A Quiet Evening and a Mysterious Warning

It wasn’t long after Phini returned to bed that a wave of weariness crept over her. Her eyelids felt heavy. Before long, her eyes drifted shut once more, and she slowly succumbed to sleep.

“Has she fallen asleep?”

Shortly after Phini had drifted off, Angela returned to the room. The moment she stepped inside, she noticed Phini’s eyes were closed. After a quick glance, Angela bit her finger and muttered to herself.

Once she was certain Phini was truly asleep, Angela tiptoed to a cabinet. With practiced ease, she opened it and rummaged through its contents. After a few seconds, she retrieved a simple linen dress. She held it up against Phini, noting that its size seemed just right.

With a pleased expression, Angela cradled the dress and exited the room. She carried it to the adjacent living room, where she took out some needles and thread from another cabinet and began to mend and alter the dress.

This task consumed her entire afternoon.

As the sun slowly set, evening arrived. Perhaps sensing that time was getting late, Angela gently put down the dress and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was quite skilled with needlework; for a woman in a poor, small village, it was difficult to survive without mastering various household chores.

“I wonder if that young lady has woken up?”

After setting aside her work, Angela’s first thought was of Phini next door. She sat lost in thought for a moment, then rose and headed toward the kitchen. Since it was already evening, it was time to prepare dinner. And if the young lady next door had woken up, she must surely be hungry.

With these thoughts, Angela cheerfully began to prepare their meal.

Meanwhile, in Phini’s room.

Phini had indeed woken up, just as Angela had surmised. In fact, she had stirred shortly before dusk. However, upon waking, she did not get out of bed. Instead, she lay staring intently at the ceiling, as if deep in thought.

“You’re awake?”

It was the sound from the doorway that finally broke Phini’s reverie. She turned her head and saw Angela holding a plate of steaming food, smiling warmly at her.

“Mhm.”

Faced with such an innocent smile, Phini found herself unable to be cold. She gave a dull reply, then turned her head back.

“You must be hungry, right?” Angela quickly walked to the table, placed the plate down, and asked.

“Mhm.”

At Angela’s words, Phini instinctively touched her stomach. Feeling the sensation of hunger, she did not deny it, giving an honest affirmative.

“If you’re hungry, then come and eat something.” Seeing Phini’s willingness to cooperate, Angela smiled and beckoned to her.

“Mhm.”

Hearing the call, Phini glanced at Angela and her beckoning hand. Without overthinking it, she got out of bed.

Perhaps it was because her wound had only just healed. As she moved, Phini still felt a tearing pain in her back. However, this pain was not as intense as it had been at noon; it was, at least, within her tolerable range.

Leaving the bed, Phini slowly walked to the table. On it were several pieces of bread and two bowls of carrot stew.

“This is all we have at home. Please make do with it,” Angela said, mistakenly thinking Phini’s silent stare meant she found the meal meager. She shrugged awkwardly.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind what I eat.” Understanding Angela’s mistake, Phini quickly waved her hand. The simple dishes simply made her feel a sudden wave of nostalgia. In her past, if not for that man’s appearance, she would likely still be living a simple life, eating her homemade bread and watching her sister grow up. But everything had changed with the arrival of the man named Altorias. Thinking of this, Phini secretly clenched her fists.

“Is that so? I thought it wasn’t to your taste!” Angela patted her chest, relieved. She breathed a sigh of relief and even playfully stuck out her tongue.

“No, I just find these foods very nostalgic,” Phini said, shaking her head. A troubled look crossed her face as she sat down and picked up a piece of bread, taking a small bite. It was rye bread, and its texture was naturally not the best. However, this was to be expected; poor villagers had no money for high-grade ingredients. For most, being able to eat such bread to fill their stomachs was already a rare blessing.

“Nostalgic?”

“Don’t ask about such trivial matters.” Noticing Angela had a question, Phini waved her hand, stopping any further inquiries. She didn’t want to recall everything she had endured in that dark, sunless dungeon, where she had never eaten normal food—only the monsters thrown down from above. She had clung to life by devouring the traces of disaster clinging to their flesh.

Biting into the dark, hard bread piece by piece, Phini soon consumed the entire loaf.

“Is that enough? There’s more here if not,” Angela offered, pushing the plate of bread towards her.

“Mhm.”

One piece of bread was certainly not enough to even line Phini’s stomach. She rubbed her belly, nodded, and unceremoniously picked up another piece. It took three pieces of bread before she finally felt a semblance of fullness. Satisfied, Phini picked up the stew and gulped it down in one go.

“Are you full?” Angela asked, having watched Phini eat.

“Yes, thank you for the meal.”

“No need for thanks. Since I brought you back, I’m resolved to take good care of you. So, please be a good girl from now on, miss.”

“Phini.”

“?”

“My name.”

“Phini? That’s a lovely name!” Angela was bewildered for a moment, but she quickly understood. After pondering the name carefully, even though she was an illiterate village girl, she somehow understood the name’s quiet strength. “That’s a beautiful name!”

“It’s a name given to me by an old friend. I like it very much,” Phini said. Receiving Angela’s compliment, a hint of warmth melted her usually icy face, if only for a fleeting moment.

“Then they must have been a very good friend!”

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to go for a walk.” Phini did not answer, falling silent for a moment. After a few seconds, she slowly opened her mouth and made a small request.

“It’s very late now. The village isn’t very safe at night,” Angela immediately shook her head vehemently, trying to stop Phini from going out.

“Not safe?” Hearing this, Phini turned to look at her, her mind filled with questions.

“Yes, once night falls, ‘ghosts’ appear and drag away anyone wandering the streets.” Seeing Phini’s confusion, Angela immediately explained why it was dangerous.

“Ghosts?” Phini became even more perplexed.

“Hmm, how should I put it? It’s hard for me to describe what they are, but if you encounter one, you definitely won’t come back. So, Phini, you absolutely must not go out now!” Faced with Phini’s repeated questioning, Angela struggled to explain.

“Is that so? Then I’ll listen to you.” After hearing the explanation, though Phini was very curious about these so-called ‘ghosts,’ she noted how terrified Angela seemed. She could only sigh softly and relent.

“That’s good.” Seeing that Phini wasn’t insistent on going out, Angela relaxed, patting her chest. She had been very afraid that Phini would disobey her and insist on leaving.

“Don’t worry, I value my life very much,” Phini said abruptly, then stood up and walked to the window. She glanced outside.

The last ray of twilight had already vanished below the horizon, replaced by the dim, dark night. Perhaps because this was the Ash Mountains, even in the darkness, Phini could still see a faint reddish glow emanating from the distant mountain ridges.

Why were they called the Ash Mountains? Legend had it that in the distant past, a ferocious demonic dragon resided on this mountain range. The dragon’s temperament was unpredictable, and it loved to torment people in cruel ways. As a result, many greatly feared the demonic dragon that lived there.

However, as the dragon’s deeds spread, a hero soon appeared. The hero, at an extremely tragic cost, managed to slay the demonic dragon, but… what no one expected was…