Niu sat in silence, wrapped in Orimudi's cloak, pressed against the massive trunk of an ancient tree. The fabric shimmered faintly, its runes flickering like dying embers. The elder had left hours ago, or maybe only minutes, time had stopped feeling real.
Every now and then, a distant rumble echoed across the forest floor, followed by flashes of pale blue. Lightning.
He's still fighting, Niu thought, clutching the cloak tighter around his tiny frame.
The thought comforted him for a moment, but the silence that followed made his stomach twist.
Can the elder keep up fighting until daybreak?
He swallowed hard, forcing the thought away. He tried to stay still, breathing shallowly, counting heartbeats to keep fear from crushing him. He had faced sentinels and lived, read the words of gods, but this?
This was the first time he had to wait.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared over the canopy, something changed.
The forest began to glow.
