When Magic Bleeds: Rise of the Mana Champion

The sound of dead embers being crushed underfoot broke the gentle silence of the morning. Elion was folding the blanket he'd used overnight with methodical movements, while Kael was trying — and mostly failing — to fold the improvised tent tarp, frowning with every sharper motion of his bandaged arm.

Dew still clung to the leaves around them, and a light breeze carried the fresh scent of wet earth and old smoke. Above them, the sky opened in pale hues, but the horizon ahead already hinted at change: a green, dense wall rose in the distance, its living shadow spilling over the hills. The Darkvale forest wasn't just near — it felt like it was waiting.

"How long did you say it takes?" Kael asked, tossing the poorly rolled tarp to the ground beside the saddle.

Elion finished fastening a canteen to the right side of the mount before answering."Two days, if we go straight through. Three, if we stop."

Kael sighed."And the odds we won't stop? Any optimistic forecast?"

Elion looked up for a moment, then gave a faint, crooked smile."Among Lunareth's roots, even time walks slow. Best count on three."

Kael shook his head, grabbing the supply bag and handing it over for Elion to strap to the saddle. His expression was one of exhaustion — not just physical, but the kind that comes from living among ashes for too long."I'm not exactly a forest expert," he muttered, wiping his hands on his pants. "Closest thing I ever respected that looked like a tree was a tavern post."

Elion gave a short laugh — not mocking, just amused. He adjusted the blanket over the saddle with precision before pulling the horse by the reins and guiding it toward the trail that began to form among the stones and tall grass."Darkvale doesn't demand expertise. Only respect."

"That sounds like something someone says after having a problem with it."

"I passed through once, years ago." Elion secured the sword to the saddle firmly. "Escort duty, diplomatic mission. Something between temples. Talked about divine balance... never explained the real reason."

Kael raised an eyebrow."And did you see anything useful?"

"Silence. Shifting paths. And eyes." Elion paused briefly. "Eyes that watched, but didn't show themselves."

Kael grabbed his cloak — now dry — and slung it over his shoulders carelessly."Great. So we're entering a living place where everything changes and everything watches. And we've got just one horse."

"It's a good horse," Elion replied, mounting in a fluid motion.

He extended a hand to Kael, who climbed up with some difficulty. His arm still throbbed, but it was no longer his worst problem.

"We still have a chance to stop in Hollowrest," Elion said, guiding the mount forward. "If the village still exists, it's a good resting spot."

"And if it doesn't?"

"We improvise."

The trail remained gentle for now, but ahead, the green thickened. The forest seemed to grow more densely there, as if the trees moved forward of their own will. In minutes, the tall grass would give way to shadow.

"You think she knows we're coming?" Kael asked, his voice lower now.

"If Lunareth wants to notice us... she already has."

The horse moved at a steady pace. Ahead, two large trees, intertwined, formed a natural archway covered in moss and vines. A gate not marked by human hands.

The world ahead of them was breathing. And waiting.

The light changed before they even noticed. Not abruptly, but gradually — as if time itself was being filtered through the leaves above. The birdsong that once filled the space between words had been replaced by a distant hum. Not threatening. Just... constant. As if the forest were murmuring to itself.

Kael kept his eyes on the trail — or what remained of it. The path began to dissolve under winding roots and fallen trunks. Elion guided the horse with precision, but the tension in his jaw betrayed his watchfulness.

"You said you've been through here," Kael broke the silence. "Do you remember the way?"

Elion hesitated for a moment."No. And I remember that exactly."

"Remember not remembering?"

"Remember being sure I'd walked places I didn't recognize. And that even so, the forest let me pass."

Kael looked around — the trees now closing in like green, silent walls. A sensation of living imprisonment crept in — not violent, but inescapable."And what if she changes her mind?" he asked.

Elion didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on a clearing up ahead, where the light fell in a way that felt... wrong — too golden for the hour, too silent to be natural."Then we need to give her a reason not to see us as a threat," he said at last. "Here, arrogance is a fatal language."

The clearing wasn't empty. At its center stood a gnarled tree, its trunk white and its bark streaked with veins like spirals scorched by fire. Around it, pale flowers grew as if drawn by hand — too symmetrical, too perfect to be real.

Kael stopped the horse with a gentle pull on the reins."Is that normal?"

"No." Elion dismounted slowly. "That's a warning."

Kael hesitated before climbing down as well, feeling the weight of the forest as though it were holding the air still around them."A warning of what?"

Elion approached the tree with care. He stopped a few steps short, then knelt, lightly touching the soil."That we've been seen."

The wind blew again, this time carrying a low whisper — indistinct, but undeniably real.

Kael turned, looking over his shoulder. Nothing.

But beneath the bandages on his arm, the faint spiral glow had begun to pulse. Slowly.Like a breath that wasn't his own.