(Heartfelt thanks to 'Panda Ah!', 'Kaede no Chōrei', 'Lei Xiang', and 'Icebound Thunder Dragon' for their rewards!)
The night continued...
In the forest shrouded in darkness, the cries of birds, beasts, and insects occasionally rang out, seemingly startling the resting birds awake. From time to time, the rustling of beating wings echoed through the woods, making everything appear so peaceful.
In one corner of the dense forest, at the base of a rock wall, a pitch-black cave stood there like an eye growing from the cliff face. Just looking at it from afar was enough to give one goosebumps. It was also like the rock wall's mouth, giving people the terrifying feeling that once they entered, they would never come back out.
Yet despite that, a large group of people was currently gathered inside the dark cave, like bandits occupying a mountain stronghold. Some guarded the entrance while others moved about within the cave. Even along the path outside, people stood gripping their weapons tightly, their cold gazes sweeping over the surroundings. It was obvious they were patrolling and standing guard.
At the very depths of the dark cave, a campfire burned steadily. Thin smoke drifted upward along the current of air, but just as it was about to spread toward the entrance, it was absorbed by a tiny crystal the instant it rose, vanishing into the air without leaving even a trace of odor.
The crystal had originally been meant for storing water, air, food, and the like for emergencies.
However, to keep the smoke from drifting out of the cave and alerting the pursuers who might arrive at any moment, the crystal had been reduced to absorbing campfire smoke. It could not exactly be called a waste of its talents—more like putting it to proper use. It was