They moved without speaking, the damp air swallowing even the sound of their boots.
The trail ahead was too easy to follow—bent reeds, mud displaced just enough to guide them forward.
"Too obvious," Marcus muttered.
Selene's eyes narrowed. "It's a funnel. They want us to follow."
Still, they pressed on. Not because they trusted it, but because turning back would mean leaving answers behind—and Ethan could see the same stubborn fire in their eyes that he felt in his chest.
The ground shifted beneath their feet, firmer than the boggy patches they knew. No map he'd studied showed this place.
Rowan slowed, scanning the treeline. "The marsh shouldn't stretch this far south."
"It doesn't," Selene replied. "At least, not officially."
The air grew warmer, and with it came a faint hum—like insects, but lower, thicker. It vibrated through Ethan's bones.
Lily raised a hand, signaling a halt. "Listen."
From ahead came the unmistakable creak of metal on metal. Chain again, but longer this time.
They crept closer until the reeds parted into a clearing Ethan had never seen before.
In the center stood a half-collapsed wooden structure—maybe once a watchtower—its base sunk deep into the marsh.
And in the mud around it… more Dark corpses. Not fresh, but preserved unnaturally, their bodies stiff as if frozen mid-movement.
Selene's voice was barely a breath. "Who would leave them like this?"
Before anyone could answer, the hum spiked. A shadow moved in the tower's upper frame, just long enough for Ethan's system to flicker:
[Unknown Entity Detected]
[Observation in Progress]
The reeds behind them rustled.
They weren't being followed anymore.
They were surrounded.