The barrier shimmered faintly, a fragile dome of light separating the group from the ominous mist that pressed against it like a living, breathing entity. Each step forward was heavy with unease. The mages in the group, sweat beading on their foreheads, maintained the barrier with unwavering focus.
The mist clung to them like a living thing, cold and unrelenting, muffling every sound until the world seemed to vanish. Visibility was reduced to mere feet ahead, where the swirling gray tendrils danced and coiled like ghostly serpents. Each step felt heavier, as if the ground itself resisted their advance, the damp air seeping into their skin and chilling them to the bone.
The mist wasn't silent, it whispered. Faint, almost inaudible murmurs seemed to emanate from all around, like the voices of the dead calling out from the void. Shapes loomed in the distance, but when approached, they dissolved into nothingness, leaving only an aching emptiness.
