The sun was already dipping toward dusk over the trial grounds, casting long shadows through the dense wilderness. Deep within the outer perimeter of the Divine Sea Temple's first layer, six figures moved cautiously through the forest, their pace measured and deliberate. Every few steps, they paused, scanning their surroundings as if expecting something to lunge at them from the shadows at any moment.
Everyone, that is, except Ethan.
He walked along with an almost careless air, as though this were nothing more than a casual stroll. In reality, his Soul Sense, though suppressed by the strange environment, still extended roughly sixty feet around him. Whether his eyes were open or closed made little difference; anything that entered that range would immediately register in his awareness, unless it was one of those rare anomalies capable of blocking detection entirely.
