After warming themselves with herbal tea and drying their clothes, the three decided to leave the resting chamber and take a walk around Yofel Castle.
After all, they had already been granted permission by the viscount, so long as they did not enter the strictly guarded areas.
Asuna seemed the most excited. Her eyes lit up as she stepped out of the dark stone corridor and admired the intricate carvings on the walls.
"I didn't expect a military fortress to be decorated so elaborately…" she murmured, her fingers tracing a spiral motif reminiscent of ancient tree roots.
Ren walked a little slower, his eyes quietly sweeping across the broad corridors, the high vaulted ceilings with suspended violet crystals glowing softly yet bright enough to reveal every detail.
He paid more attention to the general atmosphere. This place was not only filled with gatekeepers or patrolling soldiers, but also inhabited by Dark Elf civilians.
They passed through a stone-paved square, where they saw Dark Elf families carrying baskets of food, children running about, and merchants trading goods right within the fortress.
In contrast to the cold demeanor on the battlefield, life here carried a sense of vitality and cohesion, like a community rooted firmly in the dangers of the fourth floor.
"Look at their clothes…" Asuna tugged at Kirito's hand, curiosity brimming, as she pointed to a group of Dark Elf women walking by.
They wore long dark dresses trimmed with silver thread, their appearance both regal and graceful. "Not like the armor we usually see… Perhaps these are their traditional garments."
Kirito folded his arms, observing as they walked. "It's definitely different… Compared to what we know about the Elves, it feels like the Dark Elves have developed their own distinct culture. Architecture, attire… even their social structure."
Ren said nothing, only nodded. Inside, curiosity mingled with a faint sense of intrigue.
Their steps eventually brought them to an annex on the eastern side of the castle.
Unlike the echoing corridors filled with footsteps and clashing armor, this place was eerily quiet.
A carved wooden door stood slightly ajar, releasing the faint scent of old parchment mixed with incense ash.
"Asuna… this looks like a library," Kirito whispered.
The three stepped inside, immediately swallowed by the vast interior. Rows of towering shelves stretched to the ceiling, their dark wood coated in dust, filled with scrolls and metal-bound tomes.
Dim light from crystals embedded in the walls made the runes carved into the book spines shimmer faintly, as if breathing.
Asuna's eyes widened in awe. "I can't believe it… that a game world would have such a detailed place like this."
Ren approached a nearby shelf, carefully touching an aged scroll. A faint system message appeared before him.
[Ancient Document – Requires knowledge of Elven language to decipher]
He frowned. "Looks like we can't read any of this… unless a Dark Elf NPC is willing to help."
In the far corner, they spotted a few Dark Elves in long deep-blue robes, likely scholars or priests.
One of them looked up, momentarily surprised at the sight of Plaedem entering, but soon lowered his head again, resuming his work without hostility.
"Asuna, look over there," Kirito pointed to a book displayed on a glass pedestal, its cover thick with dust yet still faintly glowing. Upon it was engraved the image of a key and a line of indecipherable runes.
Just as Ren was still gazing intently at the book, a familiar voice called from behind:
"There you are."
Kizmel stepped forward, her black armor still dusted with unmelted snow. The sternness in her violet eyes softened as she saw Ren, Asuna, and Kirito standing together.
"I've finished reporting to the viscount. The situation isn't good… You should leave Yofel tonight, or at the very least, stay within the residential district. Do not approach the walls."
Her voice was firm, but worry lingered in her gaze.
Kirito shook his head. "Kizmel, we're not leaving. You're our friend, and we won't abandon you in this situation."
Asuna smiled gently and added, "Even if this place is dangerous, at the very least, we want to stay by your side, to witness and share it with everyone here."
Ren only gave a small nod, saying nothing. But the look in his eyes as he met Kizmel's was more resolute than any spoken vow.
Kizmel froze for a moment. A faint warmth, fragile yet undeniable, spread through the heart long accustomed to the chill of royal duty and endless battles.
She smiled softly, a rare smile, not for soldiers, but only for true friends.
"...Very well. If you are that determined, then follow me."
She gestured with her hand, leading the three of them out of the library, down the long corridor, and onto the stone path that opened to the battlements.
