The forest thickened with every step, not just in foliage but in emotion. Each tree they passed whispered a different regret, each path ahead shifted like it was uncertain they deserved to tread it. The Trial wasn't just illusion or misdirection—it was personal. Painfully so.
"Don't stray too far," Verena warned, her voice steady even as the air turned colder. She could feel the weight of memories pressing against her skin, crawling up her spine. Beside her, Vivienne clung to her arm, the shimmer of Dreamtide magic lightly pulsing around her like a nervous heartbeat.
"It's getting stronger," Vivienne murmured. "The pressure. Like something's watching us."
"Probably is," Isolde muttered, drawing her blade. "Let them watch. I dare them to do more."
