The red moon hung like a bloodstain in the sky as the disciples gathered at the forest's edge. A cold wind swept through the trees, whispering threats only the foolish ignored.
Kael yawned.
"Remind me again why we're doing this? Spiritual advancement or glorified suicide?"
Next to him, Seris adjusted her gloves, eyes forward. "You could always back out."
Kael smirked. "And miss the opportunity to be maimed by spirit beasts in front of all my peers? How could I resist?"
The Elder's voice boomed above the gathering. "Enter the Moonlight Trials. Survive. Or don't."
"Very motivational," Kael muttered. "Really makes you feel like part of a family."
The gong rang. The crowd surged forward.
Kael stepped in last—calm, silent, and with a grin that said I probably shouldn't enjoy this, but I do.
---
The Silent Forest lived up to its name. The trees loomed like ancient sentinels, their bark etched with faded runes. Fog coiled through the underbrush like smoke with purpose.
Kael moved like a shadow, senses sharp, mind sharper.
Then he heard it—a scream, sharp, wet, and short-lived.
Following the sound, he found a boy slumped against a tree, eyes wide, mouth open in a frozen gasp. Burned into his neck was a spiral sigil.
Kael crouched beside the corpse and sighed. "We're doing murder sigils now? What happened to just being mauled by a tiger like normal disciples?"
"Talking to the dead now?" came a voice behind him.
Kael stood without looking. "Only when they're more interesting than the living."
Seris stepped into view, her sword faintly glowing. She studied the sigil. "That's the fourth one. All fresh."
"Looks like someone's trying to speedrun the culling process."
"This isn't just a trial anymore," she muttered.
Kael leaned against a tree. "You're just now figuring that out? I knew something was off the moment they said 'trial' without a waiver."
---
They moved together through the woods, not out of trust, but because corpses don't make good alibis.
Eventually, they found an old stone structure hidden beneath vines and moss. Seris nodded toward it. "Abandoned shrine. Good place to rest."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Or a good place to get cursed. But sure, let's roll the dice."
Inside, it was dark and still. Kael lit a small spirit flame, casting flickering shadows against the shrine walls.
Seris sat near a pillar. "You ever take anything seriously?"
Kael sat opposite her, tossing a pebble into the flame. "I take death seriously. That's why I joke so much—it's called balance."
She gave a half-smile. "And here I thought you were just annoying."
Kael smirked. "You're not wrong. But you're still here."
Before Seris could answer, the door burst open with a boom, shards of wood flying.
A figure stepped through—tall, wrapped in bone-white robes, face hidden behind a cracked porcelain mask. His aura twisted the air around him.
"Well, great," Kael said, standing. "Haunted forest, cursed shrines, and now ghost cosplay. I'm ticking boxes tonight."
The figure tilted his head. "You carry the mark. The Lotus Vein. You should not exist."
Kael glanced at his palm, where the lotus mark throbbed faintly. "You know, people keep telling me that. I'm starting to feel very special."
The masked man moved—fast. Inhuman. His palm lashed out like a whip, striking the ground where Kael had been half a second before.
Kael ducked, rolled, came up with a spirit blade drawn. "You're fast, spooky. But are you fun?"
Seris joined the fight instantly. Her blades moved with precision, but the masked figure deflected with ease, his movements fluid and silent.
Kael darted in, feinting left, then lashing out with a burst of black-red aura. His blade hissed through the air and nicked the attacker's mask.
The man reeled—then disintegrated into mist.
Kael stared at the spot. "...That's new."
All that remained was the broken mask.
Seris picked it up, examining the inside. "Dust laced with silver root powder. Illusion-based cultivation."
Kael crossed his arms. "So, either someone sent a projection to kill me... or the forest is offering free nightmares."
"Both are bad."
"Agreed. Also, why do I feel like we just walked into someone else's conspiracy?"
---
They took shifts sleeping, though Kael only pretended to nap. His dreams were sharp—shattered mirrors, burning lotuses, a voice whispering:
"He sees you."
Morning came grey and cold. When they stepped outside, Aria stood waiting—her tiger fully grown, armored in moss and bark.
"You made it," she said, as if mildly surprised.
Kael rolled his eyes. "Disappointed?"
"Only a little." Her gaze flicked to the cracked mask in his hand. "Where did you get that?"
Kael shrugged. "A ghost tried to kill me. Left me a souvenir. I'd give it to you, but it's probably cursed."
Aria didn't smile. "That symbol... it's from the Mirror Sect. They were wiped out decades ago."
"Right. And yet, here we are—dead sects sending hallucinations after me in the woods. Very nostalgic."
Seris looked between them. "Why do I feel like Kael's somehow the center of all of this?"
Kael stretched. "Because I'm handsome, mysterious, and conveniently cursed."
Aria sighed. "You're something, alright."
The tiger growled. Kael looked at it.
"You growl at me now, but give it a week—we'll be best friends."
---
As they walked, Kael looked up at the pale sky and muttered, "This isn't a trial. It's a funeral rehearsal."
Seris said nothing.
Aria just watched him like she was trying to solve a riddle with a punchline.
Kael grinned. He didn't have all the answers. But he was starting to like the questions.