The sun was rising, its lilac beams piercing through the dense trees, casting faint, eerie light over the landscape. The morning fog hung thick at the mountain's base, curling around the gnarled roots and jagged rocks like a living thing. The sky above was dull and colorless, as if this region itself rejected the dawn. The base of the mountain was within reach. Damon stopped, his gaze fixed on the steep incline ahead. The trees grew twisted as they stretched toward the sky, their branches like skeletal fingers clawing at the heavens. Xander, using his spear as a walking stick, frowned. "Why did we stop? The mountain is right there. We don't have time to waste." Damon didn't respond immediately. Dark bags sat under his eyes—he knew better than to rush forward blindly. He shook his head. "We need to find the mountain path… and follow it." Leona narrowed her golden eyes. "Sticking to a fixed path while we're being hunted isn't exactly a wise choice. It's suicidal." Damon exhaled, glancing toward Sylvia. The white-haired elf sighed, biting her lip. "It's not a wise choice," she admitted. "But we have no choice in the matter. Staying on the mountain path is the difference between life and death." She pulled a large sheet of paper from her pack and unfolded it. It was a map—a well-drawn chart of the mountain, its winding paths etched in ink. But something about it was… unsettling. The details were precise, but only along the marked trails. The rest of the mountain was blank, featureless. A void. Some paths were slashed through with thick ink, accompanied by crude skull symbols. Warnings. Leona scoffed, crossing her arms. "Well, that's not ominous at all." Damon shook his head. "It gets worse." He knelt, motioning for the others to gather around. "Listen up. I'm about to tell you the rules of the Duhu Mountains—at least, according to the travel journal." The journal contained many warnings about the mountain's dangers, cryptic messages left behind by past travelers—most of whom never returned. One passage, in particular, stood out. "Speak ill not of the mountains, for the mountains have ears. Take not from the mountains, for the mountains claim back. Stray not from the path, and answer no calls. For all you see and hear, deny them entry to this mortal realm." Damon didn't understand it all, but he knew enough. He had memorized the rules. He had seen the warnings. Matlock swallowed hard, his expression uneasy. "What are the rules? And from how solemn you look… we're going to break some of them, aren't we?" Damon was silent. Violating the rules could mean death—or worse. He remained quiet because that was a very real possibility. "I won't repeat myself… so listen well. This could be the difference between life and death." Evangeline nodded grimly. "Or worse." Damon met her gaze. "Or worse." He took another breath before speaking. "The first and most important rule is simple—never venture into the Duhu Mountains." Xander frowned, his fists clenched tight. "We're already violating rule one. I don't like this at all." Sylvia nodded, stepping closer to Damon. "This is the second most important rule—never stray from the mountain paths." Damon continued. "If you hear something—no, you didn't. If you hear something next to you, you didn't." He glanced at them, noting the growing unease on their faces. "If you see something—no, you didn't. If you hear your name being called—no, you didn't. If you see a deer that looks a little... off—no, you didn't. If you hear footsteps behind you—no, you didn't. If something whispers, 'Let me in'—no, it didn't." The group was silent now, their expressions pale. "Leave no trace—what you bring in, you take out. Never disrespect sacred sites or old burial grounds. If something feels wrong, trust your gut and leave. The weather can change fast—fog rolls in thick, and sudden storms can trap you. Some say strange lights appear in the sky or deep in the woods—don't follow them. Leave offerings at certain places. Don't sleep in the open." Damon continued listing off rule after rule, each one more unsettling than the last. He gave examples from the journal: "Do not look into the tree lines—if you do, you may make eye contact with something. If something sounds close, it's far away. If it sounds far away, it's right next to you. Do not answer when something calls you—it wants to get in. Do not sleep in the open—sleep in a tent, and if you wake up in the open, leave immediately. Never speak ill of the mountains—they will retaliate. Always keep the fire lit." Damon's voice grew grimmer. "Under no circumstances must you take anything from the mountains—not even a rock. Something will follow. Leave nothing behind, except in sacred sites—make an offering, or risk angering something. If a path seems to be looping, it probably is. Turn back. If you think it's bad in the day, it gets worse at night. Leave the mountains before dark if you can." The more rules he explained, with Sylvia's quiet support, the more terrified they became. And this was just the Duhu Mountains. How bad was the Whispering Forest going to be? Damon didn't give them time to process their dread. "We have a few days' worth of supplies. It should be enough to cross the mountains. Once we get to the pass leading to the Whispering Forest, there's an old bridge. We can destroy it once we cross, trapping all our problems on this side of the mountains." Evangeline took a deep, resigned breath. "Trapping us on that side with unknown horrors…" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺 Damon nodded, his fist tightening. "With no path of retreat. Only forward—or death." Leona stepped ahead, sword in hand. "Forward is death." Damon followed after her, his steps heavy. As they walked along the base of the mountain, searching for the old path shown on the map, an unnatural dread filled the air. It was thick, cloying, suffocating. The fear of the war trolls behind them paled in comparison to what was to come. Matlock suddenly fluttered ahead, his fairy wings beating rapidly. His eyes widened. "I found the mountain path! I found it! Damon, I found it!" Damon exhaled, nodding solemnly. He glanced behind them at the forest, then ahead at the towering peaks. Off to the side, the violet glow of the gravity anomaly was closing in on the area. By his calculations, it would consume this region in about a day. They had made it just in time. He took a deep breath. "Let's go. Stay together—no matter what."