The forest was alive with shadow.
Sylvia led the way, her flame simmering low around her wrists, a protective glow that painted the twisted trunks in amber light. Kael moved beside her, silent and alert, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Lyrielle hovered above, her wings faintly glowing, eyes scanning the darkness.
The Dark Forest was ancient, older than the Kingdom of the Arcanes, older than any map could record. Trees stretched impossibly high, their branches interlocking overhead to form a canopy so dense it swallowed the sky. The air was heavy with mist, and the wind carried whispers — soft voices that spoke in languages no one alive should understand.
"It's beautiful… in a dangerous sort of way," Kael murmured.
Sylvia didn't answer. Her senses were sharp, every crack of a branch, every rustle of leaves, registering in her mind like warning bells. She could feel the forest watching them. Every step forward seemed to disturb something hidden in the shadows.
The ground beneath their feet was uneven, roots twisting like serpents across the path. Strange mushrooms glowed faintly along the edges, pulsing as though they had a heartbeat. Shadows moved unnaturally — sometimes too quickly, sometimes just enough to make them doubt what they saw.
Lyrielle's voice broke the silence. "This forest isn't empty. Not completely. Be ready."
A sudden, low growl echoed from the undergrowth. Sylvia's flame flared instinctively, a ribbon of red-orange light that traced her movements. Kael drew his sword, the steel glinting faintly in the dim light.
Nothing appeared. Only the fog shifted. Only the trees seemed to lean closer.
Sylvia exhaled. "It's too quiet."
Kael's jaw tightened. "That's when you know something's watching."
They moved forward, cautious and deliberate. Time seemed to stretch, minutes turning into hours as the forest closed around them. Occasionally, the wind carried scents that made them pause — smoke, damp earth, the faint tang of blood.
Lyrielle shivered, though she didn't say why. "The Grims' influence is seeping here," she whispered. "We need to reach the cliffs before it becomes… worse."
Sylvia's fingers brushed her bow. "Then we move faster."
The forest grew darker as they pressed deeper, and the whispers became louder. Not voices, not words — just a faint hum, almost musical, as if the trees themselves were singing a warning.
A branch snapped behind them. All three froze. Shadows shifted in the corner of Sylvia's vision, but when she turned, there was nothing.
Kael exhaled slowly. "It's testing us."
"Testing… or hunting," Lyrielle said, her voice tight.
Sylvia glanced at them both, her flame flickering brighter. "Either way, we're ready."
For hours they moved like this, winding paths twisting through the trees, leaping over roots, ducking under low-hanging branches. Every step was deliberate, every glance cautious. The forest pressed in around them, ancient and watchful, and somewhere in its depths, the faintest echoes of Anastasia's dark magic whispered like a heartbeat.
By the time they saw the first gray cliffs rising ahead, the sun was long gone. The Dark Forest had swallowed the light, leaving them in a twilight that glimmered only with the faint glows of Lyrielle's wings and Sylvia's simmering flame.
"Finally," Kael muttered, scanning the jagged rocks ahead. "At least the forest can't reach us there."
Sylvia didn't reply. Her eyes were fixed on the cliffs, every nerve on edge. The Dark Forest had tested them, but the real test — the one against Anastasia — was still ahead.
And she would be ready.