Tracey overcomes a powerful illusion, using his bond with the monster to destroy the false world created by his mind. Imperial reveals how he saw through the illusion, using his training to break free. Meanwhile, Ari successfully heals the elder's wife with a divine light magic spell, pushing herself to her limits in the process.
________________________________________
Back with Imperial and Tracey—
They stopped abruptly. The air was still, the sounds of the forest muffled as they stepped into a clearing. Before them stood the second pillar—half-buried in moss and stone, as if time itself had claimed it and buried it beneath the earth's embrace. Yet, despite its apparent age, the pillar stood in an eerie, untouched state, its surface pristine and smooth.
Imperial squinted, the sunlight dappling through the trees catching the pillar's surface.
"That's it," he murmured.
Tracey scanned the surroundings, her expression shifting between intrigue and skepticism. "It's too... perfect. This place doesn't look disturbed. It doesn't even look old… How is that possible?"
Imperial nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on the pillar. "Same with the one we found in the Central Empire. It's like they're brand new… but ancient at the same time."
He pulled out a scroll—his previous blueprint—and unfurled it with care. The delicate paper rustled softly as he began tracing the intricate inscriptions on the pillar, his fingers moving with practiced precision. After a few moments, he retrieved a second sheet of paper and began copying the runes by hand, his focus unwavering.
Tracey crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "You already have the blueprint. Why do it again?"
Imperial smiled without looking up. "The last time I did this, I found small differences while copying. Tiny details I would have missed otherwise. I don't want to miss a single thing." His voice dropped to a near whisper as he continued his work.
After a few more moments, he paused, holding up the first scroll for Tracey to see. It was filled with strange writing—an unfamiliar script that seemed to pulse with an energy all its own.
"I'm trying to combine all the texts we find into one translation," he explained, eyes scanning the symbols. "Piece by piece. We might uncover something huge. Something that links all these places together. Who knows what we might find once the puzzle is complete?"
Tracey nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I hope you're right. Because if these pillars are all tied together like you think… We might be looking at something far more dangerous than we realize."
Before Imperial could respond, he felt the weight of the air shift. Tracey's hand shot out, grabbing his arm. Her voice was a hushed warning.
"Did you feel that?"
Imperial tensed, his senses alert. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath.
________________________________________
Cut to a distant village, near the cave where the monster once slept—
Meanwhile, in another part of the land, a group of villagers had gathered around something unearthed deep beneath the earth. As they worked, digging with crude tools, a strange object emerged from the soil—its surface blackened and ancient, as though it had been hidden for centuries.
One of the villagers, a burly man with dirt-streaked hands, wiped the sweat from his brow and squinted at the object. His heart skipped a beat.
"This… could be important. We should inform them," he said, his voice low and serious.
Another villager, younger and more anxious, nodded quickly. "We need to tell the council. This could be connected to the strange things happening in the nearby forests."
The elder nodded gravely, already turning toward the village. "I'll send word. We can't ignore this."
________________________________________
Back in the forest, Imperial and Tracey sprinted toward the village—no rest, no breaks.
They had no time to waste. The sense of urgency hung between them like a thick fog, pushing them forward through the dense forest. The path they took was narrow and winding, but both had grown familiar with the way the land twisted and turned as they pressed on.
The forest was alive. Not just in the way trees sway with the wind or how birds sing their songs. There was something ancient here, something older than the forests Imperial had known. The leaves shimmered with an otherworldly sheen, and the shadows cast by the trees seemed to stretch unnaturally long, like they were reaching toward something unseen.
As they moved, the ground beneath their feet seemed to pulse, faint vibrations coursing through the earth. Every step they took seemed to echo back to them, as though the forest was listening to their movements.
"It's... strange, don't you think?" Tracey remarked, her voice softer now. "This place doesn't feel like any forest I've been in. It feels… ancient. Alive."
Imperial's expression was unreadable as he scanned the trees. His thoughts were racing, linking back to what they'd just uncovered—the pillars, the inscriptions, the whispers of the past that had begun to resurface. "The whole forest is connected. These pillars… they're part of something much larger than we realize."
Tracey looked at him, puzzled. "You think the forest itself is... alive? Like a consciousness?"
"I don't know," Imperial replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "But there's something here. Something hidden in plain sight. I can feel it."
The air shifted, cool and damp, as a breeze rustled the leaves. A few moments later, a strange crackling noise filled the air, and a faint glow began to emerge from the shadows between the trees. It wasn't the sunlight—it was something else. Something unnatural.
They both turned toward the sound, their muscles tensing in anticipation. But before they could react, the glow faded as quickly as it had appeared, and the forest returned to its quiet, eerie calm.
"I've never seen anything like that before," Tracey whispered, her voice filled with both awe and apprehension.
Imperial, his eyes narrowed, took a step forward. "We're not alone. Something is watching us."
________________________________________
As they reached the edge of the village, the atmosphere grew heavier. The soft chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves was replaced by the quiet murmurs of the villagers, who gathered around their daily activities. The distant smell of cooking wafted through the air, a stark contrast to the unnatural tension they felt in the woods.
They had no time to waste.
"Do you feel it?" Tracey asked her voice just above a whisper.
Imperial looked up at the village, his gaze focused on something beyond the houses. "It's not just the forest," he replied quietly. "Whatever's going on... it's spreading."
The mysteries of the pillars, the strange events in the forest, and the shadowy figures that lurked within had only begun to unravel. The journey ahead would lead them into deeper unknowns—unknowns that, if they weren't careful, might be their undoing.
With that thought, they began walking toward the village square, where their next clue awaited.