Nina, her voice barely a whisper above the humming energy of the chamber, speaks. "Were their belongings taken as well." The question hangs in the air, fragile yet insistent. The Keeper's light pulses slowly, a thoughtful rhythm in the oppressive silence. Ronan shifts his weight, a low growl rumbling in his chest, as if anticipating a dangerous answer. Rex lifts his head, ears pricked, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
After a long moment, the Keeper's resonance responds, a sound that seems to vibrate not just in Nina's ears, but deep within her very bones. "Their belongings... yes. More than belongings, child. Their memories, their skills, their very life force... all woven into the tapestry of this place. Xalzar... he feeds on such things. He uses their essence to strengthen his hold on this nexus, this tear in reality. The Whispering Woods are not merely haunted, they are... possessed.
The Keeper's light dims further, casting the chamber in a deeper, more somber twilight. The resonance continues, its tone laced with a weary sorrow. "The adventurers... they did not merely fall victim to Xalzar's power. They became part of it. Their possessions, their tools, their weapons... all serve to amplify his influence, to strengthen the bonds that hold this place captive." A long silence follows, broken only by the subtle hum of the magical energy and the soft panting of Rex, his body tense with a primal unease. The orb remains, a silent, pulsing heart at the center of this terrible revelation. The weight of the situation presses down on Nina, the simple desire to bring the fallen home now warped into something far more complex, far more dangerous. The price for their return, the Keeper implied, was a steep one; but now, Nina understands that the cost of inaction is even higher. The fate of the Whispering Woods, and perhaps even more, rests upon her shoulders.