Chapter 27:Into the Moonfall Forest

The world folded around them, a rush of light and shadow that left Axton disoriented. His stomach lurched as the teleportation platform vanished, replaced by the oppressive stillness of the Moonfall Forest.

The forest stretched endlessly, its towering trees glowing faintly in the moonlight. Their twisted branches reached skyward, clawing at the dense canopy that fractured the moon's beams into shimmering threads. The ground was soft beneath their boots, damp with moss and riddled with tangled roots. The air smelled faintly of damp earth and something floral—sweet yet sharp, like an unspoken warning.

Axton's pulse quickened. The silence pressed against his ears, unnatural and suffocating, as though the forest itself held its breath. His eyes darted to Elias, who scanned their surroundings with uneasy curiosity.

"Well, this place definitely lives up to its name," Elias muttered. "Moonfall Forest… It feels like the moon's watching us."

Seraphina stood a few paces behind, her calm demeanor intact, though her sharp eyes betrayed a constant vigilance. "This isn't just a forest," she said quietly. "It's alive. It's always watching, waiting. Don't forget that."

Axton swallowed hard, gripping the hilt of his blade. "We stick to the plan. Find the Moonlight Herbs and get out. Nothing else."

Seraphina nodded, her voice firm. "Agreed. But keep your wits about you. The forest is full of illusions. What you see isn't always real."

They pressed on, their footsteps muffled by the mossy ground. The farther they went, the stranger the forest became. The trees grew taller and more twisted, their bark glistening as though coated in dew. Shadows danced where there was no wind, and the faintest rustle echoed in the distance—too soft to pinpoint, but too persistent to ignore.

The moonlight grew fragmented, its glow refracted into countless beams that flickered like ghostly flames. The air itself seemed heavier, pressing down on their shoulders, thick with an unshakable tension. Axton couldn't help but feel as though the forest was leading them somewhere, guiding their steps even as it sought to confuse them.

"Do you hear that?" Elias asked suddenly, his voice tight.

They stopped. For a moment, there was nothing but silence—until Axton heard it too. A faint, melodic whisper, like distant voices carried on the wind. The sound was unearthly, soft and almost beautiful, but it made the hair on his neck stand on end.

"It's the forest," Seraphina said, her tone low but commanding. "Ignore it. The whispers are meant to distract you."

Axton clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus. But the whispers seemed to grow louder, pulling at the edges of his mind. He shook his head, trying to block them out, but his grip on reality felt tenuous at best. Every step forward felt heavier, like the forest was dragging him down into its depths.

The ground beneath their feet grew uneven, roots rising like serpents to trip them up. The shadows grew darker, shifting and writhing as if alive. Elias stumbled, catching himself on a low-hanging branch, and let out a frustrated sigh. "How much farther? It feels like we've been walking for hours."

"Not far," Seraphina said, though her voice held an edge of uncertainty. "The Moonlight Herbs grow near the old ruins. We're close."

Axton wasn't so sure. The forest seemed endless, and the path ahead twisted and turned in ways that made no sense. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were being herded, funneled toward something unseen.

Then, without warning, they emerged into a clearing.

The sudden openness was jarring after the claustrophobic confines of the forest. The clearing was bathed in moonlight, its center dominated by a pool of still, glassy water. Around the edges of the pool, pale grass glowed faintly, and nestled among the grass was a cluster of delicate, shimmering plants.

The Moonlight Herbs.

Elias let out a breathless laugh, his earlier tension momentarily forgotten. "Finally. Let's grab them and get out of here."

He stepped forward, but Seraphina caught his arm, her expression hard. "Wait. Something isn't right."

Axton scanned the clearing, his unease growing. The scene before them was almost too perfect, like something out of a dream. The way the moonlight hit the pool, the gentle glow of the herbs—it felt staged, artificial.

Seraphina's voice was low, almost a whisper. "This is too easy. The forest doesn't give anything freely."

Elias hesitated, his hand hovering over the nearest herb. "Then what do we do? Just stand here and wait for something to happen?"

Axton's heart pounded as he considered their options. They couldn't leave without the herbs—failure wasn't an option. But every instinct screamed that this was a trap.

"Take them," Axton said finally, his voice steady despite the knot of dread in his chest. "But be quick. The longer we stay here, the worse it's going to get."

Elias nodded, crouching beside the herbs. His hands were steady as he carefully plucked the glowing plants, their silvery petals catching the light. But as soon as he touched them, the air around them changed.

The soft hum of the forest grew louder, rising into a low, resonant thrum that vibrated through the ground. The trees at the edge of the clearing began to shift, their twisted branches reaching toward the sky like claws. The pool of water rippled violently, its glassy surface shattering into chaotic waves.

And then, the clearing began to fade.

The perfect moonlit scene dissolved like mist in the wind, replaced by the dark, tangled forest. The herbs in Elias's hands crumbled into ash, and the pool of water vanished, leaving only damp earth in its place.

The clearing was empty.

No pool. No herbs.

Just an endless stretch of trees.

Axton's breath caught in his throat. They had been tricked.

Axton's blood ran cold. "It was an illusion."

The whispers returned, louder now, echoing all around them. The shadows between the trees seemed to deepen, and for the first time, Axton saw movement. Figures, barely more than silhouettes, slipping silently between the trunks.

"We're not alone," Seraphina said, her voice low and sharp. She drew her weapon, her stance tense. "Get ready. "

Axton gripped his blade tightly, his breath coming in short bursts. The forest wasn't just alive—it was hunting them.

And it wasn't going to let them leave.