Lucas turned around and looked at Kali, who was sitting next to him.

"What does he mean?" Lucas asked.

Kali shrugged, "I don't know, but he sounds like a wise old man, doesn't he?"

Lucas nodded and listened carefully.

"You've fought monsters and defeated them," the voice spoke again. "You've travelled for months and survived against all odds. And now, you're at the end of your journey, stronger than ever."

"Who are you?" Lucas asked, curious.

"I am the one who guides you through your journey," the voice said, "and I also tell you everything that happens to you along the way."

"Why have you never shown yourself to me?" Lucas asked.

"Because I always appear to you in the middle of a battle," the voice replied.

Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he hoped that it was true.

"Your destiny is to save this world," the voice continued.

"That doesn't sound right," Lucas said, confused.

"Remember the night you were born?" The voice asked.

"Yes," Lucas answered immediately.

"And the day you lost your parents?"

"Yes, I remember," Lucas replied, remembering every detail of that terrible night.

"Then you know what I'm talking about," the voice said.

There was silence for a while and then the voice spoke again.

"You shouldn't feel sad about what happened to you, or what you saw that night," the voice said.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked.

"The pain will fade with time. Just let it go," the voice said.

"But I didn't die that night!" Lucas protested.

"No, you didn't, Lucas," the voice said.

"But I still feel sad sometimes," Lucas admitted.

"Let it go," the voice repeated, "you will never forget it, but you won't feel it anymore."

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"Because you're not alone," the voice told him, "you have friends now."

"Friends?" Lucas asked.

"Of course they are," the voice said.

"How do you know?" Lucas asked.

"I'm the one who guides you during your journey," the voice explained, "and I can see everyone around you, even though they don't know it themselves."

"Even us?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, especially you," the voice answered.

"Why?" Lucas asked, surprised by the answer.

"Because you are special," the voice said.

"Me?" Lucas asked, puzzled.

"Yes, you," the voice replied.

"But I didn't ask that question," Lucas said, confused.

"You didn't, but I know that you will soon find out why you are special," the voice told him.

"I hope so," Lucas said as he fell asleep again.

"Lucas!" Kali shook him awake.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"We have to get going!" Kali told him.

Lucas rubbed his eyes and looked around, wondering where he was.

"This is the clearing that we slept in last night," Kali told him.

"Oh, right," Lucas replied with a yawn.

They packed their things and left the clearing.

Lucas took out his bow and arrows and started shooting at the targets that Kali had set up for him.

"You've improved a lot," Kali complimented him.

"Thank you," Lucas said humbly.

They continued walking through the forest until they came across a lake.

"Let's cross here," Kali suggested as she pointed to the other side of the lake.

They crossed the lake and made their way towards the mountains.

"Which way?" Kali asked Lucas, pointing in different directions.

Lucas stared at the mountain in front of them and realized that they needed to go up.

"Up that one," Lucas said as he pointed towards the mountain.

They started climbing the mountains, making their way higher and higher until they reached the top.

"Wow," Lucas said as he gazed at the view, "this is amazing!"

Kali smiled at her friend, "I know, isn't it?"

They climbed to the very peak of the mountain, admiring the breathtaking panoramic view from up there.

They finally reached the top and sat down to rest.

"This is the highest point I've seen so far," Lucas said.

They sat there for a while, enjoying the scenery until Kali broke the silence.

"So, how do you plan on using your new power?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," Lucas answered, "I only used it once."

Kali nodded, "Well, it is a powerful skill. Maybe you should practice it more."

"Maybe you're right," Lucas agreed.

They stayed at the top for a while longer and then started descending the mountain again.

When they reached the bottom, Lucas noticed a strange plant growing in the forest.

"Look at that," he said as he pointed at it.

"What is it?" Kali asked as she joined him.

Lucas examined the plant closely and saw that there were small red berries growing inside the leaves.

"Have you ever eaten these berries before?" he asked her.

Kali shook her head, "No, never."

"Do you think they're poisonous?" Lucas asked.

