LOVER'S DAWN HAD been known for its creepiness despite its romantic connotations. While the chilly winds gently caressed every twig and branch of the withered trees as they blew through, the synchrony between the reverberations from the air current and the wails of the night sirens were nothing short of spooky. The ghastly outlook of the forest was further amplified by the amassing bioluminescent fogflies living amidst the incessant fog, faintly illuminating the forest in a devilish green tint. Yet, Zeke was unwavered in his opinion of this frigidly beautiful place.
Tales of the night sirens flooded his mind as Zeke struggled to keep himself warm over the already extinguishing fire he built earlier in the compact cave as night fell. As the surrounding temperature plunged rapidly, he rubbed against his arms hastily to combat his shivers. He was not physically endowed to be a warrior with his scrawny figure; however he was athletically toned and blessed with incredible intellect and inquisitiveness. Despite how ominous the wailing sounded, he knew evidently that this was the mating call of the night creatures.
Every twilight, matured nymphs sang unanimously in search for a partner. Breaking out into a synchronous dance, their movement amplified the reach of their voices, seducing herds of male sirens towards the river. Their skin sparking in various shades of blue, complemented by the moonlight refracting off the river's surface. With the completion of the courting dance, the male siren would hold the female in his arms while they froze into an indestructible stone cocoon as they completed their consummation. At the crack of dawn, the stone husk would corrode into pastel sand upon contact with the slightest ray of sun, leaving behind a shiny egg bauble. As the sun rose beyond the horizon, a young siren would emerge from its shell with a melodious hum. Over time, the common folk named this part of Aditus forest as the Lovers' Dawn; nothing short of a clever pun on the spawns' birth.
Located in the center of the Pugnaphor, Aditus was a vast and insidious forested terrain that covered over eighty percent of the entire continent, with a total of sixteen coastal kingdoms established around the peripheral borders of the forest. Since the majority of the coastal kingdoms were either hostile or reticent to their neighbours, requesting passage through them was regularly daunting, if not impossible. This resulted in only two viable options when trying to cross borders to another kingdom; one through a sky island called Asbestos, an arena for grandois colosseum tournaments reachable using city portals. Unfortunately, the commoners were forbidden to cross a non-assigned city portal, consequently resulting in the only option to be through Aditus, where few dared to venture.
Beyond the fact that it was boundless and precarious, Aditus was divided into five regions; or more commonly known as trails. Historically, scarce records of successful crossing of Aditus were chronicled due to the convolutedly complicated paths to navigate within each trail. The Trail of Love (Trahentium Amoris), where the Lovers' Dawn was located, was the most abstruse within the five as one's devotion for their beloved will be under trial amidst the voyage. Within the confines of Lovers' Dawn, the emerald fog permeating throughout the forest would fabricate psychological temptation which could incarcerate the mind of the weak, leaving them in perpetual limbo due to their faltering fidelity. Upon evincing themselves to the living forest of Aditus, only would them be worthy enough to reach their hearts' destination.
Between the period of time Zeke spent lost in his thoughts while shivering beside the dimming flame, he could distinctly notice the slight ominous glow of fogflies in the cave. Sparing no time to brace himself for an eminent psychological attack from the fog, he muttered an enhancement spell briefly while clutching onto his necklace around his fingers as the fogfly numbers grew. Whilst the flame crackled one last time and vanished, the sudden darkness was replaced entirely by the glowing fog permeating through the cave's space. Unfazed, Zeke shut his eyes and waited for its worst reckoning.