Into the Valley

As Aru flew north, he saw nothing but steep, towering mountains. The snow-covered peaks were sparsely populated with vegetation and animals.

After an hour of travel, he finally caught a glimpse of the mountains that reached up to the clouds.

Thick plumes of white clouds cloaked the mountain peaks, concealing what lay beyond.

"This is it," Aru chanted as he directed Fluffy to fly straight ahead.

Based on the information he had gathered, Aru knew the Valley of Death lay beyond those mountains.

Despite its name, the Valley of Death wasn't a single valley. It was a cluster of interconnected mountains and valleys stretching hundreds of kilometres in the northern region. The starting point was the cloud-covered peaks he now saw.

"Beyond the clouds lies the Mist."

"Beyond the Mist is the Dark Forest, where the spirit beast resides," Aru reminded himself.