Crow observed the egg until the moon came out. He did so because the more he sensed its change, the more he was sure there was a discordance between them. He’d learned enough from Ahote to know it meant the beast inside wasn’t compatible with him.

It wasn’t a negative thing, and with enough cajoling, he was sure it’d agree to bond. That wasn’t to say it didn’t have karmic connections to him. Which left him confused. It took an hour to realize it might have an affinity with one of his people. Thinking to that point, he didn’t bother with it further. It was something he’d address when the serpent hatched. He didn’t understand why he was connected to so many reptilian beings and wondered if it had anything to do with his bond with Nin.

Carrying on with his exploration, he completed another five stones before the moon set. The complexity of each puzzle grew at every stop until he was working through geometrical patterns that aligned with formations. Crow didn’t rush because it was an opportunity to learn. Essentially, the puzzles came down to positioning within a formation and discovering the right path to prevent mishaps. If he miscalculated, there was no telling what nasty surprise awaited him.

There were other messages but mostly hints about what he needed to do next. If he were to compare, the Shrines of Wistman’s Woods were a lot harder than these. Had he found this place first, it would have probably been a struggle, but he’d changed a lot during the years spent in that other dimension.

By the end of the second night, he also realized there weren’t many puzzles left. Probably only two since the stones have been circling around a central area. Each path looped out like the petal of a flower. If it followed the pattern of a powerful formation, then the core was somewhere in the middle, with twelve nodes surrounding it. Lily exited the Soulverse and rode with him on his shoulder. She was big enough now that her arm wrapped around his head and played with the ear on the opposite side. It was annoying and amusing, but the weird thing was she didn’t seem to be aware she was doing it.

Today, he rested with his back against the stone and looked up into the canopy. Light trickled down randomly as the wind blew some branches out of the way. It really was a peaceful place.

Screams broke the serene environment, followed by the roars of a mighty beast. It held enough power to shake Crow’s Soul. Both of them looked over in that direction but didn’t see anything. Cries for help continued, but the forest remained passive.

Lily turned his chin toward her and shook her head now.

“Why?”

She pointed at the stone he was leaning on and used her fingers to pretend she was walking away from it. Then her hands came together and broke apart as if snapping a twig. After a few seconds, she pointed at her eyes and ears and shook her head.

“Don’t trust my senses?”

Lily nodded.

Crow wasn’t sure what was happening out there was illusory because it didn’t feel fake. But he trusted Lily and realized if he left, it would break his connection with the Celtic Knot formation. That much he knew already, so he couldn’t just go gallivanting into the forest. He’d help when he could but wasn’t going to jump into other people’s troubles if he could avoid it. The concerning part was the beast and its attack. Anything that could master Soul attacks wasn’t an enemy Crow wanted to make.

Ignoring the desperation he heard out there, he tried to close his eyes to meditate. The sounds and attacks were too jarring, so he gave up after a time. Instead, he pulled out a wood block and entered his Soul Carving state. In this place, nothing could disturb his mind.

The block came alive under his touch, and his carving knife shaved off pieces that didn’t belong. Shaving after shaving fell to the ground as the thing within the block came alive. Night Fire entered it without realizing it—no, he realized it but couldn’t afford to switch his focus. The Soul’s energy depleted steadily while he remained in this state, so it was imperative to pull the shape out from within before solidifying the power within.

An hour passed, and his hands remained steady, but Lily watched over him. Soul Carving was his most exciting talent, at least in her mind. In some ways, the Scholarly Talent made no rational sense. Each carving held elements of time, karma, Night Fire, and Soul—but not his own. It captured the Soul Essence of whatever was carved. It was beautiful to watch, but it left her unsettled when he finished. She was probably the only one that noticed these things, even if people somewhat sensed it.

The problem she had now was the carving wasn’t a pleasant one. Fire flared up around a building, and the window held a faceless person—trapped. The flames were almost alive, meaning it wasn’t natural, but she didn’t know if they were from Night Fire or some other special type of flame. Crow slowed down at the three-hour mark, but only to add in many minor details. So many it was impossible to ignore, and because of that, she knew this was another premonition-type carving. The fear it exuded affected her, and she shivered just looking at it. This wasn’t the first time he carved what Crow called a negative Soul Carving—meaning it didn’t contain any benefits to turn it into a wearable ornament.

Once he finished, Crow expelled a long ragged breath.

“Is that someone we know?” Lily asked, not bothering to conserve her energy.

“No. I don’t recognize her Soul’s aura.”

“It’s a her?”

Crow scratched his head and nodded. He already knew what she was thinking and didn’t want to delve into it.

“Where is this place, and is that Night Fire?”

“I’m uncertain. A sliver of it went into the carving while I was working, which is why it’s black like that, but I just don’t know. This Scholarly Talent is too mysterious. For all I know, this woman is the one screaming earlier. Maybe the beasts set her place on fire.”

Either way, they both stared at the carving for a long time. It was the most detailed creation he’d made to date, and the entire thing was one of his largest, too. It was easily the size of a human’s head. The wooden flames around the building looked so natural and even gave off intense heat. Crow knew the event depicted hadn’t happened yet but could sense the Death Mana invading the creation. It was a sign that she’d already been marked for death, which meant it was unavoidable.

The Soul Carving wasn’t about her life or death, even if that was the primary focus. His karma wasn’t linked to the woman but to the house, which was a first for Crow.

“What is it?”

“She’ll die. Do you see anything odd about the house?”

“No… you aren’t going to try to save her?”

“I don’t believe I can. She’s marked for death which will happen soon. Her fate might have changed had I arrived here earlier. As it is, it’s impossible. The carving is related to the house, not the woman in it.”

“That’s kind of cold.”

“You know I’d have saved her if I could. But I don’t know her, have no idea where she is, and only know that she’ll die before the night is over. I can’t save everyone.”

“I know… I’m sorry. It’s just this carving is affecting me negatively.”

Crow put it away and nodded, not taking her comment to heart. In reality, it was the first time it introduced him to a scenario where he felt helpless. Even if he knew the focus of the carving wasn’t the woman, it didn’t make it any less disheartening. The moon was coming up, so it was time to move.