“Every forest has a road that should remain untrodden.”
– Ancient warning of the Poison Tribe
The elders’ meeting lasted until dawn.
No one spoke of what had been decided.
Yet everyone noticed the change.
Hunters now patrolled in pairs.
The northern watchtower was repaired.
Even the oldest warriors carried their weapons wherever they went.
…
Three days later…
Grandmother Wu gathered the older children.
“You have learned to survive.”
“You have learned to observe.”
“Today…”
“You will learn to remember.”
She led them deeper into the Black Marsh than they had ever gone before.
The air grew colder.
The trees became enormous.
Their twisted roots rose from the water like the ribs of sleeping dragons.
No birds sang.
No insects buzzed.
Even the children lowered their voices.
…
After hours of walking…
They arrived at a massive stone gate.
It was broken.
Half swallowed by vines and moss.
Strange carvings covered its surface.
A serpent.
A spear.
A mountain.
And a pair of watchful eyes.
One child whispered,
Grandmother Wu gently brushed away the moss.
“Our ancestors.”
The children stared in disbelief.
“We had ancestors who could build this?”
She nodded.
“Long before the Black Marsh became our refuge…”
“We lived beyond these mountains.”
Silence followed.
No one had ever heard such a story.
…
One boy asked,
“Then why did we leave?”
Grandmother Wu looked at the weathered stone.
“We did not leave.”
“We fled.”
The forest itself seemed to fall silent.
“Many generations ago…”
“A great war swept across these lands.”
“Kingdoms burned.”
“Armies vanished.”
“Our people chose survival over glory.”
“So we came here…”
“And the marsh became our shield.”
…
The children listened quietly.
Only Zhao Long stepped closer to the carvings.
His fingers traced the image of the spear.
The shaft was unlike any weapon he had seen.
Long.
Elegant.
Balanced.
But a weapon made for war.
For a moment…
He simply stared.
Grandmother Wu noticed.
“That spear belonged to our greatest guardian.”
“It has been lost for generations.”
She smiled faintly.
“Perhaps it is better that way.”
No one asked another question.
…
As they prepared to leave…
A sudden crack echoed through the trees.
Every hunter instantly reached for a weapon.
One of the scouts emerged from the shadows.
Breathing hard.
“There are strangers…”
“Near the eastern marsh.”
“Five of them.”
“They didn’t enter.”
“They were drawing maps.”
The smile disappeared from Grandmother Wu’s face.
“Take the children home.”
“Now.”
No one argued.
The journey back was made in complete silence.
…
As the village came into view…
Zhao Long looked back once.
The broken stone gate stood alone among the ancient trees.
Covered by vines.
Guarded by silence.
Waiting…