Chapter 78: Norwood Mountain
[A Few Hours Earlier]
At approximately five kilometres away from the Fortress owned by Edgar were the Norwood Mountains.
It was a place that stretched over a large area and had its own ecosystem that served all living things.
Everything here was vivid, full of colours that made it look like something out of a picture book.
But as beautiful as this place was, it was just as dangerous as well. Many powerful Nightmares lived here, and walking into their territory was nothing but an invitation to death.
Gordon rode his horse and led his group of six people. He wore his knight’s armour with one hand gripping his sword.
Right beside him was a young boy with a mole on his right cheek.
Wavin looked around the place with nostalgia in his eyes.
This was where his grandfather had taught him how to identify herbs, avoid poisonous plants, and survive in the wilderness.
Gordon asked in a deep voice, "How long before we arrive at the location?"
"Soon," the boy replied without hesitation.
The veteran soldier looked up at the sky with concern in his eyes. They were already far away, and returning would definitely take a long time.
’I really hope we don’t get stuck out in the open when the Eternal Night arrives...’
While he was lost in his own concerns, the boy spoke softly.
"Burning Tree Bark usually comes from short trees with branches that are always burning."
Gordon looked at the boy and couldn’t help but ask, "How did you guys use to come this far in one day?"
From what Gordon knew, Wavin lived in Soragon Bazaar, which was really far from this place. Making a round trip, even with a horse, was unrealistic.
Wavin smiled faintly.
"We didn’t."
Gordon raised an eyebrow, urging him to explain.
"My grandfather would bring me here, and we’d stay for several days."
He pointed toward the dense forest ahead.
"There are a few caves hidden in the mountains. They’re difficult to find unless you know where to look. We’d spend the night there whenever the Eternal Night came."
One of the soldiers behind them frowned.
"You actually stayed inside the Norwood Mountains during the Eternal Night?"
Wavin nodded.
"My grandfather said leaving the mountains at night was even more dangerous than staying inside them."
Gordon silently memorized those words. It wasn’t common knowledge, at least not among soldiers.
"You trust your grandfather a lot."
"I do."
There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in Wavin’s voice.
"He spent nearly his entire life gathering herbs."
The veteran gave a small nod.
"If we run into trouble, I’ll be relying on you."
Wavin scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"I’ll do my best."
The group kept moving along the edge of the mountain.
The farther they traveled, the thicker the vegetation became. Massive roots twisted across the ground like giant serpents.
They rose so high that they could move right past them.
Suddenly, Wavin slowed his horse. His eyes narrowed as he stared at a cluster of small trees ahead.
"There."
The group followed his gaze.
Unlike the surrounding trees, these barely reached three meters in height.
Their bark was black, almost resembling charcoal.
Yet thin orange flames quietly danced along their branches without consuming the wood.
Even from several meters away, everyone could feel a gentle warmth radiating from them.
Gordon’s eyes widened.
"So those are Burning Trees..."
Wavin nodded.
"We’ve found them."
The group did not waste any time getting off their horses and starting to cut the branches from the trees.
Even though Edgar had asked for only a little, the group still took a lot of it.
While the others worked, Wavin moved around the place with a thoughtful look on his face.
His gaze remained fixed on the forest just in front of him.
Gordon took notice of it and walked toward him.
"What are you looking at?"
The young boy looked back and smiled.
"I remember this place. It’s in my mind."
"Something special about this place?" he asked, folding his arms.
The young boy nodded. He walked confidently toward the dense jungle.
Gordon wanted to stop him, but he couldn’t stop his curiosity and walked behind him.
Wavin led him deeper into the forest as though he knew the place like the back of his hand.
He took three different turns until he reached an open place.
"Huh?"
A startled voice escaped Gordon’s mouth as he looked down.
"...Are they roads?"
Wavin nodded.
"They are."
Gordon stepped closer, his boots sinking into the thick layer of moss.
