The air carried a heavy silence, broken only by the faint hum of the rift in the distance. Elara adjusted her grip on her sword, the weight of the Essence of the Everflame a constant presence in her satchel. The others had fallen into step behind her, their expressions tense. The battle in the volcanic cavern had taken its toll on all of them, and though they had sealed the rift there, they knew it was only the beginning.
The forest surrounding them was dark and dense, the ancient trees looming like sentinels against the chaos they faced. The path ahead was barely visible, overgrown and twisted, but Elara pressed forward. The map they had recovered from the ruins indicated another disturbance—a rift deeper in the forest, this one tied to a nexus of abyssal energy.
Morgana walked beside her, her staff glowing faintly with an aura of protection. "This forest feels wrong," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "The abyss has tainted it."