Chapter 1863: Echoes Beneath the Grove

The wind carried the scent of scorched wood and bitter metal as the companions left the ruined tower behind. Though the corruption that had plagued it was quelled, a chill lingered in the air, as though the tower itself mourned what it had become. Elara felt the tension knot in her chest—not from fear, but the burden of foresight. The vision that had struck her in the tower hadn't faded. The towering figure wreathed in shadows still loomed at the edges of her consciousness, its awareness pressing down like the weight of an unseen storm.