The stench of blood was so thick it clung to the air, saturating every breath with a metallic tang that lingered on the tongue. Asher walked forward, each step squelching softly beneath his boot.
Squish. Squish. Squish. Squish.
The sound echoed through the darkness, unnaturally loud against the silence of the ravaged forest. The dense fog that once cloaked the woods had long since been torn apart by the fury of battle, leaving the world around him eerily bare.
Blood had gathered into stagnant pools, spreading like crimson lakes beneath his feet. Corpses were strewn across the terrain like fallen leaves, lifeless heads resting with the permanence of stone.
Despite the toll the fight had taken, Asher's breath came slow and steady. His stamina was worn, but not broken. He still had more than enough left for anything... or anyone.
