The morning mist hung thick over the village like a shroud of secrets, dampening every sound. Even the birds, usually lively at dawn, were eerily silent. Yun Lan tightened the strap of her bag and glanced once more at the wooden cabins behind her. The warmth of Grandma Lian's home still lingered in her bones, but she knew they couldn't stay. Not when the seventh relic was waiting.
"It's in the mountains," she said aloud, voice firm. "That's where the path leads."
Kael stood beside her, checking his map against the surroundings. "There's a trail just east of here that should take us up the ridge. Locals avoid it, though."
"No surprise there," Leon muttered, adjusting the sword on his back. His dark eyes scanned the village one last time. "Last night didn't feel like a random haunting. It felt like a warning."
Arin shivered slightly but nodded. "Then we have to go. That relic won't come to us."
Yun Lan looked at him fondly. Though timid and cautious by nature, Arin had grown braver with each step of this journey. Still, she and Leon made sure to walk close to him. He wasn't a child—he was twenty-one—but his kind heart and quiet demeanor made them naturally protective.
As they left the village, Grandma Lian watched from her doorway, her expression unreadable.
"Beware the ones who whisper without tongues," she called out. "They dwell in the fog."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Lovely."
The group followed the narrow trail leading out of the village, past wild hedges and crooked trees. The sun tried to pierce through the dense mist, but its rays were weak, swallowed by the mountain's eerie silence.
As they climbed, Yun Lan felt a strange energy pulse beneath her skin—like the mountain was watching. The relic's power, or perhaps a remnant of the green orb now housed inside her, stirred at the edges of her thoughts.
"Do you feel that?" she asked quietly.
Kael nodded. "The magic is heavier here."
Arin looked around nervously. "It's like the trees are breathing…"
Indeed, the woods were unnaturally still. Not a single bird, not a rustle of leaves—just that overwhelming silence, as if something was holding its breath, waiting for them to pass.
After nearly an hour, they came across a small clearing with a stone pedestal in the center. Carved into the stone was a faded inscription:
"Only those with a heart unclouded may walk where moonlight weeps."
Leon frowned. "That sounds like more damn riddles."
"No," Yun Lan said softly. "It's part of the prophecy. The relic is hidden where moonlight weeps... That's what the wolf spirit meant. It must be deeper into the mountain, where the moonlight touches the earth."
Arin stepped forward, brushing moss from the base of the pedestal. "Wait… There's a drawing here." His fingers traced the lines: a glowing orb hovering over a chasm, with tendrils of mist swirling around it. Below, small figures reached for it—some falling, some vanishing.
"It's a warning," Kael said. "The relic is protected by illusions… or worse."
As they turned to continue, a strange sound echoed from behind the trees.
A distant laugh. Then another. Not joyful, not human—like the broken giggle of something long dead.
Leon drew his sword. "Company."
From the mist emerged a shadowy figure—humanoid, but twitching unnaturally. Its eyes were black, mouth stretched wide as it laughed again, stumbling forward on legs that bent the wrong way.
"What the hell is that?" Arin gasped.
Yun Lan raised her staff, green light gathering at its tip. "A corrupted spirit. We saw them in the village too—but this one is stronger."
The creature lunged.
Leon met it head-on, blade clashing against claws. The spirit screeched, trying to bite, but Leon kicked it back and slashed again.
Kael hurled a flame sphere at it, but the spirit dodged unnaturally fast, twisting midair like a snake.
"Damn it, it's toying with us!" Kael growled.
"Let me try," Yun Lan said, stepping forward. " Staff… come!"
Her staff appeared in a burst of green light, vines wrapping down its shaft. The magic surged from her core, responding to her will.
She thrust it forward, and a wave of green energy exploded from its tip, catching the spirit mid-laugh. It screamed as the vines tangled around its limbs, yanking it down and burning through the shadowy form. With a final shriek, the spirit disintegrated into ash.
Silence returned.
Leon exhaled, wiping a trace of blood from his cheek. "Nice work."
Yun Lan staggered slightly. The effort of channeling the staff's power still drained her. "I'm okay," she murmured.
Kael caught her arm. "You need to pace yourself."
But Yun Lan's eyes were locked on the forest ahead. "We're getting closer."
They pressed on.
The path narrowed, forcing them to move single file along a cliff edge. Below them, a vast forest stretched out, bathed in shadows. Yun Lan glanced upward—though it was barely midday, the sun had vanished behind thick clouds.
Then they saw it.
A wide field of silver grass, untouched and swaying in a breeze they couldn't feel. In its center stood a lone, twisted tree. Its bark was pure white, and from its branches hung strings of light, like glowing spiderwebs.
"That's not natural," Arin whispered.
"It's beautiful," Yun Lan murmured, taking a step forward.
Leon caught her hand. "Wait. Look closer."
Yun Lan froze.
Beneath the tree were bones—piles of them, half-buried in the grass. Human. Dozens.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rushed through the clearing, carrying a sound like whispers, too many voices at once.
"We should circle around it," Kael said. "Not safe."
But the moment they turned, the tree groaned—and the field vanished.
In its place was a vast, crumbling ruin. The grass was gone. The bones remained.
"We've been caught in an illusion," Yun Lan said. "A test."
The voices spoke again—louder now.
"You seek the relic… but will it accept you?"
A figure rose from the ruin. A woman with long black hair, eyes glowing white. She hovered above the bones, wearing ancient robes that shimmered like moonlight.
"You are not worthy," she hissed. "You walk with death."
Leon stiffened. "She's talking about me."
Yun Lan stepped forward. "And I carry it proudly. I saved him. I love him."
Leon's eyes widened slightly, and Arin gasped.
The spirit roared, her mouth opening unnaturally wide.
Yun Lan gripped her staff. "You won't scare me."
She slammed the base of the staff into the ground, and a surge of green energy burst out in a wave, shattering the illusion.
The forest returned.
The tree was gone. The field now lay quiet and untouched.
Kael looked around in awe. "You broke it."
"The relic is near," Yun Lan whispered. "I can feel it in my chest."
Leon walked up beside her, placing his hand gently on her waist. "We'll find it soon."
As they continued on the path, the mist began to thin. Sunlight pierced through in thin beams. A soft breeze carried the scent of wildflowers.
But Yun Lan knew better.
Peace was fleeting.
The mountain still held secrets.
And the relic was waiting.