After an hour of riding along the mountain path, they entered a stretch with barely any trees—just low shrubs at waist height—making it easy to navigate by moonlight. Suddenly, a small village near the lake came into view.

Cheong’s eyebrows furrowed sharply. This was undoubtedly a bad omen. In the harsh cold of the night, if they had a fire to warm themselves, even the smallest village would have smoke rising to signal its presence. However, the fact that the village appeared without any warning, not even a hint of smoke, was troubling.

She strode into the village, her lips …