"No," Kali responded, "but they might give you bad dreams."

Lucas nodded and picked some of the berries, putting them in his mouth.

"They taste sweet," he said after swallowing the berries, "what do you think?"

"Well, they don't seem to poison me," Kali said.

"I wonder how we can use this," Lucas mumbled.

"Maybe we can try making a potion?" Kali suggested.

"A potion?" Lucas asked, "like the one we drank before?"

"Yes," Kali nodded, "maybe we can make one using the berries."

"That's an interesting idea," Lucas nodded, "but we need to collect a lot of berries first."

"We can start collecting them from now on," Kali suggested.

They walked through the forest and collected several berries. They also found a lot of mushrooms, which they ate without any problem.

They continued walking until they reached the edge of the forest.

"Let's stop here for today," Kali suggested.

They rested for a while and watched the sunset from the edge of the forest.

"Tomorrow, we will start heading home," Kali told Lucas.

Lucas nodded and closed his eyes.

Soon, it was dark and they decided to sleep in the open.

"Here, take this," Kali offered, handing Lucas a blanket.

"Thanks," Lucas replied as he wrapped himself in the soft blanket.

They both curled up in the blanket and fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, they woke up early and continued walking until they reached the edge of the forest again.

"Now, let's collect those berries," Kali suggested.

They spent the whole morning collecting berries and mushrooms as well.

By late afternoon, they finally stopped.

"Are you hungry?" Kali asked.

"Not really," Lucas answered.

"You can eat something anyway," Kali insisted.

"Alright, I guess I'll have some food," Lucas said reluctantly.

They gathered some nuts and fruits to bring with them and continued their journey.

They reached the edge of the forest in the evening and found a nice spot to camp for the night.

"We'll need to set up the fire tonight," Kali explained as she removed the food from her backpack, "we don't want to attract wild animals."

They set up a small tent and lit the fire, cooking their dinner.

"What do we do now?" Kali asked Lucas.

"Well, I think we should sleep early," Lucas said as he got ready to go to bed, "tomorrow will be another long day."

He crawled into the sleeping bag and felt so tired that he fell asleep instantly.

***

The next morning, Lucas woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.

"Good morning," Kali said as she entered the tent, "did you sleep well?"

"I did," Lucas answered.

"Can I join you for breakfast?" she asked.

"Sure," Lucas agreed.

Kali cooked some porridge and they enjoyed their breakfast together.

"Where are we going today?" Kali asked.

"We will go back to the village," Lucas replied as he finished his porridge.

"But why?" Kali asked.

"To pick up our reward," Lucas answered.

"Do you think they are still there?" Kali asked.

"I doubt it," Lucas answered, "they probably left already."

"But what if they're still there?" Kali asked.

"Then we can claim our prize," Lucas explained.

"But why would they wait for us there if they had gone ahead?" Kali wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Lucas replied, "but we will find out eventually."

They packed their stuff and walked towards the edge of the forest.

They reached the clearing where they had rested yesterday.

"This is where we camped last night," Lucas pointed out.

They continued walking through the forest until they reached the edge of the forest again.

"Wow!" Kali exclaimed as she looked at the village ahead of them.

It was as they remembered it: beautiful buildings made from white stone, surrounded by tall trees and lush green grass. The whole place seemed to glow with life.

"Let's go to the village first," Lucas said, "then we can explore the rest of the area later."

They passed the first building and approached the second one.

"Hello!" a voice called out.

Lucas turned around and saw a man standing behind them. He was wearing a green tunic and brown trousers. His skin was tan and he had short black hair.

"Welcome to the village of the elves!" the man greeted them.

"We are looking for an elven woman named Ryliss," Lucas explained.

"Ah, yes, here she comes now," the man said as he pointed towards a young elf girl running towards them.

"Hi, guys!" Ryliss greeted them with a smile.

"Ryliss!" Lucas exclaimed as he hugged his friend.

"Lucas! Why didn't you come to visit me?

A cold shiver went down Lucas's spine when he finally realised one thing, "Kali, this is an illusion..."

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