chapter 28

The Secret of the Lost City

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The team had not returned, and I was starting to worry. I had sent out search parties, but they had not found any sign of Riven or the others.

Just as I was about to give up hope, I received a message from an unknown sender. It was a cryptic message, but it seemed to be from Riven himself.

"Meet me at the old oak tree," it read. "Come alone."

I was skeptical, but something in the message resonated with me. I decided to take a chance and go to the old oak tree.

As I approached the tree, I saw a figure waiting for me. It was Riven, and he looked tired and worn out.

"What happened?" I asked him. "Where are the others?"

Riven looked around nervously before answering. "We found the lost city," he said. "It's incredible. The artifacts, the treasures... it's all real."

But as he spoke, I saw something in his eyes that made me concerned. "What's wrong?" I asked him.

Riven hesitated before speaking. "We found something else," he said. "Something that changes everything. We can't go back to the Order."

I felt a sense of unease wash over me. What could they have found that would make them want to leave the Order?

Riven looked at me with a serious expression. "It's the ancient civilization that built the city," he said. "They were more advanced than we thought. They had technology and magic that we can't even imagine."

I was stunned. This was incredible news. But Riven's words were laced with a sense of danger.

"And what did you find?" I asked him.

Riven took a deep breath before speaking. "We found their leader," he said. "The one who ruled the city when it was at its peak. And we found something else... something that could change everything."

I felt a sense of foreboding wash over me. What could they have found that would change everything?

Riven looked at me with a serious expression. "We need to be careful," he said. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

I nodded in agreement. We didn't know what we were dealing with, but we had to find out.

And so, we began our journey into the unknown.

For what lay ahead for us now?

To be continued...