CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53 – VALLEY OF HEAVENLY SONGS

That morning, Crowne was already prepared to leave Stromcity. He had even rented a horse-drawn carriage for his journey. He traveled alone this time because Ronan was no longer with him. Crowne had released Ronan a few days earlier, and since then, they had never met again.

It felt a bit strange for Crowne. He was still not used to being without Ronan, who usually stayed by his side. But this time, Ronan was gone.

Crowne climbed onto the carriage. When the horses began to move, he turned his head toward the city, but soon looked away. He faced forward.

At last, he left Stromhall City behind.

**

Several hours passed. He was far from Stromhall City now. The day began to darken. The carriage kept moving at a steady pace. Crowne leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but the coachman suddenly warned him.

"Sir, do not sleep! We will soon arrive at the Valley of Heavenly Songs. If you lower your guard, you will die."

Crowne opened his eyes. "The Valley... of Heavenly Songs?" he muttered.

He had never heard of that place before. But from the tone of the coachman’s voice, it was clear that this was not an ordinary place.

From afar, the road ahead began to descend steeply, flanked by two tall, black cliffs. Thick mist covered the path ahead, making it difficult to see.

When the carriage began entering that area, a soft sound began to echo.

A song.

It was not from a human, nor from any creature that could be easily understood. The sound was like a whisper of the wind, calling someone’s name, as if trying to lure the listener to stop and listen longer.

"What kind of creature is this?" Crowne murmured.

The singing grew closer, as if someone was whispering right beside his ear. At the same time, Crowne’s eyelids grew heavy. His thoughts began to drift away. The song became clearer, warmer, and more soothing, like the voice of someone he once knew.

For a brief moment, he saw the image of his mother sitting across from him. She smiled warmly, stood up, and gently touched his face.

"You have grown, my son. Thank goodness! Mother..."

Stab!

Blood dripped from Crowne’s thigh. At that instant, his mother’s figure disappeared. He had nearly fallen into the illusion created by the singing voice of the valley. Crowne inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly to calm himself.

"This is truly dangerous. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I don’t know what would have happened to me," he muttered heavily.

The coachman, who had been prepared from the start, threw something toward him. "Quick, use this! Cover your ears!"

A pair of earmuffs made of cotton landed on Crowne’s lap. Without asking questions, Crowne quickly put them on. At once, the singing sound began to fade, growing fainter, though it still lingered softly in his ears.

The voice was faint, but its effect was still there, although not as strong as before.

They had already gone deep into the Valley of Heavenly Songs. The sky was getting darker, and the situation felt increasingly ominous.

"Don’t worry! I’ve been through this place many times. You don’t need to be afraid," said the coachman.

Crowne didn’t listen. He was lost in thought, his eyes scanning their surroundings. He didn’t see any monsters or creatures along the road, which made him wonder where the singing came from.

"There’s no way the stone walls can sing, right?"

Minutes passed. The night grew darker, and the road was no longer visible. The only light came from the lantern held by the coachman.

Suddenly...

A cracking sound came from beneath the wheels.

The carriage came to an abrupt stop. The horses neighed in panic, stomping their hooves and refusing to move forward.

"What happened?" Crowne asked quickly.

The coachman stared ahead with a pale face. The lantern in his hand trembled, its light flickering wildly. "The road... it’s gone."

Crowne narrowed his eyes, stepped down from the carriage, and walked slowly to the front. When he saw what was there, his eyes widened in shock. The road ahead had vanished. In front of them was a vast, pitch-black chasm, impossibly deep, with no visible bottom.

"What? How did we end up here?" Crowne muttered irritably. He turned toward the coachman and removed his earmuffs. "Why is the road ahead gone?"

The coachman swallowed hard, his face pale. "It seems I took the wrong path."

Hearing that, Crowne wanted to curse him, but he held himself back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm down. When he opened them again, he stared at the coachman. The man still looked pale and couldn’t even meet Crowne’s gaze. He was clearly feeling guilty.

"How could you take the wrong path?"

The coachman scratched his head awkwardly. "I must have lost focus. The Siren’s song still echoed in my mind. It messed with my concentration," he said.

Crowne sighed. He couldn’t tell whether the coachman was telling the truth or not, but he decided to believe him. Crowne looked again into the dark abyss ahead. There was nothing but darkness. When he glanced around, everything else was just as dark.

"This will be troublesome."

He walked to the left, then to the right, and even to the back, but there was no visible path except to turn around. The only option was to go back the way they came. Crowne took a long breath. He already knew what needed to be done.

"Turn the carriage around. I’ll help you keep watch," said Crowne.

The coachman nodded. However, just as they were about to move, the singing returned. This time, it was clearer, more beautiful, and far more alluring.

Crowne and the coachman quickly reached for their earmuffs, but before they could put them on, a piercing scream echoed. The shock made them drop the earmuffs to the ground. Crowne clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Damn it. Is there no worse day than this?" he complained.

He looked around, but couldn’t find the earmuffs anywhere. They were only the size of a fingertip and brown in color, making them hard to spot in the dark. Whether they liked it or not, they had to give up searching.

"Come back to me... Crowne..."

Crowne froze. That voice... it was his mother’s again. But this time, it was filled with hatred and sorrow.

From the fog above the chasm, a silhouette appeared. A woman with long hair, wearing a white dress, floated gracefully in the air. Her hands were open, a gentle smile on her lips.

But Crowne narrowed his eyes. He could see the figure clearly now. It was indeed his mother’s face, but her skin was pale, her eyes were black, and the white dress she wore covered her completely to the feet. A dress his mother had never worn before.

"My son..." She smiled wider. "Don’t you want to hug your mother?"

Without realizing it, Crowne began to take a step forward. The coachman quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back hard, making him fall to the ground.

"Don’t look into her eyes! That’s the spirit of this valley. She will drag you into the abyss to die," shouted the coachman.

Crowne stood up and nodded. "What kind of creature is that?"

"If it’s the one you just saw, it might be a spirit of the forest, or of the abyss, or whatever it is. But the one singing is something different. That one is a Siren. A creature that looks like a fish but has the body of a human. Legends say it is the soul of a woman who was betrayed by her lover. When she died, she sought vengeance and began killing every man she believed was her past lover."

"So it’s a spirit too?"

The coachman shrugged. "Sometimes those stories are told just to make them easier to remember. It doesn’t matter if they’re true or not."

Crowne nodded. "In that case, it might as well be a beast." He suddenly smiled.

The coachman nodded. "Maybe. No one knows, because no one dares to look for it."

Crowne nodded again. "Alright then. I’ll be the first person to do it!"

"Are you insane? That’s suicide!"

"We won’t know until we try."