The howls of wolves cut through the silence of the night with an increasing intensity, as if echoing the tension that dominated the air. Castian looked at Shen, his heart racing in his chest, the words of the old traveler still reverberating in his mind.  
"The awakening." What did that mean? The night seemed poised to swallow the entire village, and the sense of imminent danger tightened like an invisible hand around his chest.  
"What is the awakening?" Castian asked, his voice coming out more tense than he intended. He needed answers; he needed to understand what was to come.  
Shen, with his always-deep and mysterious eyes, gazed at the horizon for a moment, as if weighing his words before speaking. The dark, starless sky seemed a harbinger of something grim, a shift in the very fabric of reality.  
"The awakening," he began, his voice hoarse and grave, "is an ancient name. Long before your generation, long before mine, there were already stories about it. A legend that few believe, but that remains alive in the shadows. The awakening is the release of something that was sealed a long time ago... Something that should remain asleep."  
Castian frowned, trying to grasp the weight of Shen's words.  
"Release?" he asked, his voice hesitant. "Of what?"  
Shen turned to him, his eyes serious, as if he wanted Castian to understand the gravity of the situation.  
"We do not know exactly. There are rumors, fragments of ancient prophecies that speak of an entity... a primordial force. An entity that was imprisoned in the depths of the earth. They say this entity is the source of chaos, of imbalance. And when it awakens, it brings destruction and change with it. The balance of the world is broken, and everything we know begins to crumble."  
Castian felt a chill run down his spine. An imprisoned entity? That sounded like something out of a nightmare. However, the tremors, the strange air, the howls of the wolves... everything pointed to a truth he still hesitated to accept. Something terrible was coming, and he could not escape it.  
"How do we know this is happening now?" he asked, trying to maintain his calm. "How are you sure it is the awakening?"  
Shen frowned, as if he were evaluating the right words.  
"The signs, Castian. They are all around us. The air has changed, the tremors... the wolves. Animals always know before we do when the balance is breaking. They sense the approach of chaos. The wolves are trying to warn us, even if we cannot fully understand."  
The howls of the wolves intensified, longer and more intense, as if responding directly to Shen's words. Castian could not help but feel that those sounds were not merely a warning but a desperate cry for something inevitable.  
"So, what do we do?" Castian asked, his entire body tense. "How do we stop this?"  
Shen looked at him, his expression grim. For a long moment, the old man remained silent, his eyes scanning the village around them, as if searching for answers in the shadows.  
"I don't know if we can stop it," he said, with a tone of resignation that made Castian's heart sink. "Perhaps it is too late to prevent what is to come. The awakening is something beyond any of our control. But..." Shen paused, his gaze becoming more determined, as if he were remembering something. "There is a chance. A small chance, but real."  
Castian leaned forward, attentive to every word.  
"What do you mean?"  
Shen looked directly into Castian's eyes, his expression more intense than ever.  
"There is a place... an ancient cave in the mountains north of the village. Few know its exact location, and even fewer dare to venture there. They say it is where the seal was made, where the entity was first imprisoned. If we can reach there before the awakening is complete, perhaps, just perhaps, we can restore the balance."  
Shen's words left Castian even more anxious. "A cave? An imprisoned entity?" It felt as if he were diving into a fantasy story, but the evidence around him made everything painfully real. The ground trembled again, this time with more force, and the windows of some nearby houses began to vibrate. Time was running out.  
"We need to go now," Castian said, determined. "We can't wait any longer. If the awakening is really happening, then we must stop it before it's too late."  
Shen nodded slowly, but his gaze was filled with sorrow.  
"It won't be easy, Castian. The journey to the cave is treacherous, and the forces that protect that place are not natural. If we choose this path, we will be taking risks. And even if we get there... there is no guarantee that we can stop the awakening."  
Castian took a deep breath. "What did he have to lose?" He already felt that the world around him was about to change forever. He could not simply stand by while chaos approached.  
"I'm ready, Shen. If there's a chance, even if small, to stop this, then I need to try."  
Shen watched Castian for a moment, as if seeing the young man in a new light. Finally, he nodded.  
"Very well, young man. If that is your choice, then let it be. But know that from here on, there is no turning back."  
The howls of the wolves, now almost deafening, filled the air. Castian felt the weight of Shen's words and knew, in that moment, that his fate was sealed.  
"Let's go then," he said firmly. "Before it's too late."  
Shen grabbed a lantern and a bag of supplies. With one last look at the sleeping village, they set off toward the northern mountains, where the seal of the entity awaited its fate.