The lanterns swayed gently outside the old house, their orange light trembling as if uncertain whether it was meant to exist in this place at all.

  Akitsu Shouga slowed his steps, his hand hovering near the hilt at his waist.

  “Lanterns,” he murmured. “Someone lives here… or lived.”

  Kael Ardent glanced around, eyes sharp. “Or wants us to think so.”

  The path led them to a clearing. At its center lay a still pond, its surface dark and perfectly smooth, reflecting the lantern light like a broken mirror. Beside it stood a small shrine, weathered wood bowed with age, its prayer ropes frayed and gray. Behind both loomed the old house—wide, low, and silent.

  Ayaka hugged her cloak tighter. “This place feels… wrong.”

  Seraphine Orion knelt near the pond, touching the water lightly. “No ripples. No insects. No birds.” She stood again. “It’s been undisturbed for a long time.”

  Akitsu nodded. “Let’s check inside. Carefully.”

  They approached the entrance. The sliding doors were closed, their paper panels yellowed and torn in places. Akitsu placed his fingers against the wood and slid it open inch by inch.

  The door creaked.

  Kael winced. “So much for subtle.”

  Inside, the house was empty. Dust coated the tatami mats. Cobwebs hung in the corners like neglected curtains. Room by room, they checked—storage areas, sleeping spaces, a kitchen long abandoned.

  “Nothing,” Ayaka whispered. “No signs of recent use.”

  “Except the lanterns,” Kael added. “Which makes no sense.”

  They reached the last room.

  Akitsu stopped.

  Someone was sitting there.

  An old man knelt in the center of the room, back straight, posture rigid. A katana rested across his lap, both hands gripping the sheath. His hair was white, tied neatly behind his head. His eyes were closed, expression calm, almost peaceful.

  Kael’s voice dropped. “He’s… meditating?”

  Seraphine frowned. “Or something else.”

  Akitsu stepped forward slowly. “Sir?” No response.

  The air felt heavy, as if the room itself was holding its breath.

  “I’ll take the sword,” Akitsu whispered. “Just in case.”

  He moved carefully, each step deliberate. The old man didn’t stir. Akitsu reached out, fingers brushing the katana’s sheath.

  Nothing.

  He slowly pulled it free from the old man’s hands.

  Still nothing.

  Akitsu swallowed. “He hasn’t moved.”

  He gently tapped the old man’s shoulder. “Sir?”

  The body tipped sideways.

  Akitsu barely had time to react before it fell, hitting the floor with a dull, hollow sound.

  Ayaka gasped. “Akitsu—!”

  Seraphine rushed forward, kneeling beside the body. She pressed two fingers to the man’s neck, then his wrist. Her face hardened.

  “He’s dead,” she said quietly. “Has been for a long time.”

  Kael exhaled sharply. “So the lanterns…”

  “Were left burning,” Akitsu said, gripping the katana tighter. “For who knows how long.”

  A silence fell over the room.

  Kael broke it. “We should stay here for the night.”

  Ayaka blinked. “What?”

  Kael gestured around. “It’s shelter. Solid walls. Better than the fog outside.”

  Akitsu turned to him. “How would we know if it’s night?”

  Kael frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Akitsu stepped toward the open door. “Look outside. Does that look like day to you?”

  Kael followed his gaze. The sky beyond the lantern light was an endless gray—no sun, no stars, no moon.

  “I… can’t tell,” Kael admitted.

  Akitsu faced him. “Exactly. We don’t know when night comes. Or what happens when it does.”

  Kael looked back at the old man’s body.

  “…You think he might—”

  “I don’t know,” Akitsu said. “But staying in a dead man’s house, in a place like this?” He shook his head. “It feels wrong.”

  Kael stared at the corpse for a long moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I get it.”

  Seraphine stood. “Then we leave. Now.”

  They stepped out, closing the sliding doors behind them. Akitsu hesitated, then took the katana with him.

  “May it be put to better use,” he muttered.

  They walked straight ahead, leaving the lanterns behind.

  There was no end to the path.

  They walked until their legs ached, until their conversations faded into silence. Fog swallowed everything. Time lost meaning.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “A week,” Ayaka said one day, exhaustion in her voice. “It’s been at least a week.”

