Kael's heart sank as he watched Lireal's eyes glaze over once again. The brief spark of recognition vanished, and she slipped back into the spell's grip, her laughter resuming as if nothing had happened. He cursed under his breath, frustration rising like bile in his throat. Every step he took to free them seemed to unravel the moment he moved on. His mind raced, but no solution seemed within reach.
Slumping against the tree, Kael felt the weight of exhaustion pressing in. The fog returned with a vengeance, swirling through his thoughts, whispering promises of peace and rest. It was so tempting to let go, to just close his eyes and surrender to the overwhelming calm. His eyelids grew heavy, and the edges of his consciousness started to blur.
But then, something *else* stirred within him.
A sudden projection pierced the fog in his mind, sharp and vivid. It wasn't his own thought—something was reaching out to him, something ancient, something hidden. Kael's eyes widened as an image burned into his mind: large, owl-like eyes, gleaming with intelligence and power, staring at him through the darkness. They felt familiar, connected to something deeper beneath the surface. And then, just as quickly, the vision vanished, leaving behind only the sense of urgency.
The tree… the clearing… it wasn't just a trap; it was a threshold, a boundary between the forest and something far more dangerous. Whatever had reached out to him, whatever those eyes belonged to, it was trying to guide him, to break the hold the tree had over them. He didn't have much time. The tree's enchantment was closing in on him again, smothering his thoughts, but the vision had sparked something deep inside him.
Kael's fingers twitched, a sudden inspiration flooding through him. If the tree was drawing power from the forest, he could sever that link. He had to act fast, before the fog swallowed him whole. With a shaky breath, he knelt beside the tree's massive trunk, pulling out his knife. His hand trembled as he raised it, but his mind was sharp now, driven by that fleeting vision of the owl eyes.
With swift, deliberate strokes, Kael began carving runes into the bark. The first rune—one of severance. It was crude, his hand unsteady from exhaustion, but the lines were deep and true. As he carved, he muttered the incantation under his breath, pushing his will into the rune. The tree seemed to resist at first, the bark tough and unwilling to yield, but Kael pressed on, the vision of the owl's eyes urging him forward.
As the rune took shape, a tremor ran through the tree, almost as if it recognized what he was trying to do. The fog around Kael's mind thickened, fighting back harder, but the rune glowed faintly, and he felt the enchantment weaken, if only slightly.
But it wasn't enough. He needed more—more runes, more power.
Desperation clawed at him as he carved another rune, this one for protection. If the tree was feeding off their energy, it was also vulnerable to what he could channel into it. As his blade cut deeper into the wood, the bark began to crackle, thin lines of light seeping from the runes.
The air around him shifted. The tree groaned, its branches trembling, as if it were trying to shake him off. Kael grit his teeth, ignoring the growing weariness in his body. He moved to the other side of the trunk, carving yet another rune, this one for grounding. It wasn't just about severing the tree's hold—it was about grounding the magic into something else, redirecting it away from his party.
Each strike of his blade into the bark was a small victory, and with every rune, the fog in his mind lessened. He could feel the tree's magic weakening, but it wasn't going down without a fight. The ground beneath him rumbled, and the once peaceful clearing felt ominous, dark energy pulsing through the roots and into the earth. Kael's breath hitched as the tree's branches shifted, casting long, twisted shadows across the grass.
He was running out of time.
One last rune. Kael's hand shook as he raised the knife again, his fingers slick with sweat and blood from the earlier cuts. He knew this would be the hardest one—the final blow that would break the tree's hold. The rune of release, the same one his father had taught him years ago, meant to free energy from the constraints of the physical world.
With a grunt of effort, Kael slashed the symbol into the tree's heart. As soon as the final line connected, the runes blazed with light, illuminating the entire clearing. The tree shuddered violently, and Kael felt a surge of power rush through him as the energy of the enchantment broke. The fog lifted completely from his mind, clarity returning in full force.
He stumbled back, breathless, as the tree let out a long, mournful creak. The branches above them wilted, the vibrant leaves turning brown and brittle as the enchantment dissolved into the air. The precious-looking fruit that had been hanging from the branches shriveled and fell, turning to ash before they hit the ground.
Kael's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the grass, panting. The clearing was no longer serene—it was dead, drained of the magic that had ensnared them.
His companions were still dazed, but Kael could see the change in their eyes. Lireal blinked rapidly, as if shaking off a long sleep, while Aldric and Nyxara both looked around in confusion, the haze of enchantment slowly lifting from their minds.
"Kael… what happened?" Lireal asked, her voice thick with weariness.
Kael gave a tired smile, still catching his breath. "We… we almost didn't make it." He glanced at the withering tree, its once-beautiful form now twisted and barren. "But something—or someone—didn't want us to give up."
Aldric rubbed his forehead, groaning. "I don't remember anything after we made camp. It felt like… like we'd been here forever."
Kael nodded, still feeling the weight of the vision of owl-like eyes in his mind. "There's something in the ruins. Something powerful. We need to keep moving." He rose shakily to his feet, the runes on the tree still glowing faintly behind him. "Before it tries to trap us again."