The moon shone down brightly on the orange and green leaves of the forest. The surrounding trees felt like an enclosure with an endless path leading down no where. The building intensity of the distant rustling of the leaves would scare anyone who decided to go wandering around this forest. Mark ran down the path, hoping this seemingly endless journey to the tower, where he had lived for many years, would come to a close soon. He had been away from the tower, looking randomly around for something that would protect the large domain of the structure. At the break of dawn, he made it to the chipped wooden door of the altitudinous tower. Mark set his dry hands on the old wooden door with great relief and a expectation for it to open on its own.

The door left an almost silent creek. The vivid light glared in Mark's face, making him squint against the intensity of the brightness. Was the tower always this bright? The warming of the sun cast down over Mark as he looked around slowly, adjusting to the brightness. He followed the damp walkway staring at the ground as the sun glinted off the narrow path. Many of his friends that he had not seen in years quickly greeted him and walked off as Mark kept on the trail. The nostalgia of seeing his own room made him want to forget what he was doing and go lie down on his bed, probably full of dust. In front of him stood the library. Mark had always missed the fresh air of the tower. He took a step forward and the old door slid to the side.

The soft library carpet was lathered with dust but still gave Mark some sort of comfort as this was how it was when he left. He ran down the narrow hallway, silently reading through the binders of the books that he passed. Mark turned to a skid, realising that he had seen what he needed. He dropped down running his finger across the old crusty binders of the books. He picked up one, barely able to distinguish what it said. The thin font was printed “Ancient Defences, 1590”. “That long ago?” Mark exclaimed silently to himself. No. He must have read it incorrectly. Then again, it did say ancient. He got up and flipped through. Most of the pages did not explain anything except for the one page at the back, reading: "The defence lies in the stone". The location will be marked on a map. The rest was in writing that mark would not be able to distinguish. He grabbed the book, then ran out into the forest.

What good is something if you can’t find it? Mark would have had to meander aimlessly around just looking for the map. He pushed his horse forward, making sure he stayed on the path. Years ago, Mark had been told the tower was in danger. He then set out to look for some sort of protection for the tower. The quote from the book was that the "Defence lies in the stone". That meant that he was going to have to find a stone to get the map. The forest was now behind him. He readied himself for his first stop.

Mark rode down across the valley. His idea was to go to Greystone and then look around the library there. He hoped that there would be a clue leading to another place where he could find the protection. For hours he sat on his horse drawing in energy from the light around him that was slowly reduced to darkness. The warmth of it gave of energy. Every hero at the tower could do this.

The sun shone down over the small town in the distance revealing a narrow path most likely made by the villagers a while back. Mark led his horse down the narrow road, constantly checking around for any passages or old libraries. Ahead of him stood an old but good conditioned building. Mark pulled his horse beside the building and slowly dismounted. The wooden floorboards creaked loudly, making Mark jump. Turning at a corner, he noticed a hidden door. Mark turned finding himself weaving down the old wooden stairs. Something didn’t feel right. At the bottom, the floor was old and dusty, ridden with noisy creaks. Mark turned and saw something that hadn’t been seen in years. Lightfire. He reached out trying to touch what was in front of him, trying to get a hold of it. It felt warm. It would soothe what ever was touching it, warming the body with heat but also gentleness. Unanticipatedly, the floor beneath Mark's feet began to rumble and in front of him there lay an old map.

Beneath Mark, the floor still rumbled, shaking everything around him. He grabbed the map and the lightfire and ran. The immense pressure of the shaking made more than a creak in the floor. Mark weaved around, the narrow walls slowly caving in, ready to crush anyone immediately who was inside the building. He pushed past the wall and opened the door, quickly checking if anyone was inside. He ran to his horse standing next to the sinking library. Mark pushed his horse quickly out of town while holding the map and lightfire. In the distance, the Library slowly sank into the ground.

Mark found the nearest town to him and lay in the tall grass, trying to decipher the position of the marked location on the map. Getting up, he climbed on top of his horse, ready to leave. Supposedly, the map pointed to the water. However, it would not be that easy. It meant the cliffs. The orange-ish yellow sun glinted down over the grassy plains as Mark travelled. The water meant the lake by the blue cliffs.

