The air changed the moment they crossed the threshold.
The wild terrain gave way to something older, something that had grown unchecked for centuries, perhaps millennia.
Trees rose like ancient pillars, their trunks wider than city gates, their canopies swallowing the sky whole. Light filtered through in fractured beams, painting the forest floor in shifting gold and green.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Lin broke that silence. "This forest is likely the oldest in all of Albion," Lin murmured, his voice almost reverent.
No one saw any reason to disagree.
Jin Huang stepped forward first.
There was no discussion, no formal agreement, but the group's formation shifted naturally around him.
He walked ahead of the group, posture relaxed yet unmistakably alert, as though the forest itself had acknowledged him as the first line of contact.
A faint glow traced along his limbs, not bright or ostentatious, but alive.
Lin's eyes caught it immediately.
"…There it is again," he muttered under his breath, barely audible. "The Color of Arthur…"
Jin Huang didn't turn. If he heard, he gave no indication.
Cho Yanshi and Qin Shuyue caught on, but they did not question. Instead, they stopped Hei Shisan and Lu Chen from questioning.
Meanwhile, Shen Wuyou was doing what he had been doing for a while now: Studying the terrain and rolling his dice.
So, the trek began.
At first, it was cautious. Measured.
Then, gradually, it became something else entirely when a deer stepped into their path.
It was unlike any deer they had seen before- its antlers shimmering faintly, like branches made of crystals. Its coat carried a soft, shifting sheen, as though brushed with morning mist.
The deer regarded the group with calm, unafraid eyes.
"I bet that would fetch a high price," Hei Shisan remarked lazily, hands tucked behind his head.
Cho Yanshi snorted. "I bet you'd get kicked into the next realm before you could touch it."
The deer blinked at them, then wandered off.
A cluster of rabbits followed them for nearly half an hour, seeming hopeful that they would offer them some food.
They were rounder than normal, their fur patterned with faint, swirling markings that glowed when they hopped. One of them attempted to nibble at Shen Wuyou's sleeve.
Shen Wuyou looked down, and rolled his dice.
"Curious."
Qin Shuyue crouched slightly, studying them with interest. "They're not afraid at all. You think they're used to seeing humans?"
Lu Chen chuckled. "They're used to much worse. We probably seem harmless in comparison."
Hei Shisan glanced at Jin Huang's back, then directed their attention to him. "Most of us.
Interestingly enough, the rabbits made it their mission to avoid getting in Jin Huang's way.
Even as he got low and tried to coax them with food, they just ran past him.
Cho Yanshi gave them some carrots and they eventually scurried away to eat.
The group continued in similar fashion, vines shifting as they passed.
At one point, a massive root blocked their path, rising like a wall.
Jin Huang didn't slow.
His foot tapped the ground once, and a pulse of energy rippled outward, subtle but undeniable.
The root trembled, then split, creating a narrow passage just wide enough for the group to pass through.
Lin exhaled sharply.
"The Color of Arthur…" he repeated, quieter this time.
Jin Huang simply kept walking.
Time blurred. Moments stretched and folded into one another. The light shifted, creatures appeared and vanished, and the forest breathed around them.
The others were relaxed. Not entirely, but enough for them to really appreciate their surroundings.
And, of course, to talk rather casually.
It was as though they were on a leisurely stroll rather than traversing a place that felt older than history itself.
"Did you see that bird earlier?" Qin Shuyue asked. "The one with the three tails?"
"Ugly," Cho Yanshi said.
"It sang sweetly though," Shen Wuyou added.
"Still ugly."
Abruptly, the forest changed.
It was subtle at first. A kind of stillness that hadn't been there just moments prior.
Then, the snap of a branch preceded a rustle that didn't belong.
Jin Huang stopped and the group halted behind him at the same time.
From the undergrowth, from the trees, from every direction, figures emerged.
Ragged, mismatched armor coupled with weapons of varying quality came into view, as well as those faces that carried equal parts bravado and uncertainty.
Bandits, by the look of them, and a lot. Encircling the group in a loose, uneven ring.
For a moment, no one spoke until a flourish of movement.
