The cold night air hit Aran's face as they finally emerged from the cave, the oppressive weight of the Void lingering behind them like a shadow. Each step outside felt like freedom, but the unease that gripped Aran's heart never left. He scanned the horizon, his instincts buzzing, telling him that something wasn't right.
Lyssa leaned against a large tree, her body shivering from both exhaustion and the lingering fear of what they had faced. Seraphina sheathed her blades but stayed alert, her sharp eyes sweeping the dark forest for any signs of danger. Edward, still pale and weakened, sat down heavily on a nearby rock, his breaths shallow and uneven.
"We should set up camp," Seraphina said, breaking the silence. "We're too far from any village to make it tonight."
Aran nodded but remained silent. His mind was racing, trying to process the events that had just transpired. The Nexus, the fragment of the Void they had faced, and the strange pulsing energy it had left behind. Even sealed, the memory of the Void's presence seemed to cling to him, whispering dark promises just out of reach.
Lyssa gathered some dry wood and used her magic to ignite it, a small fire soon crackling in the clearing. The warmth was a stark contrast to the cold that still lingered in their bones.
As they sat around the fire, none of them spoke for a long while. The crackling flames and the occasional rustling of leaves were the only sounds that filled the night. But Aran could feel it—something was watching them.
"I don't like this," Lyssa finally said, her voice low. "That thing in the cave... it wasn't just trying to kill us. It felt like it was... testing us."
Seraphina nodded in agreement. "It wanted to see what we were capable of. And it wasn't just random. It knew who we were."
Aran's jaw tightened. The thought had crossed his mind as well. The Void wasn't just some mindless force—it was intelligent, calculating. It had waited for them in the depths of the cave, knowing they would come. And now that they had sealed one Nexus, it was likely that the Void would find other ways to manifest.
"We've drawn its attention," Edward said wearily, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sealing that Nexus was only the beginning. The Void doesn't take kindly to interference."
"And what exactly are we supposed to do about it?" Lyssa asked, her frustration evident. "We're running on fumes, Edward. That was too close. And you're telling us there's more to come?"
Edward's eyes flicked toward Aran. "There's always more, Lyssa. But we don't have to fight it all at once. We regroup, we rest, and we find out where the next Nexus is. The Void is trying to spread—our job is to stop it."
Aran stood up, walking away from the fire, his eyes scanning the treeline. He didn't want to admit it out loud, but Lyssa was right. They had barely made it out of that cave alive. And if Edward was right, the worst was still ahead of them.
A sudden rustle in the bushes caught Aran's attention, and his hand instinctively went to his sword. "Did you hear that?"
The others immediately went on alert, Seraphina drawing her blades in a fluid motion. Lyssa stood up, her hands glowing with a soft light as she prepared a spell. Edward, despite his exhaustion, readied himself as well, his staff glowing faintly with residual magic.
For a moment, the forest was silent. Then, out of the darkness, a low growl rumbled through the trees.
"Stay close," Aran ordered, his voice calm but firm. Whatever was out there, it was hunting them. He could feel its presence now, cold and calculating, like the Void but more primal.
A pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows, followed by another... and another.
"We're surrounded," Seraphina whispered, her blades raised.
Aran's eyes flicked around the clearing, counting at least five pairs of eyes. Wolves, or something worse. But these weren't ordinary creatures—they moved with a strange, unnatural precision, their eyes glowing with the same cold light he had seen in the Void.
"These aren't wolves," Edward said softly, his face pale. "They're Void-touched."
Lyssa's hand trembled, the glow around her fingers intensifying. "Void-touched? What does that mean?"
"They're creatures corrupted by the Void," Edward explained, his voice filled with dread. "They're no longer alive in the way we understand. They're vessels for the Void's will."
One of the wolves lunged forward, its maw opening wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth that shimmered with dark energy. Aran moved faster than he thought possible, his sword meeting the creature mid-leap, cutting through its neck with a sharp, decisive slash. The creature crumpled to the ground, its body dissipating into a cloud of dark mist.
But as the first wolf fell, the others attacked in unison. Seraphina darted forward, her blades a blur as she sliced through the nearest two creatures, their bodies evaporating like smoke. Lyssa cast a barrier of light, halting one of the wolves in its tracks, while Edward unleashed a wave of energy that sent the remaining creatures stumbling back.
"They don't stop!" Lyssa shouted, her voice filled with panic as more wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing brighter.
Aran gritted his teeth, his muscles burning from the effort. "We have to hold them off! Don't let them through!"
Seraphina spun in a graceful arc, cutting down another Void-touched wolf, her movements swift and deadly. "We can't keep this up forever, Aran!"
He knew she was right. The creatures were relentless, attacking with a ferocity that seemed to grow with each passing moment. They were the Void's response, a warning that it wouldn't be sealed so easily.
"We're getting out of here!" Aran shouted. "Now!"
Edward nodded, his face set with determination. "I can create a portal, but it will take time."
"Do it," Aran ordered, his sword slicing through another wolf as it lunged at him. "We'll hold them off."
Edward raised his staff, muttering an incantation under his breath as a glowing circle began to form in the air behind them. The portal shimmered with light, its surface rippling like water.
"Keep them back!" Aran shouted as the wolves closed in again, their numbers seemingly endless.
Seraphina danced through the fray, her blades flashing as she cut down another wolf, but they kept coming, their eyes glowing brighter and their howls filling the night air with an eerie chill.
"It's ready!" Edward shouted, his voice strained.
"Go!" Aran commanded.
Lyssa darted through the portal first, followed quickly by Seraphina. Edward staggered toward the glowing circle, his steps faltering as the effort of maintaining the spell drained him.
Aran slashed through the last wolf blocking his path and rushed toward the portal, diving through just as the creatures lunged for him.
The world shifted, and they were gone, leaving the clearing behind.