The first rays of dawn barely pierced the canopy of the enchanted forest, but their light brought little comfort. Every shadow seemed to slither, every rustle whispered danger.
Alara pressed her ear to the ground, her whiskers twitching. "Something's following us."
"Something's always following us," Thane muttered, fumbling with a contraption made from twigs and a shiny pebble he'd scavenged earlier.
"We can't afford to stop now," Eldrin said, his voice calm but firm. The glowing crystal atop his staff dimmed slightly, as if echoing his fatigue.
The family trudged forward, each step feeling heavier than the last. The ground beneath them shifted subtly, as if alive and waiting.
---
As they entered a glade surrounded by twisted trees, the air grew unnaturally still. Suddenly, a deafening crack echoed around them, and the ground erupted. Vines shot out like serpents, coiling around Galen and Mira before they could react.
"Dad!" Mira screamed, struggling against the tightening grip of the vines.
Eldrin raised his staff, and a beam of golden light severed one of the vines, but more replaced it, twisting faster than he could counter.
"Everyone, stay calm!" Eldrin shouted.
"Stay calm?!" Thane yelled, scrambling onto a rock to avoid the writhing plants. "Great plan, Eldrin! I'll just calmly let the forest eat us alive!"
Alara darted between the vines, her small form making her hard to catch. "Thane, distract them!" she shouted.
"With what? My sparkling personality?"
"Anything! Just do it!"
---
Thane fished out his makeshift contraption—a crude slingshot—and loaded it with the pebble. Aiming, he fired at a pulsating bulb on one of the larger vines. The pebble struck true, and the bulb burst in a spray of greenish sap.
The vines recoiled momentarily, their grip loosening on Mira and Galen.
"Nice shot!" Alara called, seizing the moment to climb a nearby tree and sever another vine with her teeth.
But the reprieve was brief. The forest seemed to grow angrier, the vines moving faster and more aggressively.
Eldrin planted his staff into the ground, and a ripple of light spread out in a circle. The vines shrieked—an eerily strange sound, and then retreated. The family collapsed onto the forest floor, panting and shaking.
"Is it over?" Mira whispered, clinging to Isolde.
"For now," Eldrin said, though his eyes scanned the treetops warily. "But this forest won't give up so easily. Malifax's magic has turned it into a living trap."
"Wonderful," Thane said, flopping onto his back. "Next time, let's vacation in a nice, normal death trap."
---
As they resumed their journey, the tension among the family was noticeable. Galen walked at the back, his head bowed.
"This is all my fault," he muttered under his breath.
"Dad, don't start—" Alara began, but he cut her off.
"No, it is! I should've been stronger. I should've seen what Malifax was capable of."
"Blaming yourself doesn't help anyone," Eldrin said, his voice gentle but firm.
"Easy for you to say," Galen snapped. "You weren't the one who let his family get cursed."
Eldrin stopped and turned to face Galen. "No, but I know what it's like to carry the weight of failure. The question is, will you let it break you, or will you use it to fight harder?"
Galen stared at him, his ears drooping. Before he could respond, a distant roar echoed through the forest, silencing everyone.
---
The roar grew louder, accompanied by the sound of trees snapping like twigs.
"What now?" Thane groaned, gripping his slingshot tightly.
Eldrin's eyes narrowed. "Something big."
The ground trembled as an enormous serpentine creature burst into the clearing. Its scales glistened like black glass, and its eyes burned with fire.
"A beast," Eldrin said, his voice grim. "Malifax must have sent it."
The beast lunged, its jaws snapping inches from Eldrin. He dodged, raising his staff to summon a barrier of light. The beastly creature hissed in pain but didn't retreat.
"Run!" Eldrin shouted to the family.
"But—" Galen began.
"Go! I'll hold it off!"
The family sprinted through the forest, the beast's roars and Eldrin's spells echoing behind them. The ground shook with each creature's movements, and the air crackled with magical energy.
"Where are we even going?" Thane shouted, struggling to keep up.
"Anywhere but here!" Alara yelled back.
As they ran, the trees began to thin, revealing a sheer cliff ahead. The family skidded to a halt, staring at the top. "We're trapped!" Mira cried.
"No, we're not," Alara said, her eyes scanning the cliff. She pointed to a narrow ledge that wound its way down. "There!"
"It's too dangerous," Isolde said, but Alara was already leading the way.
---
Eldrin's Fate
As they descended the ledge, a deafening explosion shook the forest. The family turned to see a column of light shoot into the sky, followed by a frightening silence.
"Eldrin," Galen whispered. But before they could process what had happened, the cliff began to crumble beneath them.
"Hold on!" Alara shouted as the ground gave way, sending them tumbling into the unknown.