"You're...you're weakening," Y/n said, her eyes locked on the Shadow King.

The Shadow King snarled, his eyes flashing with anger. "No...no, it can't be."

Y/n's sword flashed in the dim light. "You're running out of power. And I'm not going to stop until you're defeated."

The Shadow King's eyes widened in desperation. "No...no, this can't be happening."

Y/n's eyes blazed with triumph. "It's happening. And there's nothing you can do to stop it."

With a fierce cry, Y/n launched herself at the Shadow King, her sword flashing in the dim light. The Shadow King tried to defend himself, but Y/n's attack was too strong...

"No...no, please," the Shadow King begged, stumbling backward.

Y/n's eyes narrowed. "You should have thought of that before you attacked my kingdom."

With one final blow, Y/n struck down the Shadow King, ending the battle...

But as the Shadow King dissipated into nothingness, a dark energy blast shot out, hitting Y/n with incredible force...

"Y/n, no!" King Taehyung shouted, rushing to her side.

Y/n's eyes fluttered open, her gaze locking on Taehyung's worried face...

"Y/n, can you hear me?" King Taehyung asked, his voice shaking with worry.

Y/n's eyes fluttered open, her gaze locking on Taehyung's worried face. "Taehyung...I'm okay," she whispered.

Taehyung's face relaxed in relief. "Thank goodness. I thought I lost you."

Y/n tried to sit up, but a wave of pain washed over her. "Ow...what happened?"

"You were hit by a dark energy blast," Taehyung explained, helping her sit up slowly. "But you're going to be okay. We'll get you healed."

Y/n's eyes narrowed. "The Shadow King...is he defeated?"

Taehyung nodded. "Yes, he's gone. You defeated him."

Y/n's face relaxed in relief. "Good. It's over."

But as she looked around, she saw the destruction caused by the battle. The kingdom was in ruins...

"What...what happened to our kingdom?" Y/n asked, her voice shaking.

Taehyung's face was grim. "The Shadow King's powers...they destroyed everything."

Y/n's eyes welled up with tears. "No...this can't be happening."

But as she looked at Taehyung, she saw the determination in his eyes...

"We'll rebuild," Taehyung said, his voice firm. "We'll make our kingdom even stronger than before."

Y/n nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yes...we will."

Jungkook approached them, his eyes scanning Y/n's face. "Are you okay? That was a pretty bad hit you took."

Y/n nodded. "I'm fine...just a little shaken up."

Jungkook's eyes narrowed. "We need to get you healed. Now."

Zephyr stepped forward, a small bag of herbs in her hand. "I've got just the thing. This will help with the pain and speed up the healing process."

Y/n nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Zephyr."

As Zephyr began to tend to Y/n's wounds, Lyra approached the group. "We need to talk about what's next," she said, her eyes serious.

Taehyung nodded. "Yes...we do. We can't just sit here and wait for another attack."

"What do you suggest?" Y/n asked, her eyes locked on Lyra's.

Lyra hesitated. "I think we should seek out the help of the other kingdoms. We can't do this alone."

The group fell silent, considering Lyra's words.

"I agree with Lyra," Jin said, breaking the silence. "We can't defeat the darkness alone. We need allies."

"But who can we trust?" Y/n asked, her eyes narrowing.

"That's a good question," Taehyung said. "We can't just blindly trust anyone."

"I think I can help with that," Cormac said, stepping forward. "I've been in contact with some of the other kingdoms. I think I can persuade them to join our cause."

Y/n's eyes locked on Cormac's. "Which kingdoms?"

"The kingdom of Eldrador, for one," Cormac replied. "They've been suffering under the Shadow King's rule just like us. I think they'll be eager to join us."

"And what about the kingdom of Valtoria?" Lyra asked.

Cormac hesitated. "I'm not sure about Valtoria. They've been pretty neutral in all this. But I can try to persuade them."

Taehyung nodded. "Do it. We need all the help we can get."

