They made haste to leave the battlefield and get out of the forest as a whole, and thankfully, they weren't stopped by any other troublesome issues along the way.
The forest had finally begun to thin, the walls of tangled branches and endless mist giving way to open skies and faint sunlight. The air was cleaner now, lighter, almost as if the moment they passed that invisible line separating the Kingdom from the Empire, even the atmosphere itself felt different.
They had finally crossed the border.
The soldiers noticed it first; their tired faces softened, and the tension in their shoulders seemed to melt away. Even Adolf, who rarely allowed himself to relax, breathed a little easier as the scent of wildflowers replaced the rot and blood of the forest.
For Morena, however, the relief was faint.
Her eyes shifted toward the man walking a few paces ahead, the Wizard.
He hadn't spoken since they left the battle.