With great flair, figure dropped from above, landing dramatically atop a low-hanging branch before flipping down into the center of the path.
He landed in a crouch, paused then slowly rose, sweeping an arm outward with theatrical precision.
He wore bright green. Painfully bright green.
A feathered cap tilted at an angle that suggested deep personal commitment to the aesthetic.
"Travelers!" the man spoke, his voice booming far louder than necessary. "You have entered the domain of the illustrious, the daring, the undeniably handsome... Hobin Rood! "
He struck a pose, and his companions clapped, cheered and whistled.
Jin Huang and company did not react. Near them, a leaf drifted past.
Hobin Rood coughed lightly, then continued as though nothing had happened.
"Now then! As per the ancient and entirely legitimate laws of this forest, you are required to surrender all valuables, treasures, and… clothes."
"…Clothes?" Lu Chen echoed.
Hobin pointed at him and licked him lips. "Especially clothes."
Cho Yanshi folded her arms. "This is embarrassing."
Behind Hobin, one of the bandits leaned toward another and whispered, "He practiced that speech for three hours."
"I heard it was five."
"Practiced?" said another. "We talkin' about the same Hobin, here?"
Jin Huang stepped forward. No flourish, or speech, though he badly wanted to. Just a single, simple step.
Hobin Rood's grin faltered for the briefest moment.
"…Ah," he said, recovering quickly. "And you must be the bodyguard! Hired mercenary perhaps?Excellent! I admire your spirit, truly, but I must insist that you stand down."
Jin Huang halted some feet away from Hobin Rood, looking him up and down with ridicule.
Of course, Hobin noticed.
"Hmph! Looking down on me, are you? I'll have you know, in all of Albion you're as like to find someone better dressed as you are to find a twilight pony princess!" He huffed.
Jin Huang moved. One moment he stood there, the next, he was in front of Hobin Rood.
A hand shot out, amidst a faint pulse of that same, quiet energy. He gripped the man by the collar, Hobin's eyes widening as he felt his body surrendering to Jin Huang's strength.
"Wait, good sir! Perhaps the clothes were a bit much!"
Jin Huang lifted him slightly off the ground, effortlessly, as the man flailed about.
"Keep the clothes then! I'll spare you your dignity and go easy on you! Just give us your money. Sound good?"
Jin Huang brought the man closer and simply said, "…No."
There was no threat in his voice, which somehow made it worse.
Hobin Rood swallowed. Behind him, the ring of bandits shifted uneasily.
Lu Chen yawned. "Well, that's that."
Cho Yanshi turned away. "Can we keep moving?"
Qin Shuyue nodded. "Preferably before he starts another speech."
Jin Huang released Hobin.
The man stumbled back, nearly tripping over his own boots.
For a moment, he looked like he might try to salvage the situation before he met Jin Huang's gaze again.
"…Right," Hobin said quickly. "New plan! Generosity! Charity! We… give you things!"
No one responded.
"No?" Hobin probed.
Silence.
Finally reading the room- or the forest floor in this case- Hobin clapped his hands. "A draw, then! A true stalemate! Retreat, men!"
The bandits scattered, completely, without formation or dignity.
They simply… ran.
Leaves rustled, branches shook, and within seconds they were gone.
The forest returned to its quiet rhythm, as though nothing had happened.
Jin Huang turned and resumed walking, and the group followed while trying to forget what had just transpired.
Lin lingered for just a moment, glancing in the direction the bandits had fled.
"Kinda thought he was gonna beat him up," he murmured to himself, but loud enough for others to hear.
"Not Number Fou- er, Jin Huang-- Yeah. He's not the type to hold someone's way of life against them. I should know." Hei Shisan chuckled.
Then Lin looked ahead at Jin Huang's back, barely noticing the others passing him as they followed.
Shen Wuyou put a hand on Lin's head, the other clutching his dice. "There's more you need to see before you come to understand, Lin. Maybe then you'll trust us with the truth."
Shen Wuyou didn't look back, he just walked on and left Lin behind. The boy was stunned, but he quickly closed his mouth and steeled himself as best he could.
Before long, he followed.