The damp stench of corrupted leaves did not dissipate with their brief rest.
The air remained oppressive, heavy with an unshakable, sweet-sick odor.
Thalia's cough, and the faint trace of dark red wiped from the corner of her mouth, hung like an invisible shadow over Raine's thoughts.
Karrion walked at the front, his sturdy, short frame resembling a moving boulder.
He casually swept aside the twisted, sickly vines blocking their path with the end of his warhammer's handle.
His movements seemed effortless, yet his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, constantly scanning the ground and surrounding vegetation.
Raine walked in the middle, forcing himself not to think about Thalia's strange behavior.
He concentrated on the path underfoot, on the dangers of the forest.
The lingering effects of the starlight backlash still burned within him, and every step pulled at hidden pain.
Thalia trailed behind, her cloak fully concealing her form.
Her footsteps were light and silent, almost blending with the shadows of the forest.
But Raine could feel the deliberate distance between them, as if there were an invisible barrier she had placed.
"Wait," Karrion suddenly stopped, raising a hand.
His voice was low, with an unnoticeable hint of gravity.
Raine and Thalia halted immediately, their senses sharpening.
Karrion crouched, his thick beard nearly brushing the ground.
He carefully inspected a few black vines that had been cut.
The cut was unusually clean, the edges scorched with faint, almost imperceptible burn marks.
"This wasn't us," Karrion said, picking up a bit of black ash from the cut.
The ash had a subtle, strange warmth to it.
"It wasn't any of the creatures here either."
Raine stepped closer to examine it.
The burnt edges, unlike those from fire, seemed more like... an imprint left by some kind of energy.
A pure, fiery energy, one that felt completely out of place with the corrupted atmosphere of this forest.
"Holy Light," Thalia's voice emerged from beneath her hood, cold and certain.
"Only the Church's purification fire would leave such marks."
Raine's heart sank.
The Church? Had they caught up with them here?
Karrion stood, his face darkening.
He didn't speak immediately but instead walked around the severed vines, closely inspecting the area.
He brushed aside thick, rotting leaves, scanning the ground for signs.
"There's more," Karrion pointed to a few barely noticeable imprints on the ground.
"Not just one person. A small team, well-equipped, moving efficiently."
He looked up, his eyes scanning the direction they had come from.
"And they're following our path."
Pursuers.
Church pursuers.
"How did they find us?" Raine's voice felt dry.
Since leaving Darkstar City, they had been careful to avoid leaving any traces.
"Hmph, who knows?" Karrion scratched his beard irritably.
"Maybe it was something left in the city, or maybe some tracking spell."
He glanced at Raine. "Kid, seems like the Church has taken a special interest in you."
"That 'Fallen Star' business... it might not be just talk."
Raine clenched his fists.
Labeled as the cause of the corruption, what did the Church want with him?
To purify him? Or to exploit the Starborn blood within him for some purpose?
Either way, neither outcome was one he desired.
"They may also know my identity," Thalia's voice remained calm but tinged with coldness.
"Shadow Witch, the last guardian of the Starborn... Either title would make the Church consider me heretical."
The air seemed to freeze.
The danger from the forest was already deadly enough, but now they also had the human threat of pursuit.
And not just any force, but the Church, the largest and most unquestionable power on the continent.
"We need to change our route," Karrion decided immediately.
"We can't keep following this easier path."
He pointed to the deeper part of the forest, where the vines were tangled, and the shadows grew thicker, almost obscuring any path.
"We'll head that way. The harder the terrain, the less likely we are to be tracked."
Raine looked at Thalia.
She nodded slightly in agreement.
Her hood was drawn low, hiding her expression, but Raine could feel the tension in her body.
"Let's go!" Karrion shouted, turning first and plunging into the dense underbrush.
With a swing of his warhammer, he carved a narrow path.
Raine followed close behind, and Thalia trailed at the rear.
The new path was far more difficult.
The ground was soft, muddy, and the tree roots intertwined in a chaotic mess.
Above, branches hung low, dripping with black, poisonous sap.
Every step required immense effort.
They stopped more frequently, erasing any traces they left behind.
Karrion used his dwarven skills to ensure their footprints looked like those of wild beasts.
Thalia occasionally waved her hand, subtly weaving shadows to cover any significant traces.
Anxiety curled like vines, quietly wrapping around each of their hearts.
Every rustling leaf, every distant, unsettling noise made their nerves tighten.
The pursuers were close, like hounds with sharp noses, ready to pounce at any moment.
The malevolent atmosphere of the forest seemed to grow stronger as they ventured deeper.
The twisted trees became more grotesque, the stench of decay nearly suffocating.
Occasionally, they glimpsed the distorted creatures lurking in the shadows, their crimson eyes flickering with greed and malice.
They had no idea how long they had been walking, but the daylight slowly faded.
Night in the Corrupted Forest was far more dangerous than day.
They found a relatively hidden rock depression and decided to take a short rest.
Karrion leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily, sweat soaking his disheveled hair.
"This damn place... sure is exhausting," he muttered, taking a large gulp from his waterskin.
"Hope those Church dogs don't have the stamina of dwarves."
Raine leaned against another rock wall, fatigue washing over him like a tide.
His gaze fell on Thalia in the corner.
She stood motionless in the shadow, like a lifeless statue.
But Raine noticed her fingers, gripping the rock wall, were trembling slightly.
"How far... are they behind us?" Raine asked Karrion, his voice hoarse.
Karrion shook his head, his expression grim.
"Hard to say. We've changed our route, so we should have bought ourselves some time."
"But they came prepared, and they're not going to give up easily."
He paused, lowering his voice. "I think... I heard something earlier."
"What kind of sound?" Raine immediately became alert.
"Like... a horn." Karrion furrowed his brow, listening intently.
"It was far, faint. Maybe I misheard."
A horn?
The Church's horn?
That meant the pursuers hadn't given up and might be regrouping or communicating.
The invisible pressure grew heavier.
It felt like a vast net was slowly closing in from all sides.
The dangers of the forest, the pursuit from the Church, Thalia's mysterious condition...
Everything was weighing down on Raine's heart.
He looked up at the sky.
Through the twisted gaps in the branches, he could only see a small patch of dull sky.
The starlight was almost nonexistent here.
Esteria's stars were dimming, and corruption was spreading... The Church claimed this was divine punishment.
And he, Raine Morningstar, seemed to have become the center of this storm of divine wrath.
In the distance, there seemed to be a faint, barely audible echo.
Was it the horn? Or just the wind?
Or was it just his overactive nerves playing tricks?
Raine gripped the Starfire Blade at his side.
A faint warmth, like that of the stars, flowed through the hilt.
This was his only reliance.
But this power also came with great cost and danger.
He looked at Karrion, the dwarf warily cleaning his warhammer.
Then he glanced at Thalia, still silently standing in the shadows, like an unsolvable puzzle.
The three of them, bound by different goals and secrets, were traveling together, facing dual threats from the shadows and light.
The road ahead was more dangerous and more uncertain.
And the hounds behind them were closing in.
Could they escape? Where could they go?
Starfall City... that shattered, floating royal city—did it really hold the answers he sought, or was it another deeper trap?
Night was falling.
The darkness of the Corrupted Forest seemed to devour everything.
Only the faint sound of breathing in their rock shelter, and the occasional, bone-chilling growl from deep in the forest, confirmed they were still alive.
Still struggling through this silent hunt.