Chapter 124 The Storm

The ride to Ashgrove was brutal, the thick forest closing in on them from every direction as if it, too, wished to ensnare them within its clutches. Seraphine's steps were calculated, a cadence that was familiar only to those who had carried the burden of destiny for as long as she had. Ash walked behind, his thoughts agitated, filled with the enormity of the decision they had made. The fate of the world and maybe worlds depended on what they did now. As they approached the ruins, the air thickened, heavy with an ancient, suffocating power. The ruins of Ashgrove stood like a monument to lost eras, crumbling pillars and half-fallen walls bearing witness to a city long gone. But beneath that rot lay a secret strength, the tunnels below, full of mystery and peril. It was here, in the twisting depths, that they would stand their ground.