The rune barrier carved by Karrion emitted a faint ochre glow.
It acted like a thin layer of amber, isolating their small corner from the suffocating corruption outside, offering a fleeting sense of safety.
The deathly silence that followed the retreat of the wood‑eating bugs blanketed the forest once again, more chilling than the previous cacophony.
Twisted shadows of trees swayed like ghostly claws under the dim light.
Thalia leaned against the cold rock, her breathing still shallow, her pale face devoid of any color.
Her eyelids fluttered slightly from time to time, as though she were resisting some invisible, insidious force.
Karrion yawned, rubbed his eyes, his usual energetic spirit clearly draining away in this cursed forest.
He checked the food and water in his pack.
"Conserve your rations," he muttered tiredly, his voice carrying a fatigued edge. "Who knows how long we'll be walking in this hellhole? Our supplies won't last forever."
Raine nodded silently, his gaze drifting to Thalia's furrowed brow.
His shoulder still throbbed faintly from the wound, the burning sensation from the toxic corrosion not yet fully dissipated.
What troubled him more, though, was the faint whispering from last night—it hadn't vanished with the bug swarm. The voices lingered at the edge of his consciousness like cold snakes, waiting for him to relax his guard.
After a brief rest, they ventured once again into the gray‑green mist.
Karrion led the way, wielding his axe and carefully cutting through the tangled vines, which resembled black veins.
The dwarf's natural sense for land and direction seemed to falter here, though.
They walked along a seemingly clear path.
But before long, the path vanished behind a thicket of twisted bushes, as if it had never been there.
Karrion muttered a curse under his breath, kicking aside the rotting leaves in search of any reliable marker.
"Damn it, this path keeps shifting on its own!"
They tried to turn, following the direction marked by a peculiar dead tree.
After half an hour of walking, that very tree reappeared in front of them, its position and angle identical to before.
It was as if they were walking in circles.
A faint, sweet scent wafted through the air.
Unlike the forest's usual rotting stench, this smell carried a strange allure.
Raine's peripheral vision began to blur, and he thought he saw a clear water pool ahead, surrounded by silver‑white flowers.
"Water…" he murmured, feeling a deep thirst in his throat.
"Stop!" Thalia's voice suddenly rang out, sharp and urgent.
She grabbed Raine's arm, her fingers freezing cold.
Raine froze, and the vision shattered in an instant.
The pool and the silver flowers vanished, replaced by a foul‑smelling black swamp. Pale bubbles floated on its surface, and sharp, bone‑like plants grew at the edges.
"An illusion," Thalia's voice returned to its steady calm, though Raine could feel her hand trembling as she held his arm. "Corruption energy creates traps to lure prey."
Karrion's face had turned pale, clearly affected too.
"By my beard… I think I just saw a dwarf feast with roast meat and ale on the table…" He patted his chest, still shaken.
The rest of their journey grew increasingly difficult.
They not only had to navigate physical obstacles but also remain wary of the silent, unseen mental traps.
Sometimes a familiar melody would play in their ears, tempting them toward unknown depths.
Other times, fleeting images of lost loved ones would appear in the forest, tugging at their most fragile wounds.
More than once, they nearly lost their bearings, even briefly doubting each other and growing distant.
Their supplies were depleting faster than anticipated.
Karrion's water flask was half empty, and his bread had only a few crumbs left.
Thalia's condition was worsening. Her footsteps had grown unsteady, and she needed frequent pauses to catch her breath.
"We can't keep going like this," Karrion wiped the sweat from his brow, frustration creeping into his voice. "We're stumbling around like headless flies, and we'll run out of energy before we get anywhere."
He crouched down, studying the vague tracks on the ground.
"Maybe I can find some animal paths. They might know how to avoid the deadliest spots."
Raine watched Karrion search through the decaying leaves, then glanced at Thalia's pale face.
His unease was growing stronger.
The whispering presence still lurked, faintly urging him on, resonating weakly with the dormant star power in his veins.
He couldn't wait any longer.
The vision of his sister, the call of Star‑fall City, the mystery of his family… everything urged him forward.
"Let me try," Raine said, taking a deep breath, his voice hoarse.
Karrion looked up, puzzled.
"Try what?"
"My… ability," Raine said, struggling to explain. "Maybe I can find the right way."
Karrion's brow furrowed immediately, his face showing clear disapproval.
"Lad, don't you remember what happened last time? That thing's gonna get you killed!"
"We don't have any other choice," Raine's tone grew firm, his resolve unyielding. "If we keep going in circles, we'll die here anyway."
Thalia lifted her head. From beneath her hood, her gaze rested on Raine, unreadable. She didn't speak, neither supporting nor opposing.
Raine didn't hesitate further.
He walked to a relatively intact tree, its trunk leaking dark sap, and placed his trembling hand on the rough, cold bark.
He closed his eyes, focusing, trying to reach the long‑dormant star power within him.
At first, nothing.
His blood felt as though it had frozen, heavy and sluggish.
The energy field of Corruption Forest acted like an invisible shackle, pressing down on the starry blood in his veins.
Raine gritted his teeth, veins standing out on his forehead.
He concentrated all his thoughts on finding a way out, on the worry for his sister's safety.
Finally, a faint, sharp prick of energy stirred deep within his blood.
Then, pain washed over him like a tidal wave!
It was as though thousands of burning needles pierced his mind, and his vision was instantly overwhelmed by blinding white light.
"Ahhh!"
Raine let out a muffled cry, his body convulsing violently, his nails digging into the tree bark.
The white light receded, and before him appeared a chaotic, broken vision.
Twisted tree shadows rushed past, accompanied by sharp shrieks and distant murmurs.
