They entered Ashenveil.
And the forest welcomed them.
Silently.
Mist curled around their legs like pale fingers, coiling and uncoiling as if testing their presence. The towering trees stood like ancient sentinels, their bark blackened with age, their branches clawing at the dim sky above.
Leah raised her hand slowly.
"We have to look everywhere," she whispered.
Her voice felt small here.
"I'll watch the back," Thalia replied.
She turned, fluid and precise, drawing an arrow from her quiver and setting it against the bowstring. The faint creak of the drawn bow sounded unnaturally loud.
Mauris shifted his grip on his spear and turned to the right, holding it horizontally, ready to thrust.
"I'll take this side."
Frauner turned left, his sword held upright beside his face, its steel reflecting faint streaks of gray light.
"I'll watch here."
Thalia looked at Henry, who stood in the middle, trying to look braver than he felt.
"Henry. Stay in the center. Watch everything."
Her voice was firm; but beneath it lived fear.
Henry swallowed.
"Okay… sis."
Leah bent down in front of him. Her expression softened.
She gently patted his head.
"Don't worry," she said quietly.
"We'll protect you. My brother."
She reached behind her back and drew the small dagger from its sheath.
The blade shimmered faintly even in the weak light. It was slender and elegant, forged from pale silver steel etched with delicate flowing runes along its center. The hilt was wrapped in dark blue leather, worn smooth with age and care, and a small sapphire rested at its base, catching what little light remained.
"Your father gave this to me," Leah said.
"He told me it would protect me."
She placed it into Henry's hands.
"Now… it belongs to you."
Henry's eyes widened with awe.
He turned it, staring at his reflection in its surface.
He tried to spin it.
The dagger slipped.
It fell.
Clinkkkk!
Henry grabbed it quickly.
"Careful," Thalia said sharply. "You're going to hurt yourself."
Henry nodded quickly.
Leah stood.
"I'll watch the front."
Mauris nodded.
"Move carefully."
They formed their circle.
And stepped forward.
They walked slowly.
Deliberately.
Each step placed with care.
Mist drifted between them, sometimes hiding their legs entirely. The ground beneath their feet was soft, damp, and uneven. Fallen leaves covered hidden roots that twisted like bones beneath the soil.
The forest was alive.
Not with movement;
But with presence.
The chirping of unseen insects echoed constantly, sharp and metallic, like tiny blades striking glass. Somewhere distant, wood creaked; not from wind, but from slow, natural shifting, like something stretching after a long sleep.
The air smelled of wet earth and decay.
Tree trunks were scarred with deep claw marks.
Some trees leaned unnaturally, their shapes twisted as though they had tried to flee and failed.
A cold breeze passed.
But the leaves did not move.
It felt wrong.
Ashenveil did not breathe like other forests.
It watched.
It listened.
It waited.
Hissssss!
A sudden sound.
Frauner turned;
Too late.
A snake launched from a nearby branch.
Its body long and black.
Its mouth wide.
Two massive fangs gleaming.
"LOOK OUT!" Henry shouted.
Thalia spun instantly.
Her arrow released.
TWAANG!
Frauner dropped low.
The arrow passed inches above his head.
The snake flew forward;
Directly into it.
THUNK;
The arrow pierced through its open mouth and slammed into a tree.
The snake's body writhed violently, curling and twisting before slowly falling still.
Dead.
Frauner stood.
Calm.
But his breath heavier.
"We have to be careful," he said. "Everything here can kill us."
Mauris nodded.
"Move carefully."
Frauner looked at Henry.
He gave him a small salute.
"Good job."
Henry beamed.
"Yes. It is mighty Henry who saved you."
Thalia glared.
"Hey. What about me?"
"Don't steal my credit!" Henry protested.
Mauris chuckled.
"Yes, Thalia. Don't steal his glory."
Leah smirked faintly.
Thalia groaned.
"You're all ungrateful idiots."
They laughed.
For a moment;
They were children again.
Then Leah's face hardened.
"Move."
They obeyed.
A sound.
Above.
Rustling.
Frauner's eyes widened.
"Everybody duck!"
They dropped instantly, grabbing each other's shoulders.
The sky exploded.
Hundreds of bats burst from the trees like living shadows. Their wings beat violently, filling the air with thunderous flapping. Their shrieks pierced the silence, sharp and frantic, as they swarmed over the group in a spiraling storm.
Wind whipped through their hair.
Claws brushed past their armor.
The swarm passed as quickly as it came.
And vanished.
Silence returned.
Mauris exhaled.
"Bloody bats."
Thalia looked upward.
"I think the sun is going down."
Leah followed her gaze.
The faint gray light was fading.
"Yes," she said quietly.
Night was coming.
Mauris spoke.
"We set camp."
Thalia looked at him like he was insane.
"Here?"
"It's too dangerous to move in darkness," Frauner said.
She sighed.
"Where?"
Leah pointed.
"There."
A massive tree stood ahead.
Its trunk was enormous;wider than a house. Its roots rose high above the ground, twisting outward like giant frozen serpents. Between them was a hollow;a natural shelter.
Frauner nodded.
"Perfect."
They moved toward it.
They worked quickly.
Mauris gathered thick branches.
Frauner collected dry wood.
Thalia gathered twigs.
Leah cleared the ground.
Henry helped where he could.
Soon;
A pyre stood ready.
Mauris stepped forward.
"Now my turn."
He spun his spear in a smooth semicircle.
The air shimmered.
A small fireball formed at its tip.
He thrust forward.
The fireball struck the wood.
Flames erupted.
He repeated it.
Again.
Again.
Until the fire grew strong.
Warm.
Alive.
They sat around it.
Close.
Safe.
For now.
Beyond the fire;
Ashenveil watched.
And waited.