While the trio wandered along the forest's jagged perimeter, the air grew heavier—denser. At first, it was subtle, something easily brushed off as paranoia. But it wasn't just their nerves this time. The fog wall that had loomed in the distance was no longer stagnant. It was growing.
Mia noticed it first.
She squinted through the haze, then nudged the other two with a sense of urgency. "Guys… the fog. It's expanding, right? I'm not hallucinating, am I?"
Verena gulped and scanned the forest's edge, eyes narrowing. "No. You're not wrong. That thing's spreading."
Kaelira's lips pressed into a thin line. She clutched her daggers tighter. "Should we… run? That thing doesn't feel natural. More cursed than the monsters we saw earlier."
Verena didn't hesitate. "Yeah. That's not something we want to be anywhere near."
Mia was about to nod in agreement—when her eyes went wide.
Her breath hitched.
"What the—"
