The morning sun painted the pace walls in shades of amber when Ha-Yun found us in the guest quarters. Her face was drawn tight with exhaustion, but a rolled scroll gleamed gold in her hands.

  "Father approved," she said, tossing the scroll my way. "Though he wasn't very happy about it. The royal seal will get us through any checkpoint from here to the mountains."

  I caught the scroll, feeling its weight and running my thumb over the ornate golden seal. The craftsmanship was impressive — probably worth more than most commoners made in a year. "That was fast. Also, what do you mean by 'us'?"

  My eyes narrowed slightly as I studied Ha-Yun's expression. I already had this feeling when she first mentioned the need for permission.

  She smiled, her pink eyes twinkling, "I am coming with you, of course. What well-mannered senior will her junior roam dangerous nds alone?"

  “If I didn’t know better, I thought a royal was hitting on me,” I said, my tone a bit too pyful before I realized Lilian’s stare and Sora’s eyebrow. I cleared my throat.

  Ha-Yun’s smile was soft. "Junior knows to jest. Seriously, my father only permitted me since he really doesn't want to risk the life of Titan's Grandson."

  Lilian sipped on her tea, eyes narrow. "And he's willing to risk you?"

  "Risk? I have the Mountain Gods' blessings," Ha-Yun shrugged. "Additionally, he hopes I'll get closer to Iskandaar for political reasons. I am just mentioning it so that you don't misunderstand me ter. My father's intention aside, I'm purely going out of worry. I don't want you guys to get hurt for no reason."

  "Gd to have someone so reliable. But what kind of political reason exactly, may I ask?" Sora raised an eyebrow, which just made the Princess smile.

  "Ahem, anyways." I cleared my throat when the silence grew awkward and tucked the scroll into my robes. "Thank you for this. When are we leaving?"

  "Soon. A second, please," Ha-Yun cpped her hands gracefully, and a dozen servants bustled around us, packing provisions into enchanted storage bags.

  One elderly woman kept trying to stuff more dried fish into Lilian's pack while muttering about 'skinny foreigners.' Another pressed jade charms into Sora's hands, babbling about mountain spirits.

  "Young master!" Lilian bounced over, her tail wagging. "Look what they gave me!" She held up a string of copper bells. "They say it wards off evil!"

  "I don't think it'll be useful against enemies that truly matter," I muttered, but she'd already tied them to her belt.

  The servants wrapped eborate lunch boxes in silk, each decorated with protective runes. Ha-Yun expined that the boxes were special recipes for high-altitude travel.

  "The teleportation circle is ready," Ha-Yun announced. "Unless you'd like more charms?"

  "Really? Do we have to take the teleportation circle again?" Sora groaned, her wings already drooping at the thought. "Once was enough."

  A few minutes ter, we gathered on the array but not inside the carriage. We stood in the middle of the circle, and many servants watched us from nearby. Some pointed at me, while others happily waved at the princess.

  "Is this really alright?" I asked, "You said you returned for a reason. I feel like I'm distracting you."

  "Really? Well, you can not visit the Highnds then. I'll be free," she gave me a tight smile, and I looked away.

  A moment ter, geometric patterns lit up beneath our feet, pulsing with an otherworldly blue glow. The familiar white fsh engulfed us, and my stomach lurched as reality twisted around us like a cloth being wrung dry.

  I caught a glimpse of Sora's wings wrapping protectively around her body before everything blurred.

  This time, the disorientation felt milder - maybe I was getting used to being torn through space. When my vision cleared, we were back in the port city, the salty breeze tickling my nose. A few merchants walking past barely spared us a gnce, apparently used to people materializing out of thin air.

  Sora stumbled, catching herself on a pilr. "I hate it," she muttered. "Next time, I'm definitely flying."

  Ha-Yun adjusted her robes, unfazed. "The nd route to Shan Gui will take about five days by raptor back."

  "Why don't we take another airship?" Lilian asked, making her ugh.

  "Airships are expensive to operate, sweet Lilian. And hard to maintain. They don't do short travels, and no airship will dare to fly near the Highnds.."

  "Five days?" I frowned. "The maps made it look closer."

