive figure lunged towards her.

Suddenly, a figure darted past Aria from behind, colliding with the Night Wraith. Aria shut her eyes tightly, trembling in fear.

The sound of impact reverberated through the woods as two massive figures intertwined in the darkness, their menacing fangs and claws dancing in the air. Aria tensed her body, hearing the cries of Oliver; from the bushes, another Night Wraith emerged, pouncing out and biting Oliver's leg, dragging him into the dense foliage.