The Celestial Heist

Chapter 262: Bound by the Storm

The group pressed onward through the forest, the night stretching on with a heavy stillness. Though they had repelled the storm's followers, a sense of impending danger lingered like the weight of an unseen shadow. Each step through the dense underbrush felt as though they were drawing closer to an unseen edge, a point of no return.

Kael led the way, sword in hand, his expression hardened with purpose. Vira followed closely, her bow ready, her sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings. Korrin hovered above, his wings nearly silent as he kept watch, while Lyra studied the faint signals on her device, ever vigilant for more signs of storm energy. Naya walked in the center, her staff glowing faintly, its magic a quiet comfort against the storm’s incessant whispers.

But tonight, the whispers felt different. Instead of calling her toward power, they murmured with an almost plaintive tone, as if the storm itself had something it needed her to understand.

“Do you hear that?” she asked suddenly, b