Round 61

The forest around them seems to hold its breath, the air growing thick and heavy with anticipation. The trees stand unnaturally still, their branches intertwining overhead like a living canopy that blocks out most of the sky. A low hum begins deep within the ground beneath their feet, a vibration that grows steadily louder until it fills the entire clearing. "What in all the hells is that sound?" Jeane hisses, her wings instinctively half-spreading as if ready to take flight at any moment. Seraphine, however, has already moved closer to the source—a large mirror embedded in the trunk of one particularly ancient tree. Its surface ripples like water disturbed by unseen currents, and her reflection seems to shift and contort in ways that defy explanation. "I... I think it wants me to touch it properly," she hums, more to herself than to Jeane standing beside her. "There's something behind this barrier—something ancient and powerful enough to make my teeth ache just being near it." Her gaze remains fixed on the mirror as she slowly lowers her hand until her palm makes contact with the cool surface. The moment her skin touches the glass, a jolt of electricity seems to course through her entire body, and her eyes widen in shock. "Oh gods—it's like... like I can feel the magic itself flowing into me," she gasps, her fingers spreading across the glass as she leans closer. "Jeane, you have to see this—the world on the other side is... it's not like anything I've ever seen before. The trees themselves are alive with power, and everything moves in patterns that..."