Wiping sweat of his face, Mark pushed forward, readying his horse to stop as the seemingly endlessly tall mountain drew nearer. Mark felt like he was going to have to search further, for many more years as the tower awaited more dangers to come. He would have to leave his horse behind now. He climbed of his horse then set of towards the summit ready for the the challenges that would await him. Mark pushed on for hours. His legs felt numb, he felt light headed, and he was very tired. At last he reached the top, he stared down into the glistening lake expecting something to happen.

Mark stared down into the cold, empty depths of the lake bellow him. He sat there waiting for something to happen as he watched the white birds flitting from rock to rock. Getting up, Mark peered down into the lake once more, murmuring to himself as he stared intensely at the blue lake that sat in front of him. Readying himself, Mark saw something, he would have to dive into the lake in order to get it. Splash! The ice cold water closed tightly around his body as the burning cold ice twinged through his body as if a snake slithered at the speed of light through his body. He pushed through, trying to endure the forever lasting cold that spiralled up his shivering body. His hand hit the floor. He ran his numb arm through the sand and hit something. He grabbed it as he began to rush upwards towards the surface. Reaching the top, Mark gasped for air as the warm sun cuddled him spreading warmth to his numb body.

Opening his hand, Mark gazed at the ancient artifact he had retrieved from the depths of the lake. It was a small, intricately designed stone with ancient symbols carved into its surface. As he studied it, a sense of power and protection washed over him, as if the stone held the key to safeguarding the tower from any future threats.

With the stone in hand, Mark knew he had to return to the tower and unlock its secrets. He mounted his horse and rode back, the artifact tucked safely in his pocket. The journey back felt quicker, as if the stone itself was guiding him home.

As Mark approached the tower, he could sense a change in the air. The stone hummed with energy, and he knew that it was time to put it to use. He climbed the stairs to the very top of the tower, where he found a hidden chamber that seemed to glow with a faint light.

Placing the stone on a pedestal in the center of the room, Mark watched in awe as the chamber began to light up, revealing ancient runes on the walls and ceiling. The stone pulsed with power, and Mark felt a surge of magic flow through him.

With a steady hand, Mark traced his finger over the runes, unlocking the hidden knowledge within them. A sudden surge of energy burst forth from the stone, enveloping the tower in a protective shield of light.

The tower glowed with a newfound strength, and Mark knew that the ancient artifact he had found was the key to protecting it from harm. As he gazed out at the horizon, he felt a sense of peace and purpose settle over him.

With the artifact in place, the tower was safe once more, and Mark stood as its guardian, ready to face whatever challenges came his way. The ancient stone had granted him the power he needed to defend the tower and all who sought refuge within its walls.

As Mark stood in the chamber, basking in the warm glow of the protective shield surrounding the tower, he heard a dark and ominous voice echoing through the room.

"You may have unlocked the tower's defense, but you have awakened a greater threat," the voice hissed.

Mark turned to see a figure cloaked in shadows emerge from the darkness. The figure's eyes glowed with an eerie light, and Mark could sense the malevolent power emanating from it.

"I am the Dark Guardian, protector of the shadows. You have meddled in forces beyond your understanding, and now you must face the consequences," the Dark Guardian warned.

Mark draws power from the Tower, as light emanates from his hands. The Dark Guardian in turn, channels energy from the shadows, and summons a herd of hellish FellHounds to attack Mark. With a swift wave of his hand, Mark directs the light against his foes, and they are vanquished, but he is far from confident that this is the end of the battle. The Dark Guardian summons more minions, and Mark realises that he has to defeat the Dark Guardian to stop the endless hordes of hell spawns.

With a deft leap, Mark jumps in front of the Dark Guardian, before he is confronted with a hulkish brute, twice his size. Before he can even blink, the brute vigorously rams his fist into Mark's chest. As he reels backwards, Mark grabs at his chest in pain, and in the corner of his eye, witnesses the brute winding his arm back to release another attack. With little energy to defend himself, Mark takes a breath, losing hope that he will be able to survive the next attack.

As the brute attempts to make a final hellacious punch to defeat Mark, a bright light stuns the brute in his tracks, and another mysterious figure appears.

"Timing appears to be on your side, Mark," the figure quips.