Drip.
A drop of blood struck the ground.
At the foot of the stone cross lay a pool of blood, its metallic stench spreading through the air.
"But... before that..."
Chen Guang spoke, his lips trembling too hard to form the words.
"The people... who came with me..."
Every word scraped against his throat.
"Where... are they?"
His eyes stayed fixed on the pale woman before him.
Her head hung low, strands of hair swaying with every tremor that ran through her body.
"Chen... Guang..."
Thud.
Blood burst from her neck.
Chen Guang froze where he stood.
But every instinct inside him screamed.
RUN.
RUN NOW.
Yet his legs refused to obey.
"Damn it... move!"
The shout tore from his throat, but his feet might as well have been nailed to the ground.
"Fear..."
Thud.
Her whole body jerked violently.
Blood continued dripping onto the base of the stone cross.
So much that the crimson pool beneath it had begun to mirror her silhouette.
Chen Guang dug his fingers into the ground.
His gaze darted wildly in every direction.
There's... no way out...
His jaw clenched as his eyes locked straight ahead.
As though the moment he blinked—
She would be standing right in front of him.
Blue wisps drifted through the darkness, and his gaze followed them across the steadily spreading pool of blood.
Beneath the crimson surface, the reflection of the woman's lower face wavered.
At the corner of her lips...
She... smiling?
A cold breeze brushed past.
His shoulders locked.
"Strong..."
More blood trickled down.
He tried to shut his eyes.
His eyelids wouldn't move.
It was as if an invisible hand held his eyelids open.
"Someone, please..."
Supporting himself with both hands, he dragged himself backward inch by inch.
"...will..."
Thud.
The impact echoed once more.
Her body convulsed.
Chains clattered against one another.
Thump.
His back struck something solid.
Chen Guang glanced behind him.
Nothing.
Only endless darkness.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
"Army Ants?!"
No answer came.
"Fire Ants?!"
Still nothing.
Only the relentless clanking of chains.
Closer.
Louder.
Right beside him.
His head slowly lifted.
Tangled, blood-soaked strands of hair swayed before his eyes.
The woman remained there.
Head lowered.
Motionless.
"Chen... Guang..."
Thud.
Blood splashed across his face.
It trickled into his mouth.
Touched his tongue.
Chen Guang went rigid.
Cold.
So cold that the tip of his tongue went numb.
The pool beneath the stone cross kept spreading.
Until it reached him.
"Please..."
His lips barely moved.
More and more blue wisps flickered into existence.
They circled around him.
"...wish..."
The woman's head sank even lower.
As though she were leaning closer.
He struggled with everything he had, but there was nowhere left to go.
Thick crimson seeped through his hair.
Thump. Thump.
His pulse thundered.
A sharp pain stabbed into his chest.
Air rushed into his lungs, stretching them to their limit.
The blue wisps whirled until they blurred into rings of light.
"...find..."
Her body bucked so violently that the chains screamed.
As though thousands of blades were piercing her all at once.
Blood erupted.
It crashed over Chen Guang like a crimson flood.
Into his nose.
Into his mouth.
Until his entire body was swallowed whole.
"...memories..."
Those were the last words Chen Guang heard before his body fell still.
His consciousness slowly sank into darkness.
*****
"Chen Guang!"
A familiar voice echoed beside his ear.
"What's wrong with him?"
"No idea... but he's been like this for quite a while."
Another voice answered.
Something touched the side of his neck.
"His pulse is steady."
Then something hovered beneath his nose.
"He's still breathing, but..."
"Could he be... unconscious?"
The last voice was edged with panic.
Where... am I?
One of Chen Guang's fingers twitched.
"Sis, look! His hand!"
"Chen Guang, wake up!"
A gentle pat landed against his cheek.
His eyelids fluttered.
"Thank goodness..."
The smell of damp earth and moss filled his nose.
Two blurry figures slowly came into focus as he opened his eyes.
"Mei Mei...?"
She had been staring right at him but quickly leaned back the moment their eyes met.
"Where... am I...?"
Air flooded his lungs, making his chest rise sharply.
Turning his head, he saw a woman with long black hair caked in mud quietly watching him.
"Sun... Feng?"
"Finally awake. I thought you were done for."
A faint smile curved across her lips.
She's... trembling?
Sun Feng's fingers tightened around his shirt, pulling the damp fabric taut against him.
Bracing himself with both hands, Chen Guang forced himself upright.
"What... happened to me?"
"What the hell happened to you?! You've been lying there forever!"
Mei Mei almost shouted, her eyes glistening with tears.
I...
He looked down at his chest.
His heartbeat was still there.
A hand ran across his hair, then his face.
Both were still rough with dried mud.
"You two..."
His gaze shifted between Mei Mei and Sun Feng.
"...where did you go?"
Mei Mei froze.
Sun Feng frowned.
