The men instinctively rubbed their arms and edged closer to the fire.
"Master Wizard, that joke isn't funny at all. Uh, it really is a little cold without clothes in this weather."
Redhead felt cold too and huddled together with his brothers.
"M-Master Wizard, please stop joking. If our souls are damaged, how can we still be alive?"
Mulan smiled.
"As former soldiers, you should know that most battlefield wounds don't kill you immediately, and not every injury is fatal. Damage to the soul is much the same. However..."
Mulan's smile faded, and his expression turned grave.
"Just like certain physical injuries, sometimes it isn't the wound itself that kills you, but the complications afterward. You suddenly feel colder than before, don't you? To help you face reality, I withdrew a little of the protective magic power."
"The winter forest is no longer safe for you either."
Mulan's words carried a deeper meaning. He looked around, and Redhead and the others instinctively followed his gaze.
"Hiss... I feel like there's something out there!"
"A m-monster?"
In Redhead and the others' eyes, a thin mist seemed to have settled over the surrounding darkness at some point. The firelight seemed unable to penetrate it, and a little farther in, everything was pitch-black.
Yes, all they could see was darkness and the occasional swirl of mist. But sometimes, even when they couldn't see anything, they could still sense it. Something seemed to be watching the campfire from deep in the darkness, watching them-and there seemed to be quite a few of them.
Clap!
The sharp clap startled all four men. At the same time, the surrounding mist seemed to collapse instantly. The firelight could penetrate it again, illuminating the woods a little farther away.
"That wasn't an illusion. I merely intervened and cut