The ancient altar stood silent as the group gathered around it, their eyes fixed on the carved map etched into the stone. Time and weather had worn away much of its detail, but the pathways were still clear enough to follow. Ezra traced one of the engraved lines with his fingertip, his brow furrowed in concentration.
“This symbol here,” he said, tapping on a crude representation of a fortress, “this must be the Forbidden Fortress. And this path… it looks like a shortcut through the heart of the forest.”
Caroline knelt beside him, her sharp eyes scanning the markings. “A shortcut, or a trap?”
Senua crossed her arms, her gaze darting around the clearing. “Either way, it’s our only lead. We can’t afford to backtrack now.”
Ezra nodded, rising to his feet and sheathing his sword. “We follow
