The forest was no longer quiet. Torches flickered weakly against the dark canopy as Zussorender and General Raphael’s forces established a temporary camp deep within the trees. The search had been relentless… but now it had come to an abrupt, unsettling halt. The reason was simple. The blood had disappeared from the map.Inside the central command tent of the Supreme General, silence hung heavily. A small wooden table sat between them, the map lay flat upon it like a wounded relic of their pursuit. Both men stared at it intently, as if it might speak again, but it didn’t.General Raphael broke the silence first. He said tightly, his eyes still fixed on the map: “Now the only thing we were using to track them is gone. What are we going to do next?”Zussorender didn’t look up immediately. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, focusing. He said slowly, “The blood is not gone. I can still feel its presence on the map.”Raphael frowned. He asked, “Then what is happening? And where is it?”A brief

GROVINThe sound of the door creaking open echoed through the palace hall. It was faint—but in that moment, it was enough.Vienus stopped. So did the dark dryads. Their movements froze mid-motion, hands still raised from tearing and pounding at the door. Then slowly, they stepped back. Not in fear. But in anticipation. Hungry. Waiting, like beasts sensing fresh prey.The palace hall doors finally swung open. And what stood outside made the air inside the compound shift instantly.King Artha, Lord Emmanuel, the princes, the princesses, and the Dryad soldiers all stood frozen. But what shocked them most was not just the presence of the enemy— It was what they saw among them.The dead Dryad soldiers… and their Ogthars. They were back. But not alive. Not truly. Their bodies were twisted, corrupted—reshaped into dark dryads. Their once-living wood-like bodies are now darker, cracked with unnatural energy. Their glowing green eyes had turned hollow and violent.And standing at the center of

Princess Esther went into her mind. She moved deeper into Eva’s mind, her footsteps pressing against a path that felt less like ground—and more like memory itself. The air was heavy, distorted, whispering with voices that didn’t belong to any physical body.From the darkness around her, faint shapes began to appear. Souls. Countless of them. They hovered in broken fragments of light, their forms trembling as they stretched invisible hands toward her:“Help us…”“Please…”“Don’t leave us…”Their voices overlapped—painful, desperate, layered like echoes trapped in an endless void.Princess Esther slowed for a moment. Her eyes shifted slightly toward them. But she did not stop. She continued walking. Her expression remained focused, her steps steady.“I don’t have time for you right now…” she whispered under her breath—not cruelly, but with urgency that cut deeper than emotion.The souls screamed louder as she passed, their cries fading into the distance as if the mind itself was rejectin

AXRAXHawk stepped into the grand palace hall. The air inside was heavy—still, almost suffocating. At the center of it all stood King Raynold, motionless before the throne. His back was turned, but his silence spoke louder than movement. He wasn’t admiring the throne… he was brooding over it, as if it had betrayed him.Hawk slowed his steps. Stopped a few paces behind him. He said respectfully, “Your Royal Majesty."For a moment, there was only silence. Then King Raynold said, “Where the hell have you been, Hawk?”King Raynold didn’t turn. His voice was cold. Controlled and dangerous.Hawk stiffened slightly. He said, “There was something I needed to attend to… I went to handle it.”A pause.Then King Raynold let out a harsh breath. He said, “You disappear without a word… and now you return as if nothing happened.”Slowly, he turned. His eyes locked onto Hawk with burning frustration. He asked again, “Where the fuck have you been when we needed you?”Hawk lowered his head slightly. He

Zussorender led the charge straight into the swarm, his horse driving forward with controlled force as he raised his hand and released a wave of magic that struck the front line of scorpions, forcing them apart and opening a narrow path. He didn’t slow, guiding his mount through the gap while maintaining the flow of energy outward, keeping the creatures from closing in too quickly.General Raphael rode beside him, his posture firm and balanced, his blade moving with precision as he cut down a scorpion that lunged toward his horse’s legs. He adjusted his grip instantly, pulling the blade free and turning his body to intercept another strike aimed from the side, deflecting the stinger before it could land and driving his weapon into the creature’s exposed joint.The soldiers followed in formation, their horses pushing forward despite the chaos. Each rider fought while maintaining control of their mount, leaning into attacks, pulling back to avoid incoming stings, and striking only when