Nyx didn't flinch. His expression remained neutral, but there was a flicker of understanding in his gaze.
"You don't look surprised," Horizon observed, studying Nyx carefully.
"I'd be more surprised if there wasn't foul play involved," Nyx said with a dry chuckle. "After all, with gold and glory on the line, soone's bound to cheat."
A mont of silence passed between them, the weight of unspoken possibilities hanging in the air. Horizon's mind worked quickly, piecing together fragnts of information.
If Cedrick had outside help—especially from the Elves, the host of this gas—it changed everything. It wasn't just about winning anymore. It was about outsmarting those who thought they could bend the rules in their favor.
"Let's keep moving," Horizon said at last, his voice cold. "If there's soone pulling strings from the shadows, we'll cut those strings. And when we do . . ." He paused, a dark grin forming. "They'll regret ssing with us."
Nyx's grin matched his, savage and eager. "Now you're talking. Let's go!"
Horizon and Nyx moved cautiously through the dense forest, their senses on high alert. Though they were primarily focused on finding materials and food, they never lost sight of their true goal—keeping tabs on the beasts in the forest.
Horizon's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, while Nyx prowled over him, his presence almost ghostly amidst the shadows.
Occasionally, Horizon would pause to gather rare herbs or bits of wood, but every mont felt tense, as if sothing unseen was watching them.
"Still no signs of movent here," Horizon said quietly, slipping a piece of bark into his pouch.
"Good. Let's keep it that way," Nyx replied curtly. "If we're lucky, we might—"
Suddenly, without warning, the atmosphere shifted. The sky overhead, once a muted shade of twilight, deepened into a haunting crimson hue, casting an eerie glow across the forest. The trees seed to tremble under the weight of the sudden change, their leaves swaying unnaturally despite the absence of wind.
"What's that?" Horizon muttered, his eyes narrowing at the sky. The air felt heavy, charged with sothing far more sinister than re magic.
Nyx's expression darkened. "Be careful. I sense sothing . . . powerful."
As if answering his warning, a low rumble rolled through the earth beneath their feet. Horizon instinctively braced himself as the tremor intensified, the ground quaking with a primal force.
Monts later, an imnse surge of energy erupted across the forest, a tangible wave that left the air humming with raw, untad power.
In the distance, the unmistakable sound of bestial roars and anguished cries pierced the air, echoing through the trees. Horizon felt a chill crawl up his spine as the noise grew louder, closer.
"They're appearing again," he muttered, more to himself than to Nyx. His mind raced, connecting the dots. "So . . . this must be the ti. A set interval for their ergence." Continue your journey with empire
Nyx didn't let him linger on the thought. "No ti for theories. If we don't want to end up as a midnight snack for those things, we need to get back to our hideout. Now." His voice was firm, cutting through the rising tension.
Horizon hesitated for only a second, his gaze sweeping the forest one last ti. Then he nodded, the cold glint of determination replacing his curiosity. "Right. Let's move."
They sprinted through the darkened forest, their footfalls muffled by the thick undergrowth. The once-familiar path now seed foreign under the blood-red sky, every shadow hiding potential threats. The distant roars grew louder, mingling with the earth's tremors as more beasts erged from the depths.
Despite the urgency, Horizon's mind remained focused. If this really is a tid event, then there's a pattern to exploit. A smiled tugged at the corner of his lips, even as he leapt over a fallen log.
But first, survival was paramount.
As Horizon and Nyx pushed forward through the forest, the air around them grew colder, heavier, almost suffocating. The ground quaked beneath their feet again, but this ti, the tremors weren't from distant beasts—they were near, far too near.
"Wait." Horizon raised a hand, signaling Nyx to stop. His eyes darted ahead, narrowing as he tried to make sense of the growing disturbance up ahead.
A low, guttural snarl rolled through the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of trees splintering like fragile twigs.
Nyx grinned, his sharp eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Looks like we've got front-row seats to sothing big."
Before Horizon could respond, the forest in front of them erupted into chaos. With a thunderous crash, a colossal serpent, its scales glinting like obsidian under the blood-red sky, coiled around a towering tree, shattering its trunk with ease. Its fangs dripped with venom, each drop sizzling as it hit the forest floor, burning through leaves and soil alike. The beast's eyes glead with an unnatural, predatory intelligence.
Opposing it was an equally massive tiger, its fur a brilliant shade of white, striped with black patterns that seed to shimr in the strange crimson light. Its claws tore into the ground as it snarled, muscles rippling beneath its sleek coat. Every movent exuded raw power, as though the very forest bent to its will.
The serpent lashed out first, striking with terrifying speed, its jaws wide enough to swallow the tiger whole. But the tiger was faster. With a powerful leap, it avoided the strike and landed atop the serpent's coiled body, sinking its claws deep into its scales. The serpent hissed in pain, thrashing wildly as it tried to dislodge its attacker. Trees toppled like matchsticks under their ferocious struggle.
Horizon and Nyx instinctively stepped back as debris rained down around them, the sheer force of the battle creating shockwaves that rippled through the ground.
"That's . . . not sothing you see every day," Horizon muttered, his voice calm but tinged with tension. His mind raced, calculating their next move. They couldn't afford to be caught in the middle of this fight.
Nyx's grin widened. "Should we jump in? It'd be fun."
"Fun? You have a weird sense of humor." Horizon's eyes remained locked on the battle. "We don't have the firepower to take on either of them, let alone both. Stay quiet, and don't draw their attention."
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