Leon stayed perfectly still.
His breathing was steady, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword. The figure that had been watching them was gone, but the feeling of unease remained.
That wasn't a hallucination.
Someone—or something—had been there.
His eyes flickered to the others. Rhun was still asleep, though his ears twitched in his slumber, as if subconsciously aware of the disturbance. Kaelen was as still as a statue, his body relaxed yet poised for action. Jarek, of course, snored loudly, oblivious to everything.
Leon slowly rose to his feet. The fire crackled softly as he moved away from the camp, his gaze sweeping over the twisted trees and darkened earth.
He had spent years in Devia. He knew how to track, how to sense hidden threats.
But this was different.
There were no footprints. No scent. No lingering presence.
Yet the feeling of being watched was still there.
It was as if whatever had been standing there wanted him to know it had been watching.
Leon's grip on his sword tightened.
The rules of this world were changing.
---
Dawn and Decisions
By morning, the tension in the air remained.
Leon didn't mention the figure. Not yet. He wasn't sure if it had been a warning or a test.
Instead, they packed up and resumed their journey toward the Stone Maw.
The land grew more treacherous the closer they got. The dark patches of soil spread like veins, twisting the once-thriving landscape into something unfamiliar.
Rhun spoke little, his gaze sharp as he led the way. Even Jarek—usually the first to complain—stayed quiet.
Kaelen, however, eventually broke the silence.
"You saw something last night."
Leon didn't flinch. He should've known Kaelen would notice.
"Someone was watching us," Leon admitted. "I don't know who or what it was, but it wasn't normal."
Kaelen's golden eyes flickered with thought. "A beastman?"
Leon shook his head. "No tracks. No scent. Whatever it was, it wasn't bound by normal rules."
Rhun let out a slow exhale. "Then we are no longer just walking into a trial. We are walking into a trap."
---
The Unseen Threat
They reached the base of the Stone Maw by midday.
The massive rock formations loomed over them, jagged and ancient, as if the earth itself had once opened its jaws and frozen in place.
The entrance to the sacred site was a wide, weathered archway, its surface covered in runes carved by ancestors long gone.
Leon felt a pulse of energy beneath his fingertips as he traced one of the symbols.
This place was alive.
Kaelen studied the carvings. "These inscriptions speak of trials. Of the chosen proving their worth before the spirits of old."
Rhun nodded. "Many have come here seeking guidance. Few return unchanged."
Jarek muttered, "Great. Love that. Really comforting."
But Leon was focused on something else.
At the very edge of the archway, barely noticeable—
A fresh marking.
Not part of the original carvings. Not aged by time.
A single, deliberate scratch in the stone.
Made recently.
And beneath it—
A faint trace of darkness, shifting like a living thing.
Leon's pulse quickened.
The corruption hadn't just spread to this place.
It was already inside.
---