The man stumbled forward, his hurried, nervous footsteps echoing along the rocky trail.
The air still carried the cold left behind by Kyrian, and the contrast with the mountain's natural heat made steam rise from the ground like a living mist.
Kyrian followed him in silence.
Each of his steps sounded controlled, heavy, and rhythmic.
Different from the other man, who almost ran, glancing back every three steps as if a monster were chasing him.
"Keep walking." Kyrian's voice cut through the air, firm, without raising his tone.
The man swallowed hard and quickened his pace, tripping over a stone.
The path stretched toward a deep but hidden opening between the mountains, where the ground grew blackened and the air took on a metallic scent of hot iron and ancient dust.
Kyrian felt the shift in the environment and looked closer with his eyes.
The sight before him appeared distorted, like a dense veil covering part of the mountainside, a curtain that swallowed the light.
