The forest held its breath.
Each step Luke took felt louder than it should've—leaves crunching underfoot, twigs snapping like brittle bones. Shadows shifted in the dappled light above, swaying to the slow dance of the trees. But it wasn't peaceful. Not now. Not with what they heard.
A scream. Human. Far but close enough. A sound that didn't fade from memory so easily. Ilyrana had gone ahead, swift as the wind, and Luke was left to trace her silent path. His hands itched with nerves, one resting near the mechanism inside his sleeve, the other ready to pull his cloak tighter if needed.
This wasn't the first time they had wandered into trouble. But this—this felt different. They had crossed into lawless territory, leaving behind the invisible veil of the Empire's order. The lands they tread now were not tracked on clean maps with clear borders. They were etched into stories whispered by travellers, into warnings carved on old trees.
Luke swallowed hard.
He hated this.
