The forest was silent — the kind of silence that swallowed everything whole.
No crickets. No wind. No whispers. Only the faint crunch of leaves beneath booted feet as two figures moved like phantoms through the dark.
The moon hung low, pale and cold, bathing the world in silver shadows. Chiron walked ahead, muscles tense, his hand never straying far from the sword strapped to his back. Behind him, Kai moved with deliberate quiet, his eyes faintly glowing — twin embers burning beneath a hood.
They had tracked the Imperial convoy for hours, following the faint wheel ruts through the dirt and the occasional shimmer of torchlight far ahead.
When the smell of smoke reached them, they stopped.
Kai raised his hand, a small gesture that froze Chiron mid-step. He crouched low, pressing two fin
