The night enveloped Xuan Xingli and Luo Chenxi as they stepped through the pitch-black stone gate of the Forest of Forgotten Echoes. The air within the forest was thick, carrying a scent that was difficult to describe—both familiar and foreign, as if it had seeped into her memories long ago but had never truly existed.
Every footstep on the dry leaves beneath them echoed strangely, amplified a hundredfold. The twisted branches of the trees stretched out like skeletal arms, forming eerie silhouettes in the dim light. The space here seemed to defy all natural laws—time flowed erratically, where a second stretched into an hour, or an hour could slip by in the blink of an eye.
Xuan Xingli took a deep breath, trying to steady her mind. But she knew—it wouldn't be easy.
"What do you feel?" Luo Chenxi's voice was calm as always, unwavering amidst the unsettling surroundings.
Xuan Xingli closed her eyes, attempting to listen to the whispers of the forest. But the moment she focused, a torrent of fragmented images crashed into her mind—blood, screams, a pair of crimson eyes staring straight into her soul.
"You cannot escape..."
A voice echoed, but it did not come from outside. It came from within her, from the depths of her buried memories that she had never dared to confront.
Her eyes snapped open, her breathing ragged.
Luo Chenxi glanced at her, the corner of her lips curving slightly, as if she had anticipated this reaction. "It seems the forest is already affecting you."
Xuan Xingli clenched her fists. "This is more than just an illusion. I have been here before."
The moment she spoke those words, a powerful gust of wind swept through the trees, carrying eerie whispers. The forest shuddered, and the darkness deepened.
Ahead, the path split into two. On one side was a narrow, winding trail snaking between gnarled trees that looked like broken bones. The ground was firm, yet the air was thick with the scent of decay, as if something long dead lay buried beneath. The other path was wider, but shrouded in dense fog. The mist was not still—it shifted and trembled, as if something unseen lurked within, waiting for anyone who dared to step inside.
"The choice is yours, Xuan Xingli." Luo Chenxi stood still, her amethyst eyes shimmering with intrigue. "One path leads to the truth, the other to oblivion. But are you sure you want to know the truth?"
Xuan Xingli did not answer immediately. She stared at the two paths, trying to trust her instincts.
Suddenly, from deep within the forest, a faint sound emerged—the sound of footsteps. Soft, almost weightless, but unmistakably approaching.
She turned sharply, scanning the shadows between the trees.
"Did you hear that?"
Luo Chenxi nodded, though she did not seem concerned. "Don't mind it too much. We are not the first to enter this place, and we might not be the only ones here now."
Her words sent a chill down Xuan Xingli's spine. She wasn't sure what Luo Chenxi was implying, but it was clear that this forest did not only hold forgotten memories.
She inhaled deeply and made her decision.
"We take the left path."
Without hesitation, she stepped forward. Luo Chenxi followed leisurely, her posture relaxed, yet her keen eyes never stopped surveying their surroundings.
The moment they entered the narrow trail, Xuan Xingli felt the shift. The air grew heavier, the rustling of the forest more urgent. Her footsteps no longer echoed—they were swallowed by the silence.
And then, abruptly—
"Mother, don't leave me!"
A voice cried out right beside her, making her freeze in place. That voice… It was terrifyingly familiar.
Her hands clenched instinctively, but when she turned, no one was there.
"Xuan Xingli?" Luo Chenxi asked, sensing something was wrong.
She opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment, the ground beneath her feet trembled.
Before she could react, an ice-cold hand grabbed her wrist—fingers clawing desperately as if they had crawled up from beneath the earth.
Xuan Xingli jerked back, but the grip was iron-tight, like the grasp of someone who refused to let go.
And then, from the darkness, another voice spoke—
"You have returned..."
This time, it was no longer just a whisper in her mind. It was real. And it had been waiting for her for a long, long time.