The kingdom had changed overnight.

Fear spread faster than fire through dry grass.

By morning—

Every major road carried the sound of galloping horses.

Royal guards dressed in black and silver armor rode rapidly across the country under imperial orders.

Their destination—

The villages where people had disappeared.

No one understood how over two hundred people could vanish in a single night.

No bodies.

No blood.

No footprints.

Only empty homes.

And grieving families.

—

The First Village

The first group of royal guards arrived at a small village near the western mountains.

Usually the village was peaceful.

Simple.

Quiet.

But now—

The atmosphere felt broken.

Women cried openly in the streets.

Children clung to frightened parents.

Doors remained tightly shut even during daylight.

The moment the guards entered—

Villagers rushed toward them desperately.

"Please find my daughter!"

"My son disappeared!"

"My husband vanished during the night!"

Voices overlapped chaotically.

Panic filled every corner of the village.

The captain of the guards immediately raised his hand.

"Everyone calm down!"

But calming terrified people was impossible.

An older woman suddenly fell to her knees before the guards.

Tears streamed down her wrinkled face.

"My grandson was sleeping beside me..."

Her voice shook violently.

"When I woke up..."

"...he was gone."

The guards exchanged uneasy glances.

One guard asked carefully,

"Did you hear anything during the night?"

The old woman froze.

Then slowly nodded.

"...Whispers."

The atmosphere immediately changed.

"What kind of whispers?"

The woman’s face paled.

"I..."

"I couldn’t understand them."

"But they sounded..."

Her voice broke.

"...inhuman."

Several villagers nearby immediately began crying harder.

One younger woman stepped forward holding a child tightly against her chest.

"My husband went outside after hearing strange sounds."

"He never returned."

Another villager added quickly,

"My mother disappeared while sleeping."

"The windows were still locked."

"There was no sign anyone entered."

Fear spread visibly among the guards now.

Because none of this sounded normal.

—

The Empty Homes

The guards began investigating immediately.

House after house.

Room after room.

Everywhere—

Signs of ordinary life interrupted suddenly.

A bowl of unfinished food.

Clothes left folded near beds.

Children’s toys abandoned on floors.

One house still had warm tea sitting untouched beside the window.

As though the owner had vanished moments ago.

The captain slowly walked through the empty rooms.

His expression darkened further with every step.

No signs of struggle.

No forced entry.

Nothing.

Only absence.

A terrifying absence.

One guard whispered quietly,

"...How does someone disappear like this?"

No one answered.

Because no one knew.

—

Fear Across the Kingdom

The same scenes repeated everywhere.

Village after village.

Town after town.

Grief.

Fear.

Desperation.

Royal guards sent reports continuously back to the capital.

—

"Seven missing from eastern village."

"Twelve missing near river settlements."

"Twenty-three missing from mountain region."

—

And everywhere—

The same details appeared.

Whispers during the night.

Cold air.

Strange shadows.

People vanishing without explanation.

Some villagers even claimed they saw dark figures standing near forests before the disappearances began.

Others swore they heard crying voices calling their names outside windows.

The kingdom slowly descended into paranoia.

Parents stopped letting children outside.

Families slept together in locked rooms.

Temples became crowded with frightened people praying desperately.

Rumors spread wildly.

"Demons have awakened."

"The dead are taking revenge."

"The kingdom is cursed."

Fear no longer belonged only to villages.

Even cities began panicking.

—

A Mother’s Grief

In another village near the southern border—

A young mother sat outside her house completely broken.

Her little daughter’s shoes remained beside the doorway.

The child herself—

Gone.

The woman clutched the tiny shoes tightly against her chest while crying uncontrollably.

"She was just here..."

"She was sleeping beside me..."

Royal guards stood nearby silently.

No words could comfort her.

An elderly man approached next.

His voice trembling.

"My wife disappeared."

"We were married for forty years..."

"I woke up..."

"...and half the bed was empty."

His eyes filled with tears.

"I searched the whole village..."

"But she was nowhere."

The guards could only listen helplessly.

Because there were no answers to give.

—

Strange Signs

As investigations continued—

Some guards began noticing disturbing patterns.

At several villages—

Strange black markings appeared near forests.

Symbols burned into trees.

Ancient-looking patterns no one recognized.

