The forest grew deeper and denser with each step. Towering trees obscured the sky, filtering the light, while golden rays of sunlight pierced through the outstretched branches. Somewhere in the woods, the chirping of birds echoed faintly.
Aornn led the way, leaving Tirrellda and Daroon behind. With every stride, he left faint azure traces lingering in the air, and the rustle of dry leaves brushed against the surroundings. Whenever Aornn glanced back at Tirrellda and Daroon following him, a cold, blue glow flickered briefly in his empty eye sockets before vanishing, repeating the cycle.
"How much farther do we have to go from here?"
Tirrellda's voice cut softly through the forest's stillness.
Her boots crunched over fallen leaves as she trailed behind Aornn. Her cloak swayed gracefully with her steps, subtly reflecting the sunlight that filtered through the branches. The small silver earrings dangling from her long ears swayed in rhythm with her gait.
Tirrellda carefully pushed aside a slender branch with her hand.
"Where is that child leading us...?"
She whispered, her words barely audible.
Behind Tirrellda, Daroon followed with heavy footsteps. His black steel armor clanked with each movement.
The halberd slung over his shoulder occasionally brushed against upper branches, scattering small leaves and twig fragments that fluttered down onto his head.
"I've not spent my whole life in forests, but..."
Daroon said in a low, gruff voice.
"This place feels entirely different from the woods near the fortress. I've never ventured this deep inside before. The air... it feels off, somehow."
As Tirrellda and Daroon descended a gentle hillside path, orange and brown leaves rustled beneath their feet. The scent of damp earth grazed their nostrils, and in the distance, the rhythmic tapping of a woodpecker on wood mingled with the gentle babble of a hidden stream, carried on a soft breeze.
Tirrellda paused her steps and listened to the forest's voices. Her keen senses detected subtle shifts in the surroundings. A young deer observed them from afar before vanishing into the underbrush in an instant, startling a squirrel on a branch above, which scampered away to hide.
"It doesn't seem like the forest is wary of us."
Tirrellda said, her fingertips tracing the rough bark of a tree.
The leaves rustled in the wind, their sound swelling and then fading.
As Daroon walked behind Aornn, the occasional snap of thin twigs crushed under his weight echoed, and each time, he paused briefly to glance down at his feet.
Aornn moved agilely along the narrowing forest path. His vine-covered body glided between the trees with a soft swishing sound. Occasionally, small mushrooms left in his wake emitted a bluish glow, faintly illuminating the path for Tirrellda and Daroon trailing behind.
As the forest deepened, the light grew dimmer. What had once been bright and warm now shifted to a subdued hue.
A chill wind suddenly arose, whipping sharply and tugging at Tirrellda's cloak, causing the feather adornment in her hair to quiver. She halted her movement and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. At the tip of her nose, all the scents of the forest flooded in at once: the sweet aroma of fallen leaves, the rich earthiness of soil, the subtle fragrances of distant flowers and mushrooms.
Tirrellda paused for a moment to catch her breath and survey her surroundings. Something... an absolute silence, devoid of sound or presence. This wasn't a natural tranquility.
"Something's changed."
Tirrellda said, opening her eyes.
"The air feels heavier... and ancient, somehow."
The wind grew cooler, and from somewhere ahead, the drip of water echoed.
Daroon ducked to avoid a long, curved branch blocking his path. His back grazed it, dislodging thin flakes of moss and a few leaves that spiraled slowly downward with a rustle. He grumbled lowly and carefully readjusted his grip on the halberd, mindful not to let the weapon snag on the undergrowth.
The pair passed through a narrow passage where the bushes grew even thicker. Now the trees were thicker and taller, with massive roots protruding from the ground, repeatedly obstructing Tirrellda and Daroon's steps as they followed Aornn. Some roots rose like small hills, requiring them to lift their feet high to cross over.
Tirrellda suddenly halted. The wind and birdsong seemed to have vanished. The forest remained silent, but that silence felt like a held breath.
The tips of her ears twitched slightly. Something brushed in the distance, but she couldn't pinpoint the direction. This silence, without even the roll of a single leaf... it was unnatural. Daroon scanned the surroundings and muttered lowly.
"Why is it so quiet...?"
Under normal circumstances, the forest should have been alive with more sounds of life. Tirrellda closed her eyes briefly. In that moment, it felt not as if she were walking through the forest, but enveloped by it.
The forest's shadows were lengthening. It wasn't yet dusk, but... Tirrellda lifted her head, peering through the dry leaves and furrowing her brow.
