The mountain path beyond the Lantern Road grew steeper with every hour.
By sunset, East Cloud looked completely different from above.
The forests stretched endlessly beneath orange evening light while rivers reflected the sky like flowing glass far below the cliffs.
Cold wind moved through the mountains constantly.
Deep hated it immediately.
“My bones are freezing.”
“You’re sixteen,” Deepika said while continuing uphill.
“You don’t have bone problems.”
“You don’t know my struggles.”
Robin quietly stepped over loose stones near the edge of the trail without reacting to the conversation around her.
Dhruv walked at the front now.
The old swordsman had disappeared hours ago, yet somehow his presence still lingered across the road.
Even Kael respected him.
That alone said enough.
Ahead of them, small lantern lights slowly appeared through the mountain fog.
A house.
No. Several.
Tiny wooden homes rested across the mountainside connected through stone paths and hanging rope bridges.
Smoke rose gently from chimneys.
Messenger birds perched quietly along rooftops.
The place felt hidden from the world.
Peaceful.
Like East Cloud itself forgot this place existed.
Deep blinked slowly.
“…This is where the strongest swordsman lives?”
Dhruv expected something larger too.
A giant dojo.
A fortress.
A legendary training hall.
Instead:
small homes, wind chimes, and old wooden fences.
Robin observed the village carefully.
“There’s almost no sound.”
She was right.
No loud conversations.
No crowded movement.
No rushing footsteps.
Only mountain wind.
A child carrying buckets stopped upon seeing them.
Then immediately ran uphill shouting:
“MASTER DISAR BROUGHT VISITORS AGAIN.”
Again?
Interesting.
The group followed the stone path upward until reaching the largest house near the mountain edge.
The wooden building overlooked the entire valley below East Cloud.
And sitting peacefully outside near the engawa porch… was Disar.
Drinking tea.
Of course.
The old swordsman glanced toward them without surprise.
“You’re late.”
Deep stared at the sky dramatically.
“We climbed a mountain.”
“You still arrived late.”
Deepika quietly muttered:
“…I already understand why Kael gets irritated.”
Disar motioned toward the porch.
“Sit.”
The Red Threads removed their shoes before stepping onto the polished wooden floor carefully.
Warm light spilled from inside the house while mountain wind carried the scent of tea and pine trees through the open walls.
Dhruv sat beside Robin.
Deep immediately reached toward a tray of snacks.
Disar hit his hand with chopsticks instantly.
“OW.”
“Ask first.”
“…Can I eat them?”
“No.”
Deep looked devastated.
Disar calmly poured tea into small cups while studying each of them carefully.
Not judging.
Observing.
The same way experienced hunters probably examined weapons.
Eventually his eyes rested on Dhruv again.
“Your grandfather sat there once.”
The image felt strange in his head.
Grandpa younger.
Traveling these mountains.
Training under Disar.
Disar handed him tea.
“He was worse than you.”
Deep instantly burst out laughing.
Dhruv looked offended.
“Seriously?”
“He fell off this mountain twice.”
Robin quietly hid a smile behind her cup.
Deep looked fascinated.
“So recklessness is genetic.”
Disar nodded once.
“Very.”
The sky slowly darkened beyond the valley.
Lanterns throughout the mountain village began glowing one by one beneath the evening fog.
Beautiful.
Quiet.
Different from the chaos of the harbor cities.
For the first time in days… nobody seemed to be hunting them.
Deepika sat near the porch edge sharpening one of her knives silently.
Robin opened the old hunter book again beneath the lantern light.
Deep finally received permission to eat and immediately started inhaling snacks like a dying man.
Disar watched them for a while before speaking again.
“You travel loudly.”
Deep paused mid-bite.
“What does that mean?”
“It means experienced hunters can read your movements easily.”
Disar pointed calmly toward Deepika first.
“She watches constantly.”
“She notices danger quickly.”
“But she positions herself protectively instead of strategically.”
Deepika’s sharpening slowed slightly.
Then Disar pointed toward Deep.
“You panic-talk when nervous.”
Deep immediately defended himself.
“I panic-talk all the time.”
“Exactly.”
Robin quietly lowered her book now.
Disar looked toward her.
“You hide your presence well.”
“But your eyes reveal your thoughts.”
Robin froze slightly.
Then Disar finally looked at Dhruv.
“You observe people too much during battle.”
Dhruv blinked.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“You hesitate.”
Silence settled softly across the porch.
The mountain wind moved through hanging bells nearby.
Disar continued quietly:
“You look at your friends before yourself.”
“You measure everyone’s condition.”
“You think about protecting.”
His golden eyes sharpened slightly.
“A leader who hesitates dies first.”
The words landed heavily.
Because Dhruv knew they were true.
During every fight so far… he checked everyone constantly.
Deep.
Deepika.
Robin.
Every few seconds.
Instinctively.
Disar sipped tea calmly afterward.
“Your strengths are also your weaknesses.”
Deep quietly whispered:
“That sounded unbelievably cool.”
Nobody disagreed.
Night settled fully across the mountains soon after.
Stars slowly appeared above East Cloud’s endless skies while fog drifted between distant cliffs below.
The Red Threads were given small guest rooms inside the mountain house.
Tatami floors.
Thin blankets.
Paper walls.
Deep somehow complained about all three.
Dhruv stepped outside again before sleeping.
Cold air touched his face instantly.
The valley below glittered with distant lantern lights.
Behind him, soft footsteps approached quietly.
Robin.
Or Nico.
She stood beside the wooden railing with her book resting beneath one arm.
For a while neither of them spoke.
The silence felt comfortable.
Then Robin quietly asked:
“Do you trust him already?”
Dhruv looked toward the distant mountains.
“Not completely.”
“Then why follow him?”
Dhruv smiled faintly.
“Gut feeling.”
Robin sighed softly.
“That answer explains so much about you.”
Dhruv laughed quietly.
The mountain wind moved strands of Robin’s dark hair across her face.
For once she looked less guarded tonight.
Less like someone preparing to run.
Maybe because this place felt peaceful.
Or maybe because nobody here looked at her like a tool.
Dhruv leaned slightly against the railing.
“You’ve been quieter than usual.”
Robin stared toward the valley lights below.
“I’m thinking.”
“Dangerous activity.”
She ignored that.
Then after a few seconds:
“I used to read about places like this when I was younger.”
Dhruv looked toward her.
Robin lightly touched the purple pendant resting near her neck.
“My mother believed hidden mountain villages existed across every continent.”
“Places hunters built away from governments.”
The wind carried her voice softly into the night.
“She used to say peaceful places survive by staying forgotten.”
Dhruv looked around the quiet mountain houses.
The warm lantern lights.
The silence.
The distant sound of wind chimes.
Maybe she was right.
Robin suddenly noticed him staring at her.
“…What?”
“You smile more here.”
Robin blinked once.
Then immediately looked away.
“…You imagine things.”
Dhruv grinned slightly.
“Sure, Nico.”
Robin’s fingers paused briefly against the pendant.
Small reaction.
But real.
Then suddenly—
BANG.
A loud crash echoed from inside the house.
Deep’s voice exploded immediately afterward:
“WHY IS THERE A TRAINING WOODEN DUMMY IN THE BATHROOM?!”
Deepika yelled back:
“STOP TOUCHING RANDOM THINGS.”
Another crash.
Disar’s calm voice echoed afterward:
“You broke the wall.”
Silence.
Then Deep:
“…minor damage.”
Robin slowly covered her face with one hand.
Dhruv burst out laughing beside her.
And for the first time since arriving in East Cloud… the Red Threads felt less like wanderers.
And more like a real squad.
END OF CHAPTER 18