When she finally spoke, tension filled every word.
"I should be asking you that."
They were standing on what looked like a tiny island.
Soft green grass stretched beneath their feet, dotted with tiny white flowers.
Above them, a dense canopy blocked out most of the sky, allowing only a few rays of sunlight through.
"I... went somewhere?"
He looked back at Sun Feng, her black hair swaying gently in the breeze.
"This place is—"
"You disappeared."
Mei Mei cut him off before he could finish.
"Disappeared?"
He turned toward her.
"That path... those terrifying blue lights..."
She wrapped both arms around herself.
"I don't want to... ever go through that again..."
Her voice broke as she dropped to the ground, burying her face in her hands.
Sun Feng walked over and gently rubbed her back.
"The space around us twisted while we were moving."
She glanced at Chen Guang, who still looked completely lost.
After brushing the grass aside, she sat beside Mei Mei.
"And then... you disappeared."
"I... disappeared?"
Chen Guang stared at her, as though expecting a joke.
She wasn't joking.
"She screamed."
Sun Feng looked over at Mei Mei.
Chen Guang held his breath.
"Your whole body twisted into a spiral..."
"...then split apart."
"And just like that, you were gone."
"The blue flames disappeared too."
"Only darkness remained."
She continued patting Mei Mei's back as the girl trembled.
"Then... how did the two of you..."
His eyes swept across the area.
"We ran."
"We just kept running."
"Looking back, I don't even know how long."
Sun Feng let out a slow breath.
"When we opened our eyes, we were here."
"So were you."
She looked straight at Chen Guang.
"But no matter how many times we called your name..."
"...you never woke up."
Mei Mei finally raised her head, still sniffling.
"I'm... sorry..."
The words came out awkwardly as Chen Guang scratched the back of his neck.
"We'd already prepared ourselves..."
"...for the worst."
"But thankfully, you came back."
A gentle smile appeared on Sun Feng's face as the breeze stirred her hair.
Chen Guang watched her help Mei Mei to her feet.
For the first time in all my years as a Vanguard...
He couldn't take his eyes off them.
The corners of his mouth lifted.
Tilting his head back, he watched the branches overhead sway with the wind.
So... this is what having teammates feels like.
He stood, brushing the dirt from his clothes.
Then looked at both of them.
Silence lingered for a moment.
"Thank you."
The words made Sun Feng and Mei Mei turn toward him together.
Chen Guang stood there as a few rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves onto his face.
"If you really want to thank us..."
Sun Feng smiled.
"Then make sure we all get out of here alive."
Mei Mei continued staring at him.
Chen Guang flashed her a grin.
"Ugh."
She made an exaggerated gagging face.
When was the last time... I smiled like this?
He let out a slow breath.
"But where exactly are we?"
He looked around once more.
"No clue."
"I'm just as lost as you are."
Sun Feng folded her arms, scanning the area.
"But with no leads at all, the least we can—"
Chen... Guang...
A voice echoed inside his head.
A sharp pain stabbed through his skull, forcing him to one knee.
Who's... calling me?
"Are you alright?"
Sun Feng hurried over.
"I'm... fine..."
He forced a crooked smile and raised a hand to reassure her.
That voice... I've never heard it before...
But why does it feel... strangely familiar?
His fingers pressed against his temples.
Find...
The voice came again.
Thump.
His heart lurched against his ribs.
Another wave of pain tore through his head.
Cold sweat dampened his brow.
Memories...
Who are you...? Why... can't I remember?
It felt as though a hammer were smashing into his skull.
The world spun.
He dropped heavily to the ground, breathing in ragged gasps.
"Are you really okay?"
Sun Feng crouched beside him.
"I'm fine..."
His shoulders tightened as he forced another strained smile.
"Probably just... still dizzy from waking up."
Find...
Memories...
Damn it... Why do those words keep repeating...?
His fist slammed into the ground.
A deep frown creased his forehead.
What... am I forgetting?
"Hey! Look at that tree!"
Mei Mei suddenly called out.
Chen Guang lifted his head toward where she was pointing.
A colossal tree stood alone in the middle of the field.
Every leaf looked impossibly healthy.
It towered so high that he nearly lost his balance trying to see the top.
"Let's go take a look."
Sun Feng spoke first and started walking toward it.
Chen Guang braced himself against the ground with trembling arms and forced himself upright.
His legs shook beneath him.
He drew in a long breath.
The pounding in his head eased, if only a little.
Then he followed after Sun Feng.
"So, the canopy above us belongs to this thing."
Tilting his head back, he couldn't help staring in awe.
"It already looked enormous from a distance, but..."
"My god!"
Sun Feng stopped in her tracks, her voice filled with disbelief.
The trunk before them was enormous, dwarfing any tree they had ever seen.
Its dense branches stretched endlessly in every direction, reaching outward like colossal arms.
