Battle 3

Two days.

For two long days, they had hunted through the corrupted forest, the air thick with the metallic smell of blood. Two days since they had faced death in that temple, and two days since Vell had changed yet again. He was stronger, faster, and the way he moved now was like a predatory beast. Sometimes, the cold, calculating look in his eyes made Yenna's breath catch in her throat.

"Stop." He raised his arm, his predator-like eyes scanning an area far beyond what they could see. The others froze instantly. Wren's ears twitched, her nose testing the air. The twins, Mia and Sia, huddled close to Yenna, their small bodies trembling not from the cold, but from the oppressive, dangerous mana that saturated the air around them.

"Do you smell that?" he whispered, his gaze sweeping the trees. His senses were heightened, sharper than any blade.