Run, Ethan: The Black Fog Awakens. Run, Ethan: The Black Fog Awakens, #1

A sinister black fog of demonic energy seeps from the primeval forest south of the frontier village of Streamwood, unseen by its peaceful inhabitants. Young messenger Ethan-celebrated for his unmatched speed-joins a carefree hunting trip with friends under veteran hunter Taelis, only for the ominous fog to shatter the day's joy. The village elder calls an emergency assembly; Ethan boldly volunteers to carry a warning to the reclusive Grey-Beard guardians atop the Great Snow Mountain.
Armed with a custom silver-steel longsword, a bear-fur coat, and a grappling hook, he sets off alone. His journey tests him at every turn: he fights off bandits alongside a jovial tiger-folk merchant trio, outwits a wolf pack in mountain forests, and navigates a trap-laden hunter's village. A wise old supply-runner gifts him a protective amulet. Near the summit, a Caelia Wraith-an ice-magic spirit-defies the amulet's protection and attacks.
Ethan slays it, and in the aftermath, a mysterious golden-red energy flares across his body before retreating into the amulet. Something within him has awakened.