The night was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Moonlight covered the kingdom like a silver blanket. Villages slept quietly. rchants rested after a long day. Noble estates were silent. Even the palace, usually alive with guards and servants, had settled into stillness.
The world seed asleep.
But not everyone was sleeping.
---
Inside a secluded courtyard deep within the palace—
Shin Gu’s chamber remained illuminated.
A single candle burned on a dark wooden table.
The curtains were tightly closed.
The doors locked.
Strange symbols had been drawn across the floor using red ink.
Bowls filled with black liquid surrounded the symbols.
The air felt heavy.
Unnatural.
Shin Gu sat in the center of the formation.
Her eyes closed.
Her hands ford strange seals.
Dark energy slowly moved through the room like black mist.
The candle flas flickered violently.
The temperature dropped.
Even the shadows on the walls seed alive.
Shin Gu’s expression was calm.
Focused.
Determined.
She muttered ancient words under her breath.
Words forgotten by most of the kingdom.
Words that should never have been spoken.
The formation beneath her began glowing faintly.
The black liquid inside the bowls trembled.
Then—
One bowl shattered.
Crack.
Shin Gu’s eyes snapped open.
Sothing was wrong.
Very wrong.
---
At the sa mont—
Far above the palace.
Far beyond the capital.
A terrifying sound echoed across the heavens.
A woman’s cry.
A cry filled with grief.
Pain.
Sorrow.
Rage.
The sound was so loud that it seed to co from everywhere at once.
From the sky.
From the earth.
From the mountains.
From the rivers.
From the darkness itself.
"Aaaaaahhhhhhh—!"
The cry swept across the kingdom.
---
In a small village hundreds of miles away—
Families woke instantly.
Children began crying.
Dogs barked wildly.
Old people trembled in fear.
"What was that?"
"Did you hear it?"
"Where did it co from?"
Nobody knew.
---
In the capital city—
rchants jumped from their beds.
Noble families lit lanterns.
Guards rushed into the streets.
People opened windows and looked toward the dark sky.
The crying continued.
Long.
Heartbreaking.
Terrifying.
Many felt tears forming in their eyes without understanding why.
---
At the Duke Residence—
The entire household woke.
The Duke imdiately sat upright.
His expression turned serious.
The Duchess clutched her chest.
"What is that sound?"
Lian Hua buried herself under her blanket.
"I don’t like it!"
Lian Rou rushed toward the window.
The sound felt wrong.
As if sothing ancient was mourning.
---
Inside the palace—
Chaos erupted.
Servants scread.
Maids ran through corridors.
Even experienced guards looked frightened.
The crying woman’s voice seed to penetrate every wall.
Every room.
Every heart.
---
In the Emperor’s temporary chamber—
The Emperor’s eyes opened instantly.
Years of training had taught him to wake at the slightest danger.
His hand imdiately reached for his sword.
The cry echoed again.
His expression darkened.
"What is happening?"
He stood and moved toward the window.
The entire palace was awake.
Lanterns lit one after another.
People were panicking.
---
anwhile—
Inside the Empress’s chamber.
The Empress suddenly sat upright in bed.
Her heart was pounding.
The cry filled her ears.
A chill ran down her spine.
Beside her, the Emperor imdiately turned toward her.
"Are you alright?"
Before she could answer—
The crying ca again.
Louder.
Closer.
The windows rattled.
The candle flas shook.
The Empress felt goosebumps cover her skin.
For the first ti in a long while—
She felt afraid.
Not because of an enemy she could see.
But because of sothing she couldn’t understand.
---
Then sothing even stranger happened.
The three ghosts attached to her appeared instantly.
Usually they entered dramatically.
Argued.
Complained.
Made jokes.
Not tonight.
Tonight—
All three looked terrified.
The female ghost’s face was pale.
The scholar ghost was trembling.
Even the ghost general, who never showed fear, looked shaken.
The Empress stared.
"...What’s wrong with you?"
The female ghost slowly looked toward the window.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I know that cry..."
The scholar ghost imdiately shook his head.
"No."
"No."
"No."
The general’s jaw tightened.
"That’s impossible."
The Empress felt her stomach sink.
"What is it?"
None of them answered imdiately.
The crying echoed once more.
Longer this ti.
More painful.
More furious.
The female ghost covered her ears.
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"She shouldn’t be here..."
The Empress’s heart skipped.
"Who?"
The female ghost looked directly at her.
And for the first ti since they t—
The ghost seed genuinely frightened.
"Sothing ancient has awakened."
Silence filled the room.
Even the Emperor could feel the tension.
The crying continued sowhere beyond the darkness.
Beyond the palace.
Beyond the kingdom.
As though a forgotten existence had opened its eyes.
And whatever it was—
It was coming closer.
The female ghost whispered shakily,
"This isn’t dark magic anymore..."
The scholar ghost swallowed hard.
"This is much worse."
Outside—
The crying voice echoed again.
And across the entire kingdom—
No one slept for the rest of the night.
The terrifying crying voice continued to echo across the kingdom.
