---
After they crossed the bridge. They find themselves at the border of a dense big forest with tall trees.
The forest stretched endlessly before them, an intricate maze of ancient trees and tangled roots.
The air was damp, heavy with the scent of moss and decaying wood, and faint beams of sunlight struggled to penetrate the dense canopy overhead.
Golden mist from Aurin's Peak lingered in the distance, flickering like a mirage, but the path toward it seemed to twist and shift unnaturally.
"This place doesn't feel right," Mira muttered, her hawk circling above them. The bird's sharp cries echoed ominously, its movements jerky and agitated.
Helena scanned their surroundings, her falcon perched on her arm, its feathers puffed in warning. "It feels alive… like it's watching us."
