Three days had passed since the incident at the eastern border.
Ravenholt had yet to recover from the news of the fallen guards.
Their names had been recorded.
Their families had been contacted.
And the compensation Levi had ordered was already being prepared.
But even as the territory mourned its dead...
The world continued to move.
And somewhere beyond Ravenholt's walls...
Something was changing.
---
"Captain, we've found another one."
The guard's voice echoed through the eastern watchtower.
Gareth turned away from the window.
"Another what?"
"The markings, sir."
Gareth's expression darkened.
"...Where?"
"About two kilometers east of the old settlement. One of the patrols discovered them carved into several trees."
Gareth slowly stood.
"How many?"
"Seven trees. All bearing the same symbol."
Silence.
Seven.
The last time they had discovered those markings, his men had barely made it home alive.
And one of them...
Never made it home at all.
Gareth tightened his grip around the edge of the table.
"Did the patrol investigate further?"
"No, sir. They followed their orders and returned immediately."
"Good."
He reached for his coat.
"Prepare a report. I want the exact location of every marking."
The guard saluted.
"Yes, Captain!"
As the guard departed, Gareth looked out the window.
Beyond the walls stretched the eastern forest.
Tall trees.
Green canopies.
A familiar sight to anyone who had lived in Ravenholt long enough.
Yet...
Something about it no longer felt right.
He couldn't explain why.
Perhaps it was the memory of that abandoned settlement.
Perhaps it was the thought of the men who had died there.
Or perhaps...
It was the growing feeling that whatever had happened three days ago had not truly ended.
Gareth turned away.
"...Send another messenger to Lord Ravenholt."
He paused.
"Tell him the situation is getting worse."
---
The first reports had been easy to dismiss.
A merchant claimed to have seen hooded figures walking along a forest trail.
A hunter reported finding black candles arranged around a stone.
A farmer insisted that someone had been watching his house from the edge of the woods.
Individually...
None of these reports proved anything.
But then came the second sighting.
And the third.
And the fourth.
Different people.
Different locations.
The same descriptions.
Dark robes.
Covered faces.
Strange symbols.
And an unsettling silence wherever they appeared.
Within days, the reports had spread throughout the eastern settlements.
Travelers began avoiding certain roads.
Merchants changed their routes.
Hunters refused to enter the deeper parts of the forest.
Even the locals, who had lived beside those woods for generations, began locking their doors before sunset.
Something was happening.
And everyone could feel it.
They simply didn't know what.
---
The forest.
A lone hunter walked along a familiar trail.
His bow rested across his shoulder, and a small sack hung from his belt.
He had hunted in these woods since childhood.
He knew where the deer gathered.
Where the streams ran.
Where the roots grew thick enough to trip an unsuspecting traveler.
He knew this forest.
At least...
He thought he did.
The hunter stopped.
"...What?"
He stared at the ground.
The grass beneath his boots had turned gray.
Not brown.
Not yellow.
Gray.
As though every trace of color had been drained from it.
He crouched and touched one of the blades.
It crumbled beneath his fingers.
The hunter frowned.
"Disease?"
He looked around.
At first, he noticed nothing unusual.
The trees still stood tall.
The leaves still moved with the wind.
Birds still called from somewhere above.
But then...
He noticed the nearest tree.
A thin gray line ran along its trunk.
It was barely noticeable.
A faint mark beneath the bark.
The hunter leaned closer.
"...What is that?"
He reached toward it.
Then stopped.
Something about the line bothered him.
It didn't resemble a crack.
It looked more like a vein.
A thin, branching vein running beneath the surface of the wood.
He followed it with his eyes.
The line extended upward.
Across the trunk.
Toward the branches.
And then...
It disappeared beneath the bark.
The hunter slowly stood.
He looked at the surrounding trees.
Another gray line.
Then another.
Several trees bore the same strange markings.
Some were thin.
Others had grown thick enough to split the bark around them.
And on the ground...
The grayness spread between the roots.
Like something was crawling beneath the soil.
The hunter took a step backward.
"...No."
A branch snapped somewhere behind him.
He spun around.
Nothing.
Only trees.
Only shadows.
Only the quiet forest.
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
Too faint to understand.
It seemed to come from somewhere beneath the ground.
The hunter's breathing quickened.
He didn't wait to hear it again.
He ran.
He ran until his lungs burned and the forest trail finally opened onto the road.
He didn't stop until he reached the nearest settlement.
And when the villagers asked what had happened...
