Deep in the night, a sharp crash shattered the stillness. Raelyn's eyes flew open, her heart pounding as adrenaline surged through her veins. For a moment, disoriented by the darkness and the muffled sounds around her, she didn't move. Then she heard it—the guttural growls and snarls that sent ice slicing through her chest.

"Get up!" Hovan's voice cut through the chaos, urgent and commanding. "They've found us!"

The barn erupted into motion. Rakz scrambled to his feet, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim firelight as he hissed, his scales bristling with alarm.

Burning arrows whistled through the air, thudding into the barn's wooden walls. The flames licking the wood and spreading across its surface.

Corix was already on his feet. "Move!" he barked, his voice cutting through the din. "We need to get out of here!"

The horses reared and kicked, their eyes rolling wildly as the noise and terror overtook them. With a shuddering cry, Maisie broke free of her ties, bolting through the barn doors and into the night. The other horses followed, their hooves pounding against the ground in a desperate bid for safety.

"No—Maisie!" Raelyn cried, reaching out instinctively, but her mount was already gone, swallowed by the darkness. There was no time to mourn.

"How did they find us?" Hovan growled, his sword already in hand as he scanned the barn's entrance. The light from the spreading flames caught the edge of his blade, turning it into a sliver of molten gold.

"They shouldn't even know we're here! How did they know we left Kaiswen?" Corix snapped, his frustration barely masking his fear. "It doesn't make sense!"

"No time for questions," Hovan cut in sharply, his voice steady despite the chaos. "We need to move—now!"

Another crash shook the barn as a large claw splintered part of the burning wall. The gap revealed glowing red eyes and twisted, snarling faces. The demons were closing in.

"Head for the woods!" Corix shouted, his tone urgent and decisive.

The group burst out of the barn and into the open night. The farm was a scene of chaos—demons swarmed the property, their hulking forms silhouetted against the pale moonlight. Crude weapons glinted in their hands, their guttural laughter and shouts echoing through the night air.

"This way!" Corix called, leading them toward the dark outline of the Misty Woods in the distance.

Crude arrows shot through the air, hissing as they narrowly missed their targets. One struck a fence post, splintering the wood, while another buried itself in the ground mere inches from Raelyn's feet. She stumbled but kept moving, her heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the noise around her.

"They're gaining on us!" Hovan shouted, glancing back over his shoulder. His sword flashed as he deflected a poorly aimed arrow that veered dangerously close to Corix.

Raelyn could barely catch her breath as she ran. "How do they know?" she asked, her voice trembling with panic. "How did they find us?"

"Someone must've told them," Hovan snarled, his tone laced with anger. "We've been careful. There's no other way they'd know."

Corix's brow furrowed as he shot a bolt of light from his fingertips, momentarily scattering the nearest demons. "Who? No one knows who we are. No one knows what we're after." he said, his voice strained.

They reached the edge of the woods, the dense canopy above swallowing the moonlight. The air turned colder, the whisper of leaves in the wind barely audible over the pounding of their footsteps and the guttural snarls behind them. Shadows stretched and swayed with each flicker of moonlight that broke through the trees, casting the forest in an eerie half-light. Thick mist swirling around their feet.

The uneven ground was treacherous, knotted with roots and littered with leaves that slipped underfoot. Raelyn stumbled, her boot catching on a gnarled root. She threw out her hand, grabbing a low-hanging branch just in time to steady herself. Rakz darted to her side, growling, his teeth bared and his scales flaring like miniature blades.

"Help us!" Corix shouted into the dark expanse of trees, his voice raw and desperate. "Elves of Caelluma, we need your aid!"

No response came. The forest swallowed his voice, leaving only the oppressive sounds of their pursuers.

Raelyn's heart thundered in her chest as she clutched her sword tightly, her trembling fingers barely able to hold its hilt. "Corix!" she gasped, her breath coming in panicked bursts. "What do we do?"

"Keep moving!" Hovan's voice cut through the chaos, hoarse but commanding. He swung his blade in a wide arc, deflecting a rusted spear aimed for his chest. The demon who had thrown it snarled, its red eyes glowing with malice.

Raelyn tried to run, but fear turned her legs into jelly. Another arrow hissed past her ear, embedding itself in a nearby tree with a sharp thwack. She flinched, stumbling backward.

"Shield of light!" Corix yelled, his voice cracking as he launched a burst of light from his hands, scattering a cluster of demons for a moment. "Raelyn, now!"

Her fingers twitched instinctively, moving to form the glyph she had practiced. But her mind was a whirlwind of fear, her thoughts too scattered to focus. She faltered, the glow of the glyph flickering in and out of existence.

Another arrow came, this one aimed directly for her chest.

"No!" she screamed, her hand shooting out in desperation. The glyph finally ignited, blazing bright in the darkness. A shimmering shield of light burst forth, catching the arrow mid-flight. It shattered against the barrier, the fragments scattering harmlessly to the ground.

