READ NOVEL FREE Chapter 12: 12
Nina closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and focuses her will. The humming from the hollow seems to thrum in her very skull, a counterpoint to the frantic beat of her heart. She draws on her limited magical reserves, concentrating on the conjuring a small, floating orb of light. Sweat beads on her forehead as she pushes past the familiar prickle of fear and self-doubt. The light flickers into existence, a tiny spark of defiance against the encroaching darkness.
It's not a powerful spell; it barely illuminates her hand, casting a faint, shimmering glow. With a hesitant movement, she extends her hand towards the gaping maw of the ancient oak. The light, fragile as a newborn butterfly, enters the hollow. For a heart-stopping moment, nothing happens. Then, a sudden rush of cold air sweeps out, carrying with it the metallic tang of blood and the intensified scent of the strange herbs.
The light, instead of illuminating the interior, seems to be absorbed by the darkness, vanishing without a trace. Rex whimpers, pressing closer to Nina, his body trembling. A low growl, deeper and more menacing than before, echoes from the darkness, followed by a scraping sounds, as if something large and heavy is shifting within the confines of the ancient tree. The humming remains, now a constant, pulsating thrum that seems to vibrate through the very ground beneath their feet. Nina's hand trembles.
The simple light spell has confirmed the presence of something large, dark, and undeniable hostile within the hollow. The silence before the response was far more unsettling than any immediate attack. The spell has yielded its information, but the price of that information is a growing sense of dread and the chilling certainty of the impending confrontation.