Chapter 2: Finally, a light in the dark!

The heavy thud of closing the doors echoed through the hall, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.

I stood rooted to the spot, my hands trembling. The yellow lights of the lanterns flickered, casting long, dancing shadows against the cold stone floor. I looked around. A cold sweat broke out across my neck.

In fact, I wasn’t alone.

Dozens of children, around my age, were scattered across the dimly lit hall. Most of them were in rags just like me. Only a few were standing while others huddled in the corners with pale faces.

Terror. Confusion.

They were clearly written on their faces just as I was feeling.

“I…my name is Jin-Woon,” I whispered to the air, desperate to hear another voice.

The silence was truly scary. A boy sitting a few feet away flinched at my voice. He looked at me with wide, red eyes. He looked like he’d been crying for hours.

“I’m…I’m Han.”

Seeing him speak seemed to have given others some courage. Hushed conversations began to break out across the hall like a slow-burning fire. Some introduced themselves to me. Some remained silent and isolated. From what they said, many of the children here were peasants, just like me, without homes or parents. I was a little relieved after getting to know some of them.

Meanwhile, I also tried to listen to the ongoing conversations, hoping to catch even a thread of information.

“Do you know where we are?”

“How could I know? When I was working at the inn, a customer asked me to carry a crate in return for a silver coin. After the job was done, he hit me over the head, and I opened my eyes here.”

“Are they going to sell us?”

“W-what? Sell us?”

“Maybe…I don’t know. I’ve heard that the traffickers would take young children to the mines.”

“I want to get out of here. Waaaaaah!”

I heard one crying.

Hearing it, the tears I was trying hard to hold back began to emerge. These kids seemed not to know about the real situation. This wasn’t some mine or child labor site. It was THE ‘Demonic Cult’, a place where the ‘Weak’ had no say.

I quickly wiped my tears. If I wanted to survive in this place, I had to stop being a crying child.

“I will endure this somehow!” I swore to myself, clenching my fist.

GONNNG!

Right then, a deep, heavy toll of a bell was heard from the outside, making the hall silent once again.

Just as the bell rang.

“Everyone, gather in the courtyard. Right now!”

There was a man, dressed in black robes, right at the entrance of the hall. He wasn’t there a moment ago!

“H-How did he suddenly appear?”

“Is he a ghost?”

Without saying another word, the man opened the giant hall door, signaling us to get out, and vanished. Then, all of us in the hall went out and gathered in the wide courtyard.

Only then did I actually see.

There were nearly a hundred children gathered there.

A pavilion stood in front of us, on a massive platform of rough, jagged stone that rose high above the courtyard. Massive wooden pillars held the structure up, looking like thick, black trees that had never seen the sun. There were no walls on the front of the pavilion, just an open space where one could stand and watch the hundreds of children below. At the bottom of the stairs that led to the pavilion, racks of cold iron weapons stood ready.

A middle-aged man with some black-robed warriors behind him came into view from within the pavilion. He didn’t cover his whole body with clothes like others. He wore a crimson-and-black mixed Dapao*, which made him look more like a scholar than a warrior. Looking down at us, he grinned so wide that even his teeth showed through his thick beard.

“Attention, everyone!”

His voice resounded through the entire courtyard.

He was hundreds of meters away on that high platform, but his voice was as clear as if he were standing right beside me. The sound didn't fade with the distance. I looked around and saw the same shock on the faces of the other children. They were just as confused as I was.

“I am Gwang-Ho, an Elder and the Leader of the Shadow Pavilion of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult!”

With the mention of the ‘Demonic Cult’, the crowd began whispering, but the sound died instantly the moment the ‘scholar’, Gwang-Ho, spoke his next words.

“All of you may be wondering why you are here, of all places, am I right? Bahahahaha!”

His laugh roared like thunder inside the cavern.

“Rest assured. We aren't ‘monsters’ who are going to eat you. In fact, we are giving you a chance at a new life. You can leave your miserable pasts behind. What were you before you came here?”

He roared the question, his eyes scanning the crowd. None of us could even open our mouths, let alone answer him.

Gwang-Ho went on.

“Beggars. Peasants. Errand boys. Maids. All of you were trying to get your lives together by doing such trivial things for others. In return, what did you get? Nothing but a few meager coins. No one cared about you. No one saw your worth. You were just tools for other people to use and throw away, weren't you?”

I was speechless.

Since I was a small child, I had been a beggar, moving from place to place just to stay alive. Except for a few people who were kind at heart, no one had treated me properly. Almost everywhere I went, I was gifted with curses, kicks, and punches. Every day, I ate leftover food that was dumped in the streets. If I hadn't been brought here, I probably would have given up on