For the past week, we kept moving forward. Or at least, we thought we were moving forward.
At this point, the forest path felt endless. Same mossy ground. Same crooked roots. Same canopy so thick it blocked out the sky like the world itself was trying to smother us quietly.
If this was Elfshire's idea of a welcome mat, it was doing a fantastic job at ruining morale.
Then Neida suddenly stopped.
"Eunji," she said, pointing ahead with one of her short sword. "We've definitely been here before."
She walked up to a massive tree towering over us and brushed her fingers over a set of deep, familiar gashes on its bark.
Clean, deliberate blade marks.
"This is the third time we passed this tree," she added flatly. "I marked it every time."
I stared at the slashes. Then at the tree. Then back at the slashes again.
"…Okay. So either the forest is messing with us," I muttered, "or this tree is following us. And I don't like either option."