  Akitsu nodded—but something felt wrong.

  Days passed. Or maybe more.

  Food ran low. Their steps slowed, but they didn’t stop.

  Akitsu’s thoughts darkened. What if Kaito Morikawa lied?

  What if the devil in the ethereal realm was playing with me?

  “Akitsu,” Kael said suddenly.

  He had stopped walking.

  Akitsu looked ahead—and felt his stomach drop.

  A cliff stretched before them, vast and terrifying. It plunged straight down into darkness, deeper into the world itself.

  Kael swallowed. “That’s… not walkable.”

  Akitsu stepped closer, peering down. There was no visible bottom.

  “There’s no other path,” Seraphine said softly.

  Kael turned to Akitsu. “Should we go down?”

  Akitsu clenched his fists. “We don’t have a choice.”

  Seraphine raised her staff. “Then hold on.”

  Vines erupted from the cliff walls, thick and glowing faintly green. They twisted and anchored themselves, forming a living ladder.

  “Don’t look down,” Seraphine warned.

  “Too late,” Kael muttered.

  They descended. Minutes blurred into hours. The fog thinned as they went deeper, until suddenly—

  They reached the bottom.

  Akitsu stepped onto solid ground and froze.

  The fog stopped above them, unable to descend further. Towering jungle trees surrounded them, their canopies disappearing into mist. In the distance—lights. Structures. Movement.

  “A… civilization?” Ayaka whispered.

  Rain began to fall, cold and constant. The temperature dropped sharply. Mud sucked at their boots.

  Kael shivered. “Why is it so cold?”

  “Because it's wet,” Seraphine said.

  They moved toward the lights.

  The village rose within the trees—houses built into massive trunks, platforms wrapped in vines, bridges woven from wood, rope, and living plants.

  Figures moved above them.

  Humans.

  Dark-skinned villagers wearing garments crafted from layered leaves, bark-fiber cloth, and braided vines. Some wore cloaks of overlapping green and brown leaves, others had belts of woven reeds, adorned with beads made of seeds and polished stone. Their arms bore painted symbols in white and red clay.

  Akitsu whispered, “Be careful.”

  They walked beneath the village, avoiding eye contact.

  Whispers spread.

  Footsteps stopped.

  Then—

  A heavy thud.

  Something landed in front of them, splashing mud.

  A man stood tall and imposing, muscles defined like carved stone. His dark skin was marked with ceremonial scars across his chest and shoulders. Thick braided hair fell behind him, bound with bone rings. A mantle of layered leaves and fur rested on his shoulders, and a carved wooden pendant hung at his chest.

  He smiled.

  “Well,” he said, voice deep and calm. “That’s new.”

  Kael instinctively tensed. Akitsu raised his chin.

  The man placed a fist to his chest. “I am Chief Tarek Vahru, keeper of the Canopy Village.”

  He studied them carefully. “Who are you, travelers?”

  Akitsu spoke first. “Akitsu Shouga.”

  Kael followed. “Kael Ardent.”

  Tarek’s eyes widened slightly. “Strange names. Stranger faces.”

  He gestured upward. “We do not receive visitors. Ever.”

  Akitsu inclined his head. “We are only passing through. We won’t stay long.”

  He took a step forward.

  Tarek raised a hand.

  “Wait.”

  Akitsu stopped.

  Tarek smiled again, but there was weight behind it. “You are the first of your kind to reach us. Our elders spoke of you only in folk tales.”

  Kael muttered, “Great. Legends.”

  Tarek chuckled. “Stay. At least for tonight. Let the village welcome you.”

  Akitsu hesitated. “We really can’t—”

  “If you leave,” Tarek said calmly, “the people will be disappointed. They’ve waited generations to see if the tales were true.”

  Akitsu glanced at Kael. Kael shrugged slightly.

  “And,” Tarek added, “you look hungry.”

  Akitsu sighed.

  “…Very well,” he said. “We’ll stay. Briefly.”

  Tarek’s smile widened. “Good. Then the Canopy Village welcomes you.”

  Above them, the villagers began to cheer.