"Lan Zhan, do you smell that?" I ask.

"Yes." He says.

I look around. I'm not sure exactly what we're looking but we are here. I turn to the edge of the woods. There's this foul smell of blood and death. It's hard to describe the scent of death. It's coarse and chokes my lungs.

"There's a sickness here." Lan Zhan says.

"I know." I point at the woods.

It's old and sick. I can smell sickness and decay in the air. The woods, the leaves look crippling. The grass looks wilted. There's long moss dripping from the branches like beards. I look around. There were these pillars at the woods entrance. Frightening statues. I look at them. I run my hand over them. The stone was cracked. They looked like buddhas of some sorts but like warriors. Their faces were demons, however.

"These statues are they gods?" I ask.

"No." Lan Zhan says.

I look at him.

"What then?" I ask.

"Wardens. Their warning us about this place." Lan Zhan says.

"Giving me the chills." I say.

"We should not enter these woods." Lan Zhan says.

I look at the woods. There's something in there. Something I can't explain but I can see it. I run my hand over the leaves on the edge. There's this sound in my ears like ringing mixed with singing. 

"Wei Ying." Lan Zhan grabs my arm.

"Lan Zhan, let's go." I turn.