The forest changed the further he walked. The trees expanded further than he believed possible rising high up into the sky like pillars supporting the heavens themselves.
Mist drifted between them in thin strips while the air thickened with concentrated Aether much to his surprise.
Even breathing felt heavier there.
The ground was littered with huge bones. A broken skull the size of a carriage rested beside an uprooted tree, half covered in moss.
Atheline walking through the forest barely spared it a glance. His dark robe brushed against damp undergrowth as he silently moved between the trees, one hand holding his bow.
He looked almost nonchalant but his eyes remained alert. Unlike the outer forest, the deeper he went the more intelligent the monsters became.
While they still fell for his traps some of them managed to escape or fight back before getting killed. Still, he enjoyed the hunting process.
