The air smelled of damp wood and fresh moss as the first rays of sunlight timidly pierced the dense canopy of the forest.

  The morning was cool, still—

  a deceptive calm that lay heavy over the land.

  While the world slowly crept out of darkness,

  men were already on the move.

  The March to Edo At the daimyo’s fortified residence, a hive of activity buzzed.

  Armor clinked.

  Swords were sharpened.

  Horses snorted restlessly in their stalls.

  The men preparing to leave were not mere soldiers.

  They were seasoned warriors—

  men who knew that sometimes a rumor could ignite more chaos than an army.

  Their leader, a tall man with a stern face, spoke quietly with an advisor.

  "If what these men claim is true..." the captain began.

  "Then it’s dangerous," the advisor finished flatly.

  The captain gave a curt nod.

  "We’ll find out what happened. And if it’s only superstition..."

  His gaze darkened.

  "We’ll stamp it out at the root."

  One soldier tightened the reins of his horse, glancing nervously at the captain.

  "And if it’s true?" he asked quietly.

  The captain looked at him calmly, without hesitation.

  "Then we kill it."

  A sharp command rang out across the courtyard:

  "Mount up!"

  The troop moved—

  hard, silent, purposeful.

  Their destination was clear:

  Edo.

  The Shrine and the Prayer High above on the shrine’s hill, Miko walked slowly across the paved courtyard.

  The dawn cast the sanctuary in a soft, golden glow,

  but for her, the silence felt heavy.

  Since that night, something had changed.

  Her steps were more cautious.

  Her gaze drifted more often to the surrounding woods,

  as if waiting for an invisible sign.

  Something inside her had awakened—

  a blend of fear and curiosity.

  She thought of the figure that had revealed itself to her—

  the glowing eyes,

  the silent power that had filled the shrine grounds.

  Yes, she had been afraid.

  But not the fear of a monster.

  It had been awe—

  the kind that seizes you when you stand before something greater than understanding itself.

  With trembling fingers, she placed a fresh offering on Amaterasu’s altar—

  a small rice cake, humble but heartfelt.

  "Please," she whispered,

  "if you are truly a goddess... show me who you are."

  The Watcher in the Trees From the shelter of the trees, Tessa sat perched on a branch,

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  arms casually folded across her chest.

  She had been watching Miko for a while now.

  She saw how Miko glanced around anxiously.

  How her hands nervously twisted the fabric of her robe.

  How uncertainty practically radiated from her.

  An amused smile tugged at Tessa’s lips.

  "She’s still thinking about me," she murmured.

  Mike sighed in her mind.

  "Of course she is. You turned her entire worldview upside down."

  Tessa chuckled and swung her legs lazily.

  A part of her was tempted to reveal herself again—

  maybe softer this time.

  Maybe she could—

  But then Mike’s voice cut in sharply:

  "Hold up."

  His tone turned thoughtful.

  "Tessa... have you actually thought about what language you're speaking?"

  Tessa frowned.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well... I understand you. I understand Miko. But... if I tried talking to her directly, do you think she’d understand me?"

  Tessa snorted.

  "Of course. We’re in Japan. So we’re speaking Japanese."

  Mike cleared his throat and tried a few words:

  "Watashi wa..."

  He stumbled.

  The words sounded stiff, unnatural—

  like a flute played by a drunk ferret.

  "Damn," he muttered.

  "I understand Japanese... but I can’t really speak it."

  Tessa blinked.

  That didn’t make sense.

  "But... we talk all the time..."

  "Yeah," Mike said.

  "Because you’re speaking a different language."

  Slowly, realization dawned on Tessa.

  The language she had been using since her awakening—

  wasn’t Japanese.

  It was the constructed language from Conan Exiles—

  a fantasy hybrid Mike had created for the game.

  A language no one in this world could possibly understand.

  Tessa let the realization settle over her.

  And then she started to grin—

  slowly, widely, dangerously.

  "Mike... this is interesting."

  Mike groaned.

  "Oh no. I know that tone. That’s your 'I-have-a-dangerous-idea' voice."

  Tessa licked her lips playfully.

  "Just imagine it. A being who speaks in a language no mortal can comprehend..."

  Mike sighed in defeat.

  "Let me guess. It’s now your divine language."

  Tessa laughed softly, almost tenderly.

  "Why not? If they already think I’m a goddess... I might as well embrace it fully."

  Her gaze drifted back down to the shrine,

  where Miko still knelt before the altar, hands folded, forehead bowed in silent prayer.

  "I could go to her," Tessa whispered.

  "Speak to her. But she wouldn’t understand a single word."

  She leaned back against the trunk,

  her green eyes gleaming in the first morning light.

  "And what people don't understand... they either fear.

  Or they worship."

  Mike snorted quietly.

  "You’re terrifying."

  Tessa grinned.

  "Only when I want to be."

  Her gaze swept out across the endless forests stretching to the horizon.

  Soon, she would reveal herself.

  But not as a mortal.

  As something far greater.

  End of Chapter 26