Jiang Lang shivered against the biting wind, his dark hair lashing across his face. He impatiently pushed it back, his gaze narrowed against the swirling snow and thick fog. The slivers of moonlight barely pierced the dense canopy of snow-laden trees.
How could such stark beauty inflict such discomfort?
He exhaled, a cloud of vapor forming in the frigid air. He should have been back at the fortress hours ago, but a disturbing discovery had changed his plans. A flicker of grim determination ignited within him. He had to investigate.
Somewhere in this vast, unforgiving forest was a human, an anomaly that could pose a threat. He didn't know its purpose, but he knew he had to find it. His duty demanded it.
He couldn't risk another intrusion.
Lin Fan possessed an acute awareness of his surroundings, it was forever his aheightened sense that registered even the slightest disturbance. Tonight, that sense had been screaming. An unfamiliar presence. Human. A potential danger.
Another gust of wind buffeted him, and he leaned against a sturdy tree trunk for a moment's respite. Earlier, while observing their territory, a prickling unease had settled over him. Something was wrong.
Humans can be deceptive.
One of them might carry hidden weapons.
The weak ones often act out of desperation.
As if those initial warnings had opened a floodgate, a torrent of possibilities crashed into his awareness, a mix of instinct and experience. He focused, sifting through the potential threats.
They are unpredictable.
They often underestimate us.
Even their fear can be dangerous.
Jiang Lang and his friends lived in an isolated home, their home was perched atop the hill, it was a sanctuary they had fought hard to maintain. Any intrusion was a violation.
Should we eliminate it immediately?
Observe first. Determine the threat level.
Centuries of dealing with the mortal realm had taught them caution. Humans were fragile, yet capable of surprising malice and desperation. Could this one be an innocent human lost in the woods? Or something far more sinister?
"It's likely a foolish wanderer," Lin Fan muttered, his breath misting. Over the long years, he had encountered countless humans , he had come across the curious, the desperate, the lost. Most posed no real threat.
The fortress served its purpose: to protect them and contain the volatile forces within each of them. For him, that force was Lin Fan.
Oddly, this particular intrusion hadn't triggered an immediate surge of the demon's influence. Perhaps the distance, or the nature of the presence, was different. But he couldn't afford to be complacent.
He knew better than to underestimate anything. Their existence was a closely guarded secret.
When the initial alerts had sounded, Yan Lie had dismissed them, attributing them to local wildlife. But Jiang Lang's instincts screamed otherwise.
He hadn't voiced his concerns, however. Yan Lie's dismissiveness was often a shield.
As he continued his trek, the wind seemed to intensify, biting through his dark clothing. He'd been out longer than intended, and the cold was seeping into his bones. Lingering was unwise.
His gaze climbed the hill. Through a momentary break in the clouds, the imposing silhouette of their fortress emerged, a dark and formidable structure against the snow-dusted landscape. Mist clung to its base, swirling like ghostly tendrils. A fitting guardian, he thought, for the secrets it held.
That image spurred him onward. Almost there, he thought, his pace quickening. The uneven terrain and thick undergrowth were slowing him, but he pressed on.
Ten minutes later, he found himself pausing, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest. The fortress didn't seem any closer. The distance felt… wrong.
Jiang Lang shook his head, a flicker of annoyance. Damn it. What was hindering his progress? Some unseen barrier?
Even if this pursuit proved fruitless, he wouldn't regret investigating. The lack of clear signs, the unusual stillness of the forest – these were anomalies he couldn't ignore. He would have ventured out in far worse conditions if necessary. The safety of their sanctuary was paramount.
He preferred the straightforwardness of dealing with threats directly. This uncertainty was unsettling.
He rubbed his arms, trying to ward off the growing chill. The unnatural resistance in the forest was making him uneasy. They are here. I can feel them, a primal instinct whispered.
Then, a faint, unfamiliar thought brushed against his awareness. Such a strange energy.
"Indeed," Jiang Lang murmured, his own senses picking up the faint, unusual signature. It wasn't malevolent, but it was definitely… different. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
As he continued his ascent, fragmented impressions, not quite thoughts and not quite voices, drifted into his awareness. They were faint, indistinct, yet undeniably present.
Curious.
Lost?
Unprotected.
Jiang Lang stumbled slightly on the uneven ground, the strange sensations growing stronger, more layered. His senses, usually so precise, felt… clouded. A flicker of irritation sparked within him. Deep breath in, deep breath—
If they reach the fortress… the consequences could be unpredictable.
