The air was thick with the smell of decay and blood, heavy and suffocating.
The silence after their narrow escape was more oppressive than the earlier chaos.
Raine leaned against a twisted black tree, the burning pain in his left arm gnawing at his nerves like a living thing. Each heartbeat tugged at the wound, sending waves of dizziness through him. The lingering starlight backlash whispered through his veins, entwining with the pain, draining him of his last reserves of strength.
Karrion was inspecting his nearly ruined kite shield, looking at the gaping crack in the center with a mixture of frustration and resignation. His curses mixed with blood-spattered spit, landing on the rotting leaves.
"By the ancestors' beard... this beast's shell is tough…"
Thalia leaned against a tree, her body trembling, the tremors visible even beneath her cloak. Her face was as pale as snow, her lips tinged with an ominous shade of purple. She coughed softly, the sound so faint it felt like a hammer striking Raine's heart. He watched her raise a hand to cover her mouth, a flash of dark red between her fingers.
"We need to get out of here." Karrion finally gave up on lamenting his shield, his voice rough, "The smell of blood will bring more trouble."
He glanced around, his eyes sharp like a hawk's, scanning the dim woods.
"Find a place to tend to our wounds and catch our breath."
Raine struggled to straighten himself, his gaze falling on Thalia's faltering form. Worry coiled around his heart like cold vines. He wanted to speak, but didn't know how to begin. Her weakness was far beyond what the battle should have caused—it felt like... the very essence of life was withering away.
Thalia seemed to sense his gaze and tilted her head slightly.
Under the shadow of her hood, her eyes were tired but filled with a hint of resistance.
"I'm fine," her voice was so faint it seemed to vanish with the wind.
Karrion hoisted the broken shield, thumping his warhammer on the ground to signal their direction.
"This way, the corrupted aura seems to be lighter."
The three of them dragged their exhausted bodies through the decaying mud and tangled roots of the forest floor.
Each step was heavy.
The trees around them still twisted and terrifying, but the nauseating sweet decay in the air had lessened.
The forest seemed to have thinned a little, no longer pressing in on them with the suffocating density.
After walking for about half an hour, Karrion halted again.
He squinted ahead.
"What's that?"
Through the tangled black branches, faintly visible outlines emerged.
It wasn't a natural rock formation or a twisted tree.
It was something... man-made.
The three of them cautiously approached.
Parting the last few thorn-covered black vines, the sight before them froze them in their tracks.
It was a ruin.
A stone building nearly completely covered by vines and various bizarre, corrupted plants.
Although most of the structure had collapsed, its original form was still discernible—thick, sturdy, with certain ancient angles that suggested a purposeful design.
Unlike the twisted natural things around them, this ruin exuded a certain tenacious order from the past.
"An outpost?" Karrion frowned, his stout form tensing.
"In a place like this?"
The ruin was small, resembling a minor defensive outpost.
The main structure had collapsed halfway, revealing the dark interior.
Around it, large stone blocks and broken beams lay scattered, tightly bound by dark green, slime-covered vines.
The air was thick with a strange mixture of dust, decaying wood, and stone debris.
"It looks… abandoned for a long time." Raine whispered, his gaze sweeping over the crumbled stone walls.
There seemed to be some faint markings on the walls, worn away by time and corruption, hard to make out.
Thalia didn't speak, only silently observed the energy flow around the ruins.
Her fingers twitched involuntarily, as if sensing something.
"Let's go in and take a look." Karrion stepped forward first, carefully placing his foot on the scattered stone steps.
"Maybe we'll find something useful, or at least a place to shelter from the wind."
He swung his warhammer, smashing through a few thick vines blocking the way, sending foul-smelling juice splattering.
Raine and Thalia followed him into the main building of the ruin.
The interior was even more dilapidated than the exterior.
The roof was long gone, and only a few remaining stone pillars supported the sagging beams.
The floor was covered in thick layers of fallen leaves, dust, and rubble, which crunched underfoot.
