The Pulse Of Chaos

The air in the forest had changed. It wasn't something tangible, but it was enough to make the hairs on the back of Rem's neck stand on end. 

The once-calm silence of the woods was now alive with an eerie hum, as though the forest itself was bracing for something catastrophic.

Luke and Kiara trudged behind him, their movements purposeful but weighed down by the tension in the air. 

The group of adventurers they'd encountered earlier was still with them, though their steps had grown more hesitant as the forest's unease settled over them.

"I don't like this," Kiara muttered, her dagger drawn and glinting faintly in the filtered sunlight. "It feels like the forest is watching us."

Rem didn't answer right away. His sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, his grip firm on his sword's hilt.

"It's not the forest," he finally said. "It's the monsters. They're everywhere."