The forest lay out before them like a shroud, mist curling around tangled branches and sodden undergrowth. Each step the group took felt heavier than the last, as if the shadows themselves were weighing down upon them. Kael took the lead, hand resting on his sword hilt, scanning for the slightest sign of movement. The vanishing of Azrak haunted him.
Elira crept by, her hands subtly radiating the residual healing magic. "He's out there," she whispered, more to herself than anything else. "I can tell. Something drew him… ruled him. Or lured him." Her voice shook, though she struggled to keep it steady.
Rina knelt next to a downed tree, claws softly raking the bark. "We've ridden worse," she said, attempting to infuse confidence into the group. "We'll ride this out, too. We'll catch him—before they do."
Thargrim's boots pounded against the earth. "They're after somethin' from him. I can tell by the smell. And it ain't good." His voice was low, raspy, but there was a sharp edge of fear.
Kael's mind reiterated the events of yesterday : Azrak's hesitation against the Demon Royal, the flash of recognition in his scarlet eyes at mention of the name Thorne. Half-brother. Friend. Comrade. The implications of that discovery weighed heavily upon Kael.
Lyrielle's acutely elven senses picked up every movement in the underbrush. She froze, hand held aloft. "There is something before us," she whispered. "I can sense it. Watching. Waiting."
Kael's hands closed harder. "Then we go slowly. We move as a unit. No errors."
The fog grew denser, rendering known paths eerie and spectral. Shadows danced at the edges of their perception, and every cracking twig was a warning. Movement suddenly appeared out of the mist—a hooded figure, as silent as a whisper, moving with the deliberate precision of an animal.
Kael had his sword out instinctively, the metal singing faintly in the wet air. The figure hesitated for an instant, then disappeared as quietly as it came.
"They're testing us," Kael growled, jaws tight. "And they'll do it again. Someone wants to see what we do. Someone wants us somewhere."
Rina's eyes slitted. "It's more than testing. They're leading us. Creating a stage. Someone out there is pulling the strings."
Elira's voice was steady but firm. "Patience is their tool. And they are patient. We need to be cleverer, quicker, and more cautious. Each step is important."
The party proceeded with caution, sensitive to every rustle of movement. Kael's mind went back to Azrak, to the brother he had battled alongside, now gone in the grip of another's power. I won't let them have him entirely, he thought.
Branches twisted unnaturally across the curving road, and mist hid what was to come. Every sound was a possible danger. Every shadow, an enemy waiting. The road was long, and the enemy patient. The Fractured Shadow had already started its work.
Kael held up his hand, calling a stop to the party. "Close ranks. Move as one. No mistakes."
With that, they pushed forward into the fog, hearts racing, senses alert. Somewhere unseen, eyes watched them, weighing, waiting, scheming. The storm not yet finished, and the road that lay before them promised tests both physical and psychological.