[Earlier.]
Five figures walked along a narrow forest path, their footsteps steady and unhurried.
Each of them radiated an extraordinary presence, powerful auras rolling outward like invisible waves that pressed against the trees and undergrowth.
To ordinary awakeners, merely standing near them would have felt suffocating.
The forest was alive with danger.
From deep within the shadows, the howls of ferocious beasts echoed intermittently, sharp and bloodcurdling.
Branches snapped in the distance.
Pairs of glowing eyes flickered briefly between the trunks before vanishing once more.
Yet none of it drew even a flicker of concern from the five individuals.
They walked casually, joking and laughing, as though they were taking a leisurely stroll rather than traversing one of the abyss's deadliest regions.
"I think sending all five of us is a bit excessive," said a tall, burly man with broad shoulders and a thick neck.
