As Kaelen reached the 10,000-foot mark, the Rar' began to speak. The wind didn't howl; it vibrated, humming a low, rhythmic frequency that settled in his marrow. Then, the shadows began to move independently of the light.

"You bring the scent of the heavy air," the Dienegdfg spoke, its voice sounding like grinding tectonic plates.

A figure emerged from the rock face itself, its body shimmering like oil on water. It had no fixed shape—one moment a tall, spindly hunter, the next a swirling mass of starlight and smoke.

"I bring the heart of a brother," Kaelen replied, gasping for breath. "I come for the Weaver."

The creature tilted its head, its form stabilizing into a mockery of a human face. "The Rar' does not give back what it has claimed. But it does offer a trade. To see her, you must become like us. You must shed the weight of your blood and the density of your memories."

The Rar' was not a normal mountain; it was a jagged spine of obsidian and frozen vapor that defied the gravity of the lowlands. For centuries, the nomadic tribes of the valleys believed that the summit was a gateway to another realm—a place where the "Dienegdfg," or the Ever-Shifting Ones , resided.

The valley below never saw Kaelen again, but from 그날 forward, the clouds over the Rar' moved with a strange, purposeful grace, as if two spirits were dancing within the mist.