We step through twilight and into a realm of swirling darkness. Every time I walk with Elmir across the Fade it becomes a little easier than the last. Still, this place between worlds—not quite one or the other—makes invisible bugs scuttle across my skin.
I do not belong here, and the entity that is the Fade makes the fact known.
“I recognize this place.” It’s the same mossy clearing I stumbled on with Hook. A circle of smaller stones rings a large tablet at the center of a small rise.
“You think you do,” Elmir corrects. “You’ve never stepped foot here before.”
I look at the stone and its faded writing. “Another keystone of the Fade?”
“Indeed.” The shadows swirl around Elmir as he moves toward the stone. They reach for him hungrily. Tendrils curl around him with eager embraces.
No, I