  "Oh, trust me, distance is the least of our issues." Ha-Yun sighed and traced a path on an imaginary map. "You'll need to circle around the Valley of the Shadow of Death to avoid the more... aggressive territories. The shortest route is also the deadliest."

  I nodded, already calcuting supplies and rest stops in my head. Five days wasn't terrible, but it meant five days of exposure before we even reached our actual destination.

  "I'm assuming this is really urgent and secretive for you — part of the reason why I didn't bring additional soldiers along — so let's get moving?" Ha-Yun asked.

  "Whenever you're ready," I said.

  ****

  I wasn't quite sure what Ha-Yun meant by ‘raptor back’ at first. That curiosity was soon satiated as I found myself on top of one.

  The Haifeng Raptors were taller than any horse I’d seen, their long necks bobbing back and forth like swaying reeds. Their feathers had this rainbowy sheen, kind of like an oil slick—blues and greens shifting into purples and golds.

  They weren’t exactly birds, at least not the kind I knew. They had big, powerful legs for sprinting and small wings better for gliding than real flight.

  When my mount had moved for the first time, it was like an arrow loosed from a bow. Not a trot, not a gallop—just a smooth, weightless surge forward.

  “They’re gorgeous,” I said, eyeing one as it preened with a scary-looking hooked beak. Its golden, intelligent eyes tracked me when I moved closer.

  My assigned mount was mostly blue-bck with silver streaks running down its neck. I felt its muscles bunch beneath me, fluid with motion.

  “The eyes look like you,” Ha-Yun said, making me scowl.

  “I'll take that… as a compliment,” I said, watching her giggle.

  We set out while morning fog still hugged the ground. Farmnds rolled out before us, green rice paddies mirroring the sky. Wide-hatted workers paused to stare, bowing low to Ha-Yun as we passed.

  I lost track of time. How long did we travel exactly like that, enjoying the scenery around us?

  “Monsters seem on edge,” Lilian said from my left, her nose twitching. Her raptor, a russet-feathered one, looked pretty jittery. “The air smells like rain, but also kind of electric. Sweeter, though.”

  I nodded, feeling it too. For the next few days, my Demonic Sphere picked up faint whispers. They were almost like voices, but not quite, just drifting on the breeze.

  Whatever they were, monsters or spirits, they merely flickered at the edges of my perception, like trying to snatch smoke with bare hands.

  Above us, Sora took advantage of the clear skies, following us through flight rather than a raptor. Her wings caught the sunlight, casting a crimson shadow that drifted along the ground as she did a tight turn.

  “I can't differentiate her from a bird anymore,” I noted. “How graceful”

  “It is a wonder to see a phoenix-blooded person in person. How mythical,” Ha-Yun said with a bit of awe in her voice. Then she blinked, turning her head forward.

  “What's wrong?”

  “Hmm… The wind here’s different,” she replied as her own raptor trotted with an easy grace. “Mountains create weird wind flows. A lot of martial artists study them.”

  ‘Martial Artist’ was a common term for fighters in the East. I'd asked around earlier, and some historical figures apparently had dantians – meaning, their energy cores were in their abdomen. Like myself. But that wasn't the case with the people of this era.

  As we rode on for a few days, the neat crops gave way to wilder grassnds and rockier terrain. The road got narrower, winding between hills that seemed bigger every hour.

  “There,” Ha-Yun pointed at a jagged peak in the distance. “That’s Mount Jiuwei. It's barely visible from here, but it’ll clear up as we move. We're close to the Highnds. Rumor says a nine-tailed fox spirit lives on top, guarding some ancient library.”

  “Think it’s true?” I asked, genuinely curious.

  She just gave me a wry smile. “A few schors tried to find out three years ago. Came back babbling about walking through walls made of moonlight and books that read themselves.” Her face turned a bit serious. “But that’s nothing compared to the deeper parts of this range. Yokai out there aren’t so friendly. Ah, Yokai is the common term in the east to refer to spirits.”

  “I see. Can you expand on what you just said about being not too friendly?” I pressed.

  She shrugged. “Gashadokuro are giant skeletons born from people who starved to death. They wander around at night, teeth ccking like wind chimes.” She nodded at another peak. “And Jorōgumo are spider women who lure travelers in with illusions of safety.”

