"Williamnir, are you really going through with this?"
A disjointed voice echoed from the void. In the hazy vision, a young man stood beside a burly figure. The scene was noisy and distorted with static.
"There's no □… only this □ can seal the Deep □… tch tch tch…"
I couldn't make out their full conversation—severe memory fragmentation and gaps made me dizzy. But one phrase stood out, mentioned repeatedly:
"The Deep Sinner."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the sounds of battle exploded outside the cave. Zhao Heng was jolted awake from his dream. Kaelin was beside him, shaking him anxiously.
"Hey, blockhead, wake up already!"
She was practically shaking him by the shoulders. Still groggy, Zhao Heng rubbed his eyes.
"What's going on… Kaelin?"
"What's going on? Another wolf pack just attacked! Uncle Williamsk and the others are already fighting them off!"
Startled, Zhao Heng grabbed his rifle and rushed outside.
Chaos reigned outside the cave. Williamsk, Williamkaz, and Williamina were all locked in combat. Williamsk and Williamkaz had already transformed into their wolf forms, while Williamina retained her human face but had partially unleashed her power through her arms.
The wolf pack kept coming, more relentless than ever. Some were accompanied by slimes, brown bears, and other magical beasts.
Zhao Heng narrowed his eyes and charged in. His movements were sharp and fluid—thrust, sweep, slash, and parry—a seamless flow of strikes that drove back wave after wave of enemies.
After over ten minutes of intense battle, the monsters were finally slain, and the party had a moment to breathe.
"Good grief… where are all these monsters even coming from?" Kaelin gasped, sitting on the ground to catch her breath.
Yue Tianlang looked at Williamsk. "Mr. Williamsk, you've lived here long enough. Has the mountain always been like this lately?"
Williamsk shook his head. "No. The monsters have definitely been appearing more frequently, but nothing like this. I can tell… they weren't attacking us out of instinct. It's like they were… driven out—frightened."
At that, Qiao San's expression turned fearful.
"I knew it… this must be a sign. The demon is about to awaken, isn't it?"
Tianlang didn't answer immediately. He lowered his gaze in thought, then said slowly, "A full-scale monster exodus does happen sometimes—usually due to environmental shifts or the presence of a powerful external force."
"You mean… something's invaded their habitat, and it's making them panic?" Kaelin asked, now standing.
"That's one way to put it." Tianlang nodded.
Zhao Heng stood over the corpses of slain monsters, lost in thought. Suddenly, a splitting headache wracked his mind, and he nearly collapsed.
"Lord Evilbane… please keep this secret for me… I… □□… tch, tch…"
There it was again—the dream. No, more than a dream. It felt like someone else's memory. But what did it mean?
"Hey, Zhao Heng! Are you okay?"
Kaelin's voice snapped him out of it. As he came to, he realized the whole group had gathered around him, all visibly worried.
"Don't scare me like that!" Kaelin exclaimed.
"I'm fine," Zhao Heng replied, getting to his feet. "Just… had a dream."
Yue Tianlang stepped closer. "Did you feel any discomfort?"
Zhao Heng shook his head. "No. But I dreamt of Williamnir—he was with Evilbane. And they kept mentioning something… The Deep Sinner."
That name silenced the group. Most of them looked confused—except for Yue Tianlang, whose face turned grave.
"The Deep Sinner…" he muttered. "So that's what this is. Now everything makes sense."
"What do you mean?" Kaelin asked.
Tianlang looked to the firelight, his expression solemn. "This might be a bit hard to explain. In ancient times, Teyvat was believed to be layered with multiple dimensions. The Deep Sinner is a type of demon that hails from the Abyss. Among demons, they are elite—each one is said to wield power equivalent to a third of what the Eight Guardians possess."
Kaelin blinked, then let out a sigh of relief. "Only a third? Oh good. If even you can't beat them, then they shouldn't be too hard for us, right?"
"…Is that really how you think?" Tianlang gave her a frigid stare. "You're underestimating them. Deep Sinners control multiple elements. They can forge shields, summon personal armies of hellspawn, and—most dangerously—they feed on the dark desires in human hearts. The more negative emotions in their vicinity, the stronger they become. Even the 'Ice Emperor' Lekaus treats them with the utmost caution."
"You're kidding. There are really monsters that dangerous in this world?" Kaelin's face went pale.
Williamsk walked over, tone suspicious. "Tianlang, you seem to know a lot about the Deep Sinner. Have you encountered one before?"
"No, not directly," Tianlang answered, shaking his head. "But I read about them in the Blood Empress's archives. Based on everything we've seen, I believe the demon Williamnir faced back then may have been a Deep Sinner. And all this recent monster activity? Most likely signs of its impending resurrection."
"Then how did Zhao Heng see those memories?" Kaelin asked.
Mo Yan chimed in. "Right. I mean… Williamnir supposedly died in that battle 500 years ago, didn't he?"
Tianlang fell silent, then spoke after a long moment. "It's possible what Zhao Heng saw was a fragment of Williamnir's memory. As for why he's seeing them… I'm not sure. Perhaps there's a unique resonance between Zhao Heng and Evilbane's… lineage."
"So what now?" Zixuan asked. "Do we head back down the mountain?"
Williamsk suddenly rose, his voice cold and firm.
"No. As the one who guards this mountain, I won't allow anyone to defile it—especially not the demon my ancestor died trying to seal."
"Wait, you're not planning to go up alone, are you?" Kaelin asked, concerned.
Williamsk looked at her. "If you're afraid, stay here—or go back down."
"That's not the point!" Kaelin turned to Qiao San. "Shouldn't we think about getting civilians like him to safety first?"
Zhao Heng nodded. "I agree. The situation's escalating fast. Splitting up now could get people killed."
"Oh? And what's your grand plan then?" Williamsk snapped. "Escort the non-combatants back down the mountain and then return? Don't kid yourself. You've seen how far we've come—and how many monsters are out there. Just the trip down alone would wear you out, and that's if you even make it back in one piece."
At that moment, Qiao San stepped forward, as if steeling himself.
"It's alright. Let me come with you. I promise—I'll stay out of the way and not burden anyone."
"You're already a burden," Williamkaz muttered under his breath.
Zhao Heng stood quietly, thinking it over. After a moment, he looked back to Williamsk.
"Mr. Williamsk, is there… any direct route nearby? A wider trail or some hidden path that leads straight to the heart of Direwolf Mountain?"
[To be continued in Chapter 19: Into the Demon's Den]
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