At one abandoned shrine—

An entire circle of dead birds surrounded the entrance.

And deep inside the forest—

Some guards swore they heard whispers too.

Soft.

Almost impossible to understand.

But definitely there.

One younger soldier became so frightened he refused to continue searching after sunset.

Another claimed he saw a figure watching them between trees.

But when approached—

Nothing remained.

The reports became stranger by the hour.

—

Back at the Palace

Inside the imperial palace—

Messages arrived continuously.

Servants rushed through corridors carrying scrolls.

Officials argued nervously.

The atmosphere became increasingly tense.

The Emperor read every report personally.

And with each one—

His expression grew colder.

Because now—

The kingdom itself was beginning to collapse into fear.

Not from war.

Not from famine.

But from something unseen.

Something no one understood.

The Emperor clenched one report tightly in his hand.

Children missing.

Families destroyed.

Villages terrified.

And still—

No answers.

Only fear.

Prince Liang stood nearby reading another report silently.

Then finally spoke.

"This is spreading too quickly."

The Emperor nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Prince Liang’s expression darkened.

"If people continue disappearing..."

"...the kingdom will erupt."

The Emperor already knew.

And worst of all—

The enemy remained invisible.

No clear location.

No clear suspect.

Only shadows.

And whispers.

The Emperor slowly looked toward the distant horizon beyond the palace windows.

Somewhere out there—

Someone was watching all this happen.

Someone responsible for the fear consuming the kingdom.

And until they were found—

No one would truly be safe anymore.

Rain clouds gathered above the capital.

The entire palace felt quieter than usual.

Heavy.

Uneasy.

Even the servants whispered more softly today.

News of the disappearances had already spread everywhere.

Two hundred people gone.

Children.

Women.

Old men.

Entire families broken overnight.

Fear was slowly swallowing the kingdom.

And inside the palace shrine—

The Empress sat silently before the incense altar.

Soft smoke curled upward toward the ceiling.

Golden prayer lamps flickered gently around her.

The atmosphere should have felt peaceful.

But today—

Even the shrine felt cold.

The Empress slowly placed another incense stick into the burner.

Her expression remained calm.

But her thoughts were restless.

Because even she could feel it now.

Something terrible was approaching.

Behind her—

Three familiar figures appeared slowly from the shadows.

The ghosts.

The female ghost Fen Yu crossed her arms immediately.

"I told you something bad was happening."

The general ghost frowned deeply.

"This many people disappearing at once..."

"...this is no ordinary ritual anymore."

The scholar ghost looked unusually serious.

"The scale is too large."

The Empress lowered her gaze slightly.

"I heard the palace servants talking."

"Everyone is terrified."

Fen Yu floated closer.

"Of course they are terrified!"

"People are vanishing into thin air!"

The shrine fell silent again.

The Empress finally spoke quietly,

"...Can ghosts do something like this?"

The three ghosts immediately looked at each other.

Then the scholar ghost answered carefully.

"Ordinary ghosts?"

"No."

The general ghost added coldly,

"But spirit manipulation can."

The Empress’s eyes slowly narrowed.

"...Spirit manipulation."

The scholar ghost nodded.

"Someone is controlling unstable spiritual energy."

"And probably using living humans as part of rituals."

The atmosphere inside the shrine became heavier instantly.

The Empress slowly turned toward them.

"...Rituals for what?"

This time—

No one answered immediately.

Because even the ghosts looked uncertain.

Finally Fen Yu spoke quietly,

"...Power."

The general ghost folded his arms.

"Dark practitioners grow stronger using fear, death, resentment, and souls."

The Empress’s fingers tightened slightly against her sleeves.

"So those missing people..."

The scholar ghost finished her sentence softly.

"...may already be dead."

Silence crashed through the shrine.

The Empress’s expression paled slightly.

Even after everything she experienced—

Hearing it directly still disturbed her deeply.

Fen Yu immediately frowned.

"But we don’t know for sure yet!"

The scholar ghost nodded quickly.

"Yes."

"Not all rituals require death."

"Some require spiritual extraction."

The Empress looked confused.

"...Spiritual extraction?"

The scholar ghost sighed softly.

"It means using people’s souls temporarily."

"Separating them from their bodies."

The Empress immediately remembered something.

Her own experience.

