Dusk hung heavy and dark. A cold, blood-reeking wind blew through the twisted, interwoven forest, producing waves of mournful howls. Those withered, dead trees were like corpses that had yet to fall, quietly awaiting the arrival of visitors.
Ghostly blue firelight occasionally drifted past, accompanied by ethereal, pleasant singing like the song of a Deep Sea Siren, weaving a passage to the world of death.
A black castle stood deep within the woods.
The twisted, bizarre trees stopped here, as though something before them filled them with dread. Even these dead who wandered in the darkness and had never left were willing to submit.
A few dim lights shone from the castle windows. Shadows could vaguely be seen passing by, yet it also seemed completely empty.
The ethereal song echoed. The clouds broke apart, and pale blue moonlight fell. Hollow suits of armor stood guard before the castle gates like statues, seeming to have remained there for countless ages—and to remain so forever, until eternity.
Inside the castle.
Unlike its former bustle, the quiet elegance carried a somewhat oppressive air.
The reason was simple: the castle's master had returned.
Though she had not appeared, to the residents living in the castle, that intangible, formless pressure was ever-present.
"The master hasn't appeared for several days now. Ruoye too."
Deliberately lowered voices echoed through the dark hall. In the silent surroundings, every sound was magnified countless times.
"That's normal. We just don't know how long it'll take this time."
A voice answered.
After that, the atmosphere sank back into silence, with only time slipping away second by second.
After a long while, another voice spoke.
"By the way, do you remember that thing called Forget Worry Wheat Wine that the master brought back before?"
Like a reservoir full to the brim opening