The evening air was heavy with tension, the thick canopy of trees above them shrouding the world in darkness long before the sun had even fully set. Maerlyn and Kaelen moved quickly, their footsteps muffled by the soft, damp earth beneath them. The settlement was behind them now, the smell of smoke and cooking fires fading into the distance as they pushed deeper into the forest.
Despite the warmth of the day fading into a cool, eerie twilight, Maerlyn couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. The woman's warning about something worse in the woods kept echoing in his mind. The creatures from the Threshold were one thing—something wild, something primal—but whatever this new threat was, it felt far more insidious.
"Do you feel it?" Kaelen murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "The air. It's wrong."
Maerlyn nodded, his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword. The air around them was thick, charged with something unnatural. It wasn't just the weight of the Veil, though that was ever-present, like a lingering shadow over the world. No, this was something else—a palpable presence that seemed to stretch through the trees, curling its fingers around their minds.
"I feel it," Maerlyn replied. "But it's not the Veil. Something else is stirring."
The forest around them was unnervingly quiet. There were no birds singing, no rustling of leaves in the breeze—just the low, oppressive silence that seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. Maerlyn tried to push the unease down, focusing on the path ahead, but it was hard to ignore the sense that they were no longer alone. The shadows seemed to move of their own accord, stretching unnaturally as the twilight deepened. Every branch creaked and groaned as if the very trees were alive, watching.
"Do you think we're close to the Ashen Peaks?" Maerlyn asked, his eyes scanning the trees.
Kaelen didn't respond immediately, his face drawn in concentration as he looked around. "We're getting closer," he said at last. "But we're also walking deeper into the Veil's influence. The closer we get, the more dangerous it will become. I've been here before. This place…" Kaelen's voice trailed off, and Maerlyn noticed his eyes narrowing. His hand subtly moved to the hilt of a dagger sheathed at his side.
"What is it?" Maerlyn asked, his own senses now fully alert.
Kaelen's gaze flicked to a shadowed patch of the forest. For a moment, nothing moved, and Maerlyn wondered if he had imagined the tension. But then, a sound broke the silence. A soft, rasping noise, like the scraping of claws against bark. A chill ran down Maerlyn's spine. It was close.
Before he could react, Kaelen grabbed his arm, pulling him off the path and into the underbrush. "Get down!" he hissed.
Maerlyn barely had time to follow the command when something darted past them in the shadows—a figure, or something like one, moving too fast for his eyes to fully track. The air seemed to ripple where it passed, a strange distortion like a glimpse of another reality bleeding through.
Then the sound came again—a low, guttural growl, like the growl of a wolf, but twisted. Wrong.
"We're not alone," Kaelen said, his voice tight. "Get ready."
Maerlyn crouched low, his sword ready in his hand as the darkness of the forest seemed to close in around them. The sound of claws scraping against the forest floor grew louder. And then, from the depths of the shadows, something emerged.
It was tall—too tall. Its body was hunched, almost insect-like, with long, spindly limbs covered in dark, matted fur. Its face was an eerie mixture of humanoid and animal, with glowing yellow eyes that fixed on them with unnerving intelligence. Its mouth split open into a cruel grin, rows of sharp, jagged teeth glistening in the dim light.
"A Shardspawn," Kaelen muttered, his voice laced with distaste. "These things are the Veil's foot soldiers—creatures torn from the rifts between worlds. They're twisted versions of the living, warped by the darkness. And they're not alone."
As if on cue, another of the creatures appeared from the trees, its movement jerky and disjointed, as though it didn't fully belong in the world it inhabited. Maerlyn's heart raced, but he steeled himself. He had faced monsters before, and he wasn't about to let fear take hold now.
"Stay focused," he said, his voice low but firm. "We fight them together."
The first Shardspawn let out a shrill screech, a sound that made the hairs on the back of Maerlyn's neck stand on end. With a swift motion, it lunged forward, its claws extended.
Maerlyn barely had time to react, but his instincts kicked in. He sidestepped the creature's attack, slashing at its outstretched arm. The blade met flesh with a sickening crunch, but the creature didn't falter. It hissed and swiped at him with the other claw, but Maerlyn was already moving again, ducking under its reach and bringing his sword upward in a fluid arc.
This time, the strike found its mark—deep in the creature's side. It staggered back, letting out another piercing scream.
Kaelen wasn't far behind. He moved with a fluid grace that belied the fatigue still weighing on him, his own dagger flashing in the dim light. He struck at the second Shardspawn, his blade slicing through the air in a series of quick, precise motions. The creature recoiled, its grotesque mouth snapping shut as it hissed at him in frustration.
Maerlyn didn't have time to admire Kaelen's skill. The first Shardspawn recovered quickly, turning its attention back to him with renewed fury. It lunged once again, this time aiming for his throat. But Maerlyn was ready. He dropped low, allowing the creature to overshoot, and with a twist of his wrist, he drove his sword into its chest, the force of the blow sending the creature sprawling to the ground with an unnatural shriek.
It didn't rise again.
The second creature, seeing its companion fall, hesitated for only a moment before charging at Kaelen, its jaws snapping in a fury. But Kaelen was faster, his dagger striking with deadly precision. He ducked beneath the creature's wide claws, driving the blade deep into the creature's throat. It gurgled, its yellow eyes flashing in rage, before crumpling to the ground, dead.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Maerlyn wiped the sweat from his brow, his hand still gripping his sword tightly. The two Shardspawn lay lifeless before them, but the oppressive air lingered. This wasn't over.
"More will come," Kaelen said, his voice grim as he wiped the blood from his dagger. "They always do. The Veil is getting stronger. We have to move."
Maerlyn nodded, glancing over his shoulder toward the path they'd been following. He could feel the weight of Kaelen's words in his bones. The creatures were just the beginning. The Ashen Peaks were still ahead, and with each step, the world around them grew darker, more dangerous.
But there was no turning back.
"We keep moving," Maerlyn said, his voice hard with determination. "We're getting to the Peaks. And we're going to find the Wakened."
Kaelen gave him a sharp nod. "You're not alone in this, Maerlyn. I'll see it through with you."
With that, they turned and vanished into the trees, the shadows of the forest closing in once more. The journey was far from over, and the horrors of the Veil were just beginning to reveal themselves.