Chapter Five: The Mark

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It was on the fifth night of their journey that Florence's dreams began.

They started innocuously enough—whispers in the dark, faint and distant, like voices carried on the wind. But as the nights passed, the dreams grew more vivid, more terrifying. Shadows crept into his mind, wrapping around him, pulling him into a void that felt endless.

In one dream, he stood alone in a field, the sky above him dark and stormy. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and from the shadows, a figure emerged—a man, cloaked in black, with eyes like molten gold. He reached out to Florence, his voice a low, haunting whisper.

"You are the storm. You will bring the end."

Florence woke with a start, his heart pounding in his chest. The fire beside him had burned low, casting flickering shadows on the trees around them. Andre sat nearby, staring into the flames, lost in thought.

"Are you alright?" Andre's voice was soft, but his eyes were sharp, as if he had sensed Florence's distress.

Florence hesitated, then nodded. "I keep having these dreams. I think... something's coming."

Andre's expression darkened, and for a moment, Florence thought he saw fear flash across his face. "The Void is stirring. It knows we're coming."

Florence's stomach twisted with unease. He wanted to believe they could stop whatever was coming, but the more they traveled, the more he realized just how small and powerless they were against the forces at play.

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