The Beginning.

As Eon ended the silence with a clap, everyone felt a mix of pride and curiosity. "Well done, well done indeed," he said, his eyes twinkling with approval. "Your training and trials are complete. Now, I personally invite you to join our task force—the Holy Knights." He shook each of their hands warmly. "I accept your invitation," Venerum said, shaking Eon's hand firmly. Sora and Silver exchanged glances and shrugged. "Sure, why not," they said in unison. When Eon approached Heizenburg, he responded with a simple, "Yes." "Very well then, delightful," Eon said, a satisfied smile on his face. "With this, I close tonight." The guests who had come to watch the trials began to disperse. Eon left a final closing remark, and the rest of the night was slept off. The next morning, the team decided to look for a quest board in the city. As they explored, they also browsed various shops, eyeing items like weapons, armor, and other general goods. Something caught Sora's eye—a kit filled with rare ingredients for brewing. "Cool, how much?" Sora asked as he approached the merchant. "For you, my Holy Knight, 15 silver," the merchant replied with a respectful nod. Sora shuffled around in his pockets and up to his knight jacket, eventually pulling out a bag of silver and gold coins. "Oh wow, some perks, huh?" he remarked, handing over the money. The merchant passed him the kit with a smile. With their training out of the way, the group turned their attention to quests or jobs. They gathered around the quest board outside the guild, their eyes honing in on one particular notice. Heizenburg read it aloud, "The Dark Forest? Monster level: Demon? Diablos? I have no clue what this is, but we should check it out."They all nodded in agreement and headed out of the city gates. In the distance, they saw the giant dark forest, tens of meters away. They began their walk, the atmosphere growing more tense and mysterious with each step. As they approached the forest, the trees loomed larger, casting long shadows that seemed to move on their own. The air grew cooler, and an eerie silence replaced the bustling sounds of the city behind them. "This place gives me the creeps," Silver muttered, gripping his weapon tighter. "Stay alert," Venerum said, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "We don't know what we're dealing with. "Sora, always the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Come on, guys, we've faced worse in training. Let's find this Diablos and see what we're made of."Heizenburg led the way, his expression unreadable. As they ventured deeper into the forest, they noticed strange markings on the trees and the ground—symbols they couldn't decipher but felt significant. After a while, they heard rustling in the underbrush. They stopped, hearts pounding, as a large, shadowy figure emerged. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its presence radiated malevolence. "Is that... Diablos?" Sora whispered, feeling a mix of excitement and fear. "Prepare yourselves," Eon's voice echoed in their minds, a reminder of their training and the bond they shared. The battle was about to begin, and they were ready to face whatever lay ahead.The trees started to move, forming a long hallway-like path, almost like a maze. "Well, Crap" Heizenburg exclaimed. Looking back, he saw the exit closed off. They heard the growling of a beast, and they all prepared themselves to fight. Spikes began emerging from the ground, forcing them to hopscotch to avoid them. Heizenburg's wheel on his palm landed on a blue gem hilt piece, which radiated blue magic . As a blue magic field surrounded his legs, making him feel light and fast. He dashed straight towards Diablos, but before impact, he found himself on the ground. Through blurry vision, he saw a strange-looking man in a red and black robe. "Wha—who are you?" Heizenburg rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of the situation. "Well, for starters, I'm Azareth," the man said, extending a hand to Heizenburg. Heizenburg took it and stood up. "Still, who the hell are you?" Heizenburg demanded. "Again, I'm Azareth, and if it rings a bell, it's Azareth Nightingale."Heizenburg's confusion remained. "Nope, no clue. Nice to meet you, though. I'm Heizenburg, Heizenburg Tempest." He extended his hand. Azareth looked down and saw the marking. "Nice to meet you, Holy Knight Heizenburg," he smiled. "Oh yeah, I was knighted like a day ago, so yeah," Heizenburg responded. "That's cool, very nice," Azareth said, glaring at the marking. "So, what are you doing here in the middle of the dark forest?" "Oh, well, I was falsely banished here. Fun times," Azareth said, sitting down. "Oh damn, that's sa—" Heizenburg began, but he noticed the markings on Azareth's hand. "Wait, you're a Holy Knight?" Azareth chuckled. "Ha, I was a Holy Knight." "Well, what can you do?" Heizenburg asked. "Well, I can kind of just absorb the essence of anything. It's like a destruction ability, but I'm learning to rearrange them. Wanna see?" Azareth stood up. "Oh wow, sure!" Heizenburg watched as Azareth placed his hand on a rock. His hand started to glow blue, and the rock radiated too. With a short glow, the rock transformed into liquid. "Tadaaa," Azareth chuckled. Heizenburg's eyes lit up. "Wow, pretty amazing." "I got one more trick," Azareth said. He placed his hand on a nearby tree. His hand glowed a darkish red, and the tree pulsed with the same glow. As the pulse stopped, the tree faded into the color and disappeared completely, leaving Heizenburg amazed. "Wow, how are you so powerful?" Heizenburg asked.With a cold silence, Azareth looked back and sighed. "Well, I think it has something to do with being Eon's brother."