NovelChina Chapter 255: Silent Forest
Chapter 255: Silent Forest
Matthew walked at the front of the group. Just as they had discussed the night before, he had become their guide through the mountain.
According to him, he used to play in these forests often as a child and had even climbed the mountain once with his mother.
"My mother carried me part of the way," he said as he pushed aside a snow-covered branch.
"Not all the way to the peak, of course, but high enough that I could see Amber Village from above."
His voice was nearly swallowed by the howling wind. Without his heightened senses, Ulrich doubted he would have heard him at all.
The closer they climbed toward the summit, the harsher the wind became, screaming through the forest like something alive.
As if the mountain itself did not welcome visitors.
"But the weather wasn’t this bad back then," Matthew added quietly.
"Maybe because it’s winter," Andrew sighed as he adjusted the scarf around his neck.
"X hasn’t said a single thing since we arrived in Leuca. Maybe you were right, Ulrich. The crest probably isn’t here anymore."
Matthew suddenly slowed his steps. "Then... should we really keep climbing?"
"Of course." Ulrich’s tone remained calm despite the storm around them. "Don’t you hear it?"
Matthew looked back at him nervously.
"The wind has been calling us since we entered the village," Ulrich continued.
"Something is waiting on this mountain. Whether it wishes to welcome us or bury us beneath the snow is another matter entirely."
There was no fear in his voice. Only certainty.
Matthew hesitated for a moment before continuing uphill.
The mountain itself was not particularly difficult to climb. The terrain was surprisingly gentle compared to what Ulrich had expected, and the height was manageable even for inexperienced climbers. The forest around them was dense, but not dangerous.
That was precisely what made it unsettling, there were no animals.
No birds resting on branches or insects hidden beneath the snow. There weren’t any distant growls or rustling among the trees. From the moment they entered the forest, the mountain had felt completely devoid of life.
Only towering trees surrounded them, their twisted branches spreading overhead like enormous spider webs against the pale sky.
The only sounds came from the wind, the falling snow, and the crunch of boots pressing against the frozen ground.
"Anyway," Andrew suddenly spoke from the back, likely disturbed by the suffocating silence around them, "your family used to live here, right? Then how did you end up in an orphanage?"
Matthew kept his eyes forward. "They died when I was still young. I left this place the first chance I got."
"Was Isolde the one who found you?"
Matthew nodded slowly. "Yeah. She used to travel around the north searching for orphans to bring back to her orphanage."
Andrew snorted softly. "That doesn’t sound like her at all. Going this far into the middle of nowhere just to pick up children?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Maybe she knew something about this place. What do you think, Ulrich?"
"I cannot say for certain." Ulrich brushed snow from his shoulder as he walked.
"Even after all these years, that woman remains an enigma to me."
Their relationship had always been built on shared goals rather than trust. Isolde was intelligent, calculating, and far too careful to reveal unnecessary information. Hiding things even from her allies was simply part of her nature.
Still, something about the situation felt off.
’No... that conclusion does not fit her methods.’
Ulrich narrowed his eyes slightly.
If Isolde truly knew what was hidden inside this mountain, she would never have allowed them to come here blindly.
She was efficient to a fault. A woman who despised wasted time, wasted effort, and most importantly, unnecessary risks.
"Hm, maybe she was investigating the soldiers stationed here," Matthew murmured while thinking out loud.
"I remember she hid her eyes and never used the Velstrath name while she was here. So maybe she already suspected something was wrong..."
He frowned. "But it’s been over eighteen years. I don’t remember much anym..."
Matthew suddenly gasped and froze in place. The others immediately stopped behind him.
"What is it?" Andrew stepped forward before his voice slowly died in his throat.
In front of them stood statues, dozens of them.
Human figures covered entirely in layers of ice, scattered across the mountainside like remnants of a forgotten pilgrimage.
Some were kneeling in the snow. Others stood frozen mid-step with expressions twisted in grief, despair, or terror.
They were wearing the attire of Soldiers, villagers, men, women, children.
All of them faced the same direction toward the mountain peak. It looked as though they had all been desperately trying to reach something before death claimed them where they stood.
"Statues...?" Andrew murmured.
He stepped closer to one of them, a woman cradling a baby tightly against her chest, and lightly touched its shoulder.
Crack.
The frozen figure immediately tilted sideways before collapsing onto the ground with a dull, heavy crash. Its head broke away from the body and rolled across the snow.
Beneath the shattered ice were flesh and bone, perfectly preserved.
Matthew’s face turned pale. "They’re human!"
He immediately pulled the gun from his pocket while Andrew unsheathed his sword beside him, both preparing themselves for whatever nightmare awaited deeper within the mountain.
Meanwhile, Ulrich simply stared silently at the frozen corpses. Then his eyes slowly lifted toward the summit above them.
"Interesting," he murmured softly. "So this is where the villager disappeared."
They continued past the frozen bodies one after another.
The deeper they climbed, the heavier the atmosphere became. Even encased in ice, the corpses felt unnaturally alive.
Ulrich could sense it clearly, their eyes were following him.It was not simple paranoia either. The mountain itself was watching them through the dead.
Matthew suddenly stopped walking.
"I-I..."
Before anyone could react, he dropped to his knees in the snow and wrapped his arms around himself, trembling violently.
"I don’t think I can keep moving anymore," he whispered shakily. "That woman’s voice... it won’t stop. It feels like she’s speaking inside my head."
"Woman?" Andrew immediately crouched in front of him, gripping his shoulder. "What woman are you talking about?"
Matthew’s breathing became uneven. "I don’t know... I can’t see her... But she keeps crying. She won’t stop crying."
Ulrich watched the scene quietly. Andrew appeared far less affected despite standing in the same environment. Perhaps it was because X was lending him power.
Whatever influence controlled this place was clearly attacking their minds first, slipping into their thoughts through the howling wind surrounding the mountain.
Then suddenly, the mountain screamed.
"Aaaaarghhhhhhhhhhh!"
The wail of a woman echoed through the forest without warning.
It was so loud that everyone instinctively froze in place. The sound did not resemble a normal human cry. It was distorted, dragging endlessly across the mountain like thousands of grieving voices layered together into one unbearable scream.
Matthew covered his ears instantly. Andrew’s expression darkened as the hairs along his arms rose sharply beneath his coat. Even the surrounding wind seemed to tremble alongside the cry.
"The Crying Witch..."