Chapter 1

When I was 16 years old, I traveled with my sister, Sarah Barnes, to Nectar Valley for the rural settlement program. We arrived late, and the youth dormitory was already full, so Sarah and I were housed with Nutty.

Nutty's surname was Walters, and his given name was Nathan, though his formal name was chosen to match the pronunciation of his childhood nickname. In rural areas, there was a custom of giving boys deliberately crude names to ward off evil spirits and help them survive to adulthood.

A few years earlier, Nutty's parents had died carrying sandbags to rebuild the burst reservoir dam. His house had a main room with a tile roof and two bedrooms. At night, Nutty and I shared one room while Sarah slept in the inner room.

Despite his unfortunate nickname, Nutty was truly a handsome young man. Nearly six feet tall with thick eyebrows and bright eyes, he had finished high school, loved reading, and was generous and straightforward in nature. Both Sarah and I liked Nutty very much.

That day, it was my turn to herd the cattle. I deliberately drove them deeper into the forest, wanting to find a quiet place to read. After growing tired from reading, I lay down on the grass and fell asleep.

In my drowsy state, I vaguely heard men and women whispering softly, along with panting sounds and gasps. When I woke up, the sounds had disappeared. The sky had somehow grown overcast, and thick fog filled the forest.

The mist rolled and grew denser, white fog advancing directly toward me. The cattle had long since wandered off somewhere. Complete silence surrounded me, and an indescribable fear welled up in my heart.

Just then, Sarah's anxious voice called out from within the fog. I was about to respond when a hand suddenly covered my mouth, dragging me out of the forest without explanation.

Nutty spoke in my ear in a lowered voice, "Don't answer. That's not your sister. It's the Temptress!"

Nutty released me but remained tense, his eyes filled with terror. His expression frightened me, making my heart pound wildly.

"What's the Temptress?" I asked.

As Nutty pulled me down the mountain, he explained, "My uncle told me there's a spider on Crimson Mountain. The villagers also call it the Seduction Spider.

"This creature can mimic human voices, calling people by name. As soon as the person being called responds, they immediately fall under its poison, become entranced, and run to its nest to die."

Nutty spoke while his feet never stopped moving, dragging me along at breakneck speed. I said anxiously, "The cattle! The commune's cattle are still in the mountains!"

"How can we worry about the cattle at a time like this? They've probably already been eaten by the Temptress. You'd better worry about yourself. The Temptress has targeted you."

Nutty's long legs made me stumble constantly as he pulled me along. We quickly reached the fields where Sarah and several other youths were busy fertilizing the radishes with manure.

Seeing Nutty and me from a distance, Sarah put down her ladle and walked toward us. Without explanation, Nutty waved his hand, signaling for Sarah to come home with us.

On the way, he told Sarah about the Temptress. He pushed both of us into the inner room when we reached home, closing the door while instructing, "Sarah, watch over Alex. Don't let him run outside. I'm going to the other end of the village to get my uncle."

The door had barely closed when Nutty pushed it open again. He removed an amulet from around his neck and handed it to me with grave emphasis. "Hang this amulet behind the door. No matter who comes, don't open the door under any circumstances."

Sarah and I sat in the room, staring at each other in confusion. Nutty had been so urgent and spoke so briefly that we still hadn't figured out what kind of monster this Temptress actually was.

But we had always trusted Nutty. His extremely nervous manner made both our hearts rise with anxiety.

"Sarah, what's this all about? We're in modern times now. Can there really be monsters?"

The moment I finished speaking, someone called my name from outside. I was about to respond when Sarah suddenly covered my mouth. I looked at Sarah and saw her eyes wide with terror, her lips pale with fright.

The female voice outside continued calling sweetly, "Alex, Alex, are you home? Open the door. I didn't bring my keys."

I began trembling too because the voice outside belonged to Sarah. Nothing could be more eerie than this.

At that moment, Sarah was covering my mouth, her palms damp with cold sweat and her lips pressed tightly together. Her voice continued circling around the house outside the door, never fading away.