From afar, carried on the wind, a peculiar scent mingled in. It wasn't the unfamiliar fragrance of flowers or the rot of wood. It was an inexplicable, eerie odor.
After following Aornn for what seemed an eternity, the pair finally arrived at the entrance of a cave nestled among colossal trees. The entrance was shrouded in dark shadows, and from within, a faint blue flame-like light flickered. Like will-o'-the-wisps hovering, the light cast an ethereal glow over moss-covered rocks.
The cave's mouth appeared natural yet subtly refined by some unseen hand. Massive roots encircled the entrance, and between them, droplets fell, forming small puddles. The air around the cave was heavy with the scent of damp stone and moisture-laden earth, permeated by a deeper chill.
Tirrellda turned to gaze at Aornn, who waited at the cave entrance. His empty eye sockets fixed on her, the blue glow within now shining more intensely.
"So there was a cave in a place like this."
She murmured softly. Her voice was calm, but her expression, as she turned her head to survey the surroundings, held a trace of wonder. As her fingers brushed the wall at the entrance, a faint light shimmered on the surface before fading.
Daroon narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness. In the cold air, his breath rose like faint mist. His rough fingers unconsciously stroked the sharp blade of his halberd.
"Is this the guy's home?" He muttered lowly. His voice blended suspicion with curiosity.
Daroon approached the small entrance where Aornn had vanished. Aornn's vine body had already slipped through the narrow crevice like seeping mist. The opening was barely large enough for Daroon's bulk. He bowed his head and hunched his back to enter. His steel armor scraped against the rough stone walls with a grating clank, dislodging small rock fragments that crumbled away.
Right beside it loomed a massive entrance several times larger than the small one Aornn had used, its maw gaping wide in the darkness. Around this entrance, faint carvings of Vrant patterns were etched, partially obscured by moss and vines.
Upon entering the cave, the space opened wide. The damp walls glistened like crystals under faint light. Small stalactites hung from the ceiling, their tips dripping water that struck the floor with clear echoes.
Daroon straightened up with a low groan. He glanced back at the narrow passage he'd just traversed and said,
"What? It all leads to the same place anyway?"
He shook his head in disbelief, chuckling dryly. His voice carried a mix of irritation and amusement.
"No need to squeeze through that tiny hole, then..."
After confirming the pair following him, Aornn proceeded ahead once more.
The swish of Aornn's vine body against the floor blended oddly with the dripping water. With each step Aornn took, subtle traces lingered on the ground before gradually fading.
Tirrellda and Daroon followed. Tirrellda's acute senses detected that this cave was no mere natural formation. A faint tremor of magical energy quivered at her fingertips.
Deep within the Sarn Forest, in an unnamed cave, a wondrous sight unfolded before Tirrellda and Daroon's eyes.
The cave walls were intricately engraved with golden-glowing Vrant words. These designs shimmered as if alive, their undulating golden light reflecting in the pooled water on the floor and illuminating up to the ceiling.
"This is..."
A whisper filled with awe escaped Tirrellda's lips.
From the ceiling, water droplets fell in a rhythmic patter. Drip, drip—the sound of them striking the floor echoed deep into the cave, enhancing the mystical atmosphere.
Aornn, leading ahead, turned back to wait for the pair who had lagged behind while gazing at the walls. He tilted his head, causing his vine body to sway, signaling them to proceed further.
Following Aornn a bit more along the cave's path, a beam of light seeped through a crack in the ceiling, illuminating the cave floor. The light flowed in like liquid, brightly filling the interior.
In that instant, Tirrellda's eyes widened. She raised her hand into the air while staring at the Vrant patterns etched on the wall. Her gaze fixed on one intricately carved design, and she whispered quietly before it. Her fingertips traced the pattern in the air, as if committing the unfamiliar Vrant script to memory.
"Amazing... so many ancient Vrant inscriptions..."
Her voice was brimming with admiration.
The passage narrowed again. The walls drew closer, constricting the space. Along the walls, more Vrant patterns gleamed in golden light.
The air grew heavier still, mingling the drip of water with the swish of Aornn's vines against the cave floor.
Daroon's armor clanked through the tight path, his massive frame filling the corridor.
He advanced, sharply scanning the shadowed areas cast by his own silhouette. His hand still gripped the halberd's handle firmly.
Upon reaching the end of the cave, an intensely blinding light filled the space before them, stinging their eyes. Tirrellda and Daroon reflexively raised their arms to shield their faces, instinctively squinting.
The light flooded the cave, softly illuminating Tirrellda's face as she barely managed to open her eyes.
Unconsciously, Tirrellda took another step forward.
Beyond the light, it felt as though something awaited her.