Those words struck Noor like a thunderbolt. His heart began to pound, and he felt as if time had stopped around him. He thought to himself, his mind reeling in astonishment, "How did he sense my presence? Is he some kind of sorcerer? Or is he one of the eight?"

The cloaked figure's voice cut through his chain of thought, calling for him to come out again. His voice was as cold as ice.

"Noor, come out from there. I remember your aura well… it hasn't changed much. You still use deception to escape any predicament."

Noor's tension mounted, wondering how this stranger knew him, yet sensing he was no friend. He summoned what was left of his courage, nocked an arrow to his bow, took a deep breath, and stepped out from behind the tree. He aimed his arrow at the stranger and let it fly.

The arrow cut through the air, speeding toward the cloaked figure, who in turn leaned gracefully to the left to avoid it.

"Stop, you fool! What are you doing?" he shouted in an angry tone. "I am with you!"

Noor materialized another arrow and fired it, his hands trembling so much that he could not aim accurately. The arrow flew past the cloaked figure, who let out another shout for Noor to stop, or he would finish him.

But Noor's mind was not working; he was driven only by the instinct for survival. He aimed a third arrow. The cloaked figure lunged toward him, closing the distance as the arrow flew toward his head. He slid skillfully beneath it, avoiding it.

The arrow continued on its path toward another person standing several meters behind the cloaked figure. The newcomer caught the speeding arrow in his right hand, stopping its point just before his eye.

The cloaked figure, in turn, paused for a moment.

"Damn you, you idiot! We've been found!" he said, his voice laced with tension. "We have to get out of here now!"

Noor began to process the rapid sequence of events. He saw, behind the cloaked figure at the opposite entrance to the forest, a massive person holding the arrow Noor had fired. He had crushed it in his hand.

He then looked at Noor and the cloaked figure, and a shiver ran down Noor's spine.

It was a massive automaton, its body plated in chrome steel. In the middle of its face was a single eye that glowed with a blue light. Beside it were two robotic hounds. One was red with three eyes on one level, glowing blue. The other was blue, with three eyes glowing red. They were attached at the neck by two iron chains, held tightly by the massive robot.

Without thinking, Noor found the cloaked figure lunging toward him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the forest.

Noor ran after him, feeling as if his legs could not carry him. He pushed himself and scrambled after him, while the behemoth released the chains from the two hounds; the chains retracted back into its arm.

The two hounds charged into the forest after them at a tremendous speed.

The cloaked figure ran with incredible velocity, with Noor struggling to keep up. He could have sworn he couldn't feel his feet, but the imminent danger behind him, fueled by adrenaline, made him run as fast as he could.

They heard the hounds behind them making strange noises, like electronic commands in a strange language, but Noor paid it no mind. All that mattered now was escaping them.

Suddenly, at a bend, the cloaked figure turned right, and Noor followed. They continued running between the trees, leaping and avoiding all obstacles in their path, from rocks to roots protruding from the ground.

Noor followed in the cloaked figure's footsteps. When he jumped, Noor knew there was an obstacle and jumped as well. He could barely see anything in the pitch darkness surrounding them, so he didn't stop for a moment.

He didn't feel tired despite the continuous running, as had happened in the race. But he felt fear, which occupied the largest part of his heart—specifically, the fear of the unknown.

Noor decided to delay the robotic hounds. He stopped, turned toward them, and spread his hands to the right and left, his body slightly bent. He materialized a cord of durable titanium. At each end of it was a sharp blade. He threw them from his hand to the right and left, where they lodged in trees, creating a simple trap to hinder anyone who fell into it.

Moments later, he heard the hounds fall to the ground and collide with each other. But they quickly got up again and resumed the chase.

Noor thought for a moment, then put his hands behind his back and began to materialize boxes and barrels to impede their progress for a while. He heard them collide with the barrels and boxes, and the sound of them shattering.

This delayed them a little, but it did not stop them from pursuing.

An idea sparked in his head that might stop them for some time. He stopped again, then stretched his hands forward. A wall of iron formed, rising majestically as the two hounds approached at great speed.

Noor completed the wall, then turned and continued running. He heard the sound of the hounds colliding with the iron wall, trying to get through.

After a few minutes of running, the sound of the hounds faded slightly. Noor found himself out of the forest in a wide, sprawling green clearing.

Beyond the clearing, he saw a vast and sprawling city shrouded in destruction. Black smoke and fire rose from its buildings. Darkness had covered it from every direction, illuminated only by the moonlight that fell upon it, telling the story of its ruin, its pain, and the great, destructive war it had endured. It was barely intact.

Noor stopped for a moment to take in the situation, but the cloaked figure cut through his thoughts, urging him to run. He had turned back as if he knew this would happen.

"This is no time for astonishment," he said grimly. "Don't stop, or you will die."

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