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Chapter 13: The Watching Mist
The Mistlotus was secured. Clinton wrapped the glowing flower carefully in spirit-preserving cloth, tying it to his back. The team's spirits were high, but something in the valley had changed.
The fog was thicker. Heavier.
And… quieter.
Almost unnaturally so.
> "Something has activated a secondary formation," Narvek said. "Unrelated to the spirit beast guardian. This one wasn't here when we arrived."
Clinton looked around. The trees felt closer. Their shapes less defined.
He turned to Suyin. "We need to move. Now."
"Agreed," she replied, eyes narrowing. "I've got a bad feeling."
The group began retracing their path—but the terrain was different. The trees had shifted. What should've been a gentle downhill trail now sloped upward. No landmarks. No breeze. No sounds. Even their footsteps felt muffled.
"W-we're lost," Jiro said, voice shaking. "The path's gone!"
Ren clenched his teeth. "This is a trap."
Mei pointed at a glowing sigil burned faintly into the side of a tree. "Formation seal."
Clinton's eyes flicked over it.
> "Clever," Narvek said. "This is not a standard defensive formation. It's… observational. The fog isn't just fog—it's a medium for surveillance."
"Someone's watching us," Clinton muttered.
> "Correct. But they are not trying to kill you. They are… curious."
"Fantastic," Clinton whispered. "Mystery stalkers."
He turned to the group. "Stay close. Do not speak unless necessary. Conserve energy."
The team huddled in tighter formation.
Clinton led, eyes sharp. Step after step, he guided them—not by the trail, but by Qi flow. He could sense faint pulses—anomalies Narvek highlighted—where the fog distorted too strongly or circled unnaturally.
And then…
Whispers.
Not from mouths. From the fog.
Suyin stopped, eyes wide. "Did… did you hear that?"
Jiro nodded. "It said my name…"
Clinton tensed.
> "Auditory illusion matrix detected. Designed to unsettle targets. It mimics inner thoughts and memory fragments."
"Why?"
> "To judge who breaks first."
Mei suddenly gasped. "No—no, I didn't mean to leave her there—I didn't know the roof would fall—!"
Ren shouted, "Shut up! Everyone shut up!"
The team started unraveling.
Clinton grabbed a fistful of mist and clenched. "Enough!"
Qi flared around his body—not too strong, just enough.
For a moment, the fog recoiled.
Silence returned.
Everyone stared at him.
"Keep. Moving."
They obeyed.
Eventually, they reached a circle of obsidian stones—clearly artificial. Carved with ancient runes. The eye of the formation.
Clinton placed the Mistlotus in the center.
The stones flared blue—then the fog began to fade.
Slowly… sound returned. Light. Clarity.
They were out.
Back near the edge of Azure Fog Valley.
Everyone collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. Even Suyin looked rattled.
But Clinton stood tall, scanning the forest.
> "I couldn't identify the watcher. But their spiritual signature… was not human."
"…Not a beast either?"
> "Correct. Something in-between. Something… old."
Clinton didn't respond.
He just looked back at the now-cleared valley, where the fog had once watched him.
And smiled.
Because somewhere out there—someone else had noticed him.
Not as a lost newbie.
But as a threat.
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End of Chapter 13