The shield flickered weakly, the strain evident in Raelyn's trembling form. Sweat dripped down her temple as she struggled to hold it.

"Raelyn, run!" Corix shouted, darting toward her and grabbing her arm. The shield fizzled out, and she gasped, her knees nearly buckling.

The demons were closing in, their guttural growls growing louder, their crude weapons gleaming faintly in the dim light. The group was driven into a corner where the underbrush thickened, cutting off any clear escape.

"Corix!" Raelyn cried, gripping her sword tightly even though her arms were causing it to shake vigorously. "We're trapped!"

Corix stood in front of her, his hands raised as he began to form another spell. "Not yet, we're not," he growled through clenched teeth.

Hovan pushed Raelyn behind him, swinging his blade with practiced precision as two demons lunged from the shadows. His sword caught the first, its dark form crumpling to the ground with a sickening thud. The second darted away, snarling, only to ready its next strike.

In the shadows, Rakz lunged at another demon, his claws raking across its leg. The creature howled in pain but didn't fall. Instead, it turned on Rakz, raising a jagged blade.

"No!" Raelyn shouted, surging forward. She swung her sword clumsily but managed to strike the demon's arm, knocking the blade from its hand. Rakz leapt up, sinking his teeth into its neck. The demon let out a howl of pain as yellow blood gushed from the wound, but Rakz didn't let go. The beast stumbled back and fell. It's body twitched a few times before Rakz was ready to let go of his prey.

More shadows loomed around them, the group now surrounded. Raelyn's chest heaved, her lungs burning as fear took hold again. This is it, she thought, panic gripping her like a vice.

Then, a sharp whistle cut through the air, high and piercing.

Arrows, swift and silent, rained down from the treetops. The demons' snarls turned to howls of pain as they were struck down one by one.

From above, figures descended—elves clad in leather armor, their movements swift and deadly. Their bows gleamed in the faint moonlight, arrows nocked and ready as they pressed the attack. One of the elves barked a command in their melodic tongue, and the air filled with the hum of magic. The demons shrieked in pain and fury as vines erupted from the ground, ensnaring their limbs and dragging them down.

The chaos ebbed, leaving only the sound of panting breaths and the crackle of dying magic in the air.

The wood elf from before stepped into view, his bow lowered but his expression no less wary. His piercing green eyes swept over the group, lingering on the traces of the battle. "You brought demons to our borders," he said coldly, his voice carrying a sharp edge of accusation.

Corix straightened, his breathing still labored from the chase. "We didn't mean to," he replied, his tone firm but edged with weariness. "If you hadn't come—"

"Save your explanations for the elders," the elf interrupted, his sharp tone cutting through Corix's words. "Your presence here has already disrupted the peace of these woods. Consider yourselves fortunate we intervened."

The elf's gaze moved over them, assessing each one with a mixture of suspicion and disdain. His expression hardened when his eyes landed on Hovan, who stood a few paces behind Raelyn, one hand pressed tightly to his side.

Blood seeped through Hovan's fingers, staining the fabric of his tunic a dark crimson. He swayed slightly, his face pale and slick with sweat.

"Hovan!" Raelyn cried, rushing to his side. Her heart clenched at the sight of the blood trailing down his hand and pooling on the forest floor.

The warrior waved her off weakly, gritting his teeth. "It's nothing," he muttered, his voice strained and barely audible.

"It's not nothing," Corix snapped, quickly moving to Hovan's side and pulling his hand away from the wound. His expression darkened as he examined it—a jagged gash that ran deep along Hovan's side. The edges of the wound were rough, as if torn by claws or a serrated blade. "This is bad," he muttered grimly.

Raelyn's eyes widened in panic. "What do we do? Corix, can you—can you heal him?"

Corix shook his head, his brow furrowed. "Healing magic isn't my strength. I could try to stop the bleeding, but this..." He trailed off, his silence heavy with unspoken doubt.

Hovan let out a weak chuckle, though it quickly turned into a grimace. "Don't bother fussing," he said, his voice hoarse. "I've had worse."

"Worse than this?" Corix shot back, his irritation breaking through his usually measured demeanor. "You're losing too much blood. Keep talking like that, and you'll bleed out before we even get to the elves."

"Come," the wood elf said, already turning toward the trees. "If you linger, his fate is sealed."

Corix and Raelyn moved to Hovan's side, each slipping an arm under his shoulders to steady him. He let out a pained grunt but didn't protest, his stubborn pride eclipsed by the sheer effort it took to remain upright.

"Hold on, Hovan," Raelyn whispered, her voice trembling. "We'll get you there. Just hold on."

The group followed the elf deeper into the forest, the weight of Hovan's injury heavy on all of them. The once-eerie woods now felt suffocating, the towering trees and thick mist closing in around them as they made their way toward an uncertain fate.