He pressed a hand to his temple, a sudden, unfamiliar pressure building there. Focus. Find the source. More wind. More… impressions. Focus, he repeated, his steps becoming more deliberate. He had come this far; he would see it through. Find the source.
When the initial readings had been faint, Yan Lie had scoffed, dismissing them as echoes of residual energy.
Then Jiang Lang had insisted on a closer look.
"It's nothing," Yan Lie had said, turning away dismissively. "Probably just some lingering… resonance."
"Or it could be something entirely new," Jiang Lang had countered.
"You're being paranoid, Jiang Lang." That was Yan Lie's usual response when his authority was questioned. He preferred to maintain control, even when his instincts were questionable.
Yan Lie's overconfidence often grated on Jiang Lang. He valued caution, especially when dealing with the unknown. He trusted his instincts.
While Yan Lie valued control, Jiang Lang valued understanding. He needed to know the nature of this anomaly.
That was why he hadn't hesitated to investigate himself the moment Yan Lie's attention was elsewhere.
His fingers were numb, but Jiang Lang pushed his hair back from his face again. Perhaps he should have consulted the others, but the strange sensations had been too distracting within the fortress. More than that, he'd felt a compulsion to investigate alone.
Perhaps that had been a mistake, given this growing resistance.
There is a way to know for certain. Observe its actions, a cold, detached thought echoed in his mind.
Such… vibrant energy. Almost overwhelming.
Distracted, Jiang Lang's foot caught on a root. He stumbled, catching himself with a grunt. The ground was slick with ice and snow. For a moment, he remained still, gathering his bearings. Too cold. Too… loud with these strange sensations.
As he paused, a wave of disorientation washed over him. His senses felt overloaded, the unfamiliar energies pressing in on him. He closed his eyes, focusing on his inner control, and moved to lean against a nearby tree.
They are close. I can sense their presence.
Is it injured?
Look at this… the energy is… shifting.
"Silence," Jiang Lang commanded, his voice low. The strange sensations didn't obey. They never did.
Such a fragile form. Vulnerable.
Hungry. It seeks sustenance.
A sudden surge of energy pulsed through the forest, and Jiang Lang's eyes snapped open. A sharp crackle of displaced air. Then… a wave of intense pain, not his own.
Present. Not residual. He knew the difference.
A primal alarm jolted through him, overriding the strange sensations. Even through the confusion, he registered a sickening thud. He tried to move, to identify the source, but an invisible force seemed to hold him in place. No, not force, he realized a moment later, but… a focused projection of energy. His entire body tensed in response.
Before he could fully comprehend it, another wave of energy slammed into the trees nearby. Another sharp crackle. Jiang Lang's attention snapped to the side. The very air seemed to shimmer and distort.
How—What—His thoughts were fragmented as something moved in the nearby shadows. Twisted branches scraped against each other in an unnatural rhythm, the snow disturbed as something unseen shifted. Then, a flicker of movement in a patch of moonlight – a pale form, radiating an unusual energy signature. Not human.
"What in the abyss…?" he breathed. "Stop. Show yourself!"
Suddenly, it was there, directly in his line of sight. A humanoid form, crouched low, its energy signature unlike anything he had encountered. Its gaze, though unseen in the dim light, felt intensely focused. They are… observing.
Curious. So much… raw power.
A tremor ran through Jiang Lang. The energy emanating from this being was potent, unfamiliar. A metallic tang filled the air, mixed with the scent of snow and something else… something subtly… alluring.
Up close, he could sense the raw energy pulsing beneath its… skin? The unnatural stillness of the forest seemed to press in on him.
Potent.
Unpredictable.
Perhaps… a threat.
Perhaps Yan Lie was right.
"Are you the source of this… disturbance?" Jiang Lang demanded.
Shock rippled through him, a primal unease settling deep within. It took him a moment to realize something profound had shifted. The strange… impressions… had ceased.
His senses cleared with astonishing speed.
The strange energies had vanished, as if they had been intrinsically linked to this being and were now… contained. Silence descended upon him.
No. It wasn't true silence, he realized a moment later, but rather… clarity. Magnificent, blissful clarity. How long since his senses had been so unburdened by the strange influx? Had they ever?
Wind rustled the branches, the snow falling in soft, individual flakes. The forest seemed to breathe again, its natural rhythms reasserting themselves.
