The journey ahead felt more uncertain than ever. The forest beyond the clearing grew denser with every step, the path narrow and winding, as though nature itself was trying to keep them from their destination. Kael, Morgana, and Elarion moved as a unit, silent but resolute, knowing that the creature they had just defeated was only a small part of the dark web that was slowly choking the world. The void was not gone; it was merely hiding, waiting for its next opportunity to strike.
Kael could still feel the pulse of the Heart of Aether faintly thrumming within him, its power a quiet but constant reminder of the burden he carried. The crystal, no longer guiding his steps, had drained him in ways he couldn't fully comprehend. Its absence left a strange emptiness in its wake, a weight he hadn't felt before. It was as if his memories were still slipping through his fingers, fragments of a past life that no longer seemed his own.