Chapter 20: Chapter 19: The New beginning
Vladimir slowly opened his eyes, groaning as he tried to push himself up from the ground. His head was pounding and his body ached all over. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He was alone in the middle of a muddy field, with no signs of civilization in sight.
"What the hell happened?" he muttered to himself, as he struggled to his feet. As he took a few steps, he noticed that his surroundings seemed to be shifting and changing. The mud beneath his feet turned to sand, and the sky overhead shifted from a cloudy gray to a bright, sunny blue.
Vladimir stumbled forward, feeling disoriented and confused. He looked around, hoping to see a familiar face, but he was completely alone. He began to panic, wondering if he was trapped in some kind of nightmare.
Suddenly, he heard a faint whisper on the wind. He strained to listen, and realized that it was a voice calling out his name.
"Vladimir," the voice said. "Can you hear me?"
Vladimir felt a shiver run down his spine. The voice was hauntingly familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Who are you?" he called out, his voice trembling.
"I am the spirit of this land," the voice replied. "I have been watching you, Vladimir. You have been chosen to undertake a great quest, to restore balance to this world."
Vladimir felt a surge of fear and excitement all at once. He had always dreamed of going on an epic adventure, but he had never imagined it would be like this.
"What do I have to do?" he asked.
The voice was silent for a moment, and Vladimir feared that he had been abandoned once again. But then the voice spoke again.
"You must travel to the temple of the elements," it said. "There, you will find the key to restoring the balance of the elements and defeating the darkness that plagues this land."
***
Vladimir stood up and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He couldn't see anything familiar, and he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
As he walked, he started to notice that everything around him was different. The sky was a sickly shade of green, and the trees were twisted and gnarled, with sharp thorns that seemed to reach out and grab at him as he passed.
He walked for what felt like hours, until he finally stumbled upon a small village. But there was something off about it. The buildings were dark and dilapidated, with broken windows and doors hanging off their hinges. There were no signs of life, no people or animals in sight.
Vladimir felt a shiver run down his spine. Something was definitely wrong here. He cautiously entered one of the buildings, trying to stay quiet and avoid attracting any unwanted attention.
As he crept through the dimly lit interior, he heard a faint whispering sound. At first, he thought it was just the wind, but as he listened closer, he realized it was coming from the room ahead of him.
He slowly pushed open the door and saw a figure sitting in the shadows, their back turned to him. Vladimir couldn't make out any details, but he could feel an intense energy emanating from the figure.
"Who are you?" Vladimir asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The figure slowly turned to face him, revealing a face twisted with malice and anger. "You should not have come here," the figure growled.
Vladimir's heart sank. He knew he was in trouble now. He tried to back away, but the figure rose from its seat and started to advance towards him, its eyes blazing with a terrifying light.
Vladimir gritted his teeth and prepared to fight for his life. He knew that he was alone in this strange, twisted world, but he refused to go down without a fight.
***
Vladimir spun around, trying to find the source of the voice. He saw a figure emerging from the shadows, clad in black armor with glowing red eyes. The figure stepped closer, revealing a wicked grin.
"I am Valtor, and I have been watching you," the figure said. " I knew you... yes.. I knew you , my friend. The people of Thrall speak of you as a hero, a savior. But later on you killed everyone in your land."
Vladimir's heart sank and was shocked." what do you mean killed them? I killed my own people? No this is not possible."
Valtor laughed. "Oh, I know you did. You killed your own mother, your father and every people in the land."
All of a sudden Vladimir felt a headache, a flash of memories keeps appearing one by one. "what is this?." Vladimir saw his people being killed. As the figure was being reflective it was then Vladimir saw his own. "did I seriously kill all of them?"
"What's the point? huh.. all of those people are sinners anyways so why bother thinking of it? you experience it to right being a slave?.
"...."
"I was once a slave too but nevermind that what's important is the present?"Valdor said." what is it that you desires the most? is it to be strong? or is it to bring justice to this cruel world that we live in? make a choice now because what's most important is to keep moving forward."
Vladimir tensed, eyeing Valtor warily.
Valtor grinned again. "I need a skilled warrior like you to help me with a little problem I have. In return, I can offer you power, wealth, anything you desire."
Vladimir narrowed his eyes. "And what kind of problem is that?"
Valtor leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "There is a powerful artifact that I need to acquire. It is said to grant the wielder immense power, enough to conquer entire kingdoms. But it is well guarded, and I cannot acquire it on my own."
Vladimir shook his head. "I won't help you with that. That kind of power is dangerous."
Valtor shrugged. "Suit yourself. but I'm planning on turning this world upsidedown so make a choice now will you help me ? or against me?
Vladimir gritted his teeth, weighing his options. He knew that Valtor was not to be trusted, but he also knew that he couldn't let his past actions ruin his future. Finally, he nodded.
"I'll help you," he said. "But I won't let you have that kind of power."
Valtor smirked. "We'll see about that. Come with me, and I will show you what you're up against."
And so, Vladimir set out with Valtor, unsure of what the future held. He knew that he was making a dangerous deal, but he also knew that he had no other choice.
Weekly Power Status
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