The island was silent, too silent. The fog enveloped everything around them like a heavy, damp blanket. Li Zhou could barely make out the figures of Lin Sha and Qin Ze beside him. They had left the room, but the air outside felt even more oppressive. Every step they took seemed to echo in the silence, broken only by the heavy sigh of the wind.
"I really don't like this place," Lin Sha muttered, her face marked by fear. She turned to Li Zhou, her eyes wide. "It feels like the island itself is watching us. As if all of this is part of something bigger, something more dangerous."
Li Zhou slowly nodded. He shared her feeling, although his analytical mind told him to keep calm. This wasn't a simple natural phenomenon—they were dealing with something far more sinister. The atmosphere of the island was saturated with a dark, ancient, and malevolent energy.
Qin Ze, who had kept his composure until now, broke the silence. "There's nothing normal about this place. This isn't an abandoned island by chance. This place was chosen. Maybe it wasn't even by chance that we ended up here."
Li Zhou felt a chill run down his spine. What Qin Ze said wasn't wrong. Perhaps they had all been drawn here by a force beyond their understanding, a force they had yet to comprehend.
They continued walking through the fog, their steps slow and uncertain. The light was faint, and visibility was poor. The dense forest around them seemed to close in, preventing them from seeing further than a few meters ahead. Every tree looked identical, every rock seemed the same. It was as if they were walking in circles, trapped in an endless loop.
"There's no escape here," Qin Ze said, surveying the surroundings with a sharp gaze. "The island is trapping us."
"We have to find a way out of this fog," Li Zhou replied. He looked around, searching for a sign, a path, anything that could indicate the direction they should take. But all he could see was the endless fog.
They walked on, but nothing changed. No signs of civilization. No paths. No apparent exit.
Suddenly, in the distance, a sound. A dull, metallic clinking, followed by a flash of light piercing through the fog. Li Zhou froze, straining his ears. It wasn't the wind. It wasn't an echo.
"Did you hear that?" Lin Sha asked, her voice trembling. "Someone... someone is out there."
Li Zhou didn't respond immediately. He was too focused on what he had heard. The light, though distant, seemed to call to them. Something unseen was drawing them toward it.
"Follow me," Li Zhou said, his voice firm. He began walking toward the source of the light, each step cautious, his senses alert. They needed answers. And perhaps this light would provide them.
They made their way through the fog, their breathing growing heavier as they neared the sound. They passed beneath towering, twisted trees, low-hanging branches brushing against their heads. The air grew colder, almost freezing, as though the fog itself was swallowing them.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at a clearing. At the center, a large stone structure, ancient and almost decayed, stood, illuminated by an eerie glow. The light came from inside, breaking through the cracks in the stone like a beacon of hope in the dark night.
Li Zhou approached the structure slowly, his instincts on high alert. The sense of danger was palpable, but an insatiable curiosity also drew him closer. He turned to Lin Sha and Qin Ze.
"What do you think?" he asked, though the question seemed almost pointless. They all knew the crucial thing was what this structure represented, what it was hiding.
"I don't know, but I don't like it," Lin Sha said, her eyes fixed on the light. "There's something wrong. It's too... perfect."
Qin Ze nodded, his gaze hard. "This place doesn't want us here. I can feel it."
Li Zhou stepped forward, crossing the invisible boundary of the clearing and moving toward the structure. The light grew brighter with each step, an unrelenting, cold glow. When he reached the stone door, a scream tore through the air. It was a human scream, but twisted, as if someone or something had been forced to let it out.
He froze, his heart pounding. "That... that scream..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the stone door slowly opened, as if inviting them in. The fog cleared around them, but the air grew even heavier, as if the very sky was holding its breath.
Inside the structure, a figure stood in the shadows. A figure Li Zhou recognized immediately. It was the entity from the fog they had encountered earlier. It was there, motionless, its eyes glowing in the darkness.
"Welcome, travelers," a voice said, neither human nor animal. A voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "You've come seeking answers, haven't you?"
Li Zhou felt a cold shiver run down his spine. It was an invitation. But at what cost?