The moment their feet crossed the invisible line separating the safe zone of Nocture from the forest beyond, the world seemed to swallow their sound.
The silence was not merely the absence of noise; it was alive, oppressive, like an unseen palm pressing over their ears from the inside of their skulls. No rustling leaves brushing against one another, no faint crackle of disturbed underbrush, not even their own footsteps made any real sound; they were muffled so deeply it felt like walking across an endless thick layer of cotton. The air was colder than the nights in Nocture, more humid, yet it wasn't a refreshing chill; this was a slow, creeping cold that seeped into the bones, raising goosebumps even though Sylvia and Sofia's bodies had long since ceased to truly feel temperature like ordinary humans.
Sylvia paused for a moment at the threshold. Her pitch-black eyes narrowed, staring into the darkness ahead that seemed even denser than a starless night.
