The rider petted his horse's head. The animal was panting heavily.
"Hold on, old one," the rider said. "We're almost there."
He turned, staring at a giant dome of fog in the distance, then looked toward their leader.
"Evial, this can't go on," he said with frustration. "This path is much longer than the one through the fog village. And bringing more supplies will only slow us down."
"What do you expect me to do?" the leader snapped. "I already told you the forest around the village is corrupted. Several travelers went in and never returned. If you want to join them, then death is waiting with open arms."
"But there has to be a way," the rider insisted.
"I spoke with a strange traveler about the village. He claimed he has a solution. Only time will tell."
The rider sighed, remembering the countless messages he had sent with no response from his friend.
When he looked back toward the dome, a figure stood at its edge, looking like a traveler. The man glanced around, found no one nearby, then stepped into the fog and vanished within seconds.
---
Inside the dome lay a vast, dense forest. The heavy fog made breathing painful, yet it thinned slightly near the center, where the fog village stood.
A monster crept toward the village. Its body was pitch black, its glowing teeth stained with blood. A man stood before the gate, wearing a necklace shaped like a key.
The beast moved silently, but the man already sensed it. He opened his eyes, fixing them on the creature.
The monster lunged forward. The man's eyes widened—not with surprise, but with focus.
The beast burst into flames, shrieking in agony. It thrashed violently, trying to extinguish itself, but the fire refused to die until the creature finally collapsed.
The village chief approached, supported by his elder daughter.
"Still standing guard, I see," the chief said.
Thean replied, "I'm not doing much. The others are out there fighting between twisted trees and suffocating mist, while I'm here swatting whatever slips through."
"Don't say that!" the daughter protested. "If you weren't protecting us without rest, the village would've fallen long ago."
The man dropped to his knees. The two rushed to lift him.
"You really haven't eaten for days, have you?" the chief asked.
A twig snapped. He turned toward the sound.
"Go inside. More are coming."
They obeyed, watching another monster approach. He killed it just as swiftly as the first, whispering,
"May the Gatekeeper's strength be with you all."
---
Meanwhile, deeper in the woods, another battle took place.
A bird perched on a branch, listening to the forest. Leaves drifted with the weak breeze, amplifying the sense of isolation.
A flash of light startled the bird into flight.
A girl ran breathlessly, a monster chasing her on all fours. Her sharp eyes scanned wildly, searching for anything familiar.
She hid behind a tree, waiting. When the monster approached, she thrust her wand toward its face.
The crystal tip blazed a blinding light.
When the creature regained its vision, she was gone.
The monster sniffed the ground, caught her scent, and glided forward silently.
Her legs were failing, her vision narrowing. Leaning against a tree to breathe, she felt a strange dent.
Tracing it, she found an arrow carved into the trunk, pointing ahead.
She couldn't believe it. She had finally reached her destination.
She forced herself onward, unaware the monster was inches from striking. It opened its jaws wide, tilting its head to snap at her neck.
Before it could bite, a boy charged in with a long axe. One swing cleaved the beast in half. Blood sprayed like a fountain. After it writhed on the ground, he crushed its head.
The girl examined his face. It was him. She slumped down, relieved at last.
He opened his hand, igniting a small flame. A flick of his finger sent it onto the corpse, burning it away.
He leaned toward her.
"I was gone for one moment to dump some waste. You could've screamed, you know," he said, disappointed.
"But that would attract more of them," she replied.
"They're just mindless monsters. They're not demons," he said.
Her gaze shifted away. He exhaled.
Their stomachs growled loudly in the silence. They laughed it off, and Kaia began a small ritual.
They seemed alone, yet Lex felt watched. He didn't strike; he wanted to be sure.
"You felt it?" he whispered.
She nodded.
"Monster?"
She shook her head.
"Human?"
Another nod.
"Friend?"
She shrugged.
"You know him?"
She shook her head again.
---
The fog spirits arrived. The fog thickened.
Lex opened his hand, releasing the fire spirit within him. It emerged as a small phoenix, its brightness shifting rhythmically, spelling a secret code.
The fog spirits scattered, parting the mist to open a path back to the village.
They walked, talking.
Kaia said, "I still can't believe you tamed it without knowing a single word in Oral."
He smirked.
"Two conscious beings can communicate in more ways than one."
Yet they still felt someone following.
Lex kept glancing back, trying to catch a glimpse, but the figure stayed hidden within the fog.
Kaia could hear Lex's thoughts. He would wait until the stalker posed a threat.
But she couldn't hear the shadow's thoughts. Not because of distance. Something else blocked her.
The fog thinned as they reached the village. After spotting the guard, they turned back, eyes fixed on the mist.
The guard noticed and approached them.
They stood ready, waiting for the shadow to reveal himself.
The guard sensed him too, lingering behind the thicker fog.
A crow emerged first, scanning the area.
Kaia exhaled in relief. She approached to pet it.
The crow accepted the gesture, but she was confused—why did a crow have protection against mind reading?
Lex laughed internally. He'd prepared for the worst, yet this was all that appeared.
But the guard didn't relax.
He knew the real figure hadn't shown himself.
The shadow stepped out, casting a faint silhouette over Kaia.
She jumped behind Lex, staring at the newcomer.
He was short, looking like a harmless traveler with no weapon, yet his mind was guarded just like the crow's.
"Finally," he said. "That took longer than I expected."
The guard asked, "I haven't seen you before. Who exactly are you?"
"Kin. That's my name. You won't mind guiding me to whoever's in charge, right?" he replied.
"I'd prefer hearing your reason first," the guard said.
"We can remove the corruption around here," Kin answered. "I need to speak with him. I have questions."
Kaia and Lex's eyes widened, but the guard remained doubtful.
"And how do you prove that?"
"Well, I'm here," Kin said confidently.
The guard noticed the corruption forming a wide ring around the village.
No one could simply leap over it.
"Stay here. I'll bring him," the guard said.
He left them in an awkward silence.
Kin sat down and pulled a silver cylinder from his pack. Pressing a button, a thick spool of glowing threads popped out.
He pulled a strand and began weaving intricate shapes between his fingers.
Lex assumed he was just showing off, and it was impressive, but the threads looked far too dangerous to be toys… and Kin's blank expression said even more.
"I have a question, Mr. Kin," Kaia said.
After a brief pause, Kin replied, "What is it?"
"If you had 'good intentions' from the start, why stalk us in the fog?"
His eyes shifted to her briefly, then back to the threads.
"I have a bounty on my head," he said.
Kaia froze.
"Why?"
"Don't kill me yet. It's not a real bounty," he said. "My tribe and I are hated by most people."
"For what reason?" she asked.
Her barrage of questions felt like an interrogation. Kin packed up his things and moved to a distant spot.
---
The full moon's light couldn't penetrate the fog, leaving the night pitch black around the village.
Kin's crow followed a trail of shredded monsters, hopping through the confusing forest.
Eventually, it found its master hiding behind a tree. Sweat dripped down his face as he fought to steady his breathing.
He looked at his crow.
"Don't let her find out, Fay," he whispered.
Fay turned, noticing a faint light in the distance. She flew toward it to see what had frightened him.
A towering woman in a void-black cloak stood there, a white mask revealing only a pair of glowing blood-red eyes.
In one hand she held a lantern, and in the other, a sword coated in blood.