Elena’s heart pounded as the mist coiled and thickened around them like living tendrils. The sound of the growl wasn’t coming from a single direction anymore—it echoed from everywhere.
Kael took a slow step back, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his dagger. “Tell me I’m hallucinating.”
Serin didn’t answer. His eyes darted around, analyzing the shifting mist, his jaw clenched in frustration. “We can’t stay here. We need to move.”
“But there’s no path!” Elena hissed.
The mist continued to press in, growing denser by the second. It wasn’t just fog—it was something else, something that wasn’t supposed to exist. Shapes flickered inside it, almost humanoid, but distorted and writhing as if trapped between worlds.
Then, a voice whispered.
Low. Hollow.
“Stay.”
Elena stiffened. The
