Grey mist stands upright among the dark hills. Wind stirs the grass and branches; the mist holds its yellow light. A great hall lies open within it. The masked figure steps off mountain rock into the mist. The next footfall lands on the hall's stone floor, and the wind falls silent behind.
Black Husk Soldiers fill the hall in ranks, leaving a broad lane from the opening. To either side, the formations vanish into darkness; beyond them, shell follows shell, with no last row in sight. Light from the Tower fades from the mask's fangs. Ash from inside the Tower still clings to the light Wei armour, and lightning lingers along the blade at the figure's back.
Cold mist lies low in the Nether Realm, spilling across fractures in the floor. The air smells of iron. Before the stele, three Rock Guai stand abreast. Their broad shoulders obscure only a small patch of its lower face; on either side, stone extends into darkness. Yellow light climbs the stele and dims halfway up. Its summit is lost far overhead.
The fox captain crouches before it, tail pressed to the floor. The masked figure comes to a halt beside the fox.
‘I beg to report… a mortal girl. Her human scent—I can't place it. Not from the Central Plains.’
The fox glances up at the stele, then lowers its head.
‘She copied my commands. A human-shaped Celestial Relic woke inside the Tower. We held the side door. Every soldier stayed. There were stone creatures outside as well…’
Its eyes stray towards the mask.
‘But… but she fooled them again. With a false command. Just one moment, and they flew out.’
The masked figure does not turn.
‘Then the Tower lit up?’
‘Yes. We followed them outside. They were already out of sight.’
‘Her scent?’
‘I remember it! I remember! If we reach somewhere she's been, and it's still fresh, I can track her.’
The fox falls silent. Yellow light turns towards the masked figure. A low rumble rises from the stele and shudders through the floor. Weapons knock together among the ranks of Black Husk Soldiers. The Rock Guai shift their feet to brace themselves. The masked figure remains motionless.
‘Princess of Yue. A relic wakes. The Tower shines. A celestial being may have descended. Find out who she is. The court has seen that light. It must see nothing more.’
The masked figure presses the mechanism behind the head and lifts off the mask, revealing a young woman's face. She lets the mask hang at her side.
‘I will find her.’
She turns towards the side of the hall.
‘Fox, lead the way. Split the search near the Tower. Follow her scent.’
As the fox rises, she addresses the rear ranks.
‘Begin what we originally planned.’
Hundreds of Black Husk Soldiers leave the formation and disappear into the darkness beside the hall. She draws a poison arrow gleaming azure-green and checks its point.
‘Sayaka. It is not time for that arrow.’
Beside her, the fox stops with one forepaw raised. Yellow light falls on the arrowhead. She returns the arrow to her belt. ‘Find the one who fell from the sky. Before the court's men reach that light.’
At the opening, she covers her face again. The mechanism clicks shut. No answer comes from the hall. She steps through the mist, and the fox captain follows.
Several fox spirits come after it. Black Husk Soldiers pour out, followed by the three Rock Guai, one after another, their tread jolting loose stones from the ground. The army is still emerging when she takes her place at its head.
Wind brushes her armour again. Behind her, the stone creatures' shoulders block the yellow light from the opening.
High above, one last thread of light is fading.
The fanged mask turns towards the Celestial Tower.
‘If she is a Celestial Princess, I will see that she stays asleep.’