Chapter 1724: The Awakening of Shadows

A dense, almost palpable silence reigned over the forest as the first light of dawn struggled to pierce the emerald gloom. Elena led her party—Liam and Finn close at her side—through a tangle of ancient trees and creeping vines. Every step felt charged with both anticipation and foreboding. The whispered legends of old, once spoken only in hushed tones in Blackwood Hollow, now echoed around them in the rustle of leaves and the distant murmur of forgotten tongues.

*"Keep your eyes open,"* Elena murmured, her voice steady despite the tremor of uncertainty in her heart. *"The path to Valoria is not merely a road but a trial of our resolve."*