Chapter 1: Where am I?

Darkness.

It swallowed the whole space.

The only exception was a thin streak of light falling from somewhere far above, perhaps, from a ceiling too high to be seen. The stream of light hit the dry soil of the floor.

Beside that spot lay a boy, barely ten years old. Scrapes on his body could be seen through the shredded rags he wore, as though he had been dragged across jagged stone. He stayed perfectly still, but his chest moved in a faint, steady rhythm.

“Hahh!”

My eyes flew open, though they saw nothing but the blur of some light. My back arched off the cold ground as my lungs suddenly demanded air.

“Ghk…haah…haah…”

I choked on the dry dust on the cave floor. Each breath felt like a heavy weight was being forced into my chest. Just as the pressure in my lungs began to fade, my head started to spin. Unable to bear the pain coming from all over my body, tears trickled down my face; I couldn’t hold them back, not anymore. A scream tore its way out of my throat.

My vision began to blur again, and here it came again.

The pitch blackness.

I didn’t know if it had been minutes or hours. I just woke to the feeling of cold stone beneath me. The sharp pain from before had mostly faded.

What happened to me? Where am I?

My memory was a blur.

I remembered being back in Shangsi town, begging on the dirty street corner. An old man came over and offered me silver. He asked if I wanted to make more money. I followed him, but after that… I couldn't remember a thing.

“Aghh…”

The more I tried to recall what had happened, the more my head throbbed. I gave up trying to think and forced myself to stand. My body staggered as I found my balance.

The floor was dry. I could feel nothing but cold soil and stone beneath my feet. Because I was blind in the dark, I couldn’t even tell if I was alone.

I held my breath, trying to listen. All I could hear was my own heartbeat, a fast, heavy thud against my ribs. Even though the cave was cool, I was drenched in sweat. My breathing was rapid and shallow. My eyes felt raw and dry from crying, and my throat was as parched as firewood. Every time a groan slipped out, I could taste the metallic tang of blood on my tongue.

But,

I can’t die here. Absolutely not!

That thought alone kept me standing even though my legs felt numb and heavy.

I forced my mind away from the deep shadows. It felt like the darkness was just waiting for me to give up. With nothing but fear, I moved forward. Groaning with every step, I staggered through the dark until my hands hit something solid.

Is this…a wall?

I kept my hands against the rough stone and began to shuffle along the edge, feeling my way through the gloom.

T-that’s…

After what felt like an eternity, I saw something: a faint glimmer of light far ahead. The mere sight of it acted like a sudden spark. My legs, though still numb, found a surge of energy, and I stumbled toward the glow with desperate speed. As I drew closer, I realized this light was different from the pale streak I’d seen earlier.

It wasn’t steady or cold.

Instead, it flickered and danced against the stone, casting long, wavering shadows. This had to be the warm, orange light of a torch or a lantern!

That meant…there had to be people!

The thought filled me with overwhelming joy.

I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t going to be left to rot in this silence.

When I finally reached the source of light, I found the path I’d been following was, in fact, a dead end. A solid wall of rock blocked my way. However, near the floor, a narrow crevice split the stone. That was where the orange glow was bleeding through.

The gap was tight, but it looked just wide enough for someone my size to squeeze through. I dropped my belly, ignoring the sharp rocks scratching my chest, and began to crawl. I pushed and dragged my body until I finally tumbled out onto the other side. I stood up, shaking the dust from my ragged clothes, and froze.

“What…!”

My breath caught in my throat, and I could only stare in shock.

Right in front of me was a huge crater, large enough for a town to fit in. But it wasn't just the size that stopped my breath. In the center of the pit, buildings were stacked like heavy stone steps, climbing toward the distant ceiling. Massive pillars, thicker than the oldest trees, stood like giants to hold back the weight of the earth above. Thousands of torches flickered along the walls and walkways, their orange glow catching the slanted, tiled roofs. It was a masterpiece of balance and stone, hidden away from the rest of the world.

The young boy who had crawled and squeezed through the narrow crack looked at the sight before him, his mouth agape. It was no wonder he was stunned! Who would even think of building such a massive structure, an entire fortress, in an underground cavern?

However, my trance was soon broken by a sharp, cold voice.

“Oi, why are you late?”

I jumped, my heart nearly leaping out of my chest. The awe I felt just a second ago vanished, replaced by a cold spike of fear. I turned my head toward the sound. My eyes strained to see who was standing there in the shadows.

A man in black robes, covered except for his eyes, stepped out. He moved like a ghost, without a sound. Before I could even blink, his hand clamped onto my shoulder. His grip was so tight I thought the bone was going to snap.

My body shuddered. A cold, involuntary shiver raced down my spine.

Was he here to kill me?

“I…I…”

My voice failed me. I wanted to say I’d been lost in the darkness all this long, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Hmph. Elder Blood-Scythe seems to have brought this brat in last. Bring him to the others. Quick!”

The man barked, looking over his shoulder.

I noticed several other figures, dressed in the same black attire, in the gloom. One of them stepped forward, hoisted me into the air like I was a sack of grain, and took off toward a set of massive stone stairs that descended into the depths of the pit.

“What was the elder thinking, bringing such a frail child here?” One voice muttered as we moved.

“Look at him, He looks like a street beggar,” another whispered.

“If he survives even a month in this place, it’ll be a miracle.”

“Our Cult has no room for the weak. If he’s weak, death will find him soon enough.”

They didn’t bother to lower their voices, In the silence of the cavern, their words rang out like hammer blows. My heart leaped into my throat.

Even surviving is a miracle? What kind of place was this? And they mentioned a ‘Cult’…

Even as a child wandering the streets, I had heard the same word whispered in terror. It was only used to describe one thing.

“Am I…in the Demonic Cult?”

My thoughts slipped out of my mouth before I could stop.

The man carrying me let out a low chuckle. He didn’t answer. Instead, he put on a burst of speed.

The ground became a grey blur as we descended dozens of meters in mere seconds. Even in my terror, I was astounded. I had heard stories of martial masters who could cross rivers in a single stride, but I never expected to meet one like this. Within a minute, we arrived at a massive building sitting beside a wide courtyard.

That building, ‘The Iron Ward’, was a beast made of dark wood and cold rock. Its entrance was framed by thick, ironwood pillars that looked like they’d been blackened by fire. Above the door, a heavy stone slab was carved with sharp, aggressive characters that seemed to bleed into the rock. The air around the hall smelled of bitter medicinal herbs and old dust.

The man pushed the doors open.

They were thick and ancient, letting out a long, heavy creak that echoed through the space, yet not a single speck of dust arose. The place was perfectly clean. Inside, rows of lanterns hung from the ceiling, their yellow light revealing a massive open floor.

As we stepped inside, my body flinched. Dozens of eyes turned toward me at once.

“Everyone, listen!” the man’s voice boomed, shaking the very air in my lungs.

He set me down on the cold floor.

“This young man will be your comrade from now on.”  

Then, he looked at me with those hidden, icy eyes.

“Behave well!”

With that, he stepped back and pulled the heavy doors shut.

THUD.

The click of the lock felt like a final sentence. The man’s words and that last cold stare had left something heavy in my mind, but I was still too frozen to move. I stayed rooted to the spot among a crowd of strangers, my clothes clinging to me with cold sweat.

Looking at the heavy stone roof, I wondered if I had seen the sun for the last time.