The air grew thick and heavy, a suffocating blanket woven from the scent of damp earth, decaying foliage, and something else… something acrid, almost metallic, that stung Annelise’s nostrils and made her eyes water. The forest, already a nightmare of gnarled branches and whispering shadows, had become a tangible threat, pressing in on her from all sides. Hours had bled into a dizzying blur of fear and desperate hope, each step a victory bought with a ragged breath and a silent prayer.