The ground beneath Echo's feet trembled, and the air hummed with an unsettling energy. The shadow creatures had retreated, but their defeat had only been temporary. The forest around him had fallen deathly quiet, a stillness that hung in the air like a thick fog. The tension was palpable, suffocating. Something was coming. Echo could feel it—a presence far darker and more ancient than anything he had ever faced.
Beside him, the woman who had appeared from the woods stood motionless, her eyes scanning the horizon with the same intensity that was now burning in Echo's chest. She had been a surprising ally—her magic powerful but controlled, capable of holding the shadow creatures at bay—but now, with the remnants of the battle fading, she was on edge, as if the world itself was about to shift.
