Chapter 130
The forest changed the moment Ariana stepped into it, the air tightening around her as if the space itself had recognized her before anything else could. The connection in her chest sharpened at once, no longer distant or guiding, but immediate and precise in a way that made every step feel closer than it should have been. She didn't hesitate, because whatever waited ahead already knew she was coming.
The sounds reached her before the clearing did, the controlled chaos of impact and movement carrying through the trees in a steady rhythm. It wasn't panic or disorder, but resistance, something holding its ground against a force that refused to break. Ariana moved faster, her breath steady but her focus narrowing as the pull inside her grew stronger.