Snow was falling thicker now, the wind cutting sharp and cold, yet outside the air was alive with activity: soldiers hurried about setting up catapults, tightening the cords of massive crossbows, and preparing fire-tipped arrows.
"You may observe from here," Kizmel said, her voice now firm with confidence. "Yofel has never fallen. This line of defense... I trust it more than my own life."
From high above, Ren cast his gaze into the distance. The vast lake stretched out in darkness, veiled beneath a heavy layer of frigid mist.
Somewhere deep within, he felt a vague foreboding, that the darkness beyond was slowly advancing.
Night descended. The snow had ceased, leaving behind a white blanket upon the earth that reflected the wavering torchlight, casting the world in a cold, gray hue.
The silence was suffocating, broken only by the heavy breaths of sentries and the faint clatter of armor whenever someone shifted.
Beyond the torchlight's reach, the darkness seemed alive, inching forward, hungry to devour the entire fortress of Yofel.
The lake ahead lay still and black, too still, as though a shattered mirror whose jagged fragments waited to cut down anyone daring to draw near.
Ren leaned against the frozen stone wall, his hand gripping tightly around the hilt at his side.
He closed his eyes, straining his ears for any sound out of place.
But all that reached him was the bitter wind whistling through the stone cracks, the faint slap of water against the fortress base, and the uneven footsteps of soldiers changing shifts.
For a moment, he felt as if he and the fortress itself, were drifting in an endless void, surrounded on all sides by suffocating night.
A waiting heavy with dread, waiting for something terrible to emerge.
Not far away, Asuna adjusted her cloak, her eyes fixed on the lake though they could not pierce the dense blackness.
Kirito already had his blade drawn, yet remained steady, his gaze locked upon the indistinct horizon.
Kizmel passed behind Ren, her iron boots ringing firm against the stone floor.
She stopped, eyes narrowing toward the distance as though to pierce the void. From where she stood, her warm, steady voice carried just enough for Ren and the others to hear:
"Tonight... is far too quiet. And such silence rarely brings good."
Ren opened his eyes slightly, lifting his head toward her. In that instant, he could not tell if he felt reassured by her presence, or more troubled because she too had sensed something was wrong.
The entire fortress seemed to be holding its breath.
Time crawled by until dawn began to break, and a heavy mist spread low across the still waters of the lake.
Through the whole night, not a single enemy had appeared. The prolonged silence dragged the guards into weariness.
Eyelids drooped, shoulders sagged, and some even stifled yawns before hastily shaking themselves awake.
Would it all end like this again? Another sleepless night wasted? A night of waiting in vain, rewarded only with exhaustion?
Ren's grip tightened on his sword hilt, his fingertips numbing as though the life was drained from them. A restless unease gnawed at him, the silence, he realized, was more terrifying than the sound of horns.
And then, just as vigilance waned, the lake shivered.
From far away came the sound of water parting.
That faint noise pierced through the thick fog, distant, yet sharp, like a blade tearing open the silence of dawn.
Every breath froze in throats as tension snapped back into place.
The sound grew clearer, heavier, like a pounding drum driving hearts to race faster.
All along the wall, soldiers clenched their weapons, eyes locked on the fog-shrouded waters ahead.
And then, the mist stirred and split. In the faint glow of early dawn, dark silhouettes emerged: long, sharp-prowed boats gliding near soundlessly, leaving only faint ripples in their wake.
Ren held his breath. Figures seated upon the vessels slowly took shape.
They wore pale silver armor that glimmered faintly in the dawn, cloaked in long green mantles that made them seem as though the forest itself had broken free to march across the waters.
Forest Elves.
No one bothered to mask their tension now. The air atop the battlements turned solid, broken only by the faint clash of metal as the Dark Elves shifted into position, ready for battle.
Some soldiers gripped their spears so hard their knuckles whitened.
Kizmel laid her hand on the hilt at her waist, her eyes steady, unwavering. Nearby, Asuna and Kirito exchanged a brief glance, they both understood this was no time for hesitation.
Ren's eyes never left the boats. In his chest, each heartbeat pounded like a war drum, echoing the inevitable clash to come.