They tried breaking the chain to no avail.
Somehow their hands or weapons passed straight through it.
Then they spread apart to see how far the distance really was.
As expected is roughly 20 meters until the chain pulled taut. Riven tugged slightly at the chain. It gave a faint resistance, like soft tension in water. "Let's not find out what happens if we test the distance too far."
"…Yeah. Let's not."
Both were in agreement as they gathered together again, before deciding to explore the island a little.
It was quiet. Too quiet. No wind, no insects. The only sound was their footsteps crunching against the faintly glowing stone and the rustling of the gray bone-like "trees" surrounding them. Their twisted shapes loomed high and thin, stretching in unnatural directions like they were reaching for something that wasn't there.
There was no sun, no moon, just that same soft ambient light from nowhere. It made the world feel dreamlike — or like they were stuck in the belly of some dead god.
They found no shelter.
No food.
No water.
Nothing.
There was also no indication of what time it was.
Whether it was day or night.
Eventually they stopped to eat, both eating half a ration each.
"We are going to run out, before this trial is over." Yue Lin remarked.
"Yeah. We need to find some kind of food." Riven looked at the last bit of water in the small flasks they'd had brought as rations. "Water too."
They didn't talk much after that. What was there to say?
The air was starting to get colder, or maybe they were just feeling it more — bodies drained, nerves frayed, steps growing slower.
Eventually they started walking again.
Soon they stopped noticing the strange landscape. The sickle-like trees. The black gaps between the rocks. It all blurred into monotony.
Then, finally, something changed.
Yue Lin stopped mid-step, head tilting. "Do you hear that?"
Riven froze.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then — a faint sound. Trickling. Gurgling. Almost like…
"Water," they both said at once.
They didn't even need to agree. They just moved — fast, silent, cutting through the forest of bone-like trunks. The chain pulled taut between them once or twice, jerking at their waists as one moved too fast for the other.
But they noticed that only the distance between them mattered, not if there was anything blocking it.
The chain went straight through everything, seemingly only turning material when they were too far apart.
They quickly adapted. Stayed within sight. Within pace.
The sound grew clearer.
A few more turns, a narrow path between two jagged stone walls — and then they found it.
A river.
Thin, narrow, but real. Winding through black stone, lit from beneath by an eerie pale glow. The water was perfectly clear, too clear — and completely still. Not a ripple, despite the soft trickling sound.
But that wasn't what made them stop.
It was the beast.
A few meters ahead, standing silently by the water's edge, was a creature unlike anything they'd ever seen.
About as tall as Riven — and slender like a deer, but something was off.
Its skin was translucent around the ribcage, faintly pearlescent. You could see inside. But there was no blood, no organs — just a faint inner light pulsing between its bones, like it was alive only by memory.
Its antlers were what caught Riven's eye first.
Not bone.
Crystal.
Golden.
Each antler branched upward in delicate, fractal curves, glowing faintly from within. Not just light — there was something about the glow that felt… deep. Like you could fall into it. Like space had been carved into glass.
The creature lowered its head to drink.
And the water bent.
Not rippled — bent. The surface tilted unnaturally upward to meet its mouth, like reality was politely adjusting itself for its guest.
Neither of them moved. Neither of them breathed.
Riven's hand instinctively reached for his needles. He shifted slightly, glancing at Yue Lin. She looked just as tense. Her hand hovered near her dagger, unmoving.
"...It hasn't noticed us," she whispered.
Riven gave a faint nod.
"Do we run?" he asked, voice low.
"No," Yue Lin said, eyes fixed on it. "We wait."
So they waited.
The stag drank slowly. Gracefully. Its body made no sound as it moved — only the soft hum of its antlers resonating faintly with the air. Like distant wind chimes in a dream.
Riven's stomach growled.
He blinked.
Yue Lin glanced at him. Neither of them smiled.
It wasn't just water they were running out of.
Food too.
And the more he looked at the stag, the more he noticed that only the ribcage seemed weirdly transparent. Other parts of it looked like they had meat beneath it, ready to be cooked and served.
At least that was what he hoped for.
Just then, the stag turned, probably alerted by the sound of Riven's stomach.
Its golden antlers pulsed faintly as it turned toward them.
Then its eyes locked on Riven.
And it moved.
At the same time, Yue Lin dashed forward, blade drawn, her steps swift and light across the smooth stone.
The stag lunged — surprisingly agile for something so regal. Its limbs carried it with bounding strides that barely touched the ground.
Riven flicked his wrist.
A needle shot out — glinting in the ambient light — and struck its flank.
The beast staggered.
Yue Lin was already there.
She ducked low, slashing upward across one of its legs, her dim shimmering dagger meeting seemingly no resistance — a clean cut that caused it to rear back in pain. It tried to leap away, but Riven had moved to intercept, circling from the side and driving another needle through its exposed hindquarter.
The stag collapsed halfway — but caught itself.
Its crystalline antlers hummed louder now, glowing brighter as it prepared to retaliate.
Then it lunged.
A wild, desperate charge.
Yue Lin sidestepped, slashing again. Riven dove in from the other side. The two of them moved in sync — an unspoken rhythm starting to be formed betweent them.
Slash. Needle. Dodge. Stab.
The beast bled red.
Its movements grew sloppy.
They had it.
Until—
"Left!" Yue Lin called, darting around to flank it.
Riven mirrored her instinctively — going wide.
Too wide.
The moment he passed the chain's limit—
Snap.
Pain flared across his waist as the tether pulled taut, the momentum wrenching him off balance.
Yue Lin stumbled at the same time, jerking back as the chain dragged at her too.
The stag saw the opening.
It surged forward.
And its antlers lit up.
Not bright — but deeper. A richer, warmer gold, like something waking up.
It almost seemed to blink forward —crossing the distance it covered in two steps before, in just one now.
"Shit—!" Riven cursed, scrambling for footing.
But he didn't give up.
One last needle between his fingers.
A flick of the wrist — and the world caught its breath.
Thunk.
The needle slammed into the stag's throat — not deep, but precise. Right under the jaw. It faltered.
And Yue Lin was already there again, blade flashing in a clean arc.
The beast collapsed mid-step, its golden antlers dimming as its body hit the stone.
Silence.
Their breathing came heavy.
His side still throbbed from where the chain had jerked him mid-fight.
Riven didn't speak for a second.
Then he looked down at the stag, ribs still faintly glowing, blood red and slow as it pooled around it.
He exhaled, turning toward Yue Lin with a grim smile.
"…Dinner?"
She let out a breathless laugh and nodded. "Dinner."
Riven crouched beside the fallen stag and carefully retrieved his needles one by one. Two had gone in shallow — easy to pull free. The third took a bit more effort. He wiped each clean on the beast's hide before sliding them back into place inside his belt pocket.
Up close, the creature felt less mystical and more real. Warm. Heavy.
He studied it briefly.
From the fight, he judged that it was roughly around the Lower Inner Condensation level, making it a very weak Greater Feral.
They were lucky. If it had been any stronger, like the scorpion outside, the outcome might have been very different. Still, that was promising. If more beasts like this lived here — strong, but manageable — then at least food wouldn't be a problem.
Assuming they were edible.
Please don't be poisonous.
Yue Lin also didn't stand still.
Across the riverbank, she was crouched beside the water, filling their flasks carefully. She dipped them slowly, watching for any reaction.
They figured that if the stag drank it, it should be fine.
Either way, they didn't really have the luxury of choice.
They were running out of water.
Riven walked over.
He'd wait for Yue Lin to cut the stag open.
From his experience with the scorpions, he knew she was better than him at that.
Just then, a shape flickered beneath the water.