The woods, once lush and green, now faded and somber. The color drains from the leaves as they turn yellow, flowers wither, and every step in the forest creaks beneath your feet.
It is early morning; the sun has just risen, the mist barely cleared, and the ground is damp. Wraithshade continues onward, having traveled from the southern Grant Domain for half a month—he is now far beyond its borders.
To the south lies a denser, primeval forest, devoid of any sign of humanity. Long ago, Wraithshade visited this place, drawn by a peculiar force. He came seeking answers—the power he sensed was pure darkness, colder and more sinister than any ordinary wraith.
After more than a century, Wraithshade finally understood: it was the power of a curse. The one he met before had warned him that he would face an insurmountable barrier.
The last attempt to eliminate Yuna Ji ended in failure; all the wraiths within him were lost. It took immense effort to reconstitute his body, regaining strength through the Wraith Casket. Using the spirits of his own kin was far more effective than before.
Suddenly, Wraithshade stopped. A beast burst from the nearby underbrush, roaring, but it halted instantly, not daring to approach. Wraithshade raised his hand, black aura surging around him.
The flowers, grass, and trees all around began to wither; the beast, overcome with terror, howled and turned to flee.
"It's getting smoother. This cursed power... I hope that one is still here."
Wraithshade muttered, continuing on his way. After a while, he reached a lake deep within the woods.
A gentle breeze stirred fallen leaves. Around the tranquil lake, animals could be seen. Wraithshade crouched by the water, drank, then shouted loudly.
"Mr. Deathcurse, are you there?"
His voice echoed through the woods, but there was no response. Wraithshade remembered meeting Deathcurse at this very lake—the surrounding forest had withered, though it was spring, the land seemed dead, and the lake was foul, shrouded in black mist.
On the lake's surface, a massive wolf, pitch-black and imposing, stared at him with fierce, blood-red eyes—a chilling sight.
Now, however, everything seemed restored. After all, it had been over a century since he last came here.
Wraithshade sat cross-legged, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. The air carried a faint trace of curse energy. He decided to wait here, no matter how long it took—no one in this world understood curses better than that one.
A surge of black curse energy emanated from Wraithshade's body, gradually turning into a thin mist that spread outwards. He did this to signal Deathcurse that he had arrived.
Yet after a day, then two, Wraithshade still had not seen Deathcurse. The trees around him, affected by the curse energy, shed all their leaves; the fish in the water floated belly-up, dying one by one. Even the animals that once came to the river stopped coming.
Wraithshade raised his hand, excitement flickering in his eyes.
"So that's it? Just two days and this happens. Curse power really is strong."
Suddenly, Wraithshade sensed something. He sprang to his feet and looked to the right—an intense aura was approaching. With a roar, a black-striped tiger, as tall as Wraithshade himself, leapt from the distant forest and landed before him.
"I've been waiting for you, Mr. Deathcurse."
The tiger's fist-sized, red eyes scanned Wraithshade from all directions.
"So it was you!"
A human voice came from the tiger's mouth. Then, black mist enveloped its body as it shrank and gradually transformed into a human figure. Soon, a rugged middle-aged man appeared before Wraithshade, dressed in brown animal skins, his hair in a braid, his face and body marked with countless fine scars.
"Just as you said, Mr. Deathcurse, I've truly reached an impasse."
"So, as a human, you are still alive."
Deathcurse spoke gravely. Wraithshade shook his head.
"I wouldn't call this living—only not yet dead. I've come to ask you, Mr. Deathcurse: is it true that the essence of a curse is to strip away life's energy? Is that how I should understand it?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Deathcurse's eyes. He nodded.
"That is indeed the core of a curse—to seize life energy, causing things with form, be they human or otherwise, to wither and break."
Wraithshade explained his current situation and everything that had happened. Deathcurse was silent, deep in thought. After a long while, he gave a cold laugh.
"So that's it. Lately, I've sensed a surge of death energy far to the north—another war, is it? Humans never learn; after a spell of peace, they always return to conflict."
"Mr. Deathcurse, Leonard Tang's nephew is in grave danger. I've tried everything, but I can't prolong his life. Is there anything curse energy can do?"