He could only give them one answer.
"The forest..."
He struggled to catch his breath.
"...The forest is dying."
---
Ravenholt Castle.
Levi sat behind his desk.
Several reports were scattered across the surface.
He had spent most of the morning reading them.
At first, the reports seemed unrelated.
Cultist sightings.
Missing livestock.
Abandoned roads.
Strange markings.
But the more he read...
The less he liked what he saw.
He reached for a map.
It showed Ravenholt and its surrounding territories, including the eastern forest and the abandoned settlement where Gareth's patrol had been attacked.
Levi placed a marker at the location of the first reported sighting.
Then another.
And another.
He continued until every known incident had been marked.
He leaned back.
"...That's strange."
Gaius stood beside the desk.
"What is?"
Levi pointed at the map.
"Look."
Gaius leaned forward.
At first, he saw only a collection of markers.
Then he noticed the pattern.
The sightings weren't scattered randomly.
They formed a rough line.
From the abandoned settlement...
Toward the eastern border...
And gradually closer to Ravenholt.
Gaius's expression hardened.
"They're moving inward."
"Yes."
"How many sightings have we confirmed?"
"Eleven. There are another six reports awaiting verification."
Gaius stared at the map.
"That's too many to be a coincidence."
"I agree."
Levi picked up another report.
"This one came from a merchant who traveled along the southern road. He claims to have seen three hooded figures carrying wooden crates."
"What was inside?"
"He doesn't know. They refused to let him pass until he agreed to take another road."
Gaius frowned.
"And this one?"
"A patrol discovered black candles near a stream. The surrounding stones had been marked with symbols matching those found at the abandoned settlement."
He placed the report down.
"Then there's this."
Levi unfolded another sheet.
It contained a rough drawing of a tree.
Its trunk was covered in thin gray lines.
Gaius stared at the illustration.
"...What am I looking at?"
"Something that shouldn't be happening."
Levi pushed the drawing toward him.
"The scout who submitted this report claims that the trees in a section of the eastern forest are turning gray. The grass, the roots, even the soil."
Gaius studied the drawing.
"Could it be a disease?"
"That was my first thought."
Levi pointed at the gray lines.
"But look at the way they're spreading."
The markings branched outward from a central point.
They followed the roots.
Climbed the trunk.
And extended toward neighboring trees.
"It doesn't resemble any natural disease I'm familiar with. And according to the report, the affected area has grown considerably in just two days."
Gaius fell silent.
"...How considerably?"
Levi placed two reports side by side.
"The first scout estimated the affected area at roughly twenty meters across."
He tapped the second report.
"Yesterday, another patrol estimated it at nearly fifty."
Gaius slowly looked up.
"That's more than double."
"Exactly."
Levi's gaze returned to the map.
"And the center of the affected area..."
He placed a marker.
"...is here."
The marker landed near one of the ritual sites.
Neither man spoke.
The implications were obvious.
The cultists were appearing closer to Ravenholt.
The ritual markings were appearing closer to Ravenholt.
And now, the forest itself was changing.
Gaius crossed his arms.
"Do you think the Black Church is responsible?"
Levi stared at the map.
"I'd be surprised if they weren't."
"But to what end?"
"...That's what worries me."
Levi stood and approached the window.
Beyond the castle walls, the people of Ravenholt continued their daily routines.
Children played in the streets.
Merchants arranged their goods.
Guards patrolled the walls.
Everything appeared normal.
Peaceful.
Safe.
But Levi knew better.
He had seen what the Black Church could do.
He had seen the remains of their rituals.
He had fought a man who had been sent to observe him.
And now...
Something was spreading through the forest.
Something that might have been connected to all of it.
Levi slowly closed his eyes.
'What are you preparing?'
---
The following morning...
Another report arrived.
Then another.
By noon, the eastern border had become the subject of every serious discussion in the castle.
A patrol had discovered another abandoned camp.
A merchant caravan had encountered hooded figures near an old bridge.
Two hunters had reported seeing a group of people standing motionless between the trees.
And the gray decay...
It was spreading.
The latest estimate placed its edge almost a hundred meters beyond the previous boundary.
The forest was losing its color.
The leaves had turned pale.
The grass had become brittle.
And the gray lines had spread across the trunks of dozens of trees.
Some had already begun to collapse.
Their roots had withered beneath the soil.
Others remained standing, their branches bare despite the season.
Birds had abandoned the area.
Animals had fled.