Large slabs of weathered stone stretched into the distance before disappearing beneath centuries of overgrown vegetation.
Cracks covered every tile. Grass and roots had forced their way through the gaps.
Even so, the road was unmistakably artificial.
"It can’t be..." he whispered in disbelief. "This deep into the Norwood Mountains?"
Wavin looked into the distance, his voice oddly creepy.
"My grandfather found it decades ago. He told me never to tell anyone."
Gordon looked at him.
"Why?"
The young boy stared at the road stretching into the forest.
"He said roads always lead somewhere, and in these mountains not every destination is meant to be found."
Gordon didn’t say anything else. He just walked a little farther along the road while looking around.
The farther he walked, the stranger the surroundings became.
The dense vegetation that had covered everything outside the road seemed to stop at its edges.
It was as though an invisible line separated the ancient path from the rest of the mountain.
"...That’s odd," Gordon muttered under his breath.
He slowly knelt and brushed away a layer of dirt with his gauntlet.
On one of the stone slabs, he found something unusual.
There were engravings on it unlike anything he had ever seen before.
The craftsmanship was so fine that he couldn’t stop himself from touching it.
But the moment his fingers grazed it, the engraving lit up with a crimson hue.
Gordon got startled and quickly pulled himself back, but like a chain reaction, the engravings began to light up along the entire road.
Gordon’s eyes widened.
"What in the—"
Before he could finish speaking, the crimson light spread across the ancient engravings like flowing blood.
Within seconds, the glowing patterns raced along the stone road at an astonishing speed.
Buzz...
A low humming sound echoed through the forest.
The ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
The soldiers who had been collecting the Burning Tree Bark immediately rushed into the clearing with their swords drawn.
"Sir Gordon!"
"What happened?"
Gordon didn’t answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the road.
The crimson light continued surging deeper into the mountains, disappearing into the endless forest.
It looked as though the road itself had awakened something ancient in the forest.
Wavin’s face had turned pale.
"...Grandfather never mentioned this."
Gordon’s years of battlefield experience screamed at him.
Something was very wrong.
He drew his sword in one smooth motion.
"Everyone!"
The soldiers instinctively formed a circle around him.
"Get on your horses!"
The soldiers didn’t waste a second. They turned around and ran toward the place where the horses were tied.
Gordon drew in a deep breath and crouched down once again.
"HUPP!!"
With all his might, he struck the road with the hilt of his sword.
The impact broke apart a small chunk of the road that had the engraving on it.
Gordon picked up the broken piece and rushed after the soldiers.
By the time Gordon caught up with them, every soldier was already mounted.
"What happened, Sir Gordon?"
"No questions."
Gordon swung himself onto his horse while tightly gripping the broken stone slab beneath one arm.
"We’re leaving."
He kicked the horse’s flank.
"Now!"
The group galloped through the edge of the forest, branches whipping past their faces.
While they rode, Gordon’s gaze shifted toward the enormous Norwood Mountains.
The murky grey-black fog that was ever-present slowly began to part.
Looking at the phenomenon, something unheard of, Gordon’s heart sank to the bottom.
The fog slowly rolled away from the mountainside as though something unimaginably large was pushing it aside from within.
From the parted fog, the silhouette of a massive head began to emerge.
Two eyes, each as big as the moon from a distance, locked onto them.
Gordon’s pupils shrank to pinpoints.
For a single heartbeat, he forgot how to breathe.
The creature was so enormous that his mind refused to comprehend what he was seeing.
Only its head had emerged from the sea of fog, but it was enough to send him into panic.
The horses beneath them immediately became restless.
One reared onto its hind legs, nearly throwing its rider off.
"Do not stop!" Gordon yelled. "Do not look toward the mountains!!"
The soldiers followed his words like law and kept moving away.
The monster kept looking at them without moving an inch from its place.
Gordon and his group kept moving until they were far away from the mountain.
They still did not know what had happened.