Chapter 233 - footsteps

The tension hung thick in the air as we scrambled to prepare for the ritual. Every step I took felt heavier, weighed down by the urgency of the moment and the growing dread clawing at the edges of my mind. The shadows were closing in, and I could feel their oppressive presence, lurking just beyond the clearing where we worked. Each breath felt labored, as if the very atmosphere had become thicker with the entity's influence. Leif and Zara gathered the necessary materials, their movements swift but tense. Raven, though physically nearby, kept a deliberate distance from me, her silence more suffocating than the impending darkness.