  Lilian’s tail bristled. “Sometimes I catch their scent, I think,” she admitted quietly. “They’re bones and spiders, that much I'm sure. Not super clear, but something ancient in the air puts my fur on end.”

  I knew exactly what she meant, despite not having a tail.

  The further we distanced ourselves from the farmnd, the stronger the strange energies felt. My Demonic Sphere sensed them like invisible cobwebs all around.

  Sora dropped down beside us, her wings stirring up dust. “Guys, clouds ahead look weird,” she reported. “They’re moving the wrong way for this wind.”

  “Spirit mists,” Ha-Yun expined. “They gather around powerful yokai. Best if we dodge them.”

  The Haifeng Raptors picked up on the vibe, too. Their steps got more cautious, their heads turning to watch things I couldn’t see.

  My mount’s feathers rippled with tension now and then, but it stayed steady enough under my direction.

  ****

  We were finally here.

  The Shan Gui's peaks loomed like ancient gods carved from stone, each standing out with its own overwhelming vibe.

  The night was falling, so we'd set up camp in a valley that was supposed to be sheltered, but even here, the mountains seemed to swallow up everything—earth, sky, and spirit alike.

  Mount Bloodfang was the closest, and it definitely lived up to its name. It was right in front of us, and its rust-colored rock looked like it was bleeding red in the sunset. Dark clouds spun around its peak, occasionally lit by fshes that weren’t quite lightning. The aura rolling off it felt like standing too close to an ancient, heavy, and hungry furnace.

  Off to the right was the Jade Widow, a spire of pale green rock that disappeared into the mist. Its energy was calmer but just as dangerous—like silky cloth that hides a bde. Every now and then, wisps of greenish light would float around its midpoint like a spider weaving a web.

  But the main attraction was the middle peak.

  Locals called it the Dragon’s Crown, and it was easy to see why. Its jagged crest looked like giant fangs pointing at the sky, with veins of what seemed like pure gold snaking through the dark stone.

  My Demonic Sphere shuddered at the pressure it put out, like… something massive and ancient was staring right at me.

  “Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Ha-Yun’s voice was kind enough to snap me out of my daze. By now, the girls had built a small fire with the help of Sora, and now fmes danced over our faces.

  “Looks beautiful, yeah,” I said, taking one st look.

  She nodded. “Don’t let the beauty blind you. It's really deadly. Each of these peaks has its own god, its own rules.”

  I plopped down by the fire, grateful for the tea Lilian handed me. The warmth felt great against the mountain’s chill. “You can practically feel them watching. It's kind of unsettling.”

  “I've been meaning to ask,” Lilian said, “what is the legitimacy of these ‘gods’?”

  “Ah, they're Mountain Gods. Not truly something like the Twelve Gods,” I said. “They're more like local spirits who the people pray to, and therefore they gained some forms of divinity. It's more accurate to call them Demi-Gods if you want to respect the rankings.”

  “Ah,” Lilian nodded. “So like Grandmother. That's strong.”

  Ha-Yun tilted her head. “Grandmother?”

  “Her grandmother is the Beast Hero, Vargathrian of the First Apocalypse,” I answered, and her eyes shot wide.

  Ha-Yun jumped, immediately bowing her head. “I, uh, didn't realize-”

  “Calm down, she's just a maid,” I waved it off before she could make Lilian's head bigger than it already was.

  “Hey!” Lilian growled at me, and all this made Sora snicker to herself.

  Ha-Yun looked confused for a minute, but when Lilian requested her to sit down, she sighed and did so.

  “Anyhow,” she cleared her throat. “When you said you felt like they're staring at you, that's because they are.” Ha-Yun’s eyes flickered with the fire’s reflection. “It’d have been troublesome if you didn't have me around. I was born during a time when pnets aligned in the sky, and for some reason, these Mountain Gods blessed me.”

  “Ah, that makes sense,” I leaned back and said. “I was curious about how someone can be this beautiful. So it’s fitting that you were born during a celestial event.”

  Two pairs of eyes snapped towards me like bullets, and I realized my mistake a second too long. I had to keep my tongue in check…

  Ha-Yun burst out giggling, holding her tummy and wiping tears of joy from her eyes. A moment ter, she breathed. “Ah, you're funny. But, just to let you know, I have a fiancé. Just like you do.”

