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Aedrianna’s steps slowed at his claim of her. Her lips pressed together, violet-blue eyes flashing up at him with a half-hearted glare. The look was meant to be reproachful, yet the pout did not quite match the gleam in her gaze. For all her indignation at his words, she did not deny the warmth she felt at the claim.

When the cold touch of steel had met the bare skin at her neck, she had stiffened—surprised, breath catching in her throat. But she had obeyed without a word, lowering the book and falling in just behind him, her hands folded briefly at her chest before drifting toward his horse. Her fingers brushed across the black velvet of its coat, stroking absently as though sharing a secret with the beast itself.

[COLOR=Pink]“You know...”[/COLOR] she said softly, almost conspiratorial in tone, as if Edwin’s horse were in on the plan. [COLOR=Pink]“Once we get to the water, I'll have to get in to find the kelp. It will be under the water near rocks. It'll be a nice spot to rest.”[/COLOR] She hummed, taking her eyes away from the beast for a moment to glance at Edwins back, her lips curled in a small smile.

The forest only grew stranger the deeper they pressed into the denser trail. The foliage thickened until the path seemed to choke itself with vines and shadow. Even the wind, which had once stirred the branches above, now stilled. No birds took flight, no insects whirred by. It was silence not of peace, but of absence—an emptiness that set itself against every footfall.

Aedrianna seemed to feel it too. Taking his warning to heart, her book remained shut at her side, her violet gaze now darting from here to there. As they walked, Edwins constant surveillance would earn him a few curious details. Such as the old but very human foot prints that seemed to walk off the trail. Or the Very large claw marks in a couple of the tree trunks. But aside from that, and the eerie quiet of the jungle; nothing else seemed amiss. 

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Before long the close trail broke into sudden openness. The ground sloped up toward a cliff edge, the canopy pulling back to reveal a breathtaking expanse. The Continental Lake stretched out vast and shimmering below them, its surface flecked with shifting bands of blue and green where the sunlight caught.

Aedrianna hurried forward, her fatigue momentarily forgotten,as well as Edwins warning to let him take point. She dropped to her knees at the cliff’s edge, her book set on the ground beside her. One gloved hand steadying herself against the stone as she leaned out over the drop. Her breath caught, not in fear but anticipation, eyes sweeping the sheer walls for some glimmer of petals clinging to the heights.

[COLOR=Pink]“I'm sure there's bound to be some here.”[/COLOR] She pointed behind her as she spoke. Where her finger was pointing, there was a wide span of the vibrant colored blooms she'd indicated earlier. They all seemed to be lining the area, and moving no further than a certain point. [color=Pink]"This area is completely barren of the Nexblooms."[/color] she said, her voice bright with excitement. She fell silent, focusing as she leaned precariously over the edge to reach down, seeming to have found something to grab at.  

It was then in that silence, that he might catch it—just faintly, like sound bleeding from a dream. A murmur, low and rhythmic. Chanting. It threaded through the air for no more than a heartbeat before vanishing, leaving only the heavy quiet of the cliffside.

From here the lake stretched beautiful and serene, yet the stillness of the jungle clung to it all the same, like a veil.