Even the insects had disappeared.
The forest had become unnaturally quiet.
And at its center...
The gray lines converged around a single stone.
A stone marked with the symbol of the Black Church.
---
"Your report, Captain."
Gareth stood before Levi's desk.
His expression was grim.
"My lord, we've confirmed another site."
Levi looked up.
"Where?"
"North of the previous location. Approximately three kilometers from the eastern road."
Levi frowned.
"Three kilometers?"
"Yes, my lord."
Gareth placed a document on the desk.
"The patrol discovered another ritual marking. This one was carved into a stone surrounded by several dead trees."
Levi opened the report.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
"...Dead trees?"
Gareth nodded.
"Their trunks were covered in gray lines. The markings appeared to connect them to the stone."
Levi looked up.
"Did the patrol approach it?"
"Only from a distance. They noticed that the ground surrounding the stone was completely gray. One of the guards reported feeling a strange vibration beneath his feet."
Gaius, who stood beside Levi, frowned.
"A vibration?"
"Yes, sir. Like something was moving beneath the ground."
Silence filled the office.
Levi looked down at the report again.
Then he slowly folded it.
"Captain, from this moment onward, no patrol is to approach any ritual site without authorization."
Gareth straightened.
"Understood."
"If they encounter cultists, they are to observe from a safe distance and return with their findings. No engagement unless there is an immediate threat to civilians."
"Yes, my lord."
"And I want every affected area marked on the map. Every single one."
Gareth saluted.
"I'll see to it."
He turned to leave.
"Gareth."
The captain stopped.
Levi looked at him.
"You did well bringing this information to us."
Gareth's expression softened slightly.
"...Thank you, my lord."
After the captain departed, Gaius approached the map.
"They're spreading their markings across the forest."
Levi nodded.
"And the decay seems to be spreading around those locations."
"Then the markings are causing it?"
"Possibly."
Levi studied the reports.
"But we don't know whether the symbols are the source, the result, or simply part of something larger."
He traced the locations with his finger.
One by one.
Each site was closer than the last.
The pattern was unmistakable.
"They're establishing something."
Gaius looked at him.
"A network?"
"Maybe."
Levi's finger stopped at the newest marker.
"Or they're preparing the land for something."
Gaius's expression grew serious.
"An invasion?"
Levi remained silent.
He thought of the sealed stone door.
The sound of chains.
The darkness that had emerged from within.
Then he looked at the map.
"...I don't think this is simply about invading Ravenholt."
"Then what is it about?"
Levi slowly raised his head.
"I don't know."
He paused.
"But whatever they're planning..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...we're running out of time."
---
That evening...
Levi rode toward the eastern border with a small escort.
He had informed Gaius of his decision.
Gaius had objected.
Repeatedly.
Loudly.
And with considerable profanity.
Levi had listened.
Then gone anyway.
He wasn't planning to approach the ritual sites directly.
He simply wanted to see the affected forest with his own eyes.
Reports could be inaccurate.
Witnesses could misunderstand what they saw.
But the land itself...
Wouldn't lie.
At least, that was what he hoped.
The escort stopped several hundred meters from the forest.
The guards dismounted.
Levi stepped down from his horse and approached the tree line.
At first, everything appeared normal.
The trees stood tall.
The grass was green.
The wind carried the familiar scent of leaves and damp earth.
Then he noticed the boundary.
A thin line stretched across the ground.
On one side...
Green grass.
On the other...
Gray.
Levi crouched.
He touched the soil.
It was cold.
Not the ordinary coolness of shaded earth.
It felt as though warmth had been drained from it.
He slowly withdrew his hand.
"...This isn't natural."
One of the guards approached.
"My lord?"
Levi stood.
"Stay behind me."
He stepped across the boundary.
The moment his boot touched the gray ground...
Something changed.
The forest became silent.
The wind stopped.
The leaves ceased moving.
Even the distant calls of birds disappeared.
Levi stared ahead.
Gray lines stretched across the ground, disappearing between the roots of the trees.
They branched in every direction.
Some were thin.
Others were thick enough to split the earth around them.
He approached the nearest tree.
Its trunk was covered in pale markings.
Levi placed his hand against the bark.
For a moment...
Nothing happened.
Then his mana stirred.
His eyes widened.
A faint pulse traveled beneath his palm.
The gray lines glowed.
Once.
Twice.
Then...
A third time.
Levi immediately withdrew his hand.
The glow disappeared.
