ACCEPTABLE TRAVELERS

The first vision materialized with unsettling clarity—a tranquil mountain lake surrounded by ancient pines, its surface perfectly still under moonlight. The peaceful scene shattered as the water suddenly churned, and a figure emerged from its depths—a boy with golden eyes, his form wreathed in darkness, water cascading from his body as he moved with inhuman grace toward the shore. There, a group of robed cultivators waited, their expressions shifting from reverence to horror as they realized something was wrong.