The watcher in the fog
***
The fog rolled in without warning.
One moment, the Ash Road was clear and dry beneath their feet.
The next, the forest vanished behind a wall of mist—not natural fog, but heavy and humming, like it had breath.
Yín Shu stopped walking.
"Do you hear that?"she asked, looking sideways
Zhao Lian blinked. "I hear nothing."
"Exactly."
Mo Yao was already moving ahead, one hand on the hilt of her blade.
"Something's wrong. Keep close."
They had been traveling for two days since leaving the palace, headed south toward the fabled dragon tombs, following the old map drawn by forgotten monks and marked with blood seals.
The journey had been harsh but uneventful.
Until now.
The fog thickened. The trees blurred into pillars of shadow. Their steps became slower, hesitant.
"This wasn't on the map," Zhao Lian whispered. "Is it a natural fog? A curse? Illusion magic?"
"Quiet," Mo Yao snapped.
A sound rose in the silence.
A bell.
Soft. Distant.
Then again. Closer.
Ding... ding... ding...
From the mist stepped a tall figure. Its robes were layered, heavy, and dragged across the ground like wet paper. A thin string of silver bells hung around its neck, gently ringing with every move.
But it had no face.
Where eyes should be, there were only black holes, endless and deep. Where a mouth should have opened, there was just smooth skin stretched too tightly over bone.
"A Hollow servant," Yín Shu whispered. "He sent it."
"It found us fast," Mo Yao growled. "Which means it was already close."
The thing tilted its head. Slowly. Listening.
Then it charged.
The creature moved like water.
Its limbs bent the wrong way. Its body flickered like smoke with every step. It raised one arm, and the mist sharpened around it into a blade of air.
Yín Shu dashed left, slicing at its side with silver daggers. Mo Yao struck low, her blade flashing through the mist.
The thing vanished—
Then reappeared behind them.
It struck Zhao Lian
His shoulder slammed into a tree. Blood stained his robe.
"Run!" he shouted.
"We're not leaving you!" Yín Shu snarled.
The creature lifted both arms.
The bells rang louder.
Suddenly, the fog moved.
It swirled into sharp threads—
But before they struck, Yín Shu raised her hand.
And light exploded from her palm.
A circle of burning energy pushed the fog back. The Hollow servant screeched, stumbling.
Mo Yao didn't wait.
She moved like lightning.
One clean slice.
Her blade cut through its chest.
The creature let out a final whisper:
"The Gate listens..."
Then crumbled into ink and bone dust.
Zhao Lian lay on the ground, bleeding but alive.
Yín Shu knelt beside him, her hands glowing faintly, barely able to stop the bleeding.
"That wasn't just a warning," Mo Yao said. "It was a test."
"He wanted to know what we could do," Yín Shu added.
Zhao Lian looked up, pale.
"Then we just told him everything."
Mo Yao sighed and looked at him.
"You should learn how to fight, cause you are slowing us down"
"....sorry" Zhao Lian apologized with his head hung low.
"Does it hurt?" Yin Shu asked referring to his wounds.
"It does but it'll heal soon" zhao Lian replied.
...
Above them, the fog began to fade.
But far behind them, unseen and silent, another figure watched from the trees.
This one was smaller. Human.
And wore the uniform of the Queen's Night Guard.
The spy moved swiftly through the forest after the battle, avoiding light, scent, and sound.
Before dawn, they reached a hidden post. Inside, a carved stone raven sat waiting. The spy pressed their ring to it.
A pulse.
Then their voice filled the chamber silently:
"Target confirmed. The twins have unlocked light and shadow. They survived an attack from a Hollow servant. The scholar boy is wounded but alive. They are heading toward the southern tombs. No confrontation yet."
Far across the mountains, in her private sanctum, Queen jingfei opened her eyes.
She said nothing.
She only looked at the empty thrones beside her.
And whispered,
"Good. They're still alive."