Night had fallen, and the stars struggled to pierce through the thick veil of clouds overhead. The campfire crackled weakly between Elara and Rin, casting flickering shadows on their tired faces. Around them, the forest breathed—alive with sounds both familiar and foreign.
Rin pulled a tattered map from inside his cloak, smoothing it out over a flat stone. "This is what I managed to salvage from the archives," he said quietly. "It shows the old borders of Elsewhere before the fall—and, more importantly, the hidden paths few know."
Elara leaned in, tracing a faded line with her finger. "If what you say is true, the darkness is advancing along these routes."
Rin nodded grimly. "Yes. It's not just a force of nature—it's something more. Something with a purpose."
A sudden rustle from the edge of the firelight made them both snap to attention. From the shadows emerged a figure—a woman draped in deep blue, her eyes sharp and calculating.
"I heard you were looking for answers," she said, voice steady, but with an undercurrent of danger. "My name is Sira. I've been tracking the same threat."
Elara exchanged a glance with Rin. This was no coincidence.
"The storm is gathering," Sira continued, "and we need to prepare. Elsewhere may have fallen, but its secrets—its power—still remain. And if we don't act, that power will be lost forever."
The fire flickered as if reacting to her words, and the night seemed to grow colder.
Elara's resolve hardened. "Then we have no time to lose. Tell us everything."