Light filtered through the gaps in the collapsed walls and roof, casting mottled beams across the airborne dust.
The building's interior structure was still vaguely discernible.
It seemed to have a main hall, with several smaller rooms separated by walls.
The walls were made of a gray-white stone, sturdy but with signs of forced destruction, as if it had suffered a violent attack.
"Look here." Karrion pointed at a relatively intact wall.
There were some faint remnants of frescoes.
The images were blurred, most of them eroded or peeled off, but it was still possible to make out some figures wearing strange armor, as well as symbols resembling stars.
Those symbols had a geometric beauty, reminiscent of some of the Starborn markings Raine had seen in his family's ancient books.
"Starborn?" Raine approached, studying the symbols carefully. "This was a Starborn outpost?"
The realization struck him like a bolt.
Had his ancestors once established a stronghold on the edge of this forest, which was later consumed by corruption?
Thalia stepped closer, her gaze fixed on the starry symbols, her expression complex.
"Possibly," she said quietly. "In the early days of the corruption, the Starborn were indeed the main force resisting it."
They began searching more thoroughly.
Karrion carefully pried open a large stone slab pressed into the corner, revealing a decayed wooden box.
The box had rotted beyond recognition, and with a light touch, it crumbled into pieces.
Inside, its contents spilled out onto the ground.
A few rusted metal fragments, like remnants of tools, and a book with a leather cover almost entirely destroyed by moisture and mildew.
Raine carefully picked up the book.
The cover was mostly gone, and the pages were stuck together, giving off a strong moldy smell.
He tried to open it, but the pages were as fragile as dry leaves and tore apart with the slightest pressure.
Most of the writing was illegible, covered by black mildew.
But Raine managed to make out a few broken words.
"... Monitor… anomalous energy… deep in the forest… warning…"
"... Shadows… spreading… defenses… failing…"
"... Stars… dim… strength… waning…"
"... Last… record… may the starlight… guide…"
A few scattered lines painted a bleak picture.
It seemed to be a journal from the outpost, detailing the purpose of the station—to monitor the early signs of corruption—and the eventual destruction of the outpost by the corrupting force.
The final entries were filled with helplessness and prayers for the stars.
"They failed." Karrion looked at the broken pages, his voice heavy.
The dwarf's homeland had also been destroyed by corruption, and he felt this despair deeply.
Raine's mood darkened as well.
His ancestors had once fought here, struggled here, only to be consumed by the same darkness that swallowed this outpost.
He could almost hear their ancient cries and mournful wails echoing through the ruin's air.
Thalia had stopped in front of another wall.
On it, there were clearer inscriptions, still damaged, but with a more ancient, solemn tone.
Beside the inscriptions, there appeared to be a rough map.
"Here…" Thalia extended her pale finger, gently tracing the cold carvings.
"It mentions 'Star Core'…"
Raine and Karrion immediately gathered around her.
The inscriptions were written in an ancient Starborn script, and Raine could only recognize part of it.
Thalia, however, seemed more familiar with the language.
"... The power of the Star Core… comes from the heavens… maintaining... balance…" she whispered, "... When shadows arise... starlight... protects... Sky City…"
The inscriptions were fragmented, seemingly recounting an early legend about the power of the Star Core and its connection to a place called the "Sky City."
"Sky City?" Raine repeated, his pulse quickening. "Could it be… the Fallen Star City?"
This thought sent a surge through him.
The Fallen Star City, the place where his sister was trapped, and the ultimate destination of their journey.
At that moment, Raine's gaze was drawn to a simple map beside the inscriptions.
The map depicted the forest and the surrounding geography.
Most of the lines were faded, but one marking was exceptionally clear—it was an arrow symbol pointing deeper into the forest.
At the tip of the arrow was a special star-shaped mark.
He instinctively reached out, his fingertip brushing the cold star mark.
At the touch, a strange energy surged into him.
It wasn't the backlash from the Starry magic, nor the chill of corruption.
It was a resonance.
An ancient echo deep within his bloodline.
