The night stretched long as the party made camp at the edge of the broken valley. The fire crackled weakly, its glow barely pushing back the heavy dark that seemed to cling to the world.
Rihan sat apart, turning the System's latest message over and over in his head.
[Warning: Regional Corruption Density rising. Safe zones collapsing.]
Safe zones… collapsing? Until now, there had always been places untouched, havens where corruption could not seep. If even those were falling, then the Mistress' grip was spreading faster than he imagined.
"Eat something." Mira's voice broke through his thoughts. She placed a small bowl of stew by his side before sitting across from him. Her gaze was sharp as ever, but beneath it lingered a quiet concern she rarely showed.
"You won't last if you keep running on fumes."
Rihan gave her a faint smile and lifted the bowl. The food was simple, but warm. It grounded him.
Elira, meanwhile, lay wrapped in a blanket near the fire, her breathing shallow but steady. Healing others drained her more than she admitted, and tonight she had pushed herself far beyond her limits. Kael sat nearby, awake and alert despite the exhaustion etched into his posture, his sword resting across his knees.
"The road ahead won't be kind," Kael murmured, eyes fixed on the horizon. "The maps I've seen say there used to be a fortress in the north—Cindral Hold. If the corruption hasn't swallowed it yet, we might find shelter."
Mira's ears twitched. "If."
The word hung like a blade.
When dawn finally broke, the four of them set out. The path north was littered with ruins—once vibrant villages now nothing but collapsed stone and skeletal beams of wood. Trees stood twisted, their bark blackened, branches gnarled into unnatural shapes. Every so often, the wind carried faint whispers, like voices trapped between life and death.
Elira shivered, pulling her cloak tighter. "It feels like the land itself is crying."
Rihan glanced at her, his heart heavy. "It probably is."
They walked in silence until the sound of rushing water reached them. Ahead, a crumbling stone bridge stretched across a narrow ravine. Mist rose from the depths below, shrouding the chasm in ghostly fog.
Kael approached cautiously, testing the stones beneath his boots. "It'll hold… barely."
Halfway across, the mist stirred. Something moved below.
Mira froze, her hand flying to her bow. "We're not alone."
A low growl echoed up from the depths. Shadows shifted, and then a shape leapt from the fog—its body twisted, part wolf, part insect, its eyes glowing sickly green.
A corrupted beast.
Rihan's grip tightened on his blade as the System flared before his eyes.
[Corrupted Beast Detected]
Threat Level: D+
It was nothing compared to the Titan. But after the wounds they carried, even this could be fatal.
"Hold the bridge!" Kael barked, his sword flashing free.
Mira's arrow loosed, striking the creature's shoulder and sending it tumbling back—but more shapes moved in the mist below, claws scraping against stone.
The beasts were gathering.
Elira's voice trembled as she lifted her staff. "They're… waiting. Testing us."
Rihan's pulse quickened. This wasn't just a random attack. The corruption was pushing them forward, herding them like prey.
And somewhere in the depths of that mist, he swore he felt another presence watching.