The rise&fall

By dawn, the four of them were already on the move. Mist clung to the soil like a ghost unwilling to let go. Rangi led the group with silent precision, her eyes scanning the path ahead as if every tree might be hiding another attacker. Huwue walked behind her, her blue robe trailing in the dew-drenched underbrush. Gogjen dragged his feet next to Leeyang, the tension between them as loud as their silence.

"You're unusually quiet this morning," Gogjen said, trying to break it.

Leeyang didn't answer.

"You know, for someone who stares like a volcano about to erupt, you could at least say something useful."

Leeyang stopped, turned to him. "You joke too much. This isn't a game, Gogjen."

"It's how I deal with not throwing up in fear, okay?" Gogjen muttered. "Not all of us are born warriors."

"Then maybe you should've stayed behind," Leeyang snapped.

"That's enough," Rangi called without looking back. Her voice didn't rise. It didn't need to.

They pressed forward. Birds didn't sing here. The forest was silent — as though it remembered war.

After an hour of steady hiking, Huwue slowed her pace and knelt beside a tree. "Look," she said.

The bark was slashed clean through — not by a blade, but by heat. Deep black scorch marks in the shape of a fang. Nearby, similar symbols marked five other trees in a wide circle.

"What is this?" Rangi asked, crouching to examine one.

"Tracker sigils," Huwue answered. "They belong to the Silent Fang — an ancient group of elemental hunters."

"From the land of BENIN?" Leeyang asked.

Huwue nodded. "They weren't seen in decades. Until now."

Gogjen stared at one symbol. "Why leave marks that we can find?"

"They're not for us," Huwue said. "They're for each other."

Rangi stood slowly. "This means they're not just following us. They're surrounding us."

They moved again, faster now, veering off the main path. The woods grew darker, and the air heavier. The sunlight above was dim, like the sky itself feared what was below.

Eventually, they found what looked like ruins — crumbled stone walls half-swallowed by moss and vines. A broken tower leaned sideways, its top blackened by fire.

"What is this place?" Gogjen whispered.

"A war outpost," Leeyang said quietly. "From the fifth Saibia War."

Rangi stepped over a scorched helm. "I read about this in the Archives. The UNF soldiers made a final stand here when they were cut off by the Water legions."

Burn marks still covered the stone. But something felt off. The air wasn't just hot — it pulsed.

Huwue walked ahead and stopped near a broken archway. "These burns… they're not from normal fire."

Everyone joined her. On the ground was a wide black stain that pulsed faintly — like breathing.

"Cursed flame," Huwue whispered. "This... is death that never leaves."

Gogjen stepped back. "We shouldn't stay here."

"No," Rangi agreed. "We set camp two miles west. Then we talk about what we do next."

Leeyang looked at the cursed flame one last time, eyes narrowed. "Whoever sent the Silent Fang... wants us gone before we find the blade."

"And they're getting closer," Huwue added.

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves with eerie whispers.

For the first time, even Gogjen had nothing to say.