Jason arrived at the isolated island.
His feet touched the sand, and immediately, he knew something was wrong. The island stretched before him, a dense forest of twisted trees and thick undergrowth, its canopy so thick that it blocked out the sky. The trees were gnarled and ancient, their branches reaching toward the heavens like skeletal fingers clawing at the light. It was a lot bigger than he had anticipated—far larger than the reports had suggested. The coastline seemed to curve endlessly into the distance, disappearing into a thick, unnatural mist that clung to the horizon.
Jason raised his hand before touching the ground. At the moment his palm made contact with the earth, he sent out a wave of energy—a pulse of his own mana that rippled outward, scanning the island for any sign of abnormal activity. The pulse traveled through the soil, through the roots, through the very fabric of the land itself.
What he found was nothing.