  “Ah, yes, right. Don't worry, that was a slip of the tongue,” I cleared my throat.

  “So, Iskandaar, now that we’ve actually made it…” She picked up her cup and took a sip, careful and slow. Her humorous face vanished, and she looked at me seriously. “What exactly are you after? And no more half-answers, please. We're about to delve into serious danger.”

  No more half-answers, huh? I stared into the fmes awhile, figuring out what to say.

  Finally, I looked up. “There’s a sword. Buried here.”

  Her gaze sharpened. “The Demon Bde of Kurayami?” It was scary how fast she said it.

  “You’ve heard of it?”

  “Everyone important in the East has.” Her voice went quiet. “A bde made from a fallen star, once wielded by the previous Demon King before they destroyed.” She looked at Lilian. “Your grandmother and her allies did. People these days say it feeds on souls and whispers void secrets.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at me. “Why would you want something like that?”

  Before I could reply, Sora scooted closer to the fire, her wings sending a wave of heat our way. “That’s not everything, right?” she asked tactfully, trying to hinder the princess’ attention. “You mentioned something about my powers before.”

  I gave a slow nod. “People say there’s the remnant of an ancient phoenix spirit here, a dead Mountain God. Something that could help you unlock more of what you’re capable of.”

  Sora’s wings tensed as she swallowed. “You really think so? How much stronger will I get?”

  “We’ll see once we find it,” I said.

  “Hey, but what about me?” Lilian’s tail flicked like she was annoyed. “Am I just backup?”

  “Come on, you know that’s not it,” I said softly, noticing her ears ftten a bit. “It’s just that this particur mission… some parts of it rete more to Sora’s phoenix side and a sword I'm interested in. I'll find you something ter.”

  While we conversed, Ha-Yun hadn’t taken her eyes off me. “A demon bde and a phoenix spirit. You’re trying to gather so much power. Sora said so before, too.” There was no question in her tone. “What exactly are you gearing up for?”

  The fire crackled, sparks twirling into the night. Overhead, those peaks loomed like silent watchers, ancient eyes taking in every word.

  I met Ha-Yun’s stare but didn't say anything. Those two weren't the only things I wanted. There was another.

  My third motive—the special materials I needed for an item that’d help advance the cult. Not everything’s meant to be shared, even in front of a cozy fire.

  “Iskandaar, I-” she started, but a pack of high-pitched screech cut right through our conversation, making my skin prickle.

  My Demonic Sphere fred up, picking up multiple nasty presences rushing in. They felt twisted, like nature spirits that the mountains’ darker side had warped.

  “Incoming,” I warned, already getting to my feet, unsheathing my sword. The rest followed my lead, weapons drawn as shadows emerged from the trees.

  They looked sort of like goblins, but… off. Their skin had patches of bark and moss, and their eyes glowed sickly yellow. Spirit-touched creatures attracted to our group’s strong energy like moths to a fme.

  “Territorial spirits,” Ha-Yun growled, drawing her sword. “They hunt in packs. Careful.”

  The first wave hit us like a mess of cwing limbs and snapping jaws. I countered with the True Demon Sword Art, slicing through two simultaneously. Their bodies faded into dark smoke, leaving behind only crystallized spirit cores.

  Lilian’s cws shone in the firelight as she tore into them. In her shifted form, she shredded one creature’s head clean off while another was left with an empty chest cavity. “They taste like rotten leaves!” she spat, wiping her mouth.

  Sora unched into the air, her wings casting a bright red glow over the fight. She rained fire onto three spirits trying to fnk us. Two more pounced at her, but she spun midair, turning her wings into sharp edges that sliced them both.

  Ha-Yun moved like flowing water, her sword trailing pink petals that cut with deadly precision. Four spirits fell before they even realized they’d been struck.

  I channeled deeper power into my sword, about to unleash the True Demon Sword Art’s fifth form, but an arrow of spirit fmes sent my sword flying. I turned to find a smirking monster, and before I knew it, three more were right by me.

  Unfortunately for them, my sword wasn't my lifeline.

