Chapter 166 Renewed Determination

• ~ Elara ~
• The sky had begun to bleed into dusk, casting long, twisting shadows over the forest floor. The trees, which had stood as silent witnesses to my journey, now seemed more alive, more watchful, as though they were waiting for something. I was exhausted, my body aching from the constant push forward, but I refused to stop. Not now. Not when I was so close.
• I’d been walking for hours, the rough terrain unforgiving beneath my feet. My legs trembled with each step, but the thought of Draven—of him with the gem—was enough to keep me moving. I could feel it in the air: the tension, the unnatural pulse that had settled over the land. It was as if the very earth beneath my feet was reacting to the power he wielded.