As the group continued to discuss their plan, Zephyr finished tending to Y/n's wounds...

"How's that?" Zephyr asked, smiling.

Y/n nodded, her eyes closed. "Much better. Thank you, Zephyr."

Zephyr smiled. "Anytime, Y/n. Now, let's get some rest. We've got a long road ahead of us."

The group nodded in agreement, settling in for a well-deserved rest...

As they rested, Y/n's eyes suddenly snapped open. "Wait...is the Shadow King really dead?"

Taehyung's expression turned serious. "I thought we defeated him, but...I don't know. We need to make sure."

Jungkook's eyes narrowed. "I'll go check. If he's still alive, I'll finish him off."

"No, Jungkook," Y/n said, her voice firm. "We need to be sure. If he's still alive, we need to know why."

Jin nodded. "I'll go with Jungkook. We'll make sure."

As Jin and Jungkook left to investigate, the others waited anxiously...

Meanwhile, in the shadows, a faint whisper echoed...

"The Shadow King...lives..."

Jin and Jungkook returned, their faces grim. "He's gone," Jin said. "But we found something strange."

Y/n's eyes locked on Jin's. "What is it?"

Jungkook hesitated. "A piece of parchment with a message. It says... 'The Shadow King will rise again'."

Taehyung's face darkened. "That's impossible. We defeated him."

Lyra's eyes narrowed. "Maybe we didn't. Maybe we just thought we did."

Y/n's eyes widened. "What are you saying? That he faked his own defeat?"

Lyra nodded. "It's possible. We need to be vigilant."

Cormac's face turned thoughtful. "I think I know how we can find out for sure."

Zephyr's eyes locked on Cormac's. "How?"

Cormac smiled grimly. "I have a contact who might know something. Let me go talk to them."

As Cormac left, the others waited anxiously, wondering what he would discover...

Meanwhile, in the shadows, the whisper grew louder...

"The Shadow King...will rise again..."

Cormac returned, his face serious. "I talked to my contact. They confirmed it. The Shadow King faked his own defeat."

Y/n's eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible?"

Cormac hesitated. "Apparently, he has a powerful artifact that allows him to manipulate darkness. He used it to create a shadowy duplicate of himself, which we defeated."

Taehyung's face darkened. "So, the real Shadow King is still out there."

Jungkook's eyes narrowed. "We need to find him. Now."

Lyra nodded. "Agreed. But we need to be careful. He's more powerful than ever."

Zephyr's eyes locked on Cormac's. "Do you know where he is?"

Cormac hesitated. "My contact didn't know. But they gave me a hint. He's hiding in a place where darkness reigns supreme."

Y/n's eyes narrowed. "That could be anywhere."

Taehyung's face turned thoughtful. "I think I know a place that fits that description. The Darkforest."

Jin's eyes widened. "But that's a suicide mission. The Darkforest is treacherous."

Y/n's face set in determination. "We have no choice. We need to stop the Shadow King once and for all."

The group nodded in agreement, steeling themselves for the dangerous journey ahead...

As they prepared to venture into the Darkforest, Lyra spoke up. "We need to be strategic about this. We can't just barge in without a plan."

"I agree," Taehyung said. "We need to gather information, find out where the Shadow King is hiding and what kind of powers he has now."

"I can help with that," Cormac said. "My contact might have more information. Let me go talk to them again."

"Be careful," Y/n warned. "If the Shadow King finds out we're onto him, he'll stop at nothing to silence us."

Cormac nodded and left to gather more information.

Meanwhile, the others discussed their plan of action.

"We need to move stealthily," Jungkook said. "We can't let the Shadow King's minions detect us."

"I can take care of that," Zephyr said. "My magic can create a cloak of invisibility around us."

"Good thinking," Taehyung said. "Let's gear up and get moving. We have a long journey ahead of us."

As they set off towards the Darkforest, the atmosphere grew thick with tension. They knew they were walking into danger, but they were determined to stop the Shadow King once and for all...