The forest was alive.
Not in the way forests usually are, with rustling leaves and birdsong — no, this one breathed. The air moved in slow, unnatural waves, like something enormous inhaled beneath the soil.
Aiden Zhou tightened his grip on the flashlight. "Okay… small question. Do forests in your world normally do that?"
Beside him, Lian's crimson glow faintly illuminated the path. "It is not my world," she said softly. "It is the space between — where thought becomes form."
Aiden blinked. "Translation: a nightmare that thinks it's a forest."
She didn't disagree.
They walked under the canopy, where no moonlight reached. The silence was so heavy it pressed on Aiden's ears.
Then—
He heard it.
A sound that shouldn't exist.
Laughter.
High-pitched, echoing, familiar — his own voice.
Aiden froze. "Okay. Nope. No. Why does it sound like me laughing in there?"
"The forest mimics," Lian said calmly. "It reflects the pieces of your soul you try to ignore."
"Great," Aiden muttered. "So it's like therapy, but haunted."
They kept moving, the laughter growing louder — now joined by whispers that crawled over the trees like insects.
"He left her…"
"He broke her promise…"
"He never learns…"
Aiden spun around. "You hear that?"
"Yes." Lian's tone was even. "They are memories, not voices."
"Sure. And I'm a zen monk," he muttered.
The path split. To the left — faint red petals glowed on the ground. To the right — the air shimmered faintly blue, almost peaceful.
Aiden pointed. "Left or right? Because red usually means danger in every movie ever."
Lian smiled faintly. "Then we take the red. The forest tempts with comfort; truth hides in pain."
He sighed. "You've got a real talent for terrifying advice."
They turned left.
The deeper they went, the colder it grew. Frost began to form on the leaves, though no winter air blew. Then, the whispers shifted — becoming voices now.
Familiar ones.
"Aiden…"
"Aiden, where are you?"
He froze. He knew that voice.
"Mina?" he breathed.
The mist ahead thickened, and from it stepped Mina, dressed exactly as she had been the night before their fight. Her hair was loose, her eyes soft.
Aiden's heart twisted. "Mina… what— how—"
She smiled gently. "I came to find you. I was so scared."
He looked back at Lian, but she said nothing — only watched, eyes sharp.
Aiden took a cautious step forward. "You shouldn't be here. This place— it's not—"
Mina reached out a trembling hand. "I missed you, Aiden. Come back. Please."
His chest tightened. She looked so real. He could smell her perfume, see the worry in her eyes. But something felt off.
"Wait…" he murmured. "Mina never calls me Aiden when she's sad. She calls me 'idiot.'"
The figure blinked — once — and smiled too wide.
Then her eyes turned black.
She lunged.
Aiden stumbled back as Lian's sleeve flicked through the air — a ripple of red energy slicing the illusion in half. The false Mina dissolved into smoke, screaming.
Lian's voice was calm, but her eyes burned. "Do not speak to shadows. They feed on regret."
Aiden exhaled shakily. "Thanks for the late warning!"
"I wished to see if you would recognize truth," she said.
He looked at her, half laughing, half angry. "What are we, in a supernatural exam?"
Lian's gaze softened. "In a way. The forest must test if your heart is yours — or still bound by old promises."
They moved again, deeper into the forest. The laughter faded, replaced by a low hum that vibrated in Aiden's bones.
The trees thinned, revealing a clearing bathed in faint red light.
In the center stood a single cherry blossom tree — but its petals were black.
At its base lay an ancient stone, inscribed with two names:
Aiji Zhou
Lian Xue
Aiden stared. "That's— that's your name."
"And his," Lian whispered. "The forest remembers our vow."
He knelt, tracing the carved letters. "So this is real. All of it."
"It was love," Lian said quietly. "And love can be crueler than hate."
The black petals began to fall. One landed on Aiden's hand — and burned like frostbite.
He winced. "Ow— what was that?"
"The second trial," Lian said, her voice low. "To remember pain — without becoming it."
The forest roared. The ground split. Shadows poured out like liquid night, crawling toward them.
Aiden stood, heart racing, fists clenched. "Alright. Forest of trauma, jealous ghosts, fake girlfriends— I've had enough!"
He looked at Lian. "Tell me what to do."
She met his gaze, calm amid chaos. "Laugh."
"What?"
"Laugh, Aiden Zhou. Show it that you are not afraid."
He stared at her — then, unbelievably, started laughing. A deep, absurd laugh.
The shadows froze.
He threw up his hands. "You want my fear? Sorry, I'm all out. Try therapy!"
The darkness trembled — then cracked apart, fading into ash.
Lian smiled. "You see? Humor saves you."
Aiden panted, grinning despite himself. "Or gets me killed faster."
"Either way," she said softly, "you are still alive."
The forest fell silent again.
The black petals turned white.
And ahead, a faint red bridge appeared — leading toward the heart of the shrine.
Aiden sighed. "Please tell me the next trial doesn't involve my ex again."
Lian smiled faintly. "No. The next one involves me."
He blinked. "Oh. That's… somehow worse."
She didn't deny it.