Aerith didn't move when the pressure finally arrived. The air thickened first with palpable intent. His surroundings seemed to recoil and sink from the pressure. All sound vanished, insects disappeared, and even the leaves stopped rustling.
His skin prickled violently, every nerve screaming at once.
"So it's here..." Aerith exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders, loosening muscles that had been tense for days. His grip tightened around the barbed feather in his hand, the familiar weight grounding him. The tree beneath him creaked softly as he rose, his boots sinking slightly into decayed bark.
His senses pushed out, sharpened by his Circle of Mind. He didn't see the beast first, but he felt it.
Something vast moved through the undergrowth without disturbing it. It moved with precision. Every step was placed where roots would not crack, where branches would not snap.
Aerith smiled wider, his stormy eyes glowing with deep light.
