The sky grew dark as clouds rolled in, thick and heavy with the promise of rain. Our group had been following the faint hints Lyra picked up on from the hum, but it was hard to see more than a few steps ahead. Trees loomed close, branches casting eerie shadows that seemed to move with us.

Lyra halted and held up a hand, her eyes narrowing as she listened. "It's getting stronger. The hum is... closer, I think."

Before any of us could respond, a deep rumbling began beneath our feet. The earth shook, vibrating violently enough that we all staggered, trying to keep our balance. The ground split, a chasm opening between us. Finn lunged forward to grab Lyra's hand just in time, while Kai and I were left on the opposite side, separated by a jagged gap that seemed to grow wider with every passing second.

"Kai! Alex!" Lyra shouted, her voice muffled by the noise and distance.

"Stay there! We'll find a way around!" Kai yelled back, his face set in determination. But even as he spoke, the chasm widened further, sending clumps of earth tumbling down into the unseen depths below.

I glanced at him, feeling the weight of panic settling in my chest. "What are we going to do?"

"We stay calm and figure this out," Kai said, though his clenched jaw betrayed a hint of worry. "Finn and Lyra will be fine. They know how to handle themselves."

On the other side, I saw Finn nodding as he took Lyra's arm, guiding her back from the edge. "We'll meet up soon! Just be careful!" he called over the roar.

The chasm seemed to stop growing, leaving us each on opposite sides of a ravine, but the forest around us felt different now. Almost... watchful.

"Come on," Kai muttered, turning his back on the gap. "We need to keep moving. They'll do the same on their side."

With a heavy heart, I nodded and followed, sending one last look over my shoulder toward the faint outlines of Lyra and Finn. Whatever had separated us was unnatural—another reminder that Mother Nature wasn't done testing us yet.