"Look at those roots. They're probably twice as wide as the gate to my house."
Mei Mei gasped as she walked over and placed a hand on one of the massive roots protruding from the ground.
The gate to... her house?
A crooked smile tugged at Chen Guang's lips.
"It's almost as big as the apartment building I'm renting."
He muttered to himself while stepping closer.
"What kind of tree is this? I've never seen anything like it."
Sun Feng kept her eyes fixed on the trunk.
"Look. These look just like..."
Mei Mei pointed toward shimmering green veins glowing beneath the bark, as though liquid was flowing inside them.
"They look exactly like the veins on that snake."
Realization flashed across Chen Guang's face.
"...Energy veins?"
Sun Feng stepped forward and laid a hand against one of the glowing lines.
"Energy veins?"
Chen Guang and Mei Mei turned toward her at the same time.
"Look."
She pointed higher up the trunk.
The green veins pulsed faintly, identical to the ones running through the exposed roots.
"There's... so many..."
Chen Guang couldn't hide his amazement, his gaze glued to the countless veins rippling beneath the bark.
"...This is basically a gigantic energy crystal."
A bead of sweat rolled down Sun Feng's chin as she spoke.
"You mean... those veins contain the same energy as energy crystals?"
Chen Guang swallowed hard.
Without taking her eyes off the tree, Sun Feng gave a faint nod.
"Would it be... an A-Rank crystal?"
Mei Mei asked quietly.
"Probably thousands of times bigger."
Sun Feng inhaled slowly.
"But now that we're here, what do we do? There's nothing around except this tree."
Chen Guang swept his gaze across the surroundings.
As far as he could see, endless grasslands stretched beneath the tree's sprawling canopy.
"This is probably the place we've been looking for, but..."
Sun Feng looked around once more.
Find...
The mysterious voice echoed through Chen Guang's mind again.
His brow tightened.
What... is talking to me?
His breaths came shorter.
"I wonder where these roots lead."
Curiosity filled Mei Mei's face as she followed one of the massive roots across the ground.
"Did we come the wrong way?"
Sun Feng murmured while flipping open Mei Mei's notebook.
The area that had once been marked with three question marks was now dotted with several pale blue flames.
"She updates maps pretty fast."
Chen Guang walked over.
"This map could become an invaluable resource."
"No one ever thought about mapping a Portal before."
Sun Feng turned toward him.
"Well..."
"Everyone! There's something over here!"
Mei Mei's shout cut Chen Guang off.
Closing the notebook, Sun Feng headed toward her voice.
Chen Guang followed behind, rubbing his temples with two fingers.
The headache's getting better... but...
"What... is this?"
Sun Feng's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Standing before them was what looked like a stone cross.
Thump.
Chen Guang's heart lurched.
Smaller roots had wrapped themselves tightly around the cross.
As though embracing it.
Thump.
His breathing quickened.
"It looks like a cross... but why is something like this here?"
Sun Feng studied it in silence.
"Did people once live here?"
Mei Mei reached out and touched the surface.
The slimy, damp texture made her pull her hand back immediately.
"Ew, that's disgusting."
She grimaced and wiped her hand against her jacket.
"It's covered in moss. Makes sense. There's barely any sunlight down here."
Sun Feng placed her own hand on it.
"Hey, I think there's something written on it."
Chen Guang called out.
In the dim light, orderly markings became visible across the stone.
"Not written."
Sun Feng brushed away another layer of moss.
"Carved."
Find...
The voice echoed inside Chen Guang's head once again.
Thump.
"What does it say?"
He forced the words out through the pain.
"I've never seen characters like these before. They probably aren't from any language we know."
Sun Feng examined them carefully.
"Wait... unless I'm mistaken..."
Mei Mei stepped closer.
"...These are rune inscriptions?"
Her eyes widened.
"You know this language?"
"My university has an entire department dedicated to researching it. It's an extremely ancient language..."
"Then can you read it?"
Sun Feng asked, her breathing growing tense.
"I only recognize a few symbols... let me try."
Mei Mei placed her hand against the stone cross and narrowed her eyes at the carved runes.
Thump.
Chen Guang's heartbeat accelerated.
Pain ripped through his skull.
"Mm... 'Here... rests...'"
Sweat soaked his back.
"'A... maiden...?'"
His vision blurred.
Both legs trembled uncontrollably.
"'With... sorrow... and...'"
Chen Guang collapsed onto the ground.
"...'Oblivion'?"
His breaths came so rapidly that it felt as though his lungs were trying to pull in every bit of air around him.
"...'Memory'..."
Mei Mei whispered.
Memory...
The mysterious voice echoed inside Chen Guang's head.
At the exact same moment.
Chen Guang planted both hands on the ground.
His head tilted back.
A ragged gasp tore from his throat.
So that's it...