Deathcurse burst into loud laughter, and suddenly a fierce wind swept through.
"Forget it. For humans, a curse is half poison. Even if you can control curse energy, as long as you remain human, one misstep and that power will kill you."
Deathcurse paused, then spoke with grave seriousness.
"If you're afraid of losing him, keep watch. Sooner or later, the cause of his death will appear. When it does, cut it off at the source—then he can live."
As soon as Deathcurse finished, his body turned into a cloud of black smoke. Suddenly, an eagle appeared in the sky, soaring high before vanishing into the distance.
Wraithshade laughed, a rush of warmth flooding his heart. He knew he was right: curse energy works by stripping away life force. Unlike spellcraft, which merely extracts life energy, curse energy utterly destroys it. He decided to return—if he kept watch over Stanley Tang, the cause of death would surely reveal itself.
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"Prepare to retreat."
Joseph Qiao kept urging them on as chaos reigned. The enemy had indeed planned to use this route for supply transport. After a brief skirmish, they destroyed the enemy's fishery and eliminated some foes, but now the enemy across the river had noticed them and could attack at any moment.
"Block the road with fire first."
The enemy on the mountain was already descending. Joseph Qiao quickly ordered the soldiers across the river to set fire to the grass huts at the forest's edge. Soon, flames roared, while Lucille Xing still stood on the main road, staring at the enemy pouring down the mountain. Joseph Qiao rushed over and pulled her away.
"Let's go, Lucille."
He called several times before Lucille finally snapped out of it. The fire was spreading fast, and the strong wind quickly set both sides of the forest ablaze.
Lucille turned to leave, but Joseph Qiao remained transfixed by the raging fire.
"Joseph, what's wrong?"
Lucille sensed something was off; in an instant, her expression changed to one of terror.
"We must get back to Central Pass immediately. Hurry!"
Joseph Qiao hurried along the mountain path, deeply anxious. Fire—he hadn't expected it. Central Pass's greatest flaw was its position atop a peak; though flanked by dense forests, if the enemy set the mountains ablaze, their defensive stronghold would be exposed in an instant.
Especially after autumn sets in, when much vegetation withers, making wildfires even more likely.
"What are you saying, Joseph? That's impossible. If the enemy burns the mountain, they can't advance either, can they?"
Joseph Qiao shook his head, praying that the forests around Central Pass hadn't all withered yet, and that the enemy hadn't thought of this tactic.
Gus Bull kept shouting, ordering the soldiers to build spiked barricades to repel cavalry. He could see clearly: the enemy had laid many spike traps outside the pass, making it nearly impossible for siege logs to reach the walls.
This peak, surrounded by dense forest, with recessed ridges on both sides, and vast mountains to the east and west that can't be crossed, makes it the Grant Family's most important pass—truly hard to attack.
Gus Bull knew this would be a tough battle. They had to wait for more supplies, then launch wave after wave of attacks, gradually wearing down the enemy's strength before finally breaking through the pass.
"Commander Gus Bull, Commander Lydia Lien and Commander Bella Liang are here. They hope you'll join them for a discussion."
Gus Bull glanced at the mountain once more, then turned and followed the messenger.
Inside, Bella Liang looked solemn, while Lydia Lien wore a wicked smile.
"You two are still injured, aren't you? What's going on?"
"It's autumn now, right? Everything's withering—fires are easy to start."
Lydia Lien remarked sarcastically, and Gus Bull looked at her in confusion.
"It is autumn, so fires are likely. That's why I had soldiers place water buckets all around Wynn Domain to guard against accidental blazes and prevent wildfires."
"Burn it. Burn down this mountain in front of us."
As Lydia Lien spoke, Gus Bull's eyes widened and he glanced back at the mountain.
"Those dense forests are an eyesore, don't you think? If there's no path, we'll burn one—how about it?"
"Don't joke, Lydia. If we do that, we'll suffer too. Once the fire gets going, it's uncontrollable; where we are now could be in danger as well."
Bella Liang shouted, but Lydia Lien just shook her head.
"Just pull the soldiers back. If we burn the forest, we can take the pass without losing a single soldier."