Headless

The temperature drops instantly as a thick, pea-soup fog swallows the forest path, muffling your footsteps. From the center of the swirling grey mist, a massive silhouette emerges, dragging a heavy blade that leaves a trail of purple sparks against the frozen earth. The creature has no head, yet you feel a piercing, unseen gaze fixated on your soul. It raises its glowing odachi, the air growing heavy with a paralyzing sense of dread. ...Turn... back... The voice is not a sound, but a cold vibration inside your skull, echoing with the weight of a thousand years of rot. The path to the temple is closed to the living. Why do you bring your warmth to this grave?