Kael moved slowly along the narrow trails covered with dry leaves, the crackling of his footsteps softly echoing in the surrounding forest. The air was heavy, laden with a dense energy that seemed to pulse beneath the earth's surface. Behind him, Umbra slipped silently, her figure almost a living shadow among the twisted trunks.
"Do you feel that?" Umbra whispered, her voice barely a murmur but filled with alertness. "This land is infested with corrupted magic."
Kael furrowed his brow, trying to catch the sensation his companion described. There was indeed something strange in the air. A dark vibration, a presence that seemed to want to infiltrate every fiber of the forest.
"Corrupted magic?" he asked, careful not to break the silence of the woods.
