Hollow Ascension

Chapter 152: A Subtle Invasion

The valley was different now. Though the dark tendrils had retreated, the air felt heavier, as though something unseen was pressing down on them. Lena walked beside Kael, her steps slow and deliberate, her eyes constantly scanning the trees for any sign of movement. There was an unnatural stillness to the forest that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

"We pushed it back," Kael said, his voice low. "But it's still here. I can feel it."

Lena nodded, her grip tightening around the hilt of her sword. "It's hiding," she muttered. "Waiting for us to slip."

Elda followed a few paces behind, her staff glowing faintly as she tried to sense the valley's magic. It was erratic, like a flame flickering in the wind, struggling to stay alight. She had tried to tap into the valley's energy again, but every time she reached out, she felt resistance—something dark and foreign, slithering through the magic like a snake in the grass.

"We're not dealing with a direct attack this time," Elda said, her voice tense. "This corruption is subtle. It's blending into the valley's magic, hiding within it."

Kael glanced over his shoulder, his expression grim. "Then how do we stop it?"

Elda shook her head. "I don't know yet. But it's already started to twist the valley's power. The more we try to use the magic, the more it risks being corrupted."

Lena's jaw tightened, her eyes scanning the forest. "Then we'll have to deal with it the old-fashioned way," she said, her voice hard. "Steel and will."

But even as she said the words, Lena could feel something unsettling in the air. It wasn't just the valley's magic that had changed—it was the atmosphere itself. The shadows seemed longer, darker, and the trees swayed slightly, even though there was no wind. The forest was watching them.

As they moved deeper into the glade, the air grew colder, and the light from the valley's heart flickered unevenly. Elda stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing as she sensed a disturbance. "Do you feel that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

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Kael turned to her, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "What is it?"

Elda closed her eyes, reaching out with her magic. There, at the edges of the valley's energy, she felt it—dark magic, creeping in like a shadow. But this time, it wasn't just affecting the valley. It was reaching for them.

"It's trying to get into our minds," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I can feel it... twisting, trying to plant doubts. It's feeding off our fear."

Lena's hand instinctively tightened around her sword, her muscles tensing. "We've dealt with illusions before," she muttered. "This won't be any different."

But even as she spoke, a cold breeze swept through the glade, and the shadows around them seemed to shift, moving in ways that didn't quite match the light. Lena glanced to her left, her heart skipping a beat as she saw a figure standing among the trees—a figure she hadn't seen in years.

Her father.

He was there, just beyond the treeline, standing still and silent, his eyes locked on hers. His face was gaunt, pale, as though he had been pulled from the grave. The same expression he'd had when she'd last seen him, lying broken on the battlefield.

Lena blinked, her heart pounding in her chest. She knew it wasn't real—couldn't be real. Her father was dead. He had been dead for years. But the vision was so vivid, so lifelike, that for a brief moment, doubt crept into her mind.

"Lena?" Kael's voice cut through the fog, and she blinked again, the vision of her father flickering like a dying candle flame before vanishing completely.

Lena shook her head, her jaw clenched. "It's nothing," she muttered, forcing herself to focus. "Just the shadows playing tricks."

But Elda's voice was sharp. "It's not just tricks," she said, her eyes wide with alarm. "The Syndicate's magic is trying to break us from the inside."

Kael frowned, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter as he scanned the area. "How?"

Elda's eyes darted around the glade, her hands tightening on her staff. "It's feeding on our fears, our doubts. It's using our own minds against us."

Lena took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "So, we stay focused," she said. "We don't let it get inside our heads."

Kael nodded, but as he turned to move forward, he froze. Just for a second, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow—a familiar one. It was a figure in armor, their face obscured by darkness, but Kael knew who it was. He'd seen this shadow before. He'd fought against it before.

It was Ithran.

The vision was fleeting, gone before Kael could even draw his sword, but the shock of it rattled him. He knew it wasn't real, but the sensation it left behind lingered, like a cold weight pressing on his chest.

"Kael?" Elda asked, her voice full of concern.

"I'm fine," Kael muttered, shaking off the vision. "We need to keep moving."

But as they pressed forward, the visions grew worse. Dark tendrils of magic slithered at the edges of their minds, twisting their memories, bringing forth faces from their past—old fears, old regrets. The corruption wasn't attacking them head-on. It was working its way through their emotions, digging deep into their insecurities and doubts.

Elda struggled to keep her focus, trying to block out the dark whispers that echoed through her mind. She had always prided herself on her connection to the valley's magic, but now that connection felt tainted, like a rope fraying at the edges. Every time she reached for the valley's energy, she felt the dark influence pressing back, trying to worm its way into her thoughts.

"We can't keep fighting like this," she whispered, her voice strained. "The Syndicate's magic is everywhere. It's in the air, in the ground. It's turning the valley against us."

Lena glanced over at Elda, her face set with determination. "Then we fight back," she said, her voice hard. "We've dealt with worse."

But Elda wasn't so sure. The valley's magic was slipping, becoming more erratic with each passing moment. She could feel the core of the valley struggling, its energy flickering and wavering, as though it was losing its sense of direction.

"This isn't like before," Elda said, her voice full of worry. "The valley's losing control. It's... confused. The Syndicate's corruption is twisting its magic, making it fight against itself."

Kael's face darkened. "Then we need to find the source of the corruption and cut it out," he said. "Before it's too late."

But as they moved deeper into the glade, the shadows around them thickened, and the whispers in their minds grew louder. The valley was no longer just their ally—it was becoming their battlefield.