Fire and Arrows [3]

The air in the dome shifted. One moment, the dense forest was alive with the soft rustle of leaves and the distant chirping of birds; the next, everything plunged into an unnatural darkness.

Aiden froze, his fire flickering uncertainly in his palms as the familiar surroundings of the dome melted away into pitch black.

"What's going on?" Aiden asked, his voice tense. He glanced toward Ivara, barely making out her silhouette through the dim glow of his flames.

Ivara turned her head sharply, her bow half-drawn. "I don't know," she said, her voice hushed. Her sharp eyes scanned the void around them. "The dome doesn't just... do this."

Aiden nodded, his senses on high alert.

"This isn't normal," he muttered.

Then, the smell hit them.

The stench of blood hung thick in the air, metallic and nauseating. Ivara recoiled, pressing a hand to her nose.

"What... what is that?"

Aiden's stomach churned. "Blood."