The descent from the Whispering Abyss felt longer than the climb. The victory tasted hollow in Kaelin’s mouth. The Fourth Seal was shattered, but at a cost none of them yet fully understood. Every step forward made the air heavier, as though the gods’ rage seeped into the very wind.
When the Hollow Legion finally crested the ridge, sunlight greeted them like an old friend—warm, but distant. They paused only briefly to resupply before pushing east toward their next destination.
The Fifth Seal awaited them in Eldergloom.
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Eldergloom was not marked on any map. The land itself resisted cartography, shifting its boundaries like a living, breathing organism. Stories spoke of travelers lost for weeks in its woods, wandering in endless circles, only to emerge years older—or never at all.
A
