Chapter 60

• Their next journey took them to the Shadow Grove, a place shrouded in legend and fear. The trees there were twisted, their branches blackened and brittle as if they had been burned by some long-forgotten fire. The ground beneath their feet was uneven, littered with the bones of creatures that had ventured too far into the grove and never returned.
• “This place is… unsettling,” Ariana murmured, her eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement.
• Demion nodded in agreement. “We need to be careful. The guardian could be anywhere.”