The wind howled through the trees as Aran stirred awake, his body tense and alert. The fire had long since died down, leaving only smoldering embers that barely illuminated the small clearing where the group had camped. His eyes adjusted to the dark, and his heart quickened as he scanned the perimeter.
Something felt wrong.
Aran reached for his sword and stood, moving silently through the shadows. His footsteps were careful, avoiding twigs and dry leaves that could give away his position. The night was eerily still—too still. No rustling of leaves, no distant animal sounds. Only the howling wind.
A figure moved in the corner of his vision, and his hand tightened on the hilt of his blade. Lyssa appeared beside him, her face barely visible in the dim light. She nodded toward the trees.
"Something's out there," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the wind.
Aran nodded in agreement. He could feel it too—the unsettling presence that had been lingering at the edge of his awareness all night. Whatever it was, it wasn't human.
Seraphina and Edward stirred, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. Seraphina unsheathed her sword, her eyes sharp as she scanned the darkness. Edward, visibly anxious, stood with his staff in hand, the tip glowing faintly as he prepared for whatever was coming.
"What is it?" Edward asked in a low voice, his gaze flickering to Aran.
Aran didn't answer immediately, his attention focused on the forest ahead. He could feel something—multiple somethings—moving through the trees, their presence faint but undeniable. His gut told him they were being hunted.
"We're not alone," Aran finally said, his voice steady despite the tension. "Get ready."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the shadows erupted. Dark, ethereal figures shot out from the treeline, their forms barely visible against the night, like living darkness. Their movements were swift, unnatural, as if they defied the very laws of physics.
The wraiths had found them.
Lyssa was the first to react, her twin blades flashing as she leapt into the fray. She slashed through one of the wraiths, its body dissipating into smoke with a ghastly hiss. Seraphina followed, her sword cleaving through another as it lunged at her. The wraiths, though incorporeal, moved with deadly precision, their shadowy forms flickering as they attacked.
Aran charged forward, his blade cutting through the nearest wraith with a single, fluid motion. But more came, pouring out of the forest like a relentless tide. Their shrieks echoed through the clearing, a sound that chilled the blood.
"Edward, keep them back!" Aran shouted, his sword slicing through another wraith.
Edward raised his staff, chanting under his breath as a wave of magical energy erupted from him, pushing the wraiths back. The wraiths recoiled, their forms flickering as the energy tore through them, but it only bought them a few moments of respite.
"There's too many of them!" Seraphina called out, her sword flashing as she cut down another wraith. "We can't hold them off forever!"
Aran knew she was right. The wraiths were endless, and they were being overwhelmed. If they didn't do something fast, they wouldn't survive the night.
"We have to retreat!" Aran shouted, slashing through another wraith. "Get to higher ground—now!"
The group moved as one, retreating from the clearing and heading for the nearby ridge. Lyssa took the lead, her movements quick and precise as she cut a path through the wraiths. Aran stayed at the rear, his sword flashing as he fended off the relentless assault.
As they reached the ridge, Edward turned and raised his staff, a powerful spell already on his lips. He slammed the staff into the ground, and a barrier of shimmering light erupted around them, pushing the wraiths back once again. The creatures hissed and shrieked, their forms writhing as they tried to breach the barrier.
The group took a moment to catch their breath, but Aran knew the barrier wouldn't hold for long. The wraiths would find a way through eventually.
"We can't stay here," Seraphina said, her voice strained. "They'll break through that barrier soon enough."
Aran nodded, his mind racing. They had to get away, but there was nowhere to go. The wraiths had them surrounded, and the forest was too thick to navigate quickly. If they didn't find a way out soon, they would be overrun.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Aran noticed something—movement in the distance, just beyond the wraiths. It was faint, barely noticeable, but it was there. A figure, cloaked in darkness, standing just beyond the treeline.
Aran's heart skipped a beat. Whoever—or whatever—that figure was, it wasn't a wraith. It stood too still, too deliberate. And it was watching them.
"Do you see that?" Aran whispered, nodding toward the figure.
Lyssa followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing. "What the hell is that?"
Before Aran could answer, the figure raised its hand, and a pulse of energy rippled through the air. The wraiths recoiled, their forms flickering as they were torn apart by the force of the pulse. Within moments, the creatures had dissolved into nothingness, leaving only the eerie silence of the forest in their wake.
The group stood frozen, disbelief washing over them. The wraiths were gone, eradicated in an instant. But the figure remained.
Aran's grip tightened on his sword as he stepped forward, his eyes locked on the cloaked figure. "Who are you?" he called out, his voice steady despite the uncertainty gnawing at him.
The figure didn't respond immediately. It stood there, silent and unmoving, as if considering its next move. Then, slowly, it began to walk toward them, the shadows clinging to it like a second skin.
As it drew closer, the figure's features became more distinct. It was a man, his face obscured by a dark hood, his eyes glowing faintly beneath the shadow. There was an air of power about him, something ancient and otherworldly.
"I've been waiting for you," the man said, his voice low and resonant. "The Seer of Avenmor has been expecting your arrival."
Aran's heart raced as the realization sank in. This man—this strange, shadowed figure—was their guide.
The journey to the Sanctum had truly begun.