"Oh, my dear Sinky Fart, are we not there yet?" Zhu complained in a whiny tone as she stumbled over yet another massive tree root.
"To be clear," Faral replied patiently, "you have only been traveling for approximately fifteen minutes. At your current pace, you will arrive at my location in roughly three hours."
Zhu groaned dramatically and stomped her foot.
Seeing her exaggerated misery, Mara let out a small laugh. "Alright, we can rest here for a bit."
"Finally!"
Zhu immediately plopped herself down against the very root that had offended her. With a huff, she pulled out a canteen and took several long drinks of the healing water from the Rushing Spring.
A few days earlier, Faral had guided Herkid to another tributary of the spring to gather more of the precious water. Since then, all three of them had been drinking it regularly to aid their recovery, ease their lingering aches, and stave off fatigue.
As they rested, Herkid raised a small wind barrier around them out of habit.
"That is hardly necessary," Faral commented.
"This is the center of my territory. You will not encounter any dangers here."
"Understood," Herkid replied.
With a wave of his hand, the barrier dissolved into a gentle breeze.
The group rested for several minutes before continuing their journey. Soon they were once again trudging through the dense forest.
The woods were alive with sound. Birds called from the canopy overhead while unseen creatures rustled through the undergrowth. Shafts of golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating patches of vibrant moss and clusters of wildflowers. The air was rich with the scent of earth and growing things.
For a while, the scenery remained unchanged.
Then, without warning, the trees began to thin.
The ancient giants that had crowded together for miles suddenly gave way, creating larger gaps between their trunks. Sunlight poured through the opening ahead, bright enough to make Zhu squint.
All three travelers slowed their steps.
"If it weren't for the dark swirls of twisted mana floating through the air," Herkid marveled, "you would think Hollowveil Forest was a peaceful, ordinary woodland."
"Yes, I agree," Mara said.
She had never entered the forest herself, but she had heard countless horror stories from the adventurers she used to serve.
"Is it always like this, Herkid?"
Out of the three of them, Herkid was the only one who had ventured into the forest before.
He snorted.
"Definitely not. The forest is usually filled with mutated mana so dense it can make you sick just by breathing it for too long. The trip I took with Master Brian was the longest I've ever stayed here. Even then, we were constantly on guard—fighting mutated monsters, avoiding corrupted beasts, and trying not to succumb to mana poisoning."
Zhu tilted her head.
"What's mana poisoning?"
"It happens when dark mana or mutated mana builds up inside your body," Herkid explained. "At first, the symptoms are mild—dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, stomach pain, heart pain, and extreme fatigue. But the longer you're exposed, the worse it gets."
His expression darkened.
"If too much accumulates, your body begins to mutate. Eventually, you lose yourself completely and become a monster. Most people die before reaching that point, but some are unlucky enough to survive the transformation."
Mara shuddered.
"That explains why these forests haven't been overrun by explorers."
"Exactly," Herkid said. "The concentration of dark mana is simply too high. Ironically, powerful cultivators and high-ranking adventurers are often at greater risk. The more mana a person possesses, the more susceptible they become to corruption. Once the mutation starts, their immense power only makes them more dangerous."
Zhu frowned thoughtfully.
"Then how do adventurers survive in places like this?"
"There are special alchemical injections and potions that provide temporary resistance to dark mana," Herkid replied. "Most guilds require them before entering these corrupted zones. The problem is that the protection wears off over time."
His gaze drifted deeper into the forest.
"And the deeper you go, the thicker the dark mana becomes. That's why Master Brian's decision to remain here for so long was so dangerous. Every extra day increased the risk of corruption."
A thoughtful silence fell over the group.
Looking around, Zhu finally understood why the forest felt so strange.
Everything appeared healthy.
The trees were vibrant. The flowers bloomed. Birds sang from hidden branches.
Yet dark ribbons of corrupted mana drifted lazily through the air like smoke.
It was beautiful.
And deeply, deeply wrong.
They continued walking and the landscape began to change.
At first, it was subtle, the trees grew thinner, the underbrush less tangled. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in wider shafts, illuminating patches of moss-covered stone and the occasional ruin half-swallowed by vines.
The clear areas became more frequent until—
The forest opened up completely.
Before them stood the remains of a forgotten city, an ancient towering building and massive stone structures, twisted and broken, yet still standing. Nature had claimed everything.
Vines draped from shattered windows. Trees grew from cracked rooftops.
Gigantic roots split through roads and collapsed bridges.
Despite the decay, there was a haunting beauty to the sight.
The air here felt heavier, charged with a thick, distorted mana that swirled visibly in slow, inky currents. The sounds of the forest faded, replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the distant calls of unknown creatures.
Mara moved forward slowly, her boots crunching over fragments of tile and gravel. "What is this place?"
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
The sheer scale of the ruins stole the words from their mouths.
Tower after tower rose from the forest floor like the bones of some long-dead giant. Vines thicker than tree trunks wrapped around ancient walls. Entire buildings disappeared beneath blankets of moss and greenery. Trees grew from shattered rooftops, their roots splitting stone that had somehow survived for countless years.
"Whoa..." Zhu breathed.
Her crimson eyes widened until they were nearly round.
The city stretched as far as she could see.
She had expected ruins.
A few broken buildings perhaps.
Not this.
Not an entire city hidden within the heart of Hollowveil.
"It's huge," she whispered.
Beside her, Mara stood frozen in place.
She had spent years listening to adventurers tell stories in taverns and guild halls. She had heard tales of lost kingdoms, buried treasures, and ancient civilizations swallowed by the forest.
She had assumed most of them were exaggerated.
Looking at the city now, she realized reality was far more incredible than the stories.
"It really is..." Mara struggled to find the right word.
The towering structures should have collapsed ages ago.
Yet somehow they remained standing, silently enduring the passage of time.
Like forgotten guardians watching over a dead world.
A sudden bark of laughter broke the silence.
Both women turned toward Herkid.
The wind mage was grinning like a child on Winter's Day.
"I can't believe it!"
His eyes shone with excitement as he stared at the city.
"It's real!"
Zhu blinked.
"Of course it's real. We're looking at it."
"You don't understand!" Herkid practically bounced on his feet. "I've heard stories about the Ruined City since I became an adventurer. Every guild has legends about it. Explorers claim it exists. Scholars argue over who built it. Treasure hunters spend their entire lives trying to find it."
He pointed excitedly toward the distant towers.
"But nobody ever had proof! Most people thought it was just another adventurer's tale."
His voice dropped to an awed whisper.
"And now I'm actually standing here."
For a moment, he simply stared.
The excitement faded from his expression, replaced by wonder.
"I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes."
The city stood silent before them.
Ancient and mysterious.
A cool breeze drifted through the ruins, carrying with it the scent of moss, stone, and something far older.
Zhu felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
"Welcome to the outer ruins of Hollowveil," Faral said quietly.