Amon moved forward with calm, cautious steps. It has been hours now since he was walking.
The dark forest stretched endlessly ahead of him, the twisted black trees forming a suffocating corridor that swallowed sound and light alike.
His breathing was slow and controlled, every sense sharpened. In his right hand, his sword remained steady, angled slightly downward but ready to rise at a moment's notice.
He wasn't rushing.
After everything he had faced, he knew one thing: there were not too many strong monsters in this forest or at least in the area he was currently in.
But that might make him too lenient and lead to a fatal mistake. One small error, and he could die.
Crunch.
A faint sound echoed somewhere to his right. Amon stopped instantly.
His body froze, muscles tensing as his eyes narrowed. The sound had been subtle, too light to be a monster charging blindly, too deliberate to be the forest settling.
