It’s hard to imagine that deep within the primeval forest, there could be such a complex of buildings. Even though they have been reduced to ruins for hundreds or even thousands of years, from these remnants—none of which rise more than two meters above the ground—William Carter could still roughly guess at the former splendor of these structures: the vast flat or domed ceilings, the massive stone columns with diameters exceeding two meters. The buildings that required such columns for support must have been unimaginably tall. On the outskirts, William Carter discovered half of a weathered stone statue’s face, its features now unrecognizable. He speculated that this might be the remains of some ancient temple or similar structure. It was astonishing that civilization here had reached such heights so many years ago; he wondered what the world outside the forest was like now.

Thousands of gray wolves had already arrived one after another in this clearing, densely packed together. The wolves wandered quietly across the open ground. At the very center, atop a small earthen mound more than two meters high, Storm and Angus squatted, surveying the tribe below like chairmen presiding over a meeting. Little Grace, excited, pulled William Carter over to the central mound, and only then did William Carter notice that there was a door here.

After so many long years, the door had also become a ruin. In its prime, it surely looked nothing like it did now. Even though the surrounding beams and columns had collapsed, there still remained a pitch-black entrance over two meters high—wide enough for several people to walk through side by side. A mostly crumbled staircase twisted and slanted down into the earth.

There’s something underground!

The moment he saw the opening, William Carter immediately sensed it. The reason Little Grace had so eagerly dragged him here was to show him whatever was down below!

Realizing this, he instantly wanted to go outside and gather some branches to make a torch and explore properly. But at the same time, he was a bit worried about the wolves’ reaction. They treated this place as a sacred ground—would they object to his actions? However, Little Grace quickly dispelled his doubts, because before William Carter could decide, Little Grace took his hand and, as if she’d done it countless times, led him straight into the pitch-black entrance.

They continued to grope their way downward. Unlike the forest above, there was no moonlight or fireflies to light the way. After descending just a few flights of stairs, everything became pitch black. With Little Grace’s careful support, they made their way down step by step.

Little Grace seemed very familiar with the environment here. Under her guidance, after descending about fifty steps, William Carter noticed that things ahead were starting to become visible. A faint glow was seeping from up ahead. Before long, they finally reached the bottom.

It was an underground hall of unknown height and size. Soft light emanated from the front, illuminating piles of scattered stones and moss covering the ground. Led by Little Grace, William Carter walked forward. The silvery glow was coming from behind a tall pile of ruins ahead, currently blocked from view, like stage lights leaking from behind a curtain.

The pile of stones was about four meters high. The two of them climbed up and saw the wondrous sight behind it.

It was a huge egg-shaped object, glowing with a gentle silvery light, standing over two meters tall. Its surface was covered with short, crystal-clear tendrils that floated in the air like living things. Little Grace tugged at William Carter, then happily dashed down and dove straight into the giant egg.

The egg was clearly as elastic as a sponge. When Little Grace crashed into it, it dented inward and then toppled to one side. Little Grace didn’t seem surprised at all. Instead, she naturally grabbed onto the fuzzy tendrils and climbed onto the egg, bouncing up and down on top as she waved to him. It was obvious she had played with this giant egg many times before. Watching her play on the spongy, glowing sphere, William Carter couldn’t help but think of the animated film “My Neighbor Totoro.”

“Hehe… ah… ah… Yi…”

A delighted Little Grace waved from atop the glowing sphere. William Carter walked over with a smile and reached out to touch the giant egg, only to see the surface tendrils react to his hand, sinking in waves as if he were touching coral in the sea. He found it fascinating and reached in a bit further, finally touching the surface of the egg. Then, he suddenly froze!

A pulse…

There was a distinct, heartbeat-like pulse on the egg. When William Carter placed his hand on it, he could clearly feel the signs of life flowing ceaselessly within!

After a brief contact, the giant egg gently rolled to the side. Little Grace tumbled and crawled to a new spot on top, laughing and refusing to come down. Then, the egg rolled again, and with each gentle roll, Little Grace ran and jumped on top, as if playing a game with an old friend.

That’s right, they were playing a game! The egg was playing with Little Grace. This egg not only possessed life, but even intelligence—William Carter suddenly realized.

The giant egg clearly harbored no malice. With that in mind, William Carter stopped worrying about what this creature was. Of course, he couldn’t do circus tricks on the egg like Little Grace, running and jumping as it rolled. Watching Little Grace’s joyful antics, he sat down on the ground nearby, took a leaf from around his neck, and before long, melodious music began to echo through the hall.

Above, the howls of wolves suddenly erupted, surging like a tidal wave. The moon was high in the sky—this was their mysterious ritual.