The moment Kael grasped his staff, a jolt of clarity shot through him like a surge of fresh air breaking through stagnant fog. He could see everything clearly—the tree, the clearing, his companions lost in their revelry. But that clarity was fleeting. As quickly as it came, the fog returned, curling at the edges of his mind, threatening to pull him back into the serene, suffocating haze.
Kael clenched his teeth, fighting to hold onto that brief flash of lucidity, but the fog was relentless. It pushed harder, clouding his thoughts, whispering sweet lies of comfort and peace, urging him to let go, to rest under the tree's welcoming branches once more.
He couldn't let it win. Not now. His fingers tightened around the staff, but even its reassuring presence was starting to slip away. He had moments, seconds, maybe less before the fog would consume him again. His vision blurred as the edges of his consciousness began to fade, the voices of his companions' laughter growing louder, more inviting.
*Do something,* he thought frantically. *Now.*
In a desperate move, Kael dropped his staff, his eyes darting around the clearing. He reached down, fumbling through the grass, and his fingers found a jagged rock—sharp, uneven, but solid. Without hesitating, he raised it to his arm, the fog's pressure almost unbearable now, and carved the most basic rune he knew into his skin.
The lines were shaky, his hand trembling as he drew, but it was unmistakable—the first rune he had ever learned. It was crude, simple, but to Kael, it was everything. The rune for grounding. Grounding what? He couldn't even remember the original purpose, but to him, it had always symbolized more than just grounding. It was connection—connection to the world, to the energies that flowed around him, to the magic that was part of his very essence.
The sharp pain of the carving cut through the fog, just enough to bring his mind back into focus. Blood trickled from the fresh marks, but Kael barely noticed. As the rune took shape on his skin, he felt a familiar warmth, a tether to reality, slowly reestablish itself. The fog pushed harder now, almost angry, as if it had sensed his rebellion, but the rune was holding it at bay, if only for a little while.
Kael gasped, his vision clearing slightly. The rune glowed faintly on his arm, a weak but steady pulse of magic coursing through it. The grounding wasn't just physical—it was mental, spiritual. The connection ran deeper than just his body; it tied him to the earth, to the energy that flowed beneath the clearing, the very force the tree was manipulating.
He could feel it now—the tree wasn't just sheltering them. It was feeding off them, siphoning away their sense of purpose, their will to continue. It wasn't a place of rest; it was a trap, lulling them into complacency while it drained them dry. And he was the only one fighting it.
His thoughts sharpened as the fog ebbed, though it still lingered, waiting for any sign of weakness. Kael staggered to his feet, clutching his arm where the rune was carved. He looked at Lireal, Nyxara, and Aldric, each of them still laughing, lounging under the tree's boughs as though nothing was wrong. They were so far gone, so deeply lost in the enchantment, they couldn't see what was happening.
*I have to get them out,* he thought, his mind racing. But how? He could barely keep the fog at bay himself, and it was taking all his focus to stay grounded.
The rune on his arm flared briefly, and an idea began to form. The rune wasn't just for him. It could be extended—shared. He just needed to establish that connection with them, to ground them the way he had grounded himself. It wasn't about breaking the spell all at once, but giving them the clarity they needed to fight it themselves.
Kael gritted his teeth and made his way toward Lireal, who was closest, still laughing softly as she toyed with her bow. His arm ached, the pain grounding him with every step. He knelt beside her and placed his hand on her arm, focusing his energy on the rune. The magic surged, and Kael whispered the incantation he'd learned so long ago, words meant to stabilize, to anchor.
For a moment, nothing happened. Lireal blinked, her laughter trailing off as a look of confusion crossed her face. Kael watched as her eyes flickered, recognition slowly dawning. She frowned, looking around the clearing as if seeing it for the first time.
"Kael?" she murmured, her voice shaky. "What… what's going on?"
Kael squeezed her arm gently. "We're trapped. The tree—it's not what it seems. We have to fight it. Focus on the rune. It'll help you stay clear."
Lireal's brow furrowed as she glanced down at the rune on his arm, the faint glow reflecting in her eyes. She nodded slowly, though her movements were sluggish, as if she were fighting to wake from a deep sleep.
"We need to get the others," Kael said, already moving toward Aldric and Nyxara.