"So we walk through the forest," Satou said, understanding the situation.
"Exactly," Loki confirmed. He turned to the mysterious cloaked figure. "Shadow, perhaps you could introduce yourself more thoroughly? Explain your stake in this mission?"
Shadow stepped forward, and when they spoke, their voice was completely unrecognizable—magically altered to the point where Satou couldn't determine age, gender, or even species. The voice seemed to echo with otherworldly resonance, as if multiple people were speaking in perfect unison, each word carrying harmonics that made it impossible to pin down any identifying characteristics.
"Call me Shadow," the figure said, their tone carefully neutral despite the obvious magical alteration. "I've spent most of my life studying the Illusion Forest's patterns and mechanics. I know how to read the signs that distinguish reality from magical phantoms. I know the safe paths, the dangerous zones, the places where the magic is weakest and strongest."
