"This is madness, brother," Atlan growled, trudging through the frozen woods on the city's outskirts, where the sea's icy grip encroached.
Ares remained silent, his footsteps quiet behind him. His mind was a maelstrom. A crippling headache ravaged his brain, and the ache of missing his little bird threatened to consume him. But it was the voices that truly tormented him.
'Awaken... Erebus... Awaken.' The words echoed in his mind, a twisted fusion of his own voice and his mother's, warped into menacing growls. The clamor intensified, guiding him deeper into the forest.
"How do you know the horns are even here?" Atlan growled, frustration etched on his face. Ares's evasive behavior was testing his patience.
Ares exhaled heavily, raking his fingers through his hair. The biting winter cold seeped into his heavy black cloak, and all he craved was warmth. But the voices in his head wouldn't relent.
