Anoby's steps slowly pressed into the wet ground covered in black leaves. Behind him, Hina followed with slightly labored breaths. The dim lantern light in Anoby's hand reflected off the massive tree trunks, looking like lifeless pillars—not moving, not making a sound, as if watching them in silence. Hina, now 20 years old, stood slightly taller than she had five years ago when she first set foot in the Dark Forest. Her white hair now flowed down her back, loosely tied to avoid blocking her view. Her face still held a childish glow from when she first arrived at the village, but now a firmness had begun to show, born from dark plains and shadowed battles they had endured.
After the incident at the old house where they discovered the faded writings, they followed a path marked on the worn page they managed to translate. That path led them to a region referred to in legends as the Land of Shadows: the border realm between the dark forest and the roots of a dimension beginning to crack. Here, formless shadows roamed and voices of the past echoed though never spoken.
Hina took a deep breath. "The sky... is always grey here. Even though it's not night yet."
Anoby only nodded. Since passing through the root gate hours ago, he could feel a strange pressure in his chest. Not fear—more like… a presence yet to reveal its form. Something that knew they were here, but wasn't ready to show itself.
"I feel like… we're being watched," Hina whispered, tightening her blue scarf.
Without turning, Anoby replied quietly, "We're stepping on land that is no longer alive, but not entirely dead either. In places like this, shadows can carry memories."
They continued walking until the trees began to thin. In the midst of stones embedded in the earth stood a massive menhir—twice the height of an average person. Its surface was covered in unreadable carvings, but each symbol glowed dimly as they approached.
Hina was the first to approach the menhir. She touched one of the symbols that resembled a closed eye, and immediately the ground around them trembled softly, a gentle voice echoing in the air.
"Child of Shadow, you have awakened our trace."
Anoby instantly tensed. The voice didn't come from one direction—it seemed to come from within himself. Hina clutched his sleeve, her face paling.
"What was that…?" she asked.
Anoby stared at the menhir sharply. "That voice wasn't from this world. Maybe this is some kind of test of presence."
Silence followed, then the ground around them began to shift. The once-sunken stones slowly rose, forming a circular trail that shaped a large spiral. In the center of the spiral, a hole opened gradually. A bluish-green light glowed from within.
Without hesitation, Anoby stepped in first, then reached out to Hina. She looked at him briefly before grasping his hand and following him down.
Inside the hole, they found an underground chamber with a high ceiling filled with glowing tendrils. The scent of old earth and rusty iron greeted them, though there was no sense of danger—only a heavy, preserved silence.
At the center of the chamber stood a stone altar. Atop it lay an object that made Anoby approach with a heavy step: his ancient iron pipe rested against a circular carving. But something was different. The pipe now bore new engravings, fine lines like veins merging on its surface. Anoby touched it, and a flash of light surged behind his eyes. He fell silent, breath caught.
"What did you see?" Hina asked worriedly.
"Not what… but who," Anoby replied softly. "I saw… my face. But not me. He—I—was in a strange place, staring at a burning sky, and around him were thousands of shadows."
Hina stepped closer, eyeing the altar carvings. "Could this be… a weapon with a will of its own?"
Anoby didn't answer. He gripped the pipe tightly, and the object seemed to fuse with his left hand as if it had waited for this moment all along. A warmth spread slowly through his chest, but this time it wasn't painful. It felt familiar.
"We have to get out of here. This isn't a place to stay," he said, his voice hoarse.
They returned to the surface and found the sky had grown darker. Grey clouds swirled like a vortex, and the wind carried faint, broken voices. In the distance, a silhouette stood atop a high rock. Its shadow moved unnaturally—like mist gathering and forming a body.
"Who is that?" Hina asked.
Anoby lowered the lantern and said without blinking, "The Shadow Being."
The silhouette leapt from the tall rock, landing without a sound. As it stepped closer, its form became visible: a tall figure with no face, its body wrapped in pitch-black cloth that fluttered despite the still air. In its right hand hung a small silver bell that chimed with each step.
"I am the Guardian of the Time Knot," its voice deep and heavy. "Only those bearing the legacy of Moonlight may pass through this realm."
Hina stood beside Anoby. "We are the bearers of Moonlight," she said confidently. "And we are not enemies."
The Guardian paused, then raised its hand. "Show me your memory, Child of Shadow."
Anoby gripped the iron pipe tighter. In an instant, the memories that once felt blurred began to flow into his mind. He saw again the forest where he first got lost, the faint faces of timekeepers, and voices calling from afar—all flooding in at once, forming a blinding flash.
The Guardian nodded. "Your memory is not whole, but the Light's trace has merged into your blood. You may proceed, but know this—at the end of this path, there is a shadow who knows you more than you know yourself."
The wind stopped briefly. The bell in his hand rang once, and the ground ahead split open, forming a glowing stone path deeper into the forest.
Without a word, Anoby and Hina walked past the Guardian. He no longer looked back, for something within him had begun to change. The light within his iron pipe pulsed, syncing with his heartbeat.
They walked far, through a starless night and whispers clinging to the tree walls. At one point, they rested beneath an old tree with branches curved like a shield. Hina lay down, her eyes gazing at the dark sky that revealed nothing.
"Anoby… do you think we'll remember all of this until the end?"
Anoby turned to her. "Maybe not. But the traces will remain. In the ground, in things, in those who see the Light."
Hina gave a faint smile, then closed her eyes. Anoby stayed on guard, watching the forest ahead that grew darker still.
In that silence, a shadow of the future slowly formed in his mind. He knew this journey would be long—and every step they now took was part of time that could not be rewound. But as long as the Light still shone, as long as Hina remained beside him, he would keep walking.
That night, time seemed to hold its breath, and the world awaited their next step.