The silence that filled the forest was unnatural.
Lian felt a chill run down his spine as he scanned his surroundings. It wasn't just the absence of sound, it was as if something had ripped all life from the area. Even the monsters that had attacked them minutes ago had vanished, as if they had sensed something even more terrifying approaching.
Royce and Erin were tense as well. Royce's stance was rigid, his hand gripping his dagger tightly, while Erin glanced around, her magic-infused bow ready to fire at any suspicious movement.
"This isn't normal," Erin whispered. "Monsters don't retreat like this. They don't have this kind of... fear."
Royce frowned. "Something made them flee."
Lian didn't like the way those words sounded. He had felt this before, a presence that made his skin crawl, as if it triggered an instinctive response to danger.
His eyes scanned the dense vegetation ahead, and then he saw it.