The gray‑green mist churned, sometimes coalescing into grotesque faces, other times breaking apart to reveal fleeting paths hidden in the depths.
These paths were fragmented, torn apart like shredded paper.
One path glimmered with cold blue light, leading to a hollow filled with bones.
Another path exuded the scent of blood, the end obscured by some immense shadow writhing.
Yet another path was shadowed heavily, almost invisible in the darkness.
But Raine felt a faint, familiar pulse from that shadowed path.
It was like the last breath of stars in the dark.
This path seemed to be the right direction.
Though it looked just as dangerous, even more so in its eerie nature.
The vision was once again torn apart by excruciating pain.
Raine felt a scorching force surge up his arm and race toward his heart.
Beneath his skin, the dim star patterns suddenly flared to life, emitting an eerie, almost black glow, only to quickly fade, leaving behind dark, burn-like marks.
He jerked his hand away, his body growing weak as he stumbled backward.
"Raine!"
Karrion was quick, grabbing him before he could fall.
Raine's face was as pale as paper, his lips devoid of color, sweat beading on his forehead.
He gasped heavily, each breath pulling at the burning pain inside his chest.
The backlash from the Starry magic was fiercer than ever before.
He felt as though his limbs and organs were filled with lead, heavy and immovable, as if invisible flames were scorching his insides.
Thalia quickly approached, kneeling beside him, extending her hand to check on his condition.
But just before her fingers touched his skin, she froze.
A flash of intense struggle and pain flickered in her eyes before she gently wiped the sweat from his brow.
"How are you? What did you see?" Karrion's voice was thick with concern and a hint of reproach.
Raine leaned against the tree trunk, taking a long moment to regain his voice.
"I… I saw a path," he said, his voice weak and raspy, "It was blurry… in that direction…"
He raised a trembling hand, pointing toward an area to their left, covered in dense vines and twisted roots.
It didn't look like a path at all—only deeper darkness and the unknown.
Karrion's eyes followed the direction Raine indicated, his face growing darker.
"That way? Kid, are you sure? It looks like the entrance to some monstrous nest!"
The dwarf turned back, his tone filled with clear dissatisfaction and doubt.
"Listen, Raine, I know you want to find your sister quickly, but this is too dangerous! Your ability is unstable, and the price is too high! We should stick to the traditional methods, carefully searching for markers, observing the ley lines. That's the most reliable approach!"
He gestured to the ground.
"Look at the moss here, and the cracks in the rocks—they're telling us something. We just need time to interpret it…"
"We don't have time," Raine interrupted, his voice quiet but filled with weary resolve. "Karrion, I… I can feel it, that path is the right one. I don't know why, but I can feel it."
"Feel it?" Karrion scoffed, his voice full of frustration. "Can 'feeling' put food on the table? Can 'feeling' guide us out of this damn forest? We should trust in concrete things, not your life-threatening 'feelings'!"
The atmosphere grew tense.
Karrion's concerns weren't without merit; Raine's reliance on such a dangerous ability was indeed unsettling.
And Raine's stubbornness, in Karrion's eyes, was bordering on recklessness.
"Karrion," Thalia spoke suddenly, her voice calm but carrying an undeniable weight.
She stood up, stepping between Raine and Karrion.
"The wisdom of dwarves is admirable, and your experience is invaluable." She first placated Karrion's emotions.
Then, she turned her head slightly, her gaze settling on Raine.
"But sometimes, intuition—especially the intuition of the Starry people—can see things that logic cannot touch."
Her eyes shifted between Raine and Karrion.
"The Corruption Forest has twisted everything, including the patterns and markers we know. Perhaps, the only thing we can rely on right now is Raine's vague guidance."
Her stance seemed to lean slightly toward Raine.
This surprised Karrion, and a complex warmth stirred in Raine's chest.
Karrion looked at Thalia's steady gaze and then at Raine's weak yet determined eyes. Finally, he sighed heavily.
"Alright, alright!" He waved his hand in defeat. "Since both of you say so… let's go down that 'feeling'-found path!"
He paused, his tone turning serious once more.
"But hear me, lad, if this path turns out to be wrong, or if you dare use that dangerous ability of yours again, I'll tie you up and drag you out the dwarf way!"
Raine weakly smiled.
"Okay."
Though the disagreement was temporarily set aside, the tension and unease had not dissipated.
Karrion remained stern, walking at the front, swinging his battle axe to clear the vines and roots blocking their path. Each step was deliberate, almost as if he were venting his frustration.
Thalia supported Raine as they walked in the middle.
Raine could feel the coldness of her arm and the faint tremor she was trying to suppress.
He knew she was worried about him—and perhaps… worried about herself as well.
They entered the area Raine had "seen."
The thick vines twisted like venomous snakes, and the tangled tree roots formed a natural barrier.
The light here dimmed further, and the air carried a heavy, earthy scent like that of a tomb.
Karrion swung his battle axe, cutting through a few thick roots.
Where the roots snapped, black, foul-smelling liquid oozed out.
"Watch your step," Karrion cautioned, his voice muffled in the oppressive environment.
Raine, leaning on Thalia for support, took a step forward.
Each step sent waves of pain through his body, the backlash from the Starry power still gnawing at his energy.
But he didn't stop.
Because deep within that darkness, he could faintly sense a glimmer of light, as fragile as a candle's flame in the wind.
Was that hope? Or another deeper trap?
He didn't know.
He could only grit his teeth and drag his weary body, step by step, toward the unknown.
The group moved in silence, only the sound of Karrion cutting through the vines and the heavy breathing of the three of them echoed in the forest.
The tense atmosphere hung like a thick web, tightening around them.
The path ahead was still unclear.
And the danger lurking in the shadows seemed ready to pounce at any moment.