  [True Demon Fist Art, Fourth Form: The Unyielding Embrace of the Kraken]

  My fists curled and surged with an unfathomable depth of power, embodying the legendary Kraken's might. I smmed forward as one monster’s head exploded against my fist.

  With each strike, my Qi flowed like the relentless tides, pulling my foe into a crushing embrace and then exploding against him. The air around us thickened as if submerged beneath an ocean, slowing every movement but mine.

  My fists struck like constricting tentacles, relentless and unyielding, and each of the blows sapped the strength and breath from the incoming enemies. The pressure built, wrapping tighter and tighter with each hit, until their resistance felt as futile as fighting against the depths of the sea itself.

  The punches carved through a dozen more spirits that were around me, their twisted forms dying against my Stelr QI coated fists.

  [You've killed a Dark Spirit Goblin - Level 39.]

  [You've earned experience points.]

  [You've killed a Dark Spirit Goblin - Level 32.]

  [You've earned experience points.]

  [You've killed a Dark Spirit Goblin - Level 30.]

  [You've earned experience points.]

  ….

  [You’ve leveled up!]

  [You have reached Level 60!]

  A series of pop-up flickered in my vision as the st spirit dissolved. The fight sted maybe a minute, but spirit cores littered the ground, slowly evaporating.

  “Everyone okay?” I called out, and my Demonic Sphere was sweeping for any leftovers.

  “That was fun,” Lilian said with a wicked grin, her tail waving as she picked up some cores. “Think there’ll be more?”

  “Let’s not wait and see,” Ha-Yun said, already doing something to dampen our campsite’s aura. “The mountains are watching. We don’t need more ‘tests.’”

  I picked up my sword and cleaned the spirit residue off my bde, scanning the battlefield one st time. Spirit cores gleamed like little glowing gems in the moonlight, but their light faded quickly. The whole area smelled like ozone and burnt foliage.

  “Well, that was bracing,” I said, slipping my sword back into its sheath. My muscles were still buzzing with battle energy, making my fingers twitch.

  Ha-Yun crouched to examine one of the cores, frowning in the dying firelight. “You all did well,” she admitted, rolling the crystal between her fingertips. “But don’t get cocky. These guys were just the bottom feeders, drawn by our energy.”

  “They weren’t that bad,” Lilian said with a zy stretch, her tail swishing behind her. Spirit droplets dripped off her cws like dew in the morning.

  “And saying things like that is exactly how people get themselves killed out here.” Ha-Yun’s tone snapped like a whip. “The Highnds never show their full hand at first. They poke and prod to see what you can do. Each time you prove yourself, the next wave hits harder.”

  Sora nded softly next to me, wings folding in. “So what, we should’ve just pyed dead?”

  “I’m saying,” Ha-Yun said, standing up and brushing dirt off her robes, “that celebrating is risky. The mountain gods keep track of everything—one slip or sign of disrespect…”

  “Oh?” Lilian’s grin got sharper. “And here I was thinking the mighty Princess Ha-Yun had special protection. All those fancy bows and prayers…?”

  A faint flush hit Ha-Yun’s cheeks. She cleared her throat, tugging at her sword belt more roughly than needed. “The right rituals help—sometimes. But the gods here are as moody as they are ancient. It’s not as if I'm their daughter that they'd ignore everything I do. It's smarter to keep your head down so they just ignore you.”

  “Right,” I said, shouldering my pack and feeling the weight of our supplies shift. “Let’s move on before something bigger decides to check us out.”

  The mountains rose around us, their tops lost in swirling clouds. I could sense countless unseen eyes in the darkness, studying our every step. Ha-Yun was right—this was only the start.

  “The next safe spot is about two hours away,” Ha-Yun said, already setting off. “Don’t kill anything unless you have to. The spirits talk, and we really don’t want a rep as troublemakers.”

  “Probably too te,” Sora mumbled but followed anyway.

  I took up the rear, stretching my Demonic Sphere as far as it would go. The night closed in around us, full of whispers and flickers of motion just beyond sight. The real danger waited deeper among those mist-shrouded peaks.

  Whatever the case, I wasn't returning without getting the three things I wanted. The level ups were merely a bonus.

  TheVeiledMan