The forest had swallowed them whole.
Kael led the way, moving through the dense underbrush with the ease of someone who had spent far too much time in places like this. Elyra followed, each step measured, every nerve stretched tight. The smell of damp earth and decaying leaves lingered in the air, thick with the scent of rot. The deeper they moved into the Deadmarch Wilds, the more oppressive it became. It was as though the very land was alive—watching, listening, waiting.
The battle from the night before was still fresh in Elyra's mind. The memory of those creatures, their hollow eyes glowing with malice, clawing at her with impossible speed, made her skin crawl. She had fought well, but she had also been close. Too close. The thought of them returning, or worse, something more powerful coming from the shadows, sent a chill down her spine.
Kael didn't speak as they moved. His silence was unsettling—unlike his usual arrogance. The pride that usually made him seem untouchable was absent. His back was stiff, his movements sharp, every sense alert. He was worried. Even he couldn't ignore the danger they were walking into.
Elyra couldn't decide what was more unnerving—the fact that the land felt so alive, or that Kael, the one person who seemed to have the answer to everything, was acting as if he didn't have a clue.
The moment stretched, broken only by the faint crack of twigs beneath their feet. Kael's voice, low and grating, cut through the stillness.
"Stay close."
The words were simple, but they held weight. Elyra nodded silently, instinctively moving in behind him, but she felt the unease gnawing at her gut. The Deadmarch Wilds weren't like other forests. This was different—and it didn't care who they were. Kael's presence, his experience in these lands, meant nothing here. In these woods, even he was a mere speck on the face of something far older, far darker.
They walked on for hours, though it felt like days. The silence was suffocating—no birds singing, no insects buzzing. Only the sound of their breath, the occasional snap of a branch, and the distant rustling of the trees, a strange, almost rhythmic pulse beneath the ground. The longer they went, the more Elyra's senses screamed at her to stop. To turn back. But they couldn't. Not after everything they had seen. The truth was clear now: they were too deep. There was no escape.
Elyra had never been this far into the Deadmarch, but she had heard the rumors. Whispers about the forest's twisted nature. How the land itself was corrupted, how it bent the very laws of nature to its will. It wasn't just the creatures that were dangerous—it was the land itself. The Deadmarch was alive in a way she couldn't fully understand.
And it knew they were there.
The hairs on her neck stood up, her body instinctively slowing as they neared a clearing. Kael stopped in his tracks, his eyes scanning the area ahead. His posture was rigid, as though he, too, felt the pressure closing in. Elyra's hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her dagger.
"We're being watched," Kael muttered, his voice barely audible.
Elyra froze. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her breath felt thick, every muscle coiled in anticipation. It wasn't just that they were being watched—there was something more to it. Something waiting.
"I know," she whispered.
The forest had fallen completely silent.
And then, like a whisper on the wind, she heard it. A low growl. The sound was so quiet at first that she almost thought it was her imagination, but then it came again—closer this time. A guttural, animalistic sound, so full of hunger that it twisted her gut.
Kael's eyes narrowed, and his hand tightened around his sword. He didn't say anything, but he moved forward, his movements smooth, calculated. Elyra followed, her breath shallow, her heart racing. She had learned not to question Kael in moments like this. His instincts were sharp—too sharp. And right now, they were telling him something that she could barely grasp.
Suddenly, the underbrush ahead of them exploded.
The air was ripped apart by a roar that felt like the very earth was shaking beneath them. Elyra barely had time to react as a blur of motion rushed at them from the trees. It was fast—faster than anything she had seen before—and it was big. Its twisted form emerged from the shadows, eyes glowing with a sickly green hue. Its body was a nightmarish fusion of limbs and claws, bone and sinew, with skin that seemed to pulse, like it was still alive in some way. A creature of nightmare, and it was charging straight at them.
Kael was already moving.
The blade in his hand flashed, cutting through the air with terrifying precision. But the creature was quick. Too quick. It veered to the side, its claws swiping at Kael's torso. Kael sidestepped, but the creature's claws still caught him, the sound of tearing leather filling the air.
Elyra's breath caught in her throat as she rushed forward, her dagger raised. She aimed for the creature's flank, but it spun toward her with the speed of a shadow. It lashed out, its claws scraping across her arm. Pain exploded through her, but she didn't have time to process it. The creature came again, and she was forced to dodge, narrowly avoiding its swipe.
"Stay away from me!" she shouted, more to herself than to anyone else. But it didn't listen. It didn't care. It was an animal—a beast—driven by pure hunger.
Kael's blade slashed through the creature's throat, but it didn't fall. Instead, it screeched—a horrid, grating sound that made her bones rattle. Its green eyes locked on her, and she could see it now—there was intelligence in those eyes. It wasn't just an animal. It was hunting them.
"Kael!" Elyra shouted as she thrust her dagger into the creature's chest. The force of her strike sent it stumbling back, but it wasn't enough.
The thing recovered too quickly, its claws raking the air as it spun back toward them. Elyra's vision blurred with pain, the world tilting as the creature swiped at her again. She rolled away, the ground harsh against her back. Blood stained her clothes, the scent mixing with the earth's decay.
"Now!" Kael's voice was sharp, slicing through the chaos.
She knew what he meant. She had to act now.
Kael moved with a fluidity that defied everything. His sword moved like an extension of his body, cutting through the air as he closed in on the creature, his strike finding its mark in the beast's exposed side. Elyra wasn't sure how he did it—he didn't even look tired, though they had been fighting for what felt like an eternity.
The beast staggered back, its eyes now clouded with rage. But it wasn't over. Not yet. Another creature—another one of its kind—emerged from the shadows, its eyes glowing the same eerie green.
"Damn it," Elyra hissed. "More?"
Kael didn't respond. He just moved, faster than she could follow, his blade cutting through the air as the creatures closed in.
And then the earth trembled.
It was subtle at first, a low vibration underfoot that made the ground seem like it was alive. Then, without warning, the earth cracked open before them, a massive figure rising from the depths of the ground. Its body was a grotesque thing, a fusion of bark and flesh, its form twisted in a way that was not natural—not of this world. Its eyes—those eyes—burned with ancient hatred, and it roared, the sound deafening.
Kael's expression didn't change. His eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, his grip tightening around his sword.
"We're in deeper than we thought," he said, his voice steady, almost... bored.
But there was no time to question him.
The fight was only just beginning.
Author's Reflection:
In this chapter, I wanted to heighten the intensity of the Deadmarch Wilds—both physically and emotionally. Elyra's struggle is more visceral now. Her injuries, the overwhelming presence of the creatures, the constant feeling of being hunted—all of it is amplified to make the experience feel more real. Kael's arrogance has been stripped away, revealing a man who is, for once, uncertain. The introduction of the larger, more ancient creature shows that they are now at the mercy of something far older than they ever anticipated. And for Elyra, there is no choice but to keep fighting, even when the world itself seems to be against her.