After four days of no movement or gaining anymore signs or evidence of the suspect, Valentin and Jolan checked out of Grand Inn and moved into the woods in hopes to find the assailant.  

On the second day of their journey into the woods, they found a worn down trail.  They followed it and it brought them deeper into the woods.  After a day of hiking, they saw that the trail led them into a large cave that was lit up brightly .

They hid in the shadows as they watched familiar people, dressed in a blue robe walk in and out of the cave.  Those familiar people were the very same villagers that they saw for the past couple of days. No wonder they received no answers when they asked questions.  The whole village was in on the disappearance of the people.

Valentin and Jolan waited until everyone entered the cave and the night became darker and darker.  They slowly made their way to the entrance of the cave and saw that there was no one there on guard.   As they entered further into the cave, they heard voices of several men and women chanting and two muffled voices that were pleading.  

Valentin and Jolan stood at the top of the cavern and watched as the scene before them play out.  

The group of men and women stopped chanting and began to walk around the two people, a man and a woman, tied together.  At their feet was stacks of wood that surrounded them. The man was able to loosen the bind around his mouth and plead for his life along with his sister.

“Cheif!  Please! Let us go.”  Mich pleaded. “Why are you guys doing this?  What have we done for all of you to do this to us?”  

The Cheif stopped what he was doing and stood before the Mich and Sandra.  

“Do you know how the Anola Valley was made?”  Chief Bleute asked as he stared down upon their sacrifice.  

Mich shook his head no.  

“It was by the backs of our ancestors that they were able to defeat the darkness that covered this land.  They bound the darkness and caused that darkness to live in this cave. It was only then that Anola Village was finally safe.  However to keep that darkness underground, every century we have to sacrifice our young and others to sake the darkness thirst and ensure that the darkness stays bound inside of this cave.” Chief Bleute told them.  “You and your sister will be the last sacrifice for this century.”

“You’re crazy.  You’re all crazy.”  Mich shouted as he struggled to get out of the ropes that bound him.  “My parents won’t let you off! They’ll kill you once they know what you’ve all done!”  

“Poor dear.  How do you think you and your sister got caught by us?”  The Chief said as he stood up and lit the torch in his hand.  “How is it that the both of you fell asleep after eating dinner and how did we get you here without your parents knowing?”  

“No!”  Mich’s screamed and shook his head no.  He didn’t believe it. He couldn’t.

“They drugged you both and tied you guys up nicely.  They then delivered you guys to our hands like presents.”  

“No!”  

“Just because they’re not here, doesn’t mean they don’t know what is going on.  Your family has lived here for many centuries, they know of the tradition here and know the sacrifice we all have to make when it is time to make this sacrifice.  Do not blame them, they are grieving for your deaths.”

Chief Bleute threw the torch down onto the wood and it caught fire.  The men and women began to chant louder and louder. Mich screamed out in frustration, despair and horror.  He could see his death before him and he felt so helpless. There was nothing he could do to save his sister and himself.  

Just when the fire came close to him, the fire was suddenly engulfed in a golden fire and died out.  The chanting stopped as the group of men and women looked at each other in confusion. This never happened to them before.  Did the darkness not accept their sacrifice?

Chief Bleute relit the wood and it caught on fire for a moment before the fire became gold and it was extinguished.  Chief Bleute wouldn’t give up. He ordered the other men to light the wood as well, however the same thing happened. The fire would change into gold then it would disappear.  Smoke filled the air and everyone there looked at each other in confusion. What were they suppose to do next?

Chief Bleute couldn’t stop the sacrifice to the darkness.  He didn’t want to anger it. He took out the dagger by his side and walked towards Mich and Sandra.  

“Stay away!”  Mich shouted as he shook his head no.  

“You both have to die, so we all can live.”  

“Stay away!  Don’t come near us!”  

Just when Chief Bleute raised his hand up to kill, he was suddenly stopped by a familiar voice.  

“What a surprise.”  Jolan said as he stood behind the group of men and women.  “That it was the whole village who killed so many people for their own selfish belief.”  

Chief Bleute gaze back at the Moonlight Sect Disciple.  He had thought that they left the village when they couldn’t find any clues.  He waited two days and when there were no signs of them coming back, he knew he had to kill the two last sacrifice before there were anymore suspicion thrown onto their village.  

“You’re too late.”  Chief Bleute said as he signaled the others to attack Jolan.  

“I think I’m right on time, seeing how they’re not dead yet.”  Jolan said as he smiled at everyone. “Besides, do you think the group of you are capable enough to hurt me?”  

“There is only one of you against all of us.”  

“Instead of the two innocent dying, I’ll spill all of your blood as a sacrifice, how about that?”  Jolan said as he began to move.

With his 500 years in the Training and Transformation Center and his last two years training, the fight against the group ended just as quickly as it started.  

Jolan’s sword cut through them effortlessly.  Bodies fell left and right as blood stained the floor.  The sacrifice needed to keep the darkness back was satisfied with the amount of blood that soaked the ground.  

Jolan’s sword stabbed the Chief through his body.  When Jolan pulled his word out, the Chief’s blood sprayed out, however it completely missed Jolan’s white outfit.  Not one peice of hair was out of place. His face still held a soft smile which was the last thing everyone who died by his hand, saw.  

Jolan came around the twins and cut the rope off of them and stood up.  Mich turned to hold Sandra who couldn’t stop crying.

“I thought the two of you left.”  Mich said as he helped his sister stand up.  

“We did.”  Jolan said as he lead the two of them out.  “But we decided to stay close by. It’s a good thing we did, or both of your lives would have been taken without anyone knowing.”  

“Thank you, for saving us.”  Mich said as they walked out of the cave.  

The three of them stopped a outside of the cave and waited.  

“Sir, what are we waiting for?”

“My companion is still inside.”  Jolan told them. “He’s reinforcing the barrier so what’s inside of there can’t escape.”  

“There won’t have to be anymore sacrifices?”

“No.”  Jolan told them.  

They waited for another 30 minutes before Valentin walked out.  Valentin looked over the group and his eyes stayed on Jolan for a minute before he turned around and punched the side of the cave.  The cave immediately broke as the entrance closed up and dust flew up into the air.

Mich’s knees buckled.  The scary man was scary.  His strength could destroy a mountain, if it hit his head, his head would burst into a million pieces.  

The four of them left the inner woods on foot.  Neither Jolan or Valentin offered a hand to help the two when they made their way out.  Jolan and Valentin finished their mission, they did not want to interfere with what was unnecessary.    

When the four of them got back to the village, what was left of the village were the young and the elderly.  Mich and Sandra went back to their home and found the Grand Inn dark and quiet.

Jolan and Valentin decided to stay the night and planned to leave in the morning.  When they entered the Grand Inn after the twins, Sandra screamed out loudly at what she saw.  

Her parents had drank poison and died in their bed.  Their guilty conscious couldn’t live at the thought of what they did.  They figured that they would also die and meet their children on the other side.  Now that the twins were saved, they would have to wait a long time before reuniting again.  

Jolan and Valentin turned around and went back to the room they had once lived in for four days.  They closed the door and laid in bed as they listened to Sandra cry throughout the night.

Jolan turned into Valentin’s embrace and snuggled closer to him.  

“Promise me something.”  Valentin finally said after a long time.   

“What is it?”  Jolan asked as he looked up to see Valentin’s serious face.  

“I cannot bare the thought of you dying before me.  My selfish wish is for you to die after me. Can you do that?”  

“I’ll try.”  Jolan promised.  

TBC