Morning light filtered through the towering silver-barked trees, casting shifting patterns across the forest floor.
The silence was unsettling.
There were no birds.
No insects.
Only the soft rustle of leaves stirred by a wind that seemed to move with purpose.
Uriel stepped carefully over a moss-covered root, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Behind him, Veyra's company followed in disciplined formation.
Captain Darius led the vanguard with Ellis and Tovin flanking him. Lyra watched the canopy with an arrow ready, while Merek drifted between the trees, scouting ahead. Garron remained near the center, helping the wounded soldiers keep pace.
No one spoke above a whisper.
The forest demanded silence.
Maera slowed beside Uriel, her fingers tracing the leather satchel that carried the First Oath.
"I've heard stories about this place."
"You know where we are?"
"I think so."
She looked up at the silver trunks surrounding them.
"If I'm right..."
"This is Silverwood."
Ellis overheard her.
"The haunted forest?"
Maera nodded.
"The oldest forest on the continent."
"They say kingdoms rose and fell while these trees never changed."
Garron forced a laugh.
"I was hoping for somewhere less... haunted."
Nox stirred beneath Uriel's skin.
Its golden eyes opened within the tattoo.
You're walking too loudly.
Uriel glanced down.
"I'm walking."
Poorly.
"I'll work on it."
Veyra noticed the brief exchange.
"It again?"
Uriel nodded.
"It doesn't approve of my walking."
A few soldiers laughed quietly.
Even after everything they had endured, the small moment eased the tension.
It didn't last.
Merek suddenly appeared from the trees ahead.
He dropped to one knee.
"Movement."
Every soldier instinctively reached for a weapon.
"How many?" Captain Darius asked.
"I don't know."
"I never saw them."
"I only heard them."
That answer made everyone uneasy.
Lyra scanned the branches overhead.
"I don't see anything."
"Neither did I," Merek replied.
"But something is following us."
The company resumed their march, this time with weapons drawn.
Minutes passed.
Nothing appeared.
Only the endless forest.
Then...
Crunch.
A twig snapped somewhere behind them.
Everyone spun.
Nothing.
Another sound.
To the left.
Then another.
To the right.
The noises circled them.
Captain Darius raised a fist.
"Halt."
The formation tightened immediately.
Uriel closed his eyes.
"Nox."
The serpent answered at once.
They're watching.
"How many?"
A dozen.
"Black Blades?"
No.
"Then who?"
The serpent was quiet for several moments.
Hunters.
Without warning—
An arrow buried itself in the ground at Darius' feet.
A second struck a nearby tree.
Then a third.
None were aimed to kill.
Only to warn.
Figures emerged from between the silver trees.
One.
Five.
Ten.
Then more.
Men and women clad in dark green cloaks stepped silently into view, bows already drawn.
Their armor was made from leather reinforced with polished wood instead of steel.
Each carried a curved blade at their hip.
Their leader stepped forward.
She was perhaps in her early thirties, with bronze skin, long braided silver hair, and sharp amber eyes.
A scar crossed the bridge of her nose.
She studied the group calmly.
"You've crossed into Silverwood."
Captain Darius lowered his sword slightly.
"We seek only passage."
"Everyone says that."
Her gaze shifted.
It stopped on Uriel.
More specifically...
On the Keeper's Mask.
Every hunter stiffened.
Several immediately drew their bows tighter.
"The Mask..."
One whispered.
"It still exists."
The leader took another step forward.
"State your name."
"Uriel."
She repeated it quietly.
"As if testing the sound."
"Uriel..."
"I know that name."
Maera frowned.
"That's impossible."
The woman ignored her.
Instead, she asked another question.
"Who gave you that mask?"
Uriel answered honestly.
"I don't know."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face.
She looked toward the serpent tattoo.
Her expression changed again.
"Nox..."
Uriel's eyes narrowed.
"You know its name?"
The hunters exchanged uneasy glances.
The leader slowly lowered her bow.
"So..."
"It truly has returned."
Nox spoke softly.
Interesting.
"You know her?"
A little.
"That's becoming a habit."
I've lived a long time.
The leader's eyes remained fixed on Uriel.
"I never thought I'd see either of you again."
Before anyone could respond—
A deafening roar echoed through the forest.
The ground shook violently.
Birds exploded into the sky from miles away.
Every hunter immediately turned toward the sound.
The woman's calm demeanor vanished.
"No..."
One of the hunters looked horrified.
"It found us."
Captain Darius frowned.
"What found you?"
The answer came before anyone could speak.
Trees snapped like twigs.
Something enormous moved through the forest.
Each footstep shook the earth.
Ellis tightened his grip on his shield.
"I don't like this."
Neither did Uriel.
Nox's voice had lost every trace of sarcasm.
Don't fight it.
Uriel frowned.
"What is it?"
The serpent remained silent.
Then...
Run.
The trees ahead exploded apart.
A colossal beast emerged from the forest.
It stood nearly twenty feet tall.
Its body resembled that of a stag, but its hide was formed from black stone streaked with glowing crimson veins.
Its antlers stretched like twisted branches, each crackling with crimson lightning.
Six burning eyes swept across the clearing.
The creature inhaled once.
The surrounding trees blackened instantly.
Maera's face drained of color.
"It can't be..."
The huntress whispered the creature's name with genuine fear.
"The Ashhorn."
The beast lowered its massive head.
Its six eyes locked onto only one person.
Uriel.
Nox's tattoo flared with golden light.
It remembers you.