Ian hugged his uncle. Uncle Thomas was teary and Ian could barely hold back his own tears. He had lived in Westdare village all his life. It wasn't easy leaving behind the only place he knew and venture into the unknown but he was determined to do so; he wanted to live an adventure and see new places and people.

While Ian was bidding farewell to his uncle, Aaren was scolding Yuan. "I warned you that this Swagen is no ordinary person," she whispered. "Why did you decide to allow him to follow us?"

"We need someone who knows the place."

"Doesn't Harald too know how to navigate through the Blufelden Forest?"

"Harald used to live in the eastern territories of the Kingdom. Although he has traveled in the forest a few times, he doesn't know as much about it as Ian who has lived his entire life in this region. If he causes any problem, I will face him, but I cannot turn down assistance, especially since Ping and Almar can no longer accompany us. I am willing to accept the help of anyone who wants to follow me."

"Let us hop-" Before Aaren could finish her sentence, she noticed that Ian was wearing an icy ring. "Maybe you are right..."

Aaren now understood that the powerful aura she had felt wasn't emanating from Ian but from the ring. Yuan too could now feel that strange aura but, having not noticed the ring, he thought that Ian was responsible for that aura he sensed.

"That ring of yours, where did you get it?" Aaren asked.

"It is a family heirloom," Ian replied. "It has been in our family for generations."

"Shall we get going?" Hua interrupted. "We need to start traveling as soon as possible, otherwise we won't be able to cover much distance before it goes dark."

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It was late at night. The forest was covered by snow and the cold was shivering. Ian was leading forward the party, passing through tall trees, many of them decades old, that stood proudly. Yuan was mesmerized by nature's beauty and was smiling. For a brief moment, he had forgotten all about his mission.

"We better make camp and rest," Ian said. "It is already late at night."

"I agree!" Harald exclaimed. "We do need some rest. I believe that we still have a long journey ahead before reaching a settlement."

Ian nodded in affirmation.

"This place is terrible," Hua complained. "How do you Swagen manage to live in such a cold environment?"

Harald scratched his head. "Haven't really given it much thought. I guess we have just gotten used to it."

The party gathered tree branches and made a small fire. Soon they were asleep.

Silence reigned in the forest. The night sky was starless. Darkness engulfed everything. Everyone was sleeping. Everyone except for Aaren. She had gotten up and was stealthily walking towards Ian. She approached him and grabbed his ring. She examined it carefully and smirked. 'Good,' she thought and walked away.

After about an hour, Aaren stopped walking. She sat cross-legged on the cold snowy ground and began meditating.

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The Demon of Doom was standing atop the black tower and gazing at the frozen plain below. Suddenly he felt a voice echoing. It was a voice he hadn't heard in a long, long time.

"Demon!" the voice said. "Meet me at Blufelden Forest. There you shall get what you most want."

"The Lady of Darkness!" the Demon exclaimed. "She is alive! She is still alive..."

"Do not be so surprised."

"Where exactly are you?"

"You shall feel my presence when you enter the forest. It will not be hard for you to find me. You are an experienced hunter."

The Demon clenched his fists. "Indeed. I am... and you shall be my prey!"

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"Where is Aaren?"

When Yuan had woken up early in the morning to continue the journey, he noticed that Aaren wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Maybe she left for some reason?" Harald wondered.

"Good riddance," Hua said. "I've never liked her."

"My ring is missing too!" Ian exclaimed.

"What ring?" Yuan asked.

"My family heirloom. It is very important to me. It has to be somewhere here."

"Whether or not Aaren and the ring are missing, we must go. We do not have time to lose."

Ian sighed. "You are right. It would be selfish of me to delay your important mission for finding my ring. Let's get going then."

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A tall young man with blonde hair and blue eyes was riding a magnificent white stallion. He was wearing a mail shirt, a leather armor lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric and a mail hood. On his armor, one could see the insignia of his house: a phoenix. That man was none other than Prince Arthur, crown prince of the Kingdom of Swagen since the death of Prince Alfred. He was leading forward a squad of five cavalrymen and thirty footmen, all armored battle-hardened veterans who had been assigned to guard the prince.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Sir," one of the cavalrymen, a bearded man called John, said. "Are you sure that we will find the accursed one?"

"If the reports are correct, then we shall indeed find him along with that treacherous servant of his."

"Some travelers are ahead sir!" a solder shouted.

Arthur looked forward and saw a group of four travelers; Yuan, Ian, Harald, and Hua. Upon seeing them, he ordered a cavalryman to approach them. The man promptly did so and asked, "state your business!"

Harald at once recognized that the man leading the soldiers was a prince; he could tell from the insignia on his armor. Before Yuan could reply, he bowed and said, "We bow before your highness."

The others followed suit.

"We are merely travelers," Harald said. "We wish you to be successful in whatever endeavor you are undertaking."

Prince Arthur signaled to his cavalryman to go away. "Let them pass. They are merely travelers."

Yuan let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. Harald and Ian smiled, being both Swagen they knew that if they offended the prince they would end up in one of the notoriously harsh prisons of the kingdom.

Suddenly a guard rushed forward and bowed before the prince. "My lord, this man is a traitor!" he exclaimed while pointing his finger at Harald. "I know him; he was one of the bodyguards of Prince Alfred. He failed in his duty and should be punished."

