Runom's Departure was a world caught between extremes. The ground beneath their feet shifted like sand one moment, only to harden into stone the next. Gnarled trees grew in twisting, unnatural patterns. Their branches reached skyward, piercing into an endless twilight, where faint stars blinked in and out as if unsure whether to belong to this realm.

The horizon blurred, impossible to grasp. Pools of serene water lay nestled in craters, their surfaces mirror-smooth but black as ink. Yet, in some of those pools, faint lights shimmered from beneath, like memories swirling just below the surface. Ghostly figures moved across the distant landscape, translucent and drifting as if caught in a never-ending dream, flickering between visibility and shadow.

So this was Runom's Departure. Kale had heard Liliana mention it before, but he never imagined it would be like this. She had told him that, at Val Halloram's Ascendancy, they used to pull whatever lingered here into their world, and they'd have to fight it, or die. He glanced at the ghostly figures drifting across the distant landscape, translucent and aimless. Were these the things they had pulled through? They seemed harmless enough, their movements slow and disinterested. They didn't even seem to notice him.

Were they real? Illusions? He couldn't tell. Either way, there was something unsettling about them. Were they trapped souls, bound to this place? Or echoes of something long lost? He kept his distance, though they didn't seem to care about his presence either way.

His eyes moved to one of the dark pools nestled in the craters, taking in the faint lights that shimmered beneath it. Were they alive? He couldn't shake the feeling that the lights were watching him, or waiting for something. He wondered what they were, what they meant in a place like this.

Liliana's warnings echoed in his mind. There were worse things here, she'd said. And the Lord of the Scarlet Veil had sounded deadly serious about this place, too. And then, of course, there was the thing that had jumped out earlier, reminding him that Runom's Departure wasn't just eerie, it was dangerous.

Faint whispers brushed past them, close enough to touch but too vague to decipher. At times, the voices sounded almost familiar—a lost friend, a forgotten lover—before slipping into something far older and more alien.

Liliana scanned the shifting terrain, her eyes narrowing as she took it in. "So… this is where Emeria came for strength." Her voice seemed too loud, too real for the realm, yet it was swallowed by the vast, eerie quiet around them.

"It feels like we're being watched," Kale said, though no eyes were visible.

Ahead, deeper into the shifting, surreal landscape, the faint outline of a path appeared, winding through the half-formed shadows and lights, as if inviting them forward, challenging them to discover what lay at the heart of Runom's Departure.

The group exchanged a look, each of them momentarily shaken yet resolute. Taking a breath, Kale moved forward, setting foot on the narrow path stretching into the twilight expanse. The path seemed made from shadows and mist, snaking through landscapes that defied reason. One side was a serene, quiet glade, while the other was churning with a storm of flickering images, memories that weren't theirs, playing out in flashes.

Liliana followed close, her eyes fixed forward, though she couldn't ignore the whispers that brushed against her mind. Sadek, silent but with eyes sharp, kept his spear close.

In the distance, the path seemed to split and converge, as if testing them with choices they didn't yet understand.

"Rika would be making some joke to ease the tension right about now," Kale said.

Liliana almost smiled. "She'd say we all looked like we were going to faint and that she'd have to carry us out herself."

Kale nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah… definitely that."

Sadek's expression remained stoic. "Then let's make sure she can say it herself when we find her."

They fell into silence again, each step carrying them deeper into the strange, shifting realm.

They moved forward, each step ringing out sharply, only to vanish mid-echo, as though the sound was devoured by the world around them. The path they walked wasn't stone or earth, it was something in-between, a shifting expanse that shimmered underfoot like a mirror caught between liquid and glass, reflecting half-formed shapes that flitted away whenever they looked closer.

Great pillars stretched up into an endless twilight, twisted into shapes both beautiful and terrifying. The sky, if it could be called that, was neither day nor night, a deep gray-blue with swirling ribbons of light that twisted like silent lightning, illuminating strange shapes drifting through the ether.