Buzz—!
A burst of white light exploded in Raine's mind.
The ruins before him vanished, replaced by fragmented, uncontrollable visions!
He saw towering watchtowers standing at the edge of the forest, flags bearing stars fluttering in the wind.
Starborn soldiers in silver armor patrolled vigilantly, their gazes sharp and unwavering.
Above them, the stars shone brightly and warmly in the night sky.
The scene shifted abruptly!
Endless darkness surged from deep within the forest, like ink spreading over the land.
Twisted, howling shadows leaped from the woods, bringing with them the stench of decay.
A warning alarm blared!
Battle erupted!
Starborn soldiers raised their shining starlight swords and shields, clashing with the shadows.
The light of magic collided with the dark energies with deafening explosions.
The walls of the watchtower trembled, cracking under the violent assault.
A Starborn commander, clad in armor, stood atop the tower, his face strikingly similar to the portrait of Raine's father!
He raised a sword engulfed in starry flames, letting out a final roar.
"For the starlight—!"
Darkness consumed everything.
Screams, the sounds of broken weapons, and collapsing buildings mixed together.
The last image burned into Raine's mind was the commander's despairing and furious expression, and his sword, extinguished, falling weakly from his hand.
"Ah!"
Raine yanked his hand back, staggering several steps, slamming into the cold stone wall.
He gasped for breath, sweat beading on his forehead, his heart pounding violently.
The brief vision had been so vivid, so brutal.
The despair and defiance of his ancestors slammed into his soul like a tidal wave.
"Raine! What's wrong?" Karrion immediately grabbed him, his face full of concern.
Thalia also turned, her gaze locked onto Raine with a hint of subtle inquiry.
"I... I saw..." Raine's voice trembled, trying to describe the vision. "The outpost… falling... my… ancestors..."
He stumbled over his words, the impact of the vision leaving him in a daze.
"Calm down, kid." Karrion patted his back, "It's just the echoes of the past."
Though the dwarf said this, the gravity in his eyes was clear.
Thalia stepped up to the wall again, inspecting the star-shaped mark and the arrow.
"His bloodline resonated with the relics here." Her voice returned to its usual calm, though Raine could sense a slight shift. "It's not surprising."
She paused, pointing at the arrow.
"This mark, the 'deep forest' mentioned in the journal, and the 'Sky City' from the inscriptions..."
Her finger traced the direction of the arrow, pointing deeper into the darker parts of the forest.
"All the clues lead to the same place."
Raine followed her finger.
The deeper parts of the forest, thick with shadows and unknowns.
But at this moment, that direction no longer represented just danger.
It represented the unfinished path of his ancestors, the secrets of the Star Core and the Fallen Star City, and... the only lead to find his sister.
"What's there?" Raine forced himself to calm down, his voice still hoarse.
"Don't know." Thalia gently shook her head, "The inscriptions didn't elaborate. It could be another ruin, an ancient portal, or... just a forgotten path."
She looked up at Raine.
"But if there's any place that might provide a way to the Fallen Star City, it's likely there."
Karrion scratched his rough beard, glancing at Raine's pale face, then at Thalia's weakened form, and finally towards the unknown darkness.
"Alright," he sighed, hoisting his broken shield again, "Looks like we don't have much choice."
He grinned, trying to lighten the mood, though the smile was forced.
"Hopefully there's some dwarf ale there, or at least a bed to sleep in."
Raine took a deep breath, pushing down the unease and fear within.
The wound on his left arm still hurt, and his body remained weak. The road ahead was full of uncertainty and danger.
But at least, they now had a clear direction.
A direction guided by fragments of history and the resonance of his bloodline.
The three of them looked back at the forgotten outpost ruins one last time.
The broken stone walls stood silently in the dim light, as if silently telling the tale of past glory and tragedy.
Then, they turned, stepping back into the ominous, corrupt forest.
Towards that deeper, darker unknown, one step at a time.
The whispers of the forest seemed clearer now, carrying an ancient call and a deadly temptation.