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As they moved deeper into the forest, Kaelen couldn't shake the eerie feeling that the Watchers were lurking somewhere close, watching them, waiting. The man they had rescued, who introduced himself as Tomas, grew increasingly pale and weak, though his eyes remained wide with fear.
Elara kept close to him, trying to offer reassurance. "Don't worry, Tomas. We'll get you to a safe place soon."
But Tomas only shook his head, casting anxious glances over his shoulder. "Safe? There's no place safe from them. They know things, see things that no one should."
Kaelen's curiosity overcame his wariness, and he finally asked, "Did they say why they're after the storm? Why they're causing all this destruction?"
Tomas looked at him with haunted eyes. "They believe it's the key to something… something ancient. They said the storm can open a path to a place hidden from our world. A place where… where power lies beyond imagination."
Kaelen felt the familiar unease stirring within him, as if the storm inside him were reacting to Tomas's words. The Watchers' cryptic warnings about destiny and power were becoming clearer, though he wasn't sure he liked what he was beginning to understand.
They paused at a clearing to rest and regroup. Kaelen noticed Lira watching him, her gaze steady and concerned.
"What's on your mind, Kaelen?" she asked quietly.
He hesitated, then sighed. "The storm… the more I hear about it, the more I feel like it's not just inside me. It's like something… waiting, like Tomas said. Like a door I haven't opened yet."
Lira's eyes softened, and she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together. You don't have to bear this alone."
Before he could respond, Garak called out, holding up a small, folded piece of parchment he had found near the remnants of the burned wagon. "Hey, I found something here. Looks like… a map."
They gathered around as Garak unfolded the map, revealing a series of rough sketches and cryptic markings. Lines and symbols swirled across the page, centering on what appeared to be a single destination marked with a symbol that looked like a storm cloud.
Kaelen's heart raced. "That has to be what the Watchers are after. If they have a map, they might be trying to reach this place."
Elara traced the path with her finger, her brow furrowed. "It's not far from here. But if they're going there, it means they think they can find the storm's power at that location."
Kaelen clenched his fists, feeling the storm's pull stronger than ever. "Then we need to get there before they do."
Tomas's face paled even more as he looked at the map. "That place… it's said to be cursed. Those who go there seeking power never return."
Garak gave a wry grin. "Sounds like just the kind of place we end up at, doesn't it?"
The others chuckled nervously, though the tension was unmistakable. They all knew this journey was getting more dangerous by the day.
As they prepared to follow the map, Kaelen felt the storm within him swirling in anticipation. Whatever lay at the end of this path, it was drawing him, calling to him like a distant memory he couldn't fully grasp.
He only hoped that when they arrived, he would be ready for whatever awaited them.
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