Crackle~ crackle~
The soft sound of fire echoed through the dark, silent forest, mixing with the occasional rustle of leaves in the night breeze.
Flames flickered against the deep shadows, casting dancing patterns of light and darkness on the surrounding trees.
The forest, once alive with the sounds of nature, now held an eerie quiet, as if even the beasts had retreated in the wake of the earlier bloodshed.
A skinned wild animal hung over the fire, slowly roasting on a spit fashioned from rough tree branches, its juices sizzling as they dripped into the flames below.
Lucian sat near the fire, the warmth brushing against his skin, though it did little to penetrate the cold air.
His crimson eyes reflected the firelight as he idly fiddled with the spirit stone in his hand, the same stones he had acquired after the earlier confrontation.