C16 Ash and Echoes

The Forest of Hollow Moons let them go. After the trial, the trees no longer leaned inward. The mist retreated, revealing a pale blue sky—unnatural, still too quiet, but no longer suffocating. Evelyne stepped beyond the circle of bones, rune stone clutched tightly in her hand, its surface warm despite the chill in the air. "One key down," Lucien said, brushing dirt from his jacket. "Two to go