Morning arrived quietly over the western side of the Evergreen Mountain Range. A thin layer of mist drifted above the forest floor before slowly fading beneath the rising sun, revealing a landscape that looked calm enough to make it difficult to believe what they had experienced only a day earlier.
The river where they had awakened had long disappeared behind them, replaced by endless woodland broken only by narrow animal trails, scattered streams, and occasional rocky hills that forced the group to alter their route.
Sage led the expedition from the center rather than the front, allowing Valeria to scout ahead while Vanthrice watched the rear. It was a formation they had naturally settled into during the Vault expedition, and after everything they had endured together, nobody questioned their positions anymore.
