The forest was alive with sound—rustling leaves, distant growls, and the faint hum of mana running beneath the soil. Shadows twisted between trees as if alive, whispering fragments of old curses.
Their mission was simple enough on paper: investigate a series of disappearances near the ruins of Velmar's Hollow. But nothing about this place felt simple.
Kuro walked at the back of the group, his eyes scanning the dim surroundings. Mika led the way, his expression calm, sharp eyes glowing faintly under the low light. Lucien walked beside Kuro, occasionally throwing a small smile his way, trying to lighten the tension.
"Creepy place, huh?" Lucien said, voice low but teasing. "Bet you it's full of undead."
Kuro forced a smile. "That… wouldn't surprise me."
[Oh please, undead are fun! You poke 'em once and they just fall apart. Like bad bread.]
{…That's not comforting.}
[It wasn't meant to be.]
Mika's eyebrow twitched slightly, muttering under his breath, "Bad bread? Really? Is that supposed to be funny?"
Lucien blinked. "Uh… what?"
"Nothing," Mika said quickly, his tone clipped. "Just keep walking."
The three moved in silence until—
A flash of black fur leapt from the shadows. Mika's blade met it midair, sparks flying as steel met claw.
A beast—a shade wolf, made of corrupted mana—snarled and lunged again.
Lucien reacted instantly, throwing a wave of light magic to blind it, while Mika delivered a single, clean strike that split the creature in two. It dissolved into mist.
The silence that followed was heavy.
"...That's the third one," Mika muttered. "They're not attacking by instinct. They're being controlled."
"By what?" Kuro asked quietly.
Before Mika could answer, Elvastia spoke.[By something old. Something that probably hates living things more than Mika hates bad food.]
"...I don't hate bad food," Mika muttered again, a small vein pulsing on his temple.
Lucien blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Nothing!" Mika snapped, his ears burning slightly.
Lucien raised a brow. "You sure? You've been saying a lot of 'nothings' lately."
Kuro looked away, trying to hide his smile, while Elvastia snickered in his head.
[Oh, I like him flustered. He's got that whole 'cool guy who can't handle ghost talk' vibe.]
{Please don't make it worse…}
[No promises.]
Mika visibly stiffened, clearly hearing every word. "If you say one more thing, I swear I'll—"
Lucien blinked again. "...Swear you'll what? Are you talking to me?"
"...Yes," Mika lied flatly, glaring at nothing in particular. "To you. Totally."
Kuro barely held in his laughter.
[He's gonna blow a vein. Ten gold says he does.]
{Not helping, Elvastia.}
They continued through the woods until they reached a clearing. Ruins stood before them — broken stones etched with faint, glowing runes.
"This must be it," Lucien said. "Velmar's Hollow."
But the instant Kuro stepped forward, the ground beneath him pulsed. The glow of the runes intensified, and whispers filled the air—low, angry voices that clawed at the edge of sanity.
He grabbed his head, falling to one knee.
"Kuro!" Mika rushed forward, grabbing his shoulder.
The whispers were growing louder now, overlapping—too many voices, all speaking to him.
[Oh no… no, no, no. This is bad.]
{Wh–What's happening—?}
[They're recognizing you. Or at least… what's inside you.]
{...What's inside me?}
[The creepy part where you're too damn comfortable with death energy. Seriously, Kuro, you sit in this aura like it's a warm bath.]
Mika froze mid-step, his blood running cold at those words. "Comfortable… with death energy?" he whispered under his breath. His eyes snapped to Kuro, searching his expression.
Lucien blinked, confused. "What was that, Mika?"
"Nothing," Mika said too quickly, his tone sharp. But his gaze didn't leave Kuro. Not for a second.
{Elvastia, what does that even mean?}
[It means that death likes you back, sunshine. Creepy mutual thing going on there.]
Kuro shuddered.
Mika's jaw clenched. He wanted to demand an explanation—how Kuro could possibly be tied to something like that—but he forced the words down. Not here. Not now.
Before Elvastia could continue, Mika's hand gripped Kuro's tighter, his voice breaking through the chaos.
"Kuro. Focus on my voice. Right here. You're not alone."
The voices dulled—fading like smoke on wind.
Kuro opened his eyes slowly, breathing hard. Mika was still holding him, concern clear in his eyes.
"Sorry…" Kuro whispered weakly. "Guess I messed up again."
Mika frowned. "You didn't. Something here reacted to you."
Lucien looked uneasy. "Should we report this back to the guild? Whatever that was, it wasn't natural."
Mika didn't respond right away. He was staring at Kuro again—at the faint mark glowing beneath his collarbone. One that hadn't been there before.
[Well… this is about to get interesting.]
{Elvastia, what is this mark?}
[Let's just say… you've got more history with the dead than you think.]
Mika's eyes widened slightly. "History with the dead?"
Lucien blinked. "What?"
Mika froze. "…Did I say that out loud?"
"Yeah," Lucien said, frowning. "And what do you mean by that? What are you talking about?"
"...It's nothing," Mika muttered, brushing it off. "Just… random thoughts."
Lucien sighed. "Right. Because you're so known for random thoughts."
Kuro tilted his head, confused but quietly thankful Mika didn't push further.
[He's suspicious. You might wanna keep your mouth shut next time, Kuro.]
{You mean you keep your mouth shut.}
[Touché.]
Mika pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling sharply. "I'm surrounded by idiots."
Lucien blinked again. "Okay, who's the idiot?"
"…Yes," Mika said darkly, walking ahead.