**Chapter 196: The Whispering Grove**
The forest seemed to thin as Elara and her companions ventured deeper into its heart. The trees grew taller, their branches twisting together to form an intricate latticework that blocked out the sun entirely. The light that did manage to filter through was dim and green, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor.
A strange stillness had settled over the woods. The air was thick with tension, and every step seemed to echo unnaturally loud in the silence. The oppressive feeling that had hung over them since entering the forest was gone, replaced by something different—something almost alive, watching, waiting.
Morgana, her face pale and drawn, stopped suddenly. "Do you feel that?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
