Hollow Ascension

Chapter 166: Signs of Deeper Corruption

The valley no longer felt like home. Every step Elda took seemed to pull her further from the magic she had grown up with, the magic that had once been so alive, so vibrant. Now, it was like walking through a place she barely recognized. The air was heavy, thick with a dark energy that buzzed just below the surface. The trees—normally lush and green—had begun to lose their color, their leaves curling in on themselves as if in pain.

Lena's eyes scanned the darkened trees, her hand never far from the hilt of her sword. "Something's wrong," she muttered. "It's worse than before."

Kael nodded grimly, his hand resting on his own weapon as they moved cautiously through the valley. "The corruption is spreading faster. I can feel it."

But it was more than just the corruption. Elda had been sensing it for the past hour—something in the valley's magic had changed. It wasn't just weakening; it was transforming, warping into something that felt... foreign.

Elda slowed her pace, her fingers tightening around her staff as she reached out with her magic, trying to connect with the valley's energy. She expected the usual hum, the familiar pulse that had always been there. But what she felt instead was disjointed—like the magic was breaking apart, each piece pulling in a different direction.

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"The magic," Elda said softly, her voice trembling slightly. "It's... changing."

Kael stopped beside her, his brow furrowed. "Changing how?"

Elda shook her head, struggling to make sense of what she was feeling. "It's not just being drained. The Syndicate's magic is... reshaping it. Twisting it into something else."

Lena cursed under her breath, her eyes hard. "So they're not just trying to destroy the valley's magic. They're trying to control it."

Elda nodded, her heart pounding. That was exactly what it felt like. The valley's magic was no longer just being weakened—it was being molded, manipulated, as if the Syndicate was preparing to turn it into something they could use. She had felt the valley's magic her entire life, but now, it felt like it was slipping away from her, like the land itself was rejecting her.

"We have to move quickly," Elda said, her voice urgent. "If they finish whatever they're doing, the valley won't just lose its magic. It will become something else entirely."

Kael's jaw clenched. "Then we need to stop them—now."

They pressed on, moving deeper into the valley, but the landscape around them only grew more unsettling. The plants, once alive with magic, were now brittle and gray, their roots twisted and dry. Strange, dark vines had begun to creep across the forest floor, wrapping themselves around the trees like tendrils of smoke.

The further they went, the more Elda could feel the valley slipping out of her reach. The magic she had known all her life was being replaced by something cold, something dark—and the thought of what the valley might become if the Syndicate succeeded filled her with a deep, gnawing fear.

"It's everywhere," Lena muttered, kicking a cluster of darkened vines out of her path. "They've already spread their corruption through half the valley."

Elda didn't respond. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out how the Syndicate could be doing this. The runes they had destroyed had been powerful, but this... this was something more. The Syndicate wasn't just using dark magic to corrupt the valley—they were rewriting its very essence.

Kael moved closer to her, his voice low. "Can we stop it?"

Elda hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted. "But we have to try. If we don't sever the Syndicate's connection to the valley's core, we'll lose the valley entirely."

Lena's voice was tense as she glanced back at Elda. "You've felt the valley's magic your whole life. Do you think you can reverse this?"

Elda's grip tightened on her staff. "I have to," she said, though there was a flicker of doubt in her voice. "But we need to find the source of the corruption first. The runes we've destroyed so far were just the beginning. Whatever the Syndicate is using to control the valley's magic—it's deeper, hidden somewhere we haven't found yet."

Kael's expression darkened. "And we're running out of time."

Elda nodded, her heart heavy with the weight of what lay ahead. The valley's magic was unraveling faster than she had thought. If they didn't stop the Syndicate soon, there would be no valley left to save