Had anything ever felt so… normal?
In that moment, his unease intensified. How could this being, so seemingly fragile, have caused such a profound disruption?
Was it a deliberate act?
Closing his eyes briefly, he focused on the returning normalcy, the familiar hum of the forest.
"Creature?" Jiang Lang said, a note of caution in his voice.
"Silence." A faint, melodic thought brushed his awareness, tinged with an odd… contentment. Even within the fortress, shielded by ancient wards, he had never experienced such a direct… mental intrusion. "Do not speak. Simply… be."
For a moment, he didn't respond, his mind reeling. "You dare command me?" he finally said, anger lacing his tone.
"Still… projecting," the thought replied, a hint of… amusement? Jiang Lang pressed his lips together. Threat or not, this being possessed an unusual… presence. Besides, antagonizing it might be unwise. Its arrival had brought a strange… clarity. And a subtle warmth seemed to emanate from it, easing the unnatural chill he had felt.
Slowly, he focused his gaze.
They were close, an unseen connection stretching between them. Its form shimmered faintly in the moonlight, almost ethereal. Its features were delicate, yet held an unnerving intensity.
Those unseen eyes seemed to pierce him, a strange mix of curiosity and… something else he couldn't quite decipher. Intriguing.
Not… hostile.
But… powerful.
Demon. No, not a demon, he instinctively knew. The disruption had been too… pervasive, too unlike the chaotic influence of the abyss. But it was not of this realm either. It had brought a strange clarity, yes, but it was clearly something… other. Anyone who could project such potent energies…
So what was it?
Jiang Lang's senses flared, a primal awareness stirring within him. This being's energy resonated with something ancient, something… fundamental. A faint, unfamiliar pull tugged at his core.
Stop. Analyze.
His existence had been one of isolation, of carefully guarded boundaries. Direct mental contact was unheard of. This being bypassed all his defenses.
If this… presence… was what he suspected, it could unravel everything. It might perceive the darkness within him.
But…
If this being was what he instinctively felt it was, it might also understand. It might not recoil from the shadows.
"Creature?" he repeated, his mental voice rough.
A faint pause. Then, a mental echo, tinged with a curious resonance. Maddox.
Maddox… The resonance lingered in his awareness, a strange harmony that resonated deep within him. He forced a neutral mental acknowledgment. Jiang Lang.
His mental focus sharpened on the being's… essence. Despite the cold, a subtle warmth radiated from it. You should not have… projected so forcefully, he mentally conveyed, suppressing the unfamiliar stirring within him. He reached out cautiously with his senses, a gentle probe that stopped short of direct contact. A faint… resistance.
A mental acknowledgment, a subtle shift in its projected energy. An unintentional yet… compelling… exchange that resonated through him. Until, a moment later, a sharp, almost painful recoil.
Please… a mental whisper, laced with a sudden vulnerability. The projection ceased abruptly.
Jiang Lang blinked, his mental senses… adrift? Without the projection, a strange… absence… settled over him.
Potent, he thought, the mental word echoing with a newfound understanding.
He wasn't sure if it referred to the being's power – or its… effect on him. What are you? he projected softly, not daring to voice the question aloud. No reason to reveal his ability so readily.
A flicker of… surprise? Confusion? The mental response was fragmented this time. One who… listens.
Astonishment rippled through his awareness, a primal recognition dawning. A muscle ticked in his jaw. A… Listener? His mental voice held a note of disbelief.
I… hear, the mental echo conveyed, a faint defensiveness now present.
Jiang Lang's mental defenses slammed back into place. Fury, sharp and cold, flooded his awareness. This… creature… was far more dangerous than he had initially perceived. It had breached his most private thoughts. He mentally lashed out, a wave of raw power intended to intimidate. No… not a lost wanderer. A predator, definitely, as his instincts had first warned.
Remaining still, it mentally recoiled from the force of Jiang Lang's projection, a flicker of… fear? Confusion? Its mental presence receded slightly. It drew in a ragged breath, the physical manifestation mirroring the mental distress. Its hand hovered near a hidden pouch, as if considering a weapon. Finally, it projected, What… are you? Why… this hostility?
Jiang Lang somehow maintained his mental control. What are you doing in our territory, Listener? And do not attempt to deceive me. I will know it, and you will not appreciate my response.
A faint mental sigh, a sense of weary resignation. I… looking those who reside at the summit.