The white light.

Her soul leaving.

The feeling of almost never returning.

Her heartbeat slowed heavily.

"...Like what happened to me."

The ghosts fell silent.

Because all of them knew.

The general ghost finally nodded slowly.

"Yes."

The Empress lowered her gaze again.

The incense smoke drifted quietly between them.

Then suddenly—

Fen Yu spoke angrily.

"This is why humans are terrible!"

The other ghosts immediately looked at her.

She crossed her arms tightly.

"Always seeking power."

"Always hurting innocent people."

The general ghost frowned.

"Not all humans."

Fen Yu glared at him.

"Enough humans!"

"Look what’s happening now!"

"Children are disappearing!"

"Families are crying!"

Her voice cracked slightly toward the end.

Because unlike her usual playful self—

This time she sounded genuinely upset.

The Empress looked at her quietly.

Then asked softly,

"...You pity them?"

Fen Yu froze.

"...Obviously."

She looked away immediately.

"I’m not heartless."

The scholar ghost sighed.

"The problem now is scale."

"This many disappearances means whoever is behind this is becoming desperate."

The general ghost nodded.

"Or stronger."

That answer made the atmosphere colder.

The Empress slowly stood up from before the altar.

Her expression became thoughtful.

"...If someone is truly doing this..."

"...why hasn’t the palace found them yet?"

The scholar ghost laughed bitterly.

"Because dark practitioners hide well."

"They survive through manipulation."

"They rarely expose themselves directly."

Fen Yu suddenly floated closer.

"And because humans don’t want to believe these things are real."

The Empress looked toward the flickering prayer lamps.

"...The Emperor knows now."

All three ghosts paused.

The general ghost raised an eyebrow.

"He figured it out?"

The Empress nodded slowly.

"He started investigating forbidden black arts."

Fen Yu whistled softly.

"Well."

"That’s faster than expected."

The scholar ghost’s expression became serious.

"That means things are already worse than we thought."

The Empress looked toward him sharply.

"What do you mean?"

The scholar ghost spoke quietly,

"The imperial family only opens forbidden records during kingdom-level threats."

The Empress froze slightly.

Kingdom-level threat.

Hearing those words made everything suddenly feel far larger than before.

This was no longer just about palace schemes.

Or assassinations.

Or jealousy.

The entire kingdom was becoming involved.

The general ghost suddenly looked toward the shrine entrance.

His expression sharpened immediately.

"...Someone is nearby."

The Empress turned quickly.

But no one entered.

Only silence remained outside.

After several moments—

The general ghost relaxed slightly.

"...Gone."

Fen Yu frowned.

"I hate this feeling."

The Empress slowly exhaled.

Then suddenly asked quietly,

"...Can ghosts sense dark practitioners?"

The scholar ghost hesitated.

"...Sometimes."

"But powerful practitioners can hide themselves."

The Empress’s expression darkened slightly.

"So even you don’t know who it is."

The ghosts exchanged looks again.

Then the general ghost finally answered honestly.

"...No."

That answer unsettled her more than she expected.

Because these ghosts had always seemed confident.

Powerful.

Yet now—

Even they were uncertain.

The shrine became quiet again.

Outside, distant thunder echoed softly across the sky.

Rain would come soon.

Fen Yu floated beside the Empress.

Her voice much softer now.

"...You should be careful."

The Empress looked at her.

Fen Yu rarely sounded serious.

But now—

Fear was visible even in her eyes.

"Whoever is doing this..."

"...already targeted you once."

The Empress slowly nodded.

"I know."

The general ghost added quietly,

"And they failed."

The scholar ghost’s eyes darkened.

"Which means they will try again."

The prayer lamps flickered violently for one brief moment.

All four immediately became silent.

A strange coldness passed through the shrine.

Then disappeared.

Fen Yu immediately moved closer to the Empress protectively.

"...Did you feel that?"

The general ghost nodded slowly.

"Yes."

The scholar ghost’s expression became grim.

"...Something is watching."

The Empress’s heartbeat quickened slightly.

The shrine suddenly no longer felt safe.

Outside—

Rain finally began falling heavily over the palace roofs.

Thunder echoed across the capital.

And somewhere within the darkness of the kingdom—

Something was moving quietly.

Growing stronger with every frightened soul.