The forest returned to silence.
One of the guards took a cautious step forward.
"My lord, what happened?"
Levi stared at the tree.
He had felt it.
Something beneath the ground.
Something that had responded to his mana.
He couldn't tell whether it had been an instinctive reaction or something deliberate.
But one thing was certain.
The decay wasn't merely spreading.
It was reacting.
Levi looked toward the deeper forest.
Beyond the trees, faint gray markings stretched toward the horizon.
And somewhere in that direction...
The Black Church was waiting.
"...We're leaving."
The guards immediately obeyed.
As Levi mounted his horse, he looked back one last time.
The gray lines continued spreading across the forest floor.
Slowly.
Silently.
Relentlessly.
He tightened his grip on the reins.
'Whatever you're doing...'
His gaze hardened.
'I'm going to find out.'
---
Far beyond Ravenholt...
Beneath the Black Cathedral...
The Archbishop stood before an enormous ritual circle.
Black candles illuminated the chamber.
Crimson markings covered the floor, extending into the surrounding walls like the roots of some monstrous tree.
Several Cardinals stood behind him.
None dared to speak.
The Archbishop watched as a faint gray light traveled across the ritual circle.
A moment later, one of the Cardinals stepped forward.
"Your Eminence."
The Archbishop did not turn.
"Speak."
"The corruption has reached the outer woodland."
A smile slowly spread across the Archbishop's face.
"Good."
"The markings are spreading faster than anticipated."
"Even better."
The Cardinal hesitated.
"And Ravenholt has begun investigating the affected areas."
The Archbishop finally turned.
"Of course they have."
His smile widened.
"They would be fools not to."
He walked toward the edge of the ritual circle.
Beneath his feet, the crimson symbols pulsed faintly.
"Have the sightings increased?"
"Yes, Your Eminence. Our agents have been observed near the eastern settlements. Several patrols have also discovered our markings."
"Let them discover them."
The Cardinal looked up.
"...Your Eminence?"
The Archbishop chuckled.
"Do you believe we spent fifteen years preparing this plan only to hide every trace of our presence?"
He gestured toward the enormous circle.
"The land must be prepared. The boundaries must be established. The foundation must be laid."
His eyes gleamed.
"And fear..."
He paused.
"Fear will ensure that they look everywhere except where they should."
The Cardinal lowered his head.
"Understood."
The Archbishop turned back toward the ritual circle.
For a moment...
He simply watched the gray light travel through the markings.
Then he spoke.
"Tell the others to continue."
"Yes, Your Eminence."
"And remind them..."
His smile became almost gentle.
"...not to rush."
The Cardinal bowed and departed.
The Archbishop remained alone.
Above him, far beyond the stone ceiling, the world continued to turn.
People slept.
Children laughed.
Kings ruled their kingdoms.
And Ravenholt prepared its defenses against an enemy it barely understood.
The Archbishop raised one hand.
A faint gray pulse spread across the ritual circle.
He watched it with quiet satisfaction.
"They believe a war is coming."
His fingers slowly curled.
"How amusing."
The pulse faded.
He lowered his hand.
"They haven't even realized what we're bringing into their world."
Silence.
Then...
A faint sound emerged from beneath the ritual circle.
A distant knocking.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The Archbishop's smile widened.
"...Soon."
---
Back in Ravenholt...
Levi stood before his bedroom window.
The castle was quiet.
The people were asleep.
But he couldn't bring himself to rest.
He kept thinking about the forest.
The gray lines.
The pulse beneath his hand.
And the way the land had responded to his mana.
He had fought powerful enemies before.
He had faced nobles who would sacrifice anything for power.
He had confronted a cult that worshipped something beyond his understanding.
But this...
This was different.
The enemy wasn't merely approaching Ravenholt.
It was changing the world around it.
And if the decay continued spreading...
He didn't know what would happen when it finally reached the walls.
Levi looked toward the eastern horizon.
The darkness beyond the castle was absolute.
For a moment...
He remembered the light that had consumed the battlefield.
He remembered Eyeless.
He remembered the broken sword standing in the training grounds.
And he remembered the promise he had made.
He wouldn't let the Black Church take anyone else.
Tomorrow, he would gather his advisers.
He would reinforce the eastern border.
He would send scouts to investigate the affected forest.
And he would find out what the Black Church was preparing.
No matter what it took.
Because if the darkness was spreading...
Then Ravenholt would need its light.
And Levi intended to make sure it never went out.