Chapter 35: The Haunting
The wind on Watch Hill didn’t blow like it did in other places.
It whistled.
Not the natural sound of air currents among trees or rocks. It was a deep whisper, laden with something ancient, as if the very bones of the earth grumbled at being awakened. Each step the group took on the dry ground did more than echo: it reverberated.
Eren walked at the front.
His body relaxed, eyes alert. Nothing in his posture indicated fear or hesitation. That environment, even with the overcast sky, uneven ground, and decrepit landscape, seemed perfectly acceptable. As if part of him.
The vegetation was sparse. Dry branches curved like skeletal fingers reaching for the sky. Partially buried stone structures exposed parts corroded by something other than time. And here and there, partially buried bones punctuated the path like forgotten markers.
Eren briefly activated his mental interface:
[Location: Watch Hill]
[State: In ruins | Residual aura: High]
[Magic record: Presence of unnatural death]
Observation: Not recommended for creatures sensitive to spiritual energy
He read it in silence and moved on.