The whisper lingered in the air long after it faded, clinging to the fog like a cold hand that refused to let go.
"…come… back…"
The man pressed himself against a boulder, shaking so violently his teeth clattered.
The ghost child hid behind Lin Feng's sleeve, eyes glowing faint and frightened.
The Chained Woman stood in front of the shrine, chains raised like silent blades.
Lin Feng stepped closer—not cautious, not afraid—simply curious.
The cracked shrine pulsed once, a weak heartbeat of old spiritual energy. Vines curled back as if recoiling from the symbol carved on the stone.
Lin Feng brushed more dust away with his palm.
The circular sigil was clearer now—
jagged, incomplete, yet unmistakably the same as the mark burned into the disciple's arm.
The man gasped.
"Th-That… that's the same symbol… why… why is it here?!"
"Because this is the birthplace of your problem," Lin Feng said lightly.
The man whimpered.
Lin Feng crouched to inspect the broken base of the shrine.
A faint trail of cracked stone extended deeper into the mountain—like something had emerged long ago… or tried to return.
The system chimed softly.
---
[SYSTEM SCAN]
Shrine Type: Echo Origin Altar
Purpose: Binds or recalls marked individuals
Status: Broken
Danger Level: Moderate
Note: Host must stabilize altar before mark can be weakened
---
Lin Feng nodded.
"Expected."
The man clutched his arm tighter.
"Senior… is something… inside that shrine…?"
"Possibly. Or it left something behind." Lin Feng tapped the shrine. "Let's check."
The man nearly fainted.
"Senior PLEASE don't check—!"
Lin Feng ignored him.
He placed his palm on the cracked symbol.
The shrine trembled—
dust falling like gray snow—
and then…
A second whisper slipped through the cracks.
This one was louder.
Clearer.
Colder.
"…you returned… too… late…"
The man screamed again and curled into a ball.
The ghost child grabbed Lin Feng's robe, trembling.
The Chained Woman's chains whipped forward, wrapping the shrine in a protective ring, as if reacting to an old enemy.
Lin Feng's expression didn't change.
"Hm. Not aimed at him. Aimed at me."
The man looked up, horrified.
"Aimed… at you…?"
"Yes." Lin Feng dusted his hand. "Standard greeting for forgotten acquaintances."
The shrine pulsed again—
and the mark on the man's arm responded with a painful glow.
"Aah—!!"
The man collapsed on his side, clutching his arm in agony.
The ghost child rushed to him, glowing with concern.
Lin Feng knelt beside him and grabbed the man's wrist, examining the mark critically.
"It's reacting to proximity. Good. That means we found the right place."
"G-Good? It hurts—!"
"Pain is a sign of progress," Lin Feng said calmly.
The Chained Woman's chains pressed against the shrine, suppressing its pulse.
The glow in the man's arm slowly dimmed.
Lin Feng turned to the shrine again.
"We need to stabilize the altar. Only then can the mark be silenced."
The man blinked through tears.
"H-How do we do that…?"
Lin Feng turned to the ghost child.
"Fetch."
The child tilted its head—confused—but drifted forward obediently.
The disciple blinked.
"What… what is he fetching…?"
Lin Feng tilted his head toward the shrine.
"You see that gap?"
He pointed at a missing stone segment shaped like a crescent.
"That is the altar's core seal. Something removed it."
"A-And without it…?"
"The shrine calls the marked. Relentlessly."
The man turned pale.
The ghost child floated around the shrine, checking the cracks—
but suddenly froze.
It drifted back quickly and pointed downward behind the shrine.
Lin Feng followed the gesture.
A small shape lay half-buried in the dirt.
A stone fragment, curved, carved with the same symbol.
The missing seal.
Lin Feng picked it up.
The moment his fingers touched it—
The fog shuddered.
The air tightened.
And the shrine whispered again:
"…complete… me…"
The man screamed.
The ghost child jumped.
The Chained Woman's chains rose sharply, ready to strike.
Lin Feng raised the seal and inspected it.
"Found it. Good craftsmanship."
He stepped forward, preparing to place the seal back into the shrine—
When the earth beneath the shrine cracked open.
A hollow, echoing voice rose from the darkness—
"…don't… seal… us…"
The man fainted on the spot.
Lin Feng raised a brow.
"Oh? 'Us'? How many of you are down there?"
The crack widened.
A cold, ghostly wind rushed out—
filled with whispering voices layered on top of one another.
"…hungry…"
"…waited…"
"…return…"
"…join us…"
The Chained Woman moved instantly, slamming her chains into the ground, forcing the crack shut.
The voices hissed—then vanished.
Silence followed.
Only Lin Feng remained calm.
He patted the shrine once.
"Well. That's lively."
---