For Me,There Is Only You |18+|

72. The Neutral Grounds

We began our journey to the Neutral Grounds early the next morning.... so early, it still felt like night.

The sky was a deep navy blue, and the sound of crickets chirping filled the silence as Ansel quietly ushered me into the car.

Mist clung to the grass like a second skin, the cold air nipping at my face as I stumbled half-awake into the passenger seat.

My head throbbed. He'd dragged me out of bed before my body had any idea it was supposed to be moving.

I barely remember the car pulling onto the road before sleep claimed me again, lulled by the hum of the engine and the rhythmic sway of the drive.

We were leaving this early for a reason. The plan was to reach the foothills of the Everveil Glades by sunrise, just in time to climb the mountain before the sun rose too high.

Teleportation wasn't an option. For one, Zev had drained a significant amount of his power recently. And more importantly, the entire region surrounding the Sanctuary was woven with ancient elemental wards.

Old magic, the kind that didn't just block intruders—it rejected them. Violently. Any unnatural entry, especially from magic not born within the Sanctuary itself, would be pushed back. Or worse... twisted into something dangerous.

When I woke up, sunlight had just begun to break through the trees. The sky was painted in soft hues of gold and ash-blue, and Ansel's jacket was draped over me like a blanket, tucked snugly around my shoulders.

I blinked blearily at the forest now surrounding us—the thick canopies, the shadows still clinging to the underbrush, and the faint chill that lingered in the air.

"Did you sleep well?" Ansel's voice cut through the haze.

His hand reached out to adjust his jacket, draped half-off my lap, and then moved to gently caress my cheek.

I leaned into his touch, chasing the quiet warmth of him like instinct.

"Hmm."

But I caught the quick flicker of concern in his eyes before he turned back to the road.

"You look... tired," he said softly. "More than usual."

Tired.

I was always tired these days. No matter how long I slept, it felt like I was walking through fog, my body heavier, slower. My limbs ached in strange ways, like my bones were rearranging themselves when I wasn't looking.

"I'm fine," I said, though even to my own ears, it didn't sound convincing.

"I still don't understand why we have to drag mate up that cursed mountain," Zev muttered, clearly annoyed. "You could've spoken to your cryptic grandparents yourself, insect."

His disdain for the Sanctuary was obvious from his tone.

"Because Grandma asked for Neev specifically," he said, as if reminding him.

She did?

My fingers curled slightly in my lap as I tried not to frown. What exactly had Zephyra told them? What had they found out?

The car rolled forward as the road narrowed and began to wind. Tall, ancient trees loomed on either side, their tangled branches arching above like a woven ceiling.

The sunlight barely reached through the thick canopy, just enough to cast shifting shadows on the moss-covered ground.

Soon, even the paved road gave up, dissolving into a path of packed dirt and roots. We bumped along it for a few more minutes until Ansel pulled the car to a stop beside an enormous hollowed-out tree stump.