Shang Di and Wei Lin walked side by side in silence, their boots crunching over old stone and roots. The terrain had shifted, no longer wilderness, not quite civilization.
The wind smelled faintly of ash and smoke.
"We're close," Shang Di said.
"How close?" Wei Lin asked, brushing a leaf from his shoulder.
Shang Di glanced up at the skyline. "Close enough to see smoke before the stars show."
Wei Lin grinned. "Finally. I was starting to forget what a roof looks like."
"You snore under one just the same."
They followed the road until it widened into a gentle slope, opening into a shallow glade surrounded by rock walls and leaning trees. The space was calm, half-sheltered by nature. No beasts. No other travelers.
Shang Di nodded toward the ridge. "stop walking, we'll camp here."
Wei Lin was already unshouldering his gear. "You had me at 'stop walking.'"
By dusk, the fire was lit, low and controlled, flickering gently between three stones.
Wei Lin crouched nearby, roasting a skewer of mushrooms and wild root slices.
Lucky curled near Shang Di's side, snoring softly with one eye barely open.
"Did i ever tell you I hate forests?" Wei Lin muttered.
"Several times."
"Good. I'd hate to repeat myself."
They ate in silence for a while. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind, the crackling of their fire, and the distant rustling of trees. Above, the sky slowly faded from orange to deep blue.
"You know," Wei Lin said eventually, "this world's insane."
Shang Di didn't look up, and kept eating.
"Spiritual beasts, mutated valleys, sects running cities like kingdoms… and that's just the stuff people talk about out loud."
"You've seen worse?"
"No," Wei Lin admitted. "But I've heard stories."
He poked the fire with a stick, sending a few sparks gliding through the air.
"I passed through a place once, no name, just a forgotten ruin. People said the ground whispered when you stepped on it. Like the stone remembered things."
Shang Di glanced over. "And?"
Wei Lin looked thoughtful. "Didn't hear any whispers. But my sword arm felt heavier until I left the valley. Took a full day to get the stiffness out."
Silence settled again.
Then Wei Lin added, "You've got secrets."
Shang Di didn't flinch. "So do you."
"I carry a blade and know how to run. You… i feel like you're building something."
Shang Di stirred the wood, not answering.
"A sect?" Wei Lin asked.
"Maybe." Shang Di said.
Wei Lin leaned back and stared at the stars. "Wouldn't be the worst idea. Chaos like this… needs anchors. Places not ruled by the old monsters."
Shang Di finally spoke. "You'd follow?"
Wei Lin grinned. "Only if the pay is terrible and the risk is high."
Shang Di smirked. "Then you're overqualified."
…
Later that night, when the fire had burned down to a faint red glow, only the embers providing warmth, Shang Di sat apart, legs crossed beneath the stars.
The sky stretched open above him — endless and black, dotted with constellations he hadn't yet named.
He inhaled once, slow and steady.
He then opened the system.
[System Notification]
Status: Stable
Current Quest: Beyond the Cauldron
Progress: 92% – Reach Obsidian Root City
Thread Active: "The Shadow's Favor"
Contract: Whispering Crow – Dormant
Bonding Requirement: Ritual or High-Fog Exposure
Spirit Beast Path: Synced
• Lucky (Linked)
• Whispering Crow (Unbonded)
SP: 430
Tickets: None available
He hovered over the Contract info for a moment.
The Whispering Crow… one-winged, shadow-linked, unpredictable. Still dormant.
He closed the system.
"…One more day," he muttered.
He looked out over the dark ridges in the distance. Through the trees, faint plumes of red-tinted smoke rose into the sky, like blood boiling over the city walls.
Obsidian Root.
The city that breathed smoke and steel.
...
To be continued…
...