The forest became eerily quiet the deeper they went. Even the faint chirps of distant birds or the rustle of leaves were gone, replaced by an oppressive silence. Ryn adjusted his grip on his knife, his muscles tense as he scanned the twisted trees. The air here was heavier, thick with the metallic tang of corruption.
Mira paused, her bow drawn as her sharp eyes swept the path ahead. "Do you feel that?" she whispered.
"Like we're being watched?" Jek muttered, twirling his dagger nervously. "Yeah, I feel it."
Bryn didn't break stride, his scarred face set in a grim frown. "We're close. The corruption is stronger here—this is what happens when a rift goes unchecked for too long."
"What exactly are we walking into?" Ryn asked, his voice low.
Bryn gestured to the path ahead. "You'll see soon enough."
They didn't have to wait long. The first sign of the rift's devastation came as they crested a small ridge, looking down at what had once been a forest clearing.
Now, it was a wasteland.
The ground was blackened and cracked, the trees reduced to skeletal husks twisted into unnatural shapes. Pools of green, viscous liquid dotted the clearing, bubbling faintly and sending tendrils of mist into the air. The corruption's energy pulsed faintly, the rhythmic beat like a second heartbeat in Ryn's ears.
"This is worse than I imagined," Mira said, lowering her bow.
"It's spreading faster," Bryn said, his tone grim. "This entire area is tainted. If it reaches the river..."
"We're running out of time," Ryn murmured, his gaze fixed on the shattered landscape.
The Spirit Fox let out a soft growl, its glowing fur dimming slightly as it sniffed the air. The bond pulsed faintly, a warning that sent a chill down Ryn's spine.
"It feels wrong," Ryn said, crouching beside the fox.
"Everything about this is wrong," Mira muttered.
The group descended into the clearing cautiously, their weapons drawn and their eyes darting to every shadow. The air was colder here, biting at Ryn's skin as he followed Bryn's lead.
"What caused this?" Ryn asked, his voice barely audible.
"The rift," Bryn said. "When the corruption spreads, it twists everything it touches. The land, the air, the beasts..." He gestured to a pile of bones half-buried in the cracked earth. "Even us, if we're not careful."
Ryn shuddered, his grip tightening on his knife. The Spirit Fox let out a low growl, its glowing eyes fixed on a patch of scorched ground ahead.
"There's something here," Ryn said, his voice tense.
Bryn and Mira moved closer, their weapons at the ready. The group followed the fox's lead, their footsteps crunching softly on the brittle ground.
As they approached, Ryn's stomach twisted.
Half-buried in the scorched earth was the skeletal remains of a massive beast. Its bones were jagged and warped, its skull elongated into a nightmarish shape. What caught Ryn's attention, though, was the faint green glow emanating from its ribcage.
"What is that?" Jek asked, his voice tight.
Mira frowned, stepping closer. "It's... a core fragment. Whatever this thing was, it was tied to the rift."
Bryn grunted. "And it didn't survive."
Ryn knelt beside the remains, his gaze fixed on the glowing fragment. The bond pulsed faintly, the Spirit Fox's unease mirroring his own.
"It's still active," Ryn said.
"Stay back," Bryn warned. "Rift energy is unpredictable. Touching it could—"
Before he could finish, the Spirit Fox stepped forward. Its fur flared brightly, and the bond pulsed sharply, filling Ryn's mind with a sudden rush of energy.
"Wait!" Ryn shouted, reaching for the fox.
But it was too late. The Spirit Fox pressed its paw against the fragment, and the clearing was bathed in a blinding light.
The world tilted. Ryn's vision blurred as the bond flared, its energy surging wildly. He stumbled backward, his mind flooded with fragmented images: glowing rifts, twisted beasts, and a swirling void of green and black.
The voice returned, clearer this time.
"You are part of this. The balance has already shifted. Embrace the change, or be destroyed by it."
Ryn gasped, his eyes snapping open. The Spirit Fox was standing over the core fragment, its fur glowing brighter than ever. The fragment's light faded, the green energy dissipating into the fox's body.
"What the hell just happened?" Bryn demanded, his sword drawn.
"I... I don't know," Ryn said, his voice shaking. He reached for the Spirit Fox, his hand brushing against its fur. The bond pulsed warmly, a steady rhythm that calmed his racing thoughts.
The fox chirped softly, its glowing eyes meeting Ryn's.
"It absorbed the energy," Mira said, her voice filled with awe. "How is that possible?"
Ryn shook his head. "I don't know, but... it doesn't feel wrong. The bond is stronger now."
"Stronger or not," Bryn said sharply, "we don't know what kind of damage that energy could do. If the fox is connected to the rift—"
"It's not the rift," Ryn snapped. "It's trying to fight it."
Bryn's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.
The group moved on, leaving the clearing behind as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The Spirit Fox stayed close to Ryn, its glow steady and bright.
Ryn couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed—not just in the fox, but in himself. The bond pulsed faintly, a quiet reminder that they were no longer the same as they'd been before.
As they climbed another ridge, the rift came into view.
It was massive, a swirling vortex of green and black energy that crackled with power. The land around it was twisted and broken, the air vibrating with an unnatural hum.
"That's it," Bryn said, his voice grim. "The heart of the corruption."
Ryn stared at the rift, his fists clenched. The bond pulsed sharply, and he felt the Spirit Fox's quiet determination echo through him.
"We're not ready for this," Mira said, her voice tight.
"We'll have to be," Bryn said. "This is our only chance."
Ryn glanced at the Spirit Fox, its glowing eyes locked on the rift.
"We'll make it," Ryn said quietly. "We don't have a choice."