Chapter 196: The Keeperless Forest

Thelma Zane's POV After much deliberation, Aldrich, Dorothy, and Master Mary assembled a team of ten to advance toward the enigmatic pine forest, while the rest of us stayed back in the cave. Our role was to conserve our strength and offer support if needed. The forest wasn't far, and within half an hour, the group had arrived. At Aldrich's suggestion, a few team members transformed into their wolf forms. Their heightened senses and agility in wolf form provided an edge in this unfamiliar terrain. Others, however, retained their human forms as a precaution—no one could predict how the forest might manipulate those who surrendered to their primal instincts. This forest was far more ominous than the last one. Its towering pine trees bore no resemblance to the frail and sickly forms we'd encountered before. Thick branches and dense foliage twisted together unnaturally, while scars on the trunks resembled grotesque human faces. An almost palpable, icy malevolence radiated from