"The answers we seek often come at the cost of the questions we fear."
The moonlight cut through the dense canopy of the ancient forest like shards of silver, illuminating the hidden path ahead. My steps were hesitant, the weight of the moment pressing heavily on my chest. The air smelled of damp earth and pine, and though the forest was alive with the hum of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl, it felt eerily still.
The map Edric had given me was worn and yellowed, its edges frayed from centuries of handling. The markings were faint but clear enough to lead me here to this forgotten corner of Verauno—a place whispered about in old tales and half-remembered legends. A place I had never expected to find myself.
I stopped at the base of an ancient oak, its gnarled roots twisting out
