The morning sun cut through the trees, casting long shadows across the trail as we left the village behind. The road ahead stretched into a winding line, fading into the dense forest. Despite the relative peace of dawn, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. Each rustle, each flicker of shadow on the edge of my vision sent a fresh wave of unease through me.
After miles of silence, Zara broke the quiet, her voice low. "The darkness we faced back there… it's bound to have left some scars, on both the land and the people." Her words hung in the air, a solemn reminder that while we had banished the immediate threat, the true impact of such ancient magic could linger long after.
Raven nodded, her face clouded with thought. "This isn't just some rogue curse," she said, glancing back down the path as if expecting the shadows to follow. "If that figure was part of something larger—an order or a society, a source—we're only scratching the surface."
