Time is running out

The forest seemed endless, its ancient trees looming over us like silent sentinels. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the very ground beneath us resisted our progress. The air was thick with tension, every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig sending our hands instinctively to our weapons. I felt the weight of the crystal pressing against my back, a constant reminder of the burden I carried—not just physically, but emotionally. Its cold energy seeped through my pack, a chilling presence that never let me forget what we had to do.

"We should rest," Raven suggested, her voice cutting through the oppressive silence. She was right, but the idea of stopping here, in the middle of this suffocating forest, made my skin crawl.

"Not yet," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "We need to put more distance between us and the fortress."