It made the tranquility of the evenings in Bai Cheng Village unpeaceful, as there started to come hushed murmurs and suspicious looks during the quiet of night due to an evil incident happening in the east of Eldenwood.
The moon was low. Silver light cast upon the village was where the townsfolk were gathered near the central square.
The tension is heavy in the air, and they whisper with one another about the lost patrol unit. The team's leader, Officer Lin, a stern cultivator, stands at the east gate with her brow furrowed in concern. She heard the rumors—a phantom mist, an echoing howl, and a darkness that seemed to swallow all hope.
"What do you know?" she demanded, her voice level but urgent, as she addressed the assembled villagers. "We have to know what has happened to my men. We cannot give into fear!"
A grizzled farmer came forward and began to speak, telling the tale as his hands would shake. "I saw them, I did. They were walking into those woods at twilight, well-armed and determined, but then… then something began to move in those shadows. It was almost as if the trees had conspired against them themselves.
The crowd murmured, casting nervous glances toward the treeline. Children clutched their mothers, while elder men shook their heads in disbelief. The farmer continued, "No one has returned. Not a sound, not a trace. Just silence, thick and heavy like the fog that rolled in that night."
Officer Lin set her jaw, frustration rising. "They would not simply disappear. Not without a fight." Her eyes narrowed, her gaze sweeping over the fading light of day, across which the forest shadows appeared ominous. "Something powerfully at work is.
A woman with wild hair, known for her tales of the supernatural, stepped forward, her eyes glimmering with fear and excitement. "I've heard stories, Miss Lin. The forest has its guardians, and they do not take kindly to intruders. They say that the east gate leads to a realm of shadows, where time and space twist and fold. If your men crossed that threshold…"
"Enough!" Officer Lin snapped, cutting her off. She couldn't afford to let panic seize the hearts of the villagers. "I will go after them. I'll not let the darkness claim any more lives." Her voice was resolute, but deep inside, doubt gnawed at her—a gnawing that echoed the stories of those who had ventured too far into the depths of Eldenwood.
As night fell, rumors spread like wildfire, kindling imaginations. Others claimed to have seen dancing shadows between the trees, while others still spoke of glowing eyes that watched from the underbrush. No one, however, dared to venture closer; fear of the unknown kept them at bay.
Bai Cheng crawled forward into the heart of Eldenwood, comforted by His black dog and the steady wisdom of Gerald. He had no idea that their journey was connected to the mysteries unfolding at the eastern gate.
With every step, pulsing markings under Bai Cheng's skin seemed to beat a stronger rhythm and whisper the secrets of a connection with him in the forces that were now at play within the forest. Shadows fluttered at the edge of their path with every step with teasing truths within dark depths.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the village, Officer Lin steeled herself. She would gather a search party, brave souls willing to face the shadows, not looking for just her men, but for the heart of the mystery itself. She felt the stirring of something ancient, something waiting in the depths of Eldenwood—a darkness that thrummed with power and ancient magic.
Back in the forest, Bai Cheng felt the air thicken, building energy around him as they approached a clearing. The dog stopped, his nose sensing as he caught a scent on the breeze. Gerald's expression hardened, eyes scanning the shadows.
"Something is not right," he says softly, his words measured as he speaks. "Dark stirs up with a purpose. We must guard." Bai Cheng swallowed dryly, feeling the mystery weigh on him like a storm. Each beat of the heart carried him deeper down the road to Eldenwood, with shadows laced in peril and revealing mystery.
However, through whispers about the missing patrol around the village, Bai Cheng knew he had not just his secrets, but he was going out for the mother he loved and for the truths, the things that bound together his mother and him, ahead of him. And somewhere, lost under the shroud of night, lay the east of Eldenwood, hiding its secrets, soon to come alive and draw all into its darkness. As they were walking toward it, A house came into sight. Whose house is it? Who lives there?