It wasn't often that Ye Shengtao felt fear. He had seen enough chaos and madness since being thrown into this strange world that most horrors barely made a ripple in his composure. But this night, deep in the forest, he felt like something was off.
Fergio had led them astray, as usual.
After leaving the village, they'd gone straight into the woods towards the mountains the dark sect was rumored to populate.
Ye Shengtao didn't realize how much of a walk this was going to be. They'd been trudging around the cold forest for hours, and the sun had now begun to set. The forest only got colder and darker as the time seemed to pass.
The self-proclaimed hero insisted that he knew the way, that his innate sense of "divine guidance" would lead them safely through the woods. It had been laughable at first, Ye Shengtao silently snorting at the knight's delusions. But now, as the trees closed in around them, with shadows lengthening and thickening into solid walls of blackness, Ye Shengtao's amusement had turned into a sickening dread.
He tried to steady himself, but his muscles refused to cooperate. The towering trees seemed to crowd closer with every step they took, their gnarled branches twisting above like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky.
Fergio, oblivious as ever, marched forward confidently, his armor clinking softly in the oppressive silence.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Ye Shengtao asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Of course!" Fergio boomed, far too loudly for the suffocating quiet of the forest. "The gods are with us! Have faith, noble steed. We'll be out of these woods before dawn."
Ye Shengtao rolled his red eyes. "I'm not a steed," he muttered under his breath, though there was no point arguing.
They had been wandering for hours now, the once familiar path having long disappeared. The forest was darker here, far darker than it should have been. The canopy above was so thick that not a single ray of moonlight could penetrate, leaving them in a blackness so absolute that even Fergio's bravado was beginning to falter.
Ye Shengtao could sense something.
A presence lurking just beyond the edges of their vision. His nostrils flared as a foul stench wafted on the wind—rotten flesh and the sharp tang of blood, fresh and metallic. His stomach churned at the intensity of the odor, so strong he could feel it accumulating in his temple.
He didn't want to look. He knew whatever was watching them was just waiting for a moment of weakness, a single misstep. His legs refused to move, frozen in place as his instincts screamed at him to run. But there was no running. Not from this.
"Something's out there," he whispered to Fergio, his voice trembling despite himself.
Fergio turned, squinting into the darkness. "Nonsense. It's just your imagination. We are blessed by the gods, remember?"
Before Ye Shengtao could respond, a gust of wind rustled through the trees, making the leaves shiver and dance. For a brief moment, the thick canopy shifted, allowing a sliver of pale moonlight to slip through.
And that was when they saw it.
At first glance, it could have been mistaken for a person, standing still among the shadows. But the longer Ye Shengtao stared, the more wrong it became. Its body was unnaturally tall, far too thin, and its limbs were grotesquely long, dangling like twisted branches. The moonlight cast a faint glow behind it, illuminating its form in jagged, incomplete shadows. It stood perfectly still, watching them.
Ye Shengtao's blood turned cold.
Fergio squinted, taking a step forward. "Who goes there? Show yourself, foul creature!" His voice, as loud and defiant as ever, rang out through the forest.
The figure didn't move. Not a twitch, not a single sound. It simply stood there, looming over them like a silent predator. Its head was small, disproportionate to its elongated body, and even from where they stood, Ye Shengtao could see its eyes.
Tiny, beady, and glinting with a malevolent intelligence.
The stench grew stronger, almost overwhelming now. Ye Shengtao gagged, his tongue tasting the rot, the death that clung to the air around them.
Fergio, however, unsheathed his sword with a flourish. "By the gods, I will—"
Ye Shengtao's heart nearly stopped as the creature shifted. Slowly, almost lazily, it took a step forward, its long limbs stretching unnaturally. Its wiry fingers curled around the nearest tree trunk, and for the first time, they saw its mouth.
It smiled.
The thing's lips stretched impossibly wide, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth. The smile was not one of joy or malice—it was simply too alien for any human emotion. It was a smile that seemed to mock the very concept of life, a smile that promised nothing but pain.
Fergio hesitated for the first time. "Ye Shengtao… what is that?"
"I don't know," Ye Shengtao breathed, his voice barely audible. His entire body trembled now, every instinct screaming at him to run, to flee into the night and never look back. But his legs refused to move.
The creature tilted its head, watching them with its beady eyes, the smile never leaving its grotesque face. Then, without warning, it moved.
It didn't walk. It slithered. Its limbs contorted, bending at unnatural angles as it circled them, faster than any of them could react. The sound of its movement was almost imperceptible, the rustling of leaves barely audible over the pounding of Ye Shengtao's heart.
"What the hell is that thing?!" hissed Ye Shengtao at the system, only to find that the brainless creature was nowhere to be found.
He was alone with the hero.
"Hold your ground!" Fergio commanded, though even he sounded uncertain now.
The creature circled them again, its eyes never leaving them, its smile growing wider with each pass. It was playing with them, toying with its prey.
Ye Shengtao's breath came in ragged gasps. The stench was unbearable now, so thick that it seemed to coat his lungs. His vision swam as panic clawed at his mind.
And then the creature stopped.
It stood just beyond the nearest tree, half-hidden in the shadows, its body still as a statue. The smile was gone now, replaced by something far worse. Its eyes locked onto Fergio, and for the briefest of moments, it looked almost… amused.
Fergio raised his sword again, his hands trembling. "I-I'll cut you down where you stand!" he stammered, though his bravado was crumbling.
The creature didn't respond. It didn't need to.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, it lunged.
Ye Shengtao's mind went blank as the thing closed the distance in the blink of an eye, its wiry limbs stretching toward them with impossible reach. Fergio swung his sword wildly, but the creature was too fast, too fluid. It danced around his strikes effortlessly, its movements almost graceful.
And then it smiled again, this time inches from Fergio's face.
The knight's sword fell to the ground with a clatter, his eyes wide with horror as the creature's jagged teeth gleamed in the moonlight.
Ye Shengtao's legs finally found the strength to move.
"Run!" he shouted, his voice breaking the paralyzing silence.