Chapter 4: Traces of the Wind

The mudslide swept down like a roaring beast.

Sylas ignored Nicole's rejection, scooping her into his arms and desperately rolling to the side. Massive rocks crashed where they had just stood, splashing mud several meters high.

Mud, stones, broken branches... everything tumbled in wild chaos. Nicole felt herself thrown into the air, then crashing down heavily.

The fragile cliff edge soil couldn't withstand the impact and began to collapse.

Nicole felt emptiness beneath her as she plummeted toward the cliff.

She desperately reached out to grab something, her nails leaving bloody streaks on the rock wall. At the critical moment, her fingers caught hold of a ledge rock.

"Senior brother!" she shouted downward.

Sylas hung less than half a meter below her, his left hand desperately gripping a protruding chunk of earth, his right arm clearly dislocated. Blood flowed down the fur on his forehead as his claws trembled, slipping from the wet mud.

In that critical moment, Nicole grabbed his hand.

"Nicole... let go... you'll be dragged down with me..." Sylas said weakly.

"I won't!" Nicole gritted her teeth, "I haven't forgiven you yet! You're not allowed to die!"

"Hold on!" She used all her strength trying to pull him up.

But her shoulder wound tore with pain, blood soaking through her clothes. Her strength was rapidly fading.

"Nicole... let me go..." Sylas looked at her in anguish, "You can't save me... don't sacrifice yourself for me..."

"I won't listen!" Nicole's voice carried tears, "I won't let you go!"

But her fingers began to slip, her body sliding toward the cliff edge.

"Listen to me..." Tears flowed from Sylas's eyes, "I couldn't protect everyone. We can't fight against them. I could only use them to trade for the person I care about!"

"Senior brother..." Nicole's voice trembled.

"I was wrong... I hurt those innocent creatures... I don't deserve forgiveness..." Sylas shook his head in pain, "But Nicole... please forgive me... please live on..."

Wind blew across the cliff, lifting fallen leaves that danced between them.

Sylas watched those drifting leaves and suddenly showed a bitter smile:

"Falling leaves drift not by the tree's will, but as traces of the wind."

"Senior brother, don't..." Nicole felt his hand loosening.

"I'm sorry... Nicole..." Sylas looked at her one last time, "Take care of yourself..."

He let go.

Nicole cried out in anguish.

Without Sylas's weight, she should have been able to climb up. But grief and blood loss made her lose all strength.

Her fingers slipped from the rock.

The world spun. Wind howled in her ears.

Just as she was about to hit the valley floor, a powerful air current caught her. Massive eagle talons gently grasped her clothing, carrying her skyward.

Time passed—she didn't know how long.

Nicole's consciousness drifted in darkness. She felt herself being gently placed somewhere, surrounded by the babbling of flowing water and birds chirping.

Her body ached, each wound reminding her of the recent nightmare. But her heart hurt more—her senior brother had left forever.

Slowly, she felt something warm licking her wounds. She opened her eyes with difficulty and found a small deer using its pink tongue to clean the scrapes on her arm.

She lay beside a clear pool. Gentle afternoon sunlight filtered through dense leaves, dancing golden sparkles on the water's surface. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers and the sweetness of Forest Ripples.

She was surrounded by various small animals—squirrels sat on stones holding fruits, rabbits stood alert with ears perked, colorful butterflies danced among flowers, and even the birds in the trees perched quietly. Their eyes were all filled with concern.

Nicole struggled to sit up, using the pool water to wash the mud and blood from her face. The cool water helped her regain some clarity.

"Senior brother..." she murmured, tears beginning to flow again.

She clasped her hands together and began praying for the deceased:

"May Forest Mother bless your souls... Miller, little deer, and senior brother... please rest in peace in heaven..."

Tears dropped onto the water's surface, creating ripples. Each circle carried her inner guilt and pain.

"It's all Nicole's fault... if Nicole were stronger..." she choked out.

Those invisible life energies were drawn by her sincerity and pain, slowly gathering around her.

Just then, she heard a tiny voice:

"Sister... don't cry..."

Nicole froze. She turned her head and saw a small mole poking its head from the earth, looking at her with bead-like black eyes.

"Are... are you talking to me?" Nicole wiped her tears in disbelief.

"Sister saved many friends..." the mole said, its voice unusually clear in her mind, "Although some... but many more survived..."

Nicole was shocked to discover she could actually understand the little mole's words. Not only that, the "voices" of all surrounding creatures were reaching her—

The birds by the pool chirped comfortingly: "Sister's heart is warm, the forest likes sister..."

Butterflies gently brushed her cheek, their wing vibrations conveying tender messages: "Sadness will pass, just like flowers bloom again after withering..."

Even insects in the grass conveyed small but firm support: "We all felt sister's kindness..."

"What... what's happening?" Nicole murmured, her eyes filled with wonder.

A colorful butterfly landed on her shoulder, "Sister cried for friends, prayed for friends... the forest saw sister's heart... the forest gave sister a gift..."

Nicole felt something awakening within her. Forest Ripples were no longer mysterious forces she couldn't sense, but flowed through her veins like blood. She could perceive each tree's life pulse, each flower's joy, each small insect's busyness.

This wonderful feeling made her temporarily forget her pain.

But soon, tremors pulled her back to reality.

Just then, a massive brown bear slowly emerged from the forest depths. Its fur gleamed bronze-gold in the sunlight. Though huge in size, its steps were gentle, its eyes kind.

Nicole instinctively wanted to retreat, but found she wasn't afraid at all.

"Little nun..." the bear spoke in low, gentle tones, "you need to go home..."

"Home?" Nicole looked at it.

"Your companions are waiting for you..." the bear said, "The monastery needs you... danger is approaching..."

Nicole thought of her other brothers and sisters at the monastery and immediately struggled to stand up.

"Please take me back!" she said firmly. Though her body was still weak, determination blazed in her eyes.

The brown bear gently lay down, Forest Ripples caressing her wounds, and the pain in her shoulder lessened considerably. She carefully climbed onto the bear's back. Its fur was surprisingly soft and warm, giving her weary body rest.

Along the way, birds constantly reported unusual situations around the monastery—strangers lurking nearby, strange scents, even the usually active small animals becoming cautious.

When the monastery's spire appeared in view, Nicole climbed down from the bear's back.

"Thank you all..." she said to all the animals who had helped her, her voice full of gratitude.

She stumbled toward the gate, but the bird messengers who usually welcomed visitors were nowhere to be seen. The entire monastery seemed unusually quiet—an unsettling kind of quiet.

At that moment, in the priest's office—

The priest knelt prostrate on the ground, his face full of terror. His monk's robe was soaked with sweat, his hands trembling constantly.

A man in a black trench coat sat leisurely in the chair, legs crossed, his shoe heel swinging in the air like a hammer tapping the priest's head. He held a cigarette between his lips. Smoke curled through the room, obscuring his features—only a pair of cold eyes could be seen glittering through the haze.

"Father..." the man slowly exhaled smoke rings, his voice carrying undeniable menace, "our cooperation isn't over yet..."