It no longer sounded as loud as before, but it was still there.
A distant sorrowful cry.
Like a woman mourning sothing she had lost.
Or perhaps—
Soone she wanted back.
---
The palace was in complete chaos.
Servants ran through corridors carrying lanterns.
Guards searched every corner.
Nobles who had been sleeping were now fully awake.
Nobody dared return to bed.
---
Near the palace lake—
A large group had gathered.
The moon reflected on the water’s surface.
The lake looked calm.
Peaceful.
As though nothing had happened.
Yet everyone present felt uneasy.
Very uneasy.
---
The Emperor stood at the front.
Beside him stood the Empress.
Princess Zhi.
Prince Liang.
The Dowager Empress.
Lady Chen.
Several palace guards.
And a group of trusted servants.
---
The Emperor’s expression was cold.
"Report."
A guard imdiately knelt.
"Your Majesty, we searched the eastern gardens."
"Nothing found."
Another guard stepped forward.
"We searched the palace walls."
"Nothing unusual."
A third guard bowed.
"The western courtyard is clear."
"No signs of intruders."
---
The Emperor frowned.
How could sothing that shook the entire kingdom leave no trace?
It made no sense.
---
Princess Zhi hugged her arms.
The night air suddenly felt colder.
"I don’t like this."
Her voice was quiet.
The Empress nodded.
Neither did she.
---
The three ghosts hovered behind her.
Usually noisy.
Usually arguing.
Now silent.
Watching the darkness nervously.
---
Prince Liang looked around the lake.
"We’ve searched everywhere."
"The crying doesn’t seem to be coming from inside the palace."
---
The Dowager Empress narrowed her eyes.
"Then where is it coming from?"
No one had an answer.
---
Another sorrowful cry echoed through the night.
Long.
Heartbreaking.
The servants imdiately trembled.
Several maids burst into tears.
Even though they didn’t know why.
The sound itself carried grief.
---
Lady Chen took a nervous step closer to Shin Gu’s usual direction before stopping herself.
Her heart was beating rapidly.
She hated this feeling.
This uncertainty.
This fear.
---
The Emperor looked toward the dark sky.
Sothing was happening.
Sothing beyond politics.
Beyond ordinary conspiracies.
And he hated not knowing what it was.
---
Then—
The Empress suddenly spoke.
"We need to contact the monk."
Everyone turned toward her.
---
The Emperor imdiately understood.
The monk who had previously helped them.
The one who understood spirits.
Dark arts.
Ancient legends.
Things ordinary people couldn’t explain.
---
Princess Zhi nodded instantly.
"She’s right."
"If anyone knows what’s happening, it’s him."
---
Prince Liang agreed.
"We’re dealing with sothing beyond our understanding."
---
The Dowager Empress was silent for a mont.
Then she nodded slowly.
"Very well."
---
The Emperor looked around the group.
"At dawn, we will visit the temple."
Everyone agreed.
---
The crying echoed again.
This ti softer.
Further away.
---
The Dowager Empress studied the lake quietly.
Then she sighed.
The sound surprised many people.
She rarely showed exhaustion.
---
"Enough."
Her voice carried authority.
Everyone beca silent.
---
"We’ve searched the palace."
"We found nothing."
"The monk can be consulted tomorrow."
She looked toward the dark horizon.
"Whatever this thing is..."
"It has not attacked anyone."
---
The servants exchanged nervous looks.
---
The Dowager Empress continued.
"If it wished to harm us..."
"It likely would have done so already."
---
The Emperor didn’t entirely agree.
But he understood her point.
There was little else they could do tonight.
---
Princess Zhi shivered.
"I still won’t sleep."
---
Prince Liang laughed weakly.
"I don’t think anyone will."
---
Even the Emperor almost smiled.
Almost.
---
The Empress looked toward the lake.
Its reflection seed strangely distorted for a brief mont.
Then normal again.
Perhaps it was her imagination.
Or perhaps not.
---
Behind her—
The female ghost stared at the water.
Her expression pale.
The scholar ghost looked equally disturbed.
The general ghost’s jaw tightened.
---
The Empress quietly asked,
"Do you know sothing?"
---
The female ghost swallowed.
"We’re not sure."
---
The scholar ghost spoke.
"But if we’re right..."
He didn’t finish.
---
The general ghost finally said,
"Then tomorrow’s visit to the monk is very important."
---
The Empress frowned.
That wasn’t reassuring.
Not at all.
---
The Dowager Empress finally raised her hand.
"Everyone return to your chambers."
"Get what rest you can."
"Tomorrow will be difficult."
---
Nobody argued.
They were exhausted.
Confused.
And frightened.
---
One by one—
People began leaving.
Lanterns disappeared into the darkness.
Guards resud patrols.
Servants hurried away.
---
Soon only the sound of the wind remained.
---
Far above the palace—
Clouds drifted across the moon.
Covering it briefly.
---
And sowhere beyond the kingdom—
Sowhere hidden in darkness—
The crying woman continued to weep.
Waiting.
Watching.
For sothing.
Or soone.
To find her.
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