The very air seemed to thicken around Gladius and Arianna, charged with an ominous energy that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
With each step closer to the town, the sense of danger intensified. The duo remained alert, their senses heightened by their Soothe Into the World state.
In a heartbeat, everything changed.
A sickening 'Chi!' pierced the air, the sound so wrong and unnatural that it would send shivers down veteran Mages' spines. Wisps of purple miasma erupted from the ground around them, writhing like living tendrils of smoke.
The atmosphere became saturated with a horrific stench, reminiscent of decay and dark magic. An insidious, sinister Mana power enveloped them from all sides, pressing against their skin like an oppressive, malevolent fog.
