The forest had changed into something out of a nightmare.
The once-faint mist now clung to the ground like a living thing, curling around their ankles. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and blood, each breath Luca took feeling colder than the last. A strange, low hum reverberated through the darkened atmosphere, blending with the distant, sporadic roars of beasts. Shadows swayed unnaturally in the dim light, like they had a will of their own.
Celestia was ahead, her crimson eyes glowing faintly in the gloom, her hands moving with terrifying grace as she tore through another wave of beasts. These weren't the weak creatures from earlier—each one was faster, their muscles taut with unnatural strength, their eyes glowing with a sickly, corrupted hue. Luca stayed close, his twin sabers already drawn, his knuckles white on the grips. His heart pounded—not only from the threat around them, but from the conversation that still rang in his ears.
