Echo of the Demon

Xia Lin abruptly sat up in bed, breathing hard.

That mysterious voice still echoed in his mind, like an inescapable summons.

What the hell—could it be a side effect of stacking Shadow Eel Wine and Owl's Wisdom Potion? Or—

"Find me—"

The voice rang out again, clearer this time, as though it were whispering directly into his ear.

Xia Lin shuddered, and an inexplicable urge drove him to his feet.

Damn it, something's wrong—but I need to find out what this is!

He threw on his coat and quietly slipped out of the cabin.

On deck, thick fog still shrouded the entire ship. Moonlight filtered through the mist, coating everything in an eerie silvery gray.

The old sailor on watch leaned against the railing, a pipe clenched between his teeth as he squinted at the lake. When he saw Xia Lin emerge, he nodded in greeting.

"Can't sleep?" the old sailor asked in a hoarse voice.

"Yeah... a little." Xia Lin walked toward the stern, where the calling voice seemed to be growing clearer.

"Find me—"

It was like a set of coordinates, crystal clear within Xia Lin's potion-enhanced senses.

"Find... me—"

He leaned over the stern railing and looked down into the gale.

The rudder of the Oath of the North Wind cleaved through the black lake water, kicking up white spray. Beneath the foam, he could vaguely make out a huge, dark mass being dragged along by the hull.

It seemed to be a tangled mess of aquatic weeds, broken wood, and unknown debris.

The old sailor walked over, glanced at the shadowy mass behind the ship, and spat dismissively into the lake.

"Old man," Xia Lin said, pointing at the dark mass, "is something caught under the ship? I think I heard a voice—"

"A voice?" The