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墨書 Inktalez
Wang Er Gou paused, a warm current surging in his heart as he glanced at a few people.
"Ergou Master, hurry up!" Seven called out. After calming their emotions, the group discussed that their immediate task should be to locate the altar.
Wang Er Gou, the only one who had been to the altar, found himself unclear about its exact location.
He recalled, "I remember when we arrived, several spirit beasts ran out of the forest. If we encounter those spirit beasts again, we must be close to the altar." Wang Er Gou felt troubled by his inability to pinpoint the altar's location. He realized he had acted dishonorably by deceiving everyone, and guilt washed over him.
Second patted Wang Er Gou on the shoulder and asked, "Do you remember what those spirit beasts looked like?"
Wang Er Gou replied, "I could recognize them if I saw them." Suddenly, he recalled an incident from ten years ago and said, "The leader back then claimed they were divine beasts, but they gave off a chilling and sinister aura."
"Perhaps they weren't divine beasts at all," Third remarked. The others looked at Third in surprise. Third continued, "We should leave this place quickly; it's not a good area."
Thinking of the strange sounds they had just heard made their hair stand on end, and an inexplicable shiver ran through them. Second echoed Third's sentiment, saying, "The more we talk about it, the creepier it gets. Let's go!"
They left the relatively open area and headed toward the highest and deepest part of the mountain range. The path upward was gone; there was no way to proceed as thorns and intertwined trees created a wild and endless barrier.
Branches were scattered everywhere, with trees large enough for one person to embrace or even two.
The night had deepened significantly. The moon hung not far above the mountain peak, and as a cool breeze blew through, dew glistened on the branches and flowers.
The chill intensified. Autumn had arrived; leaves fell at night, carrying droplets that brushed against their necks and sent shivers down their spines.
As dawn began to break, they walked through the forest where towering trees completely blocked out the sunlight. Unexpectedly, a ray of sunlight broke through as the wind stirred the branches, forcing the light to make a brief appearance.
The group huddled together; early morning was the coldest time of day, especially when dew formed—it chilled them to the bone. Most importantly, they felt like headless flies searching aimlessly with no clue where to go.
Second plopped down onto the ground and shouted to the others, "Let's take a break. We can't keep searching like this."
The others sat down as well, and in the blink of an eye, a beast darted past them.
Seven said, "We should find something to eat first," patting his stomach. Everyone agreed, but Second was reluctant to get up. Third and Seven set off to look for food.
Wang Er Gou was exhausted but had closed his eyes to rest.
Second glanced at Wang Er Gou and asked, "Er Gou, can't you remember even a little bit about what happened?"
Opening his eyes, Wang Er Gou replied, "The fog was too thick when we came up."
"Was it like this?" Second inquired. They were at the mountain's peak now, and the morning fog was dense, visibility only about ten meters.
Looking at the thick fog, Wang Er Gou said, "It was thicker than this. Even if you were standing right next to me, I might not have seen you."
However, Wang Er Gou overlooked the fact that it had been nighttime when they ascended the mountain. The fog combined with the darkness made visibility even worse.
At that moment, Wang Er Gou still hadn't realized this, and Second naturally didn't think of it either. With no further words exchanged, the heavy fog kept their faces perpetually damp.
Suddenly feeling drowsy, Second dozed off. In his dreams, he seemed to hear someone calling for him, but perhaps he was too tired to wake up.
It felt like First was calling him; the voice faded away as Second, leaning against a tree with his eyes closed and snoring softly, suddenly stood straight up.
Thinking that Second had woken up, Wang Er Gou decided to take care of his needs and didn't pay much attention. He greeted him but received no response.
Second stretched out his arms, his steps a bit unsteady as he moved in a certain direction. Wang Er Gou watched Second, sensing that something was off. He called out, "Brother Cao," but received no reply.
As Second was about to be engulfed by the mist, Wang Er Gou sprang to his feet and chased after him, relieved to find that Second was not moving quickly.
He hurriedly patted Second on the shoulder, bringing him back to reality. The first thing Second asked was, "How did I end up here?"
"You were sleepwalking," Wang Er Gou replied.
"Sleepwalking?" A light bulb went off in Second's mind. "Wait, I thought I heard someone calling me." He then asked, "Er Gou, did you hear any voices just now?"
Wang Er Gou shook his head and said, "No, I only heard you snoring."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Second said, "So it really was me sleepwalking," accepting that explanation. They began to walk back together.
After taking just a couple of steps, Second thought he heard someone calling his name again. He turned around sharply to look behind him, but all he saw was a thick layer of mist—nothing else. He smacked his forehead with his hand to clear his mind and cursed himself inwardly for being so dazed.
When they returned to their original spot, after lingering for a moment, Second couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong; somewhere in the forest, a voice was calling his name.
At that moment, Seven and Third also returned. Seven was carrying two wild rabbits while Third had picked some wild fruits.
Setting down the rabbits with a grunt of annoyance, Seven complained, "Damn it! Those wild rabbits on the mountain are too clever; they made me trip and fall—what bad luck!" He glanced at the rabbits as he spoke.
They cleared away some surrounding plants to prevent any potential fire hazards and created an open space. The campfire was soon lit.
Third noticed that Second seemed a bit off and asked, "Are you okay, Second?"
Second replied, "I keep feeling like someone is calling my name nearby."
After listening carefully, Third said, "You’re probably just too stressed lately; it’s likely a hallucination."
Second thought about it and realized that First might be in trouble. At this thought, a chill ran down their spine—could it be that First's spirit was trying to reach out to them?
Just then, the voice calling their name echoed again. Second quickly focused, and indeed, it was First calling for them.
Seeing Second's face turn pale, Third called out urgently, "Second."
Startled back to reality, Second said, "I just heard First calling me." At that moment, Seven glanced back at Second.
Second asked, "Did you all hear that voice?"
The other three shook their heads in response. Seven said, "I didn’t hear anything." Then added, "Second, stop being so paranoid."
Could it really be that something was wrong with them? Third said, "Second, just relax."
"I’m not nervous at all," Second replied, even as beads of sweat began to form on their forehead.
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