Time blurred as Kaelen and Kelvin trekked through the uncharted expanse of Aetheris. Days—maybe weeks—slipped by in a blur of blood, breath, and steel. From the swamp-scaled brutes of the Virelan Marshes to the flying bone serpents of the Craghowl Cliffs, the two had battled beasts both grotesque and divine. It was as if the world itself was testing them, one creature after another throwing itself against their blades as though drawn by the presence of Pandora, the forbidden magic sealed within Kaelen.
But now, they stood before Deadroot Jungle—their first landmark in reaching the Human territory's outer rim.
A thick veil of ashen mist hung like an unnatural curtain, swallowing the twisted boughs and gnarled roots of the jungle in a ghostly embrace. The sun, which had been their guide through most of their journey, was completely blotted out, replaced by an eerie gray gloom.
