The Journey of the Illusory Swordsman

Chapter 3: The Deserted City: Dark Tunnels and Treacherous Confrontations

So Hiro said, "That's fine..." The old man handed them the room key and said, "Enjoy your stay, I hope nothing happens to you," disappearing again under the counter.

Hiro thought to himself, "What a strange old man... But okay, let's go to the room." As they entered the room, they were surprised by an extremely old and small environment, enveloped in a dark and mysterious atmosphere. The room was filled with ancient furniture, its surfaces covered in dust, and dusty curtains hung lifelessly in the windows. A musty odor hung in the air, intensifying the sense of abandonment. Silence was present, as if it engulfed the space, while a disturbing unease permeated the minds of Hiro, King, and Hikari.

As the night advanced, Hiro and his companions rested in the room. Hiro leaned against the wall, holding his sword tightly as he slept, facing the door. Hikari and King peacefully rested on the bed. However, this moment of peace was abruptly interrupted. Mysterious figures, cloaked and bearing the symbol of Hiro and Hikari's enemies, silently entered the room, passing through the walls. Without a trace, they managed to take Hikari and, consequently, King, through a dark portal.

The mages cast a spell on Hikari to prevent her from waking up, but unaware of King's presence, they did nothing to him. King woke up and realized what was happening. He took out a small pellet he had stored in his mouth and threw it towards Hiro without attracting anyone's attention. As he threw the pellet, King thought to himself, "Hiro, we need you. Wake up!"

The pellet hit Hiro's sword, causing it to fall and waking him up. Hiro woke up startled by the loud noise of the sword hitting the floor. As he looked towards Hikari and King's bed, he realized it was empty, and there was a portal in front of him, already closing. He thought to himself, "Damn it! I fell asleep, and they took Hikari and King. Damn it! How did they know where we were? That old man, it must have been him!"

Hiro gathered his belongings, grabbed his sword, and descended the stairs to the reception. When he reached the counter, he cut it in half so that the old man couldn't hide anymore. The counter split in two, revealing a stone trapdoor. Hiro said, "I knew that old man was strange. I should have been more cautious."

He opened the trapdoor and found a wooden staircase leading into immense darkness. Hiro took a torch from the walls of the establishment and thought to himself, "One less won't be missed by anyone." Hiro began descending the stairs, now illuminated by the borrowed torch, and realized that the stairs led to a tunnel. He thought, "I bet I'll find answers about where Hikari is at the end of this tunnel."

Upon reaching the end of the stairs, Hiro came face to face with a dirty tunnel, filled with bloodstains and other signs of violence. He started walking, and more of those mages appeared in his path. Hiro thought, "I have no time to waste. I'll have to use that." He began to recall the training he underwent after his father's disappearance.

In his village, Hiro was known as the illusory swordsman because, after his last relative left, he had no resources to sustain himself. Although the village helped him, Hiro didn't want to burden the residents. So, he decided to combine the art of swordsmanship with the art of illusion. One of the techniques he developed was the ability to become invisible for five minutes, but there was a condition: he had to be completely imperceptible, otherwise, the magic would be undone.

In his early attempts at performances, Hiro always stumbled, and the magic would be undone as people laughed at his performance, which resembled that of a fool. However, Hiro trained tirelessly until he could become completely imperceptible.

Returning to the current situation, Hiro decided, "Yes, I'll use that, but first, I have to deal with these two to be fully awake." The enemies that appeared were swordsmen, but from their blue cloak and emblem, Hiro knew he was on the right track.

Hiro grabbed his sword as the enemies rushed towards him. He flexed his legs, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and in two seconds, found himself behind them, cutting their bodies in half, causing blood to spray in all directions. Then, Hiro used his invisibility technique and began running silently but swiftly through the tunnels, thinking, "King, please protect Hikari."

Meanwhile, in Hikari and King's view, they were inside a massive castle where no one could be seen, but the place was filled with presences. Hikari and King stood on a red carpet, facing a throne where someone was seated.

That person stood up, illuminated by the castle's light, revealing a tall, strong, and terrifying human. Hikari, now more angry than scared, asked that person, "Who are you, and what the hell do you intend to do?! You will pay for what you did to the Elf Kingdom."

He approached Hikari, grabbed and squeezed her face with two fingers, saying angrily but with a smile, "For a princess, you talk too much! But I, ahahaha, am the mighty Ares, and I intend to finish what Aphrodite couldn't. Her compassion will one day destroy everything."

Upon hearing the name Aphrodite, Hikari began to cry and shout, "Aphrodite?! Compassion?! Don't lie! What she did to our kingdom is not something someone with compassion would do!"

Ares said "Then, how do you explain being the only one to escape?"

Hikari couldn't reveal the truth, so she continued arguing, "She had only destruction in her eyes. It's impossible for her to have compassion!"

Suddenly, from a dark corner of the castle, a small shadow emerged, none other than the receptionist. He said to Ares, "Master Ares, we have company. He has found the way."

Ares replied "Send as many guards as necessary. He cannot reach here."

Hikari and King, realizing it was the receptionist, shouted in unison, "YOU!!!"

Will Hiro be able to rescue Hikari in time and uncover the truth behind Ares' plan?