Torrack's journey had been long and arduous. It had been nearly a week since he and Kaelith escaped Dunfir, and the exhaustion of constant travel was starting to weigh heavily on them both. The road had been difficult, but with the help of a few kind souls along the way—villagers, travelers, and even a wandering merchant—they had managed to gather enough supplies to continue their mission. Their destination was a place few dared to speak of, a forest known for its haunting desolation: the Dead Forest of Valdrun.
As they approached the edge of the forest, Torrack could feel an oppressive energy lingering in the air. The once-clear skies began to darken as they crossed into the shadow of the dead trees. These trees stood lifeless, their bark blackened as if scorched by fire. Not a single leaf stirred in the breeze, and there was no sound of birds, no rustling of small creatures. The silence was unnerving.
Kaelith's voice broke the quiet. "This is where we've been told the dragon resides?"
Torrack nodded grimly. "So they say. But I don't sense anything yet."
They had arrived late in the day, and with the eerie stillness of the forest pressing in on them, they decided to make camp. As they set up their small shelter amidst the skeletal trees, Torrack's mind was consumed by thoughts of the dragon and the dwindling connection to Lyra. The feeling of her presence was almost nonexistent now, a faint whisper in the back of his mind. He wondered if this desolate place was somehow amplifying his disconnection.
"We still have food for a few more days," Kaelith said, her tone as composed as ever. "But we'll need to find something soon if this search drags on."
Torrack gave a slight nod. He wasn't used to feeling so lost. The forest offered no clues, no signs of life or any path forward. They would have to push through on sheer determination.
The morning came, bringing with it a dense fog that clung to the forest floor, swallowing everything in its path. Torrack had never experienced anything like it. The fog was thick—so thick that he could barely see Kaelith standing a few feet away from him. But more than that, the fog seemed to dull his senses. The aura vision that had always been his way of seeing the world around him was now fading. He couldn't detect any life force, not even from the plants or trees. It was as if everything was dead.
"I can't sense anything," Torrack muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. "No life, no energy. It's like this forest doesn't exist."
Kaelith looked equally uneasy, her own magical senses offering her no help. "We should keep moving. There's nothing here for us to gain by standing still."
They began their trek deeper into the forest, the oppressive fog surrounding them like a wall. For miles, they wandered through the lifeless landscape, their footsteps the only sound in the eerie quiet. The dead trees loomed over them, casting long, shadowy figures in the fog, and there was no end in sight.
"How large is this forest?" Kaelith asked, her voice barely audible above the sound of their footsteps. "There are no maps beyond the forest's edge."
Torrack shook his head. "I don't know. No one's been able to map it out, and the stories of those who have ventured too far... aren't encouraging."
Days passed. Each day was a blur of endless walking through the fog, with no signs of life and no progress. The food they had stored was nearly gone, and their last meal would be soon. Torrack tried to reach out with his aura vision multiple times, but each time he found nothing. It was as though the forest itself was sapping his strength, draining the magic from him. Kaelith's magic, too, was limited. She had tried to sense life in the trees, but they were as dead as they appeared—no magic, no energy, nothing.
On the fourth day, they came across a small lagoon, its waters still and strangely clear. It was the first sign of water they had seen in days, but there was something unsettling about it. Still, they were desperate.
"The water seems safe enough to drink," Kaelith observed, though her voice carried a hint of doubt.
Torrack nodded. "We need it. Let's fill our water bags and move on."
They refilled their bags, but there was no sign of life in or around the lagoon. No fish, no frogs—nothing.
"This place is cursed," Kaelith muttered under her breath. "How can it be so devoid of life?"
Torrack didn't answer, but her words echoed his own thoughts. This place was unnatural, and the longer they stayed, the more it felt like they were being drained of their very essence.
The next morning, the fog was still there, as thick and suffocating as ever. But now, rain poured from the sky, drenching them to the bone. The ground beneath their feet became slippery and treacherous, making every step a challenge. The rain came down in torrents, and the muddy terrain made it impossible to move quickly.
Suddenly, without warning, a great wave of water surged down from the hills, crashing into them like a flood. Torrack and Kaelith were swept off their feet, tumbling helplessly as the water carried them downhill. Torrack tried to grab onto something—anything—to stop their fall, but the water was too powerful. They were being dragged through the mud and debris, helpless against the force of nature.
For a moment, Torrack thought this was the end. He felt Kaelith's hand slip from his grip as they were thrown forward, the ground vanishing beneath them. They fell, tumbling through the air, expecting to hit the ground below, but instead of a painful impact, they passed through something—like falling through a veil.
Darkness consumed them, and Torrack blacked out.
When Torrack awoke, he was lying on cold, hard ground. His body ached, but there were no serious injuries. Slowly, he sat up, disoriented. He could hear Kaelith stirring beside him.
"I saw something move," Kaelith's voice was a low whisper, her tone tense.
Torrack shook his head, trying to shake off the fog in his mind. "There's nothing around us. I can't sense any auras. I… I can't feel anything."
Kaelith's eyes were wide as she looked around the cave they had fallen into. She suddenly reached out and, with a quick motion, grabbed something small from the ground. It squirmed in her hand, and she held it up for Torrack to see.
It was a lizard—a small, unassuming creature, but it was the first sign of life they had seen in days.
"Here," Kaelith said, holding the lizard in front of Torrack's face. "Can you 'see' it now?"
Torrack stared at the creature, his mind reeling. He reached out with his aura vision, expecting to see the faint glow of its life force, but there was nothing. His heart sank as he realized the truth.
"I don't see anything," Torrack whispered, panic rising in his chest. "I can't even sense your aura, Kaelith. I'm… I'm fully blind now."
The weight of his words hung in the air. Torrack's mind raced with a thousand thoughts. His aura vision, the one thing that had allowed him to navigate the world since losing his sight, was gone. Completely gone.
Kaelith looked at him, her expression one of concern and confusion. "What does this mean?"
Torrack's hands shook as he tried to calm the rising panic within him. "I don't know. But… we need to figure this out. If I can't sense anything, if I'm truly blind…"
He trailed off, lost in the overwhelming thought of what this meant for their journey. For the first time in a long while, Torrack felt utterly powerless. The dragon, the mission, the connection to Lyra—it all seemed to be slipping further and further away.
"We're still alive," Kaelith said, her voice steady despite the situation. "And we're not done yet. We'll find a way through this, Torrack. One way or another."
Torrack clenched his fists, the feeling of helplessness gnawing at him. They were trapped in a cave, in a forest that felt more like a graveyard, and now he was truly blind. But deep down, he knew Kaelith was right. They had come too far to give up now.
He just didn't know how they were going to survive this.