Upon hearing this, Arthur shouted; "Seize them! They are traitors to the crown."

At once the thirty footmen surrounded the four companions. Yuan and Hua unsheathed their swords, Harald grabbed his axe and Ian his bow. Seeing them getting prepared for battle, Arthur chuckled. "Well, this will be an interesting spectacle to watch..."

As the Swagen soldiers charged, Ian shot in quick succession three arrows. The arrows pierced the chest of three footmen and instantly killed them. Harald struck with his axe and chopped down at once two men. Hua, with almost dance-like movements, was able to maneuver and dodge enemy swords while slashing her opponents; with her quick swordsmanship, she had killed four footmen. Yuan blocked the slashes of a swordsman while attempting to concentrated as Aaren had taught him. Summoning the inner energy inside him, he unleashed an energy wave that pushed away the swordsman and other four footmen, knocking them out.

Arthur was shocked that fourteen of his thirty foot soldiers were either dead or knocked out. His face had turned pale white. "Impossible..."

He hopped off his horse and drew his sword. John also hopped off his horse and attempted to stop his superior from engaging the enemy. "Sir," he said, "please consider the state of our kingdom before putting yourself in mortal danger. We have already lost one crown prince, we cannot afford to lose another one."

Arthur pushed him aside and charged at Ian who was busy aiming an arrow at a soldier and could not see the prince coming. Arthur hit him on the head with the pommel of his sword. Ian cried out as his head bled. Arthur at once put the tip of his sword to Ian's neck and shouted, "lay down your arms or this fellow will be killed."

Yuan had to considered what to do next. On the one hand, he did not want to risk the medallion falling into the hands of the Swagen or getting delayed. On the other hand, he could not let Ian die. A few seconds passed that seemed like an eternity to him. He clenched his fists and there was cold sweat on his forehead. He breathed fast. His heart beat even faster. "I..." Yuan laid down his sword. Hua and Harald did the same.

A smile appeared on Arthur's face. "Good. You've made the right decision." He then turned to his men and shouted, "men, tie them. They will be brought before my father when we accomplish our mission."

At once his soldiers tied the four companions. Then they continued their journey westward. Prince Arthur was once again riding his majestic white horse and had an air of confidence in him. Even if he could not find his father's bastard son and the servant who took him away, he would still gain merit for bringing a traitor to the court. He knew that his father wanted very dearly to punish those he deemed responsible for the death of his eldest son, Alfred.

"We are approaching Westdare village," John said. "It is only a day's journey away. It is there where according to reports the accursed ,one was taken."

"If I bring this bastard to the court, father will surely reward me richly. He has promised me to hand me his Ice Sword if I succeed in this quest."

"I am sure that the King shall also reward you for bringing to the court that traitor who left your brother to die in the Jia dynasty. Congratulations for your successes your highness."

Arthur chuckled. "You hope that with your flattery, once I become King, I shall give you a high office, eh?"

John stammered to reply but Arthur laughed. "Do not worry. I reward people loyal to me. If you are loyal, you will be rewarded with high offices and riches."

"Thank you for your generosity, my lord!"

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Aaren was standing alone amidst snowy trees. The snow swirled around her. At that moment the Demon of Doom arrived.

"You've arrived," Aaren said with a smirk on her face. "It's been a long time since we last met."

"You!" the Demon barked. "I thought you had died thousands of years ago."

"An immortal like me cannot be easily killed. I suffered a lot all those centuries. My life was one of suffering and regrets. But I've grown stronger, much stronger."

The Demon drew his skeletal sword and pointed it at the old woman. "I did not manage to kill you back then but I shall do so now!"

Aaren laughed. "I was your master, don't you remember? I taught you and Old Master Deng the swordsmanship of Elder Rong. Without me, the Deng family you serve would be powerless."

"That is ancient history."

"Indeed but I still remember vividly how you betrayed me when you stopped needing me. You attacked sneakily and injured me gravely. That was the only reason I was beaten. You better remember this before you threaten me. You only beat me back then due to the element of surprise. You do not have that advantage now."

The Demon charged at Aaren with his sword. The old woman smirked as she channeled lightning at him. The electrical current pulsed through the Demon and forced him to fall on his knees while crying out in pain.

"I told you," she said as she increased the amount of electrical current channeled towards her enemy, "I have grown much stronger. I am the Lady of Darkness. I was your master and I am still your superior. Do not threaten me with your playthings. We are on different levels. I am a master, you are simply an underling, a pathetic warrior who was resurrected from the dead for the only purpose of following orders."

With that said, she ceased her attack, allowing the Demon to take a deep breath and get up. "What... what do you want?"

"I know you have been searching for the Ring of Ice. That's the reason you kidnapped and murdered Prince Alfred and his guards. I have it. Take it."

Aaren threw the ring at the Demon. He caught it and inspected it closely. He couldn't believe his luck. They had been searching for thousands of years for this treasure. With it, they could finally resurrect the Dark Lord Ye Guang from the Realm of the Dead. "Why do you help us?"

"I do not. I have my own agenda. It simply happens that resurrecting the Dark Lord is part of my plan."

Aaren turned around and walked away, leaving the Demon holding tight the ring and smiling. 'At last,' he thought, 'the time has come. The Dark Lord shall make his return and Heavens and Earth will shake in fear!'