"What is this place?" Kale muttered, his voice muted, almost as if Runom's Departure refused to let it carry.

"Runom's Departure," Liliana said softly, "is said to be a gateway realm. A place between life and death, where souls pass through on their way to what comes next."

"To what comes next?" Kale echoed, his eyes drifting to the flickering ghostly figures in the distance.

She nodded. "Some believe it leads to rebirth, others say it's the end—a final dissolution, where everything that makes you who you are ceases to exist. And for some, it's a path to another plane entirely."

"Runom," Kale repeated. "What is it? A god? A place?"

Liliana hesitated, her gaze shifting to the horizon, where the blurred edges of the world seemed to ripple. "Both, maybe. Or neither. Some say Runom is the realm itself, alive and endless, guiding souls. Others believe Runom was a being, once. A deity who became one with this place, or perhaps always was."

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Kale frowned, looking down at the shifting path beneath his feet. "So, we're walking through a god?"

"Or the echo of one," Liliana replied. "Whatever Runom is, or was, it's far beyond anything we can understand. This place… it's a transition, a threshold. For souls. For energy. And for us, maybe a test."

Kale looked at the ghostly figures again, their flickering forms drifting in and out of view. The air, or whatever passed for air here, felt charged, heavy with the unknown. "So, what happens if we fail this test?"

Liliana didn't answer immediately, her silence saying more than words could. When she finally spoke, her voice was low. "You don't fail in Runom's Departure, Kale. You just don't leave."

Kale didn't respond, but one thought settled firmly in his mind: I'd like to leave here as soon as possible. Every step forward felt like stepping deeper into something they shouldn't disturb. Whatever this place was, it wasn't meant for the living. They needed to find what they came for and get out before Runom's Departure decided to keep them.

They moved through a forest of bones, or perhaps roots, twisted and branching like veins through flesh, each seeming to pulse slightly as though some buried life still flowed within. Whispers ebbed and flowed, sometimes faint and other times startlingly clear. The voices pulled at the edges of their minds, tugging at memories they couldn't place.

"Where are we even supposed to go?" Kale asked. "I thought something would… I don't know, guide us. Or attack us."

"Perhaps we're being… allowed in. Or studied," Liliana said. "Whatever dwells here has no need to reveal itself until it chooses to."

Sadek gave a short nod. "Whatever holds power here plays by no laws we know. Let's move."

As they continued, the world shifted subtly, shapes on the horizon blurring, shadows deepening. The vastness of Runom's Departure stretched out before them, unfathomable and indifferent, a place that felt as old as existence itself, yet alive with a pulse that throbbed just beyond understanding.

Even as they pressed forward, they felt the presence around them, the watchful eyes of something patient, curious… and perhaps hungry.

Kale looked over at Sadek, trying to lighten the mood. "You know, everyone we meet seems to have a cool nickname. What do they call you?"

"They call me Sadek," he said.

"Oh…" Kale replied. "Right. Okay." He cleared his throat.

"So… what do they call you?" Sadek asked.

"Kale," Kale said.

Sadek gave a small nod, as if it were the most serious thing in the world. "Why do they call you that?"

Kale shrugged. "That's the name my parents gave me."

Sadek paused, then nodded again, expression as steady as ever. "Alright, Kale."

Liliana allowed herself a quiet smile. This… this was so Kale. That strange mix of awkwardness and sincerity he carried like armor, even here. And though she couldn't say why, moments like these made her feel… pulled toward him in a way that was both irritating and undeniable.

"Riveting stuff, you two," she said. "At this rate, we'll be the most intimidating trio in all of Runom's Departure."

Kale chuckled. "Just trying to lighten the mood."

Sadek shrugged. "Light mood or not, better to save your breath. This place might ask more of us than we're used to giving."

"I always give it my all," Kale said.

"Exactly," Sadek replied.

Kale glanced at him, uncertain if it was meant as a compliment or a warning. He decided to leave it alone, filing the exchange away in the growing list of things he didn't quite understand.

"Good advice," Liliana said, "though if Rika were here, she'd say our intimidating names alone would send anything lurking around here running."

"Right. 'Kale the Terrifying.' Has a nice ring to it." Kale said.

Sadek paused, his expression deadpan. "Sure. Farmers tremble. Salad quakes."

Kale grinned, clearly missing the sarcasm. "Exactly. I'm thinking it'll catch on."

Liliana laughed. "I don't know about terrifying. Maybe we should start calling you The Mighty Vegetable?"

Kale shot her a look, feigning offense. "Hey, vegetables are resilient... sometimes… maybe. Ever tried to get rid of a garden full of me?"

Liliana shook her head, still chuckling. "Fearsome, truly. I feel safer already."

Sadek turned to Kale, his face deadly serious, though his tone carried the faintest hint of mockery. "Then it's settled. We'll face whatever nightmares lie ahead… with The Mighty Vegetable leading the charge."

Kale blinked, caught off guard by Sadek's sudden change in tone. "Well… glad to have your faith, Sadek."

Liliana tried to suppress her laughter but failed, shaking her head as she looked down the path. "Can't wait for the tales of your exploits to spread, oh Mighty Vegetable."

They hadn't noticed the shift around them, the creatures converging, blending with the shadows until they were everywhere. Then the whispers, once faint, grew louder, rising to an unnerving hum.

Kale's eyes snapped up, taking in the dark figures that had crept into every corner around them. "Guys…"

Sadek stepped forward, spear in hand. "Stay back. I'll handle this."

With a swift motion, he hurled his spear forward, casting Lightning Fury. The weapon crackled, transforming mid-flight into a bolt of pure lightning that slammed into the nearest creature. On impact, the lightning split apart, branching into dozens of crackling spears that shot toward each creature in its path, and every creature hit sparked a fresh arc, multiplying the assault. A field of electric chaos erupted, vaporizing the shadowed figures, leaving the air charged and echoing with the last remnants of Sadek's storm.

The shockwave of energy hit Kale and Liliana, jolting through them like a fierce static, leaving them momentarily dazed and slightly singed.

Kale turned to Sadek. "Wow… maybe they should call you the Mighty Vegetable."

Sadek, with a steady look, replied simply, "Sadek will suffice."

"Good to know you've got that in your back pocket," Kale said.

Sadek gave a small nod. "When it's needed."

Liliana, still feeling the residual crackle of the lightning, raised an eyebrow. "Were you still holding back?"

Sadek turned to her. "Didn't need more."

They resumed their path, now on high alert. Shadowy figures lingered at the edges of their vision but didn't approach. Maybe they saw what Sadek did to the others, Kale thought. He couldn't help but glance at Sadek, watching him stride forward with that steady, unbreakable calm. I'm glad he's on our side, he thought as he turned to Liliana.

Liliana shot Kale a look, her eyes narrowing as if she could read his thoughts. She gave him a small nod, acknowledging the unspoken understanding. "Let's hope it stays that way," she murmured.

As they moved further into Runom's Departure, the otherworldly landscape became stranger, warping in small, unsettling ways. Stones hovered just above the ground, and time felt inconsistent, stretching and shrinking with each step.

"Are we… going the right way?" Kale asked.

Liliana scanned the horizon, if it could even be called that, where shadow and light blended into a swirl. "Hard to tell. There's no path here, just… endless strangeness."

Sadek's voice cut through. "It's testing us. Places like this don't welcome intruders, they confuse, isolate, make you question the way forward."

"Great," Kale muttered. "So how do we know which way is forward?"

"We don't. We make it forward."

"Then let's keep going. We can't afford to get lost here," Liliana said.

Kale exhaled. "I wonder how far we have to go before we find… whatever it is we're looking for."

"As far as it takes," Liliana said.

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