The air grew colder, gently at first, then unnaturally so.
A strange wind began to stir, blowing back and forth in jittery bursts, carrying with it a soft, high-pitched whizzing sound that danced through the trees like a ghost's breath.
Far away, deep within the forest, a shadow began to grow. It wasn’t the natural darkness of night, but something else, something creeping and slow, like a liquid spill of ink stretching across the land.
No one knew where it started from, but within seconds, the strange darkness had filled the entire forest. It moved quietly, silently, until it reached the edge of the trees and stopped there, curling and coiling as if breathing… waiting.
And then...
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
A loud cry tore through the silence. It echoed far and wide, cutting through the air with startling clarity.
It wasn’t the howl of a beast, nor the screech of a night predator.
It was a baby’s cry.
Soft, yet loud. Fragile, yet echoing with unbearable emotion. It wasn’t just sound, it was feeling. The kind of cry that sank into the chest, twisted something inside, and stirred an aching, involuntary sense of sympathy.
It was filled with sadness. With heartbreak.
And it didn’t stop.
In the clearing, everyone stirred.
Eyes opened. Bodies tensed.
Senses stretched far in all directions.
The scholarly-dressed man rose to his feet, his voice soft and low. “The time has come.”
Behind him, the rugged men stood quietly, their expressions calm but focused.
The three sisters glanced around, clearly confused.
They shifted slightly, sensing something was off but unsure of what.
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A faint purple film shimmered into view, wrapping itself around the girl and her partner like a protective shell, shielding them from what had come.
Seer opened his eyes slowly, gaze sharp but composed.
He looked to Jin Yu. “Friend, block your ears. That’s the Cradle cry”
Jin Yu didn’t even blink. “Oh.”
His voice was light, nonchalant, almost lazy.
A notification hovered in his vision, faint and quiet.
Ding!
Cradle Cry Rejected!.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The crying didn't stop, it only grew louder, more piercing.
Its effects were starting to show. The groups were struggling to hold on to focus. Their eyes grew distant, unfocused, as if caught in a trance. Hearts began to soften under the weight of that sorrowful wail, eyes stinging with unshed tears.
Something primal stirred within them, an instinct not born of logic or training, but of raw emotion. A need to protect, to comfort, to hold the unseen child and soothe its cries with gentle hands.
Aside from the couple, Seer, and Jin Yu, the others were beginning to break, slowly, but surely.
The white-robed lady bit down hard on her tongue, snapping herself back to clarity. Without hesitation, she reached out and clasped her sisters’ hands. The other two blinked, their dazed expressions sharpening as they refocused.
Together, they formed a circle, fingers intertwined.
In that instant, three halos shimmered into existence above their heads, white, black, and Red. Each cast a gentle glow that wrapped around them like a shield, clearing the fog in their minds and steadying the beat of their hearts.
The four-men group aren't idle either. The scholarly man calmly drove a long, needle-like object into the earth. Feeding it with his Qi, the device pulsed, releasing a wave of resonant sound that shimmered in the air like a ripple in water.
The cry, once pressing inward, began to push back, its force redirected toward the forest, as if trying to return the sorrow to its source.
Arms crossed and legs casually propped on the table, Jin Yu studied each group’s protective measures with quiet interest. His gaze swept over them, dissecting their defenses with effortless clarity, like a teacher reviewing amateur work.
Seer turned his head slowly and looked at him, his eyes glinting softly under the silver moonlight.
Jin Yu recognized that look in his eyes.
"What?" He asked.
Seer smiled creepily and spoke. "Should we just end them now?"
"Geez" Jin Yu replied with a weird face that seemed to asked: why are you so wicked?.
"Chill man, where's the fun if they die just like that" he replied, looking back at them.
Seer nodded seriously in agreement, as if he just realized something important. "That's true friend"
Jin Yu almost got a chill.
This guy must be a psychopath. I hope he doesn't influence me badly. So Scary.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Another deafening cry broke through the air, bringing up waves of air with it, the air dropped a few temperature while the wind whipped harsher.
The protective barrier of everyone shook for a moment, taking on the huge impact.
Jin Yu almost winced by the loud noise, even though he couldn't feel the real effects of the cry, it was still loud enough to ring in his head.
This bitch!.
He cursed under his breath, anger simmering inside him.
The cry came again.
WAAAAAAA–!
But Jin Yu didn't let it finish, he stood up, jabbed a finger in it's direction and cursed at it loudly.
"SHUT YOUR FUCKIN HOLE, YOU PROSTHETIC BITCH!, YOU FUCKING WANT TO CRY TO DEATH?!" His stretched finger trembled from uncontrolled rage. He continued. "I'll Hack Down Your Mother If You Open That Shithole You Call Mouth Again!"
Silence!
Deafening silence!
Everything froze. Everyone.
The cold air seemed to forget its chill.
The black shadow stilled, frozen in shock.
Even the restless wind fell silent, as if caught mid-breath.
For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then—
the cold faded.
The wind stilled.
The sorrowful cry vanished, as though it had never been.
For a moment.
But in the next moment, everyone's eyes widen in horror, they jerked to their feet, their heartbeat screaming danger, as if death itself had turned to look.
Even Jin Yu felt that he had poked an hornet nest as a torrent of dings came crashing into his ear.
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
DING!
(Emotion provoked: AURA OF CARNAGE)
"PROTECT YOUR SEA OF CONSCIOUSNESS!" The scholarly man screamed in horror.
