---
On the seventh day, they entered a rocky highland. Sharp wind cut across the terrain, carrying the faint smell of pine trees and distant rain. The path became steep and winding, climbing toward the shadow of a mountain ridge.
Fizz floated ahead, wings buzzing in excitement. "I can feel it. Something is humming in the air. We are close, Master Forgetful. Very close."
John felt it too. The faint pulse in his chest, the pull of mana, guiding him like an unseen compass.
They paused on a ledge as the sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the jagged stone. Below, a ravine cut deep into the earth, and beyond it rose the dark silhouette of their destination. It was a cluster of craggy hills and twisted trees that looked like the skeleton of a long-dead beast.
Fizz hovered beside him, unusually quiet for a moment. "You feel that, right?"
"Yes."
