The road wound deeper into Fir's shadowy heart, the oppressive weight of the forest pressing down on them like a suffocating blanket. The air had grown colder, and the daylight was all but swallowed by the thick canopy above. The only sounds were the creaking of the carriage and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot.
Orin sat beside Lira, his senses open to the aether, feeling the soft hum of its energy coursing through him. He glanced over at Seraphine, who was at the front, her silver staff glowing faintly as she guided them forward. Mara was silent, her focus solely on the twisting path ahead, her hands steady on the reins.
Then, without warning, the ground beneath them shuddered violently. The horses whinnied in panic, their hooves stumbling as the earth trembled. A deep, rumbling vibration surged through the forest, sending birds exploding from the trees in a cacophony of startled cries. Orin felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and his heart began to pound.
"What was that?" Lira asked, her voice trembling with fear.
"Quiet," Seraphine ordered sharply, her face tense. Her gaze was distant, her eyes narrowing as she reached out with her aetheric senses. Orin did the same, stretching his awareness into the air around them, and felt it—a pulse of raw, chaotic energy that sent a chill down his spine.
"Two Arcanums," Seraphine whispered, her voice barely audible. "They're close… too close."
Another violent shudder rocked the ground, and the distant sounds of an earth-shattering roar echoed through the trees. Orin could feel the sheer force behind the noise, the vibration resonating deep within his bones. The sound was followed by another, even louder roar, as if the forest itself was groaning in agony.
"They're fighting!" Orin said, his voice tight with awe and fear.
"Yes," Seraphine confirmed, her eyes wide with urgency. She turned to Mara. "We have to move—now! Get us out of here!"
Without hesitation, Mara snapped the reins, urging the horses into a gallop. The carriage jolted forward, the wheels bouncing over rocks and roots as they picked up speed. Orin clutched the side of the carriage as the sounds of the battle grew louder, each impact shaking the earth beneath them.
As they raced down the narrow path, Lira's gaze was drawn to the chaos behind them. She caught a glimpse through the trees—a flash of blinding light and a shadowy mass colliding with a force that sent shockwaves rippling through the forest. Two immense forms, towering above the treetops, were locked in a brutal struggle. One was a colossal creature of dark, rippling shadows, its body shifting and writhing like living smoke. The other was a beast of shimmering, crystalline light, its form sharp and angular, radiating power with each movement.
"They're right behind us!" Lira shouted, her eyes wide with terror as she watched the two Arcanums clash in a storm of aetheric fury.
"Don't look back!" Seraphine barked, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Focus on the road ahead. We need to get as far away as possible!"
Mara urged the horses faster, the carriage careening dangerously over the rough terrain. The roars of the battling Arcanums were deafening now, and Orin could feel the shockwaves in his chest, each clash of power sending tremors through the forest. It was like the air itself was being torn apart by the sheer might of the two titans.
Branches whipped past them, and the underbrush shook with the force of the battle raging just out of sight. Orin's hands tightened around the edge of the carriage as he tried to block out the noise, forcing himself to concentrate on the immediate danger. But it was impossible to ignore the sheer magnitude of the power behind them—the kind of strength that could lay waste to entire villages with a single blow.
"Seraphine," Orin managed to say, his voice shaking. "What are those things?"
"Arcanums," she repeated, her gaze locked on the path ahead. "Aetheric beasts, born from the wild magic that courses through Fir. They're rare and powerful—far more dangerous than any elemental creature. These are true forces of nature, and they don't care who gets caught in their wake. If we don't get out of here, we'll be crushed in the crossfire."
The carriage barreled forward, and for a moment, Orin thought they might escape. But then the ground split open beside them, and a massive shockwave sent the carriage skidding sideways. The horses screamed, nearly toppling the carriage as Mara fought to keep control.
"Hold on!" she yelled, her voice strained as she yanked the reins, forcing the horses back on course.
They shot down the path, their speed increasing as the battle raged behind them. But they weren't the only ones fleeing the destruction. From the corners of his vision, Orin saw other creatures—lowborn beasts and lesser animals—darting away from the direction of the clash, their eyes wide with instinctual fear. Birds took flight in frantic swarms, and smaller animals scurried across their path, desperate to escape the fury that rippled through the forest.
The carriage raced on, deeper into the forest, and Orin could feel the ground rumbling beneath him with each massive blow exchanged by the Arcanums. He tried to focus on the road, but his mind kept drifting back to the immense power he had felt—power beyond anything he could imagine wielding.
"How can anything be that strong?" he wondered aloud, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Concentrate!" Seraphine snapped, her face pale with fear. "This is not the time for questions. We need to survive first."
Another shockwave shook the carriage, and Mara struggled to keep the horses steady as they careened down a steep incline. Seraphine's gaze darted around, searching desperately for a place to hide. They needed to find shelter—somewhere out of the line of fire, away from the destruction.
Suddenly, she spotted it—a shadowed crevice hidden by a thick tangle of branches and roots, barely visible against the rugged terrain. "There!" she shouted, pointing to the hidden opening. "Head for that cave!"
Mara didn't hesitate, steering the horses off the path and toward the dense foliage. The carriage lurched as they left the trail, the wheels bumping over rocks and roots, but the opening loomed closer. They ducked beneath the low-hanging branches, disappearing into the shadows of the forest.
The entrance to the cave was narrow, nearly obscured by twisted roots and moss-covered stones. Mara brought the carriage to a skidding halt, and Orin leapt down, helping Lira and Seraphine pull aside the tangled branches to widen the entrance. They led the horses inside, the dim light of the cave swallowing them whole, and within moments, the sounds of the battle were muffled by the heavy stone around them.
Panting, they settled the horses at the back of the cave, their flanks heaving with exertion. The silence felt deafening after the chaos outside, broken only by the distant roars of the clashing titans.
Seraphine moved to the mouth of the cave, her silver staff glowing faintly as she peered out. Her face was tense, her gaze fixed on the swaying treetops in the distance, where flashes of light and shadow still danced. Orin joined her, his breath catching at the sight of the raging storm just beyond their hiding place.
"We'll wait here," Seraphine said, her voice firm but low. "Until the battle ends. There's no sense in moving until it's over."
Orin nodded, his mind still racing with the image of the two titanic creatures locked in combat. "Do you think they'll destroy the entire forest?"
Seraphine's eyes were dark with worry. "I don't know. But we're safer here than out there."
Lira hugged her knees, her face pale but determined. "We have to get to Helior," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "We have to keep moving."
Orin's gaze drifted back to the forest outside, where the flashes of light grew brighter, and the sound of crashing trees echoed faintly in the distance. Whatever those Arcanums were, they were unlike anything he had ever imagined—living forces of nature that fought without mercy, and they were far from finished.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. They would wait. They would survive. And when the time was right, they would move forward, no matter what lay ahead.
For now, though, all they could do was hide and wait for the battle of the titans to end.