Tasmalin Province, situated in the southeastern corner of the Erian Empire, occupies one-fifth of the empire's total landmass. This ordinary province has nearly elevated itself to the status of a minor nation during the standoff between the underground city and the empire. Both its overall strength and its population—or rather, its "non-population"—have already surpassed one-fifth of the empire's total.
The southeastern corner of Tasmalin Province encompasses the vast Angaso Region, where the Angaso Mountains intertwine with the Angaso Forest, bordering the sea to the southeast. To the north lies the renowned city of Lake Rebe, serving as both the metropolis of Tasmalin Province and the economic and cultural hub of the region. After years of development, many areas now rival the capital city of the Erian Empire. As the birthplace of the underground city, the sparsely populated Angaso region has also flourished considerably compared to decades past, attracting numerous nature-loving non-human tribes to settle here.
Therefore, when anomalies began appearing in this area, many noticed.
Some heard strange sounds in the woods—like the flapping of enormous bats, punctuated by metallic clangs amidst the wingbeats. When the curious and daring followed the sounds, they witnessed a swarm of strange shadows vanishing into the forest in an instant, leaving behind an unpleasant, eerie cackle—like the low growls of a pack of hyenas.
Such occurrences repeated several times, transforming what might have been isolated illusions into rumors spreading through nearby towns. Witnesses were all ordinary folk, none able to provide concrete evidence. Idle professionals began investigating, but all returned empty-handed. The "Forest Noises" rumor flared up quickly and faded just as fast. Just as the buzz was dying down and adventurers were about to declare it another fabricated tale, a new incident occurred.
A mysterious-looking young woman suddenly convulsed in the town's liveliest tavern during its busiest hour. Screaming and wailing, she leapt onto a table, grabbed her hair, and began wailing, "They're coming! They're coming! They're coming!" Once all eyes were fixed on her, she rolled her eyes violently and collapsed backward.
Quick-thinking patrons prevented her from concussing herself on the floor. The patrons exchanged bewildered glances, then grew restless, each eager to approach the woman who seemed to have uncovered some secret. Had the tavern owner, Kong Youwu, not been physically imposing, the poor soul at the center of the crowd might well have been crushed beyond recovery.
Hundreds of years ago, such bizarre occurrences would have put seasoned adventurers on high alert, prompting them to proceed with extreme caution. A few decades ago, the openly deranged young woman would likely have been swiftly taken away by soldiers. But in present-day Tasmalin Province, where all manner of oddities existed and peace reigned under Magistrate Natasha's rule, people with no worries about basic sustenance found their hearts overgrown with idle curiosity. Each of them flocked to the novelty like bees to honey.
"I saw the souls of the unfortunate!" The medium stirred slowly amid the crowd's anticipation, letting out a sob before declaring in a melodramatic, drawn-out tone: "Ah, how dreadful! Souls of chaos and evil entwine the cursed land! Evil approaches!"
The young lady hinted at her lineage as a spiritualist family, half-revealing beneath her veil a bracelet encrusted with jewels—something mysterious yet seemingly powerful. Yet when pressed about the nature of this evil or the location of the cursed land, she would only shake her head tearfully, refusing to utter another word.
Soon after, the spirit medium retreated to her room, and by the next day, she had vanished without a trace. Despite this, some managed to extract further information from her.
The adventurers sprang into action.
In this climate of localized tension amid widespread peace, ordinary citizens, secure in their livelihoods, remained content to watch the spectacle unfold. Those newly minted professionals, however, were like teenagers brimming with excess energy. Many weren't skilled enough for official employment. Past the age for rigorous training, not driven to crime by hardship, and lacking the opportunity to carve out their own fiefdoms (where do you think the high-ranking professionals hired by the government went?), they could only register as amateur "adventurers" to get their fix.
The adventurer system spread from the Empire to Tasmalin. The smaller scale made management easier, so adventurers here were more orderly and peaceful. Compared to the high-end, sophisticated mercenaries, they were more like jack-of-all-trades, go-to guys for anything. Their daily commissions oscillate between "Catch that thief who stole my wallet and give him a beating" and "My cat got stuck up a tree—please rescue him." It's easy to imagine how thrilled these bored adventurers—who came seeking forest eeriness but were nearly leaving disappointed—must have been upon hearing about the spirit medium.
On the spirit medium's final night at the inn, countless warriors and rogues scaled her walls. When she packed her belongings and departed, yet more adventurers swarmed her path, demanding answers. Their numbers were so vast that no matter how discreetly the medium tried to move, she stood out like a beehive among chickens—impossible to miss. Thus, word spread like wildfire. This open secret circulated through whispered conversations.
...
"The medium says there are cursed souls down there!" whispered a worker who enjoyed a drink after shifts to his colleague.
"Really?"
"You bet. Adventurers have been asking about it lately. They say souls are rising from the ground. Who knows if it's true."
...
"Underground ruins have appeared in Angaso Forest! It's swarming with cursed souls—eyes this big! Tongues this long! Eek!" a factory worker exclaimed over dinner to his wife and daughter. "Of course it's true! Haven't you noticed all the adventurers heading there?"
...
"The adventurers are going to have a final showdown with the cursed souls in Angaso!" the little girl exclaimed, gesturing wildly. "Ancient ruins left behind hundreds of years ago are hidden in that empty, deserted forest! There are terrifying, terrifying things there! Everyone who's seen them has died!"
"Waaah!" (Several gasps of horror)
"But if everyone who saw them died, how did the news even spread?" another child questioned.
"Silly! What about orcs and dwarves? Humans died, but non-humans are still around!" The quick-witted little girl immediately covered her tracks. "I think it was the druids! Druids live in the forest—I know it! They're super powerful!"
...
"Druids discovered the ruins of an evil dungeon. Word is adventurers have already clashed in Angars Forest—even kids over there are talking about it," a bar patron told his new drinking buddy.
"An evil dungeon? Seriously?" replied the buddy, half his face covered in tattoos and wearing a skull necklace. " Our own boss has a 'Dungeon of Evil' right under his nose, and plenty of folks still live in it."
"I suppose dungeons come in evil and good varieties too," the young man who started the conversation shrugged. "It's all exaggerated rumors. Hardly anyone believes it. I was just looking for someone to chat with. Honestly, calling it an 'evil dungeon' sounds less relatable than 'some wicked witch's ruins.' Not many people even know about dungeons these days."
"Timothy dear, do you realize you're drinking with an evil witch?" The drinking buddy raised an eyebrow, pointing at himself. "I thought it was obvious."
"Uh, sorry. I thought you were an artist or a musician or something." Timothy said awkwardly. "I can still buy you a drink, right? I don't have any prejudice against evil. My boss is a black-robed... Does that make things worse?"
"It's heavy metal! Not out of tune! It's a new art form!" Behind them, a new-age bard with skull tattoos, long hair, and a shirt reading "Gods and Demons Are Dead" was being dragged out by the owner.
...
The news spread across the Angars region within a week, then swept through Tasmarin State within weeks. A contributor signing as "Abyss Researcher" published this piece in the Lake Rebe Weekly:
"Abnormalities Abound: Does This Signal the Abyss's Return?"
The headline alone was enough to grab attention.
The Celestial Realm and the Abyss had been banished for centuries. Among Erian's living beings today, none had truly encountered gods or demons. Yet through relentless propaganda over the years, the Abyss's shadow remains undiminished.
The Celestial Realm maintains far greater restraint than the Abyss. Gods rarely engage in conflict personally, and even when they do, it requires compelling justification. Religious wars orchestrated by deities invariably cloak themselves in noble causes, with most participants joining voluntarily, willingly viewing the gods as guiding lights. In this regard, their image far surpasses that of most demons. Even when treating creatures of the Material Plane as resources, wealth, or cannon fodder, the Celestial Realm maintained an image of radiant virtue. As story antagonists, they were far less fitting than the Abyss.
After all, few could pierce appearances to see the essence. Most in the world were ordinary folk, inevitably judging by outward appearances. Would you really want your story's hero to ultimately face a golden, radiant, flawless-winged celestial being? These crafted angels—even mass-produced versions—carry an innate beauty filter. Defeating them feels like shattering exquisite art. Even if you warn, "This thing holds a dreadful curse," ordinary folk can't help but feel regret.
Which is more compelling: slaying a radiant, beautiful angel or a foul-smelling, hideous monster? Which is more terrifying: a feathered serpent with a voice like heavenly music hissing at you, or a hellhound roaring in rage?
Thus, it is only natural that the Erian Empire's propaganda portrays the Abyss—not the Celestial Realm—as its primary adversary.
In history books and legends, Abyssal creatures are depicted as immensely powerful and terrifying. This serves to intimidate fools curious about the Abyss, glorify the ancestors' triumph over it, and justify the slaughter of the "Abyssal remnants." Many rumors were tacitly allowed to become exaggerated by the authorities. While this served the Empire's purposes exceptionally well, it also amounted to free publicity for the Abyss. Vigilance and fear toward the Abyss remain deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts to this day, making it almost an invincible enemy.
It doesn't matter, thought those who let events unfold this way. Since the Abyss has been utterly banished, what harm is there in painting the enemy as terrifying? It won't be returning anyway.
The Rebe Lake Weekly, which placed the article "Has the Abyss Returned?" on its front page, sold exceptionally well that day, quickly selling out.
The article cataloged recent anomalies in Angars Forest—from widespread shadows and eerie sounds to mediums witnessing malevolent spirits, down to minor yet ominous details. Snow falling out of season in certain areas, blood seeping from a dry well and a crumbling wall—these phenomena were compiled and compared to past records.
"These are not isolated occurrences. So many elements align perfectly with past descriptions of 'characteristics regions touched by the Abyss might exhibit.' The Abyss has been gone too long—can we truly rest easy? The heroes who once moved mountains and battled demons are gone. If the Abyss returns, do we still have the strength to fight it?"
This article stirred considerable unease.
The rumor was brought into the open for the first time. What had been jokes and gossip were dissected by experts, yielding terrifying conclusions. Laughter turned to tense whispers. Hot-headed adventurers no longer swarmed toward Angars Forest. The overheated atmosphere was doused with a bucket of cold water, cooling down temporarily.
However, it hadn't yet reached the point of mass panic.
Tasmalin State had numerous newspapers, and the government largely adopted a hands-off approach. Even the Lake Rebe Weekly, one of the state's most prominent publications that had printed the article, could hardly be called a government mouthpiece. It held a certain level of credibility, but that was all—its articles weren't necessarily the truth.
As calls grew for official clarification, the response remained: "Under investigation."
With silence from authorities, public discourse erupted. The day after the Rebe Lake Weekly sold out, every newspaper jumped on the story. Some reprinted excerpts, revealing more "Erian Forest Tales"; others maintained neutrality, cautiously noting the Abyss Researchers' claims lacked sufficient evidence. Within a week, Tasmalin's most renowned radio station, Tasmalin Voice, formally joined the discourse.
"In the silent forest, terrifying noises suddenly erupted. Witnesses heard clashing blades and saw shadows darting about, yet why did no one ever glimpse the source of the eerie sounds when they approached? Why did the medium suddenly faint in the tavern, uttering the ominous words 'They're coming'? What secrets lie hidden behind these words? Why did snowflakes as large as goose feathers suddenly fall from a clear sky, and could the legendary monster be glimpsed on the horizon? Blood seeps from an abandoned well—does it foretell unknown evil, or the return of a monster from ancient lore? Is this all a distortion of magic, or a whisper from the abyss? Tune in to "Approaching Erian"—The Mystery of the Forest's Strange Sounds!"
"Hello, listeners! I'm your longtime friend Lillian. It's 8 PM again, and welcome to this episode of Into Erian!" The host's sweet voice filled the airwaves. "Terrifying rumors about Angars Forest are swirling everywhere—on every street corner. Have you had enough of all the mysterious explanations? Tired of being plagued by unverified rumors? Don't worry! The Into Erian production team has arrived near Angars Forest today. We'll go right to the heart of the matter to uncover the real truth for you!"
"First, we interviewed the first eyewitness to this incident, Mr. John, a farmer from Antler Town. Half a month ago, one night, Mr. John got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. As he was heading back to bed, he heard strange sounds while passing the outskirts of Angars Forest. Mr. John, what kind of sound was it?"
"Like many shovels clanging together, like a flock of birds flapping wildly—it was terrifying!"
"Yes, terrifying noises echoed through the dead of night, and no one knew what they were! With great courage, Mr. John bravely ventured into the forest. He initially thought it might be a dragon cavalry passing nearby, but in reality, it wasn't a group of dragon riders—it was an unseen shadow unlike anything he'd ever encountered! Finding nothing, Mr. John had no choice but to return home and sleep. The next morning dawned bright and sunny, with birds singing and flowers blooming. He thought last night's events were just a nightmare, but then something unexpected happened..."
"The very next day, I knew something was wrong," the farmer's rough voice sounded eerily chilling at that moment. "My pigs stopped farrowing!"
This episode of "Journey into Erian" proved immensely popular, drawing crowds who lingered to listen. For forty minutes, they heard how the crew discovered strange shadows in the pigsty and eventually realized it was a bear. The crew concluded by bringing in a druid to take the bear away. The druid also examined Farmer John's pigs and concluded they had colds.
"The strange noises and dark shadows belong to a raging bear, but why would a bear that never approaches people suddenly turn violent? How do we explain the medium's words? This is far from simple!" Lillian declared in the final minute of the program. "The Into Erian crew will continue unraveling the mystery of the forest's strange noises in the next episode. Stay tuned!"
Due to its immense popularity, the series ran for a full eighteen episodes.
In subsequent episodes, the crew verified that the enraged brown bear's ferocity stemmed from hunger; the owners of the blood-seeping well and blood-seeping wall received fines, with Tasmalin Voice Radio solemnly stating that carelessly testing dyes in wells was an irresponsible act; An anonymous Echo Witch claimed responsibility for the unseasonal snowfall. Law enforcement revealed she faces fines up to XXXX yuan. The Lake Rebe Enforcement Department hereby warns all witches, mages, and druids: any large-scale, widespread weather-altering spells must be registered with the Tasmalin State Spellcasters' Management Association beforehand. Apprentices must cast spells under mentor supervision...
In the program's final episode, police arrested a certain Miss who claimed to be a medium. After her capture, Miss admitted that by posing as a medium, she sold "secret prophecies" and obtained substantial sums in "information fees" from several groups of adventurers by randomly pointing out locations.
"Who could possibly be fooled by this getup?" " remarked Medusa, the program's spellcaster consultant. "That bracelet is gold-plated, the gems are glass—barely passable as a fortune-teller's trinkets. And that veil? Who was she trying to fool? Good for you for not claiming to be a witch. If you had, we'd have made you run naked around Lake Rebe and cry apologies to every witch in sight."
"I was just trying to boost tourism in Antler Town..." the young lady muttered weakly.
Given this young lady's significant defamation of the spellcaster community, the Tasmalin State Spellcaster Association reserves the right to pursue further legal action against her.
The show began amid tense atmosphere and concluded in a cheerful mood. By the conclusion of Episode 18, public opinion had shifted from supporting the Abyss Researcher to mocking and opposing him.
Some began systematically refuting his theories point by point, pointing out that attributing drunken brawls to "benevolent creatures growing restless," attributing brown bears raiding farm pigsties due to hunger to "neutral creatures becoming aggressive and violent," and summarizing the chaos and rising crime rates caused by the influx of adventurers as "chaotic evil creatures invading the region" were not only laughable but irresponsibly misleading. The Abyss Researcher's theories quickly became a laughingstock, prompting the Lake Rebe Weekly to issue a public statement clarifying that the published article did not represent the publication's stance.
The forest eerie sound incidents in the Angars region did not subside as a result; instead, the fervor grew with each passing day. The fervor raged not only within the state of Tasmarin but also spread to other parts of Erian. The Erian Empire had been closely monitoring developments in Tasmalin Province. Despite gradually easing tensions, the Empire wouldn't pass up an opportunity to mock the dungeon's absurdity.
Amid this fervor, discussions grew more intense and widespread.
What Is the Abyss? — True Abyss Scholars Reveal Its Mysteries Is the Demon Calamity Truly That Terrifying? — The Truth Behind Major Battles Distorted by Political Propaganda Restoring the True Anti-Demon Heroes: The Real Individuals Behind the Exaggerated Propaganda The Abyss Isn't Terrifying: How to Deal with It — The Complete Guide to Known Monsters (Author: The Genuine Abyss Researcher Mage, Heir of the Cretaceous Academy, the Honorable Mage Webster. Note: Hardcover edition coming next spring. Top 10 pre-orders receive the author's "Touch My Book and Die" cursed signature) If I Were Five Hundred Years Ago — A fantasy novel narrated by the renowned mage Edwin, polished and revised by rising author Fire King. Possibly the best story of the year. Tales of Heaven and the Abyss: The Love and Hate You Never Knew (Subtitle: A Few Tales of My Great-Great-Grandfather, the Holy Maiden, and the Succubus Queen)..." Might be a bit too broad.
The tense atmosphere gradually lightened, and amidst this cheerful mood, the official announcement finally arrived.
Confirmed: Abyssal presence detected in Angars Forest.