The prince heeded his advice. Even though it was his sister’s voice—she was long gone.

  Traversing further, day eventually turned into a dark bloody night. Where some animals slept, or fainted from exhaustion, the nocturnal creatures began to rise.

  Wei Gu knew this place inside out. They were close to a shelter he once built long ago.

  Avoiding the use of light; they could only let their eyes adapt to the surroundings. This was easier for the cultivators, since both of them could force their eyes through essence. For Ren Lin it took a bit longer.

  Abruptly, Feiyun Xing halted again. “Please tell me this isn’t real.”

  Wei Gu traced the prince’s gaze.

  “Oh?”

  Between the trees—stood it, as though it had always been there.

  With a giraffe-like neck the creature bent in a way that shouldn’t be possible. Its head hung on their height. Eyes were raised open as if eyelids didn’t exist. Those black eyes without a shine to them were more like an abyss gazing back at you, rather than something alive.

  Its mouth stretched too wide, wrinkling the face into a hyena's grin; sheepish at first glance, almost bashful. Until one noticed that the corners curved far beyond what flesh should allow.

  Around its head, except for the crown, flowed a mantle of white fur like a lion's mane, though each strand seemed to move faintly—stirred by a wind that didn’t exist.

  “Please... tell me this isn't real…”

  “...oh?”

  The creature's jaw unhinged with a damp crack.

  From somewhere deep within its throat came a layered sound—like several voices trying to crawl through the same narrow passage.

  “Please tell me this isn't real…”

  The plea came out in Feiyun Xing's exact tone.

  Then—

  “...oh?”

  Wei Gu's voice again.

  The grin stretched wider, as if it was learning something by repeating them.

  Wei Gu studied it for a heartbeat longer. “It is very real,” he said evenly. “And quite scary.”

  Something invisible flickered through the air.

  Pat!

  The creature's head dropped.

  As though the world had simply decided it no longer belonged attached to its body. It struck the ground with a wet thud. A heartbeat later, a violent spray of blood followed, splattering across Wei Gu's robes in crimson arcs.

  The long neck remained standing for a breath before collapsing beside it.

  “I haven’t encountered one of these in a long time. Are you alright?” He turned to the pair.

  Both just gave a nod.

  Sensing the mood Wei Gu attempted to loosen the tension. “When I first arrived here, my robe was all white. Like yours, Feiyun Xing. Perhaps one day you will be surrounded with as much blood as I was?”

  “I would rather not.” The prince began to walk in the direction they were headed.

  Wei Gu looked at Ren Lin for a playful response.

  Yet, she simply followed Feiyun Xing. Leaving him to mutter to himself.

  “She would have laughed…”

  Then he picked up the pace with them.

  A while later they stumbled upon the old shelter. It was merely a waned scar hidden on a huge body.

  Carved into a hill, a man-made cave with a ruined entrance waited for them. The man in red stepped forward, pointed two fingers at it, and with a flick of his wrist the debris cleared.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Revealing a crude, but functional place to stay at.

  “How do you use the power of fifth order?” The prince asked.

  “Ah, I don’t. My wedding ring is an Ethereal Core made by my wife. This beautiful piece allows me to use my essence to interact with my surroundings.”

  Proudly, he lifted his right hand, revealing a smooth jade circle holding a red ruby in the middle on his ring finger. On this red gem and along the jade were carvings, which Ren Lin couldn’t see, since it was too dark. For Feiyun Xing however it was different, he could see it clearly.

  The carvings reminded him of the Phoenix tree. Normally, Cores were more effective the less visible they were. But combining Cores or adding engravings on them resulted in loss of transparency. Such things would be called “arrays”.

  If creating a Core was as difficult as sailing a boat against currents, then making an array was like turning heaven and earth upside down.

  Astonished, the prince couldn’t help but praise. “Your wife is incredible! She must have been a genius. I don’t know many people that could even dare to say they were close to forming an array.”

  “Haha! Yes indeed, my wife is unrivaled under the heavens. I had infinite luck to meet her.”

  Unlike Feiyun Xing, Ren Lin didn’t look at him with admiration. It was a pitiful gaze that said: “if only you knew…”

  “But.. the voice I heard before.” The prince began. “Was it that monster too, or any other monster?”

  Wei Gu shook his head. “They only repeat what they have heard. Since that certain person didn’t arrive here, they can’t possibly recreate their voice.”

  Hearing this, his eyes were somewhat filled with panic. “Then why would we go to sleep? Let’s head to the Scarlet Mother quickly.”

  “Feiyun Xing, don’t panic. Sleep is one of the most useful things you can do to stay sane. Deprivation of it would only cause trouble—trust me.” His hand reached out to gently pat his concerned shoulder.

  With a shaky sigh the prince looked at Ren Lin. “How are you? Did you see anything strange?”

  “I’m all good. You don’t have to worry about me.” She answered.

  Yet in her head she contemplated:

  “It’s too soon for the symptoms to appear. In the original story, he didn’t start hearing voices until days later. Now it’s only been a few hours.

  “Then again, his sister’s death took a devastating toll on him. I assumed that releasing one of his memories of her would ease the burden. He chose which memory to sacrifice with far less hesitation than I expected.

  “I must have underestimated the depth of his grief.

  “Still, this should end well. The island’s corruption rate is tied to one’s mental state. If I can keep myself steady, I’ll remain sane long enough for things to unfold as they should without trouble.”

  “Inside should be enough room for two people to sleep,” Wei Gu said. “I will keep my eyes open, so you both may rest assured.”

  “We can switch out if you are too tired,” Feiyun Xing replied.

  “Do not worry, I am used to staying up. I can easily do so for a few days.”

  “Thank you, Wei Gu.” Ren Lin bowed slightly.

  “No need to be so respectful, I feel that we will become friends in no time.”

  With a nod, she went inside, after thanking Wei Gu, Feiyun Xing followed suit.

  Finding a sleeping platform, Ren Lin laid the spear beside, and pulled a blanket taken out from the prince’s Serpent Cache Core over herself.

  After closing her eyes, she didn’t fall asleep immediately. Instead, she listened to the distant and muffled jungle sounds. The slight rustle of the leaves, the shrieks, with the occasional, horrible laughter that might have been an animal, or something else entirely.

  Her heart raced when any eerie sound came, making dozing off even harder. It reminded her of laying on her bed as a kid, hearing her parents argue loudly—even the walls couldn’t contain them. Their love for another was long gone, all that remained was forcing their daughter to show results, to be successful.

  It could have been worse—any situation could be worse.

  Ren Lin chuckled at that thought. Who would have guessed, that from listening to her parents argue, she would hear some demonic monster’s sound, trying to sleep in a cave with some fictional prince and a man who searched for his wife for 20 years in a place where no other human resides.

  Thinking from this point of view made it easier for her. And soon she fell asleep.

  Morning broke faster than it should have. After waking up, she noticed Feiyun Xing had left the shelter, and stepped outside too. Finding Wei Gu sitting at the same spot, his eyes darted to her.

  “Ah, good morning Ren Lin. How do you feel?”

  “Good morning. I’m fine, how about you?”

  “I feel as I always did.”

  “Now then shall we continue?”

  “So enthusiastic right after waking? Surely we can do that. But we need to wait for Feiyun Xing to come back.”

  “Where did he go?”

  “To relieve his bladder.”

  This made her aware of her own situation. “I need to go too, where is a good place?”

  Wei Gu pointed beside the hill. “There are some trees and bushes to cover you, since we leave now, it is fine to urinate so close. Otherwise, if we stayed here it would lead some creatures to our place.”

  “Noted…”

  Ren Lin went after his directions, circling the hill until the shelter disappeared behind thick bushes and towering trunks. Morning mist lingered between the trees, pale and thin, as if reluctant to lift.

  She chose a spot beside an old tree with a wide trunk. The jungle appeared quieter in the morning, but not quite peaceful. Even now, it felt as though something listened.

  When she finished and straightened, her gaze lifted—

  The tree was smiling at her.

  The bark had stretched into a crescent. Two dark knots above it resembled eyes, swollen and intent. The crack widened slowly.

  She stopped breathing.

  Then she rubbed her eyes hard.

  When she looked again, there was nothing.

  “Oh no…” she whispered.

  It was supposed to begin with whispers. Subtle distortions. Not this. Not something so clear.

  A tremor ran through her fingers.

  To die here would be simple. To lose herself, to watch her thoughts twist into something unrecognizable, to act against her own will in moments of clarity—that was worse. Far worse.

  Captured in a jail of her own mind.

  She inhaled slowly, forcing the air deep into her lungs.

  “It’s fine,” she mumbled. “You’re fine.”

  The tree stood motionless.

  Yet as she turned away, she could not shake the feeling that something behind her had just barely relaxed its grin.

  Ren Lin did not look back again.

  She straightened her shoulders and walked toward the shelter, each step filled with a fake steadiness.