The team pressed on, leaving behind the shimmer of blue water and entering a deeper part of the marsh—where the air hung heavy with mineral dust and faint motes of green light. The trees here were sparse, replaced by half-buried statues and jagged mounds that pulsed faintly beneath the mud.
Even the sound of water had changed—thicker, slower. Every ripple carried weight.
"This area's always weird," Caria muttered, reloading her crossbow as her boots sank slightly with each step. "Like the ground's alive."
Aria nodded. "In a way, it is. The Verdant Spined Tortoise's presence bleeds into the terrain—it literally turns the land into part of its shell."
Sophia swept her staff across the area, casting a faint detection ward. "Mana density's high. It's here… just not awake yet."
Rhys scanned the field. The faint hum of power beneath his boots was unmistakable—steady, deep, like a pulse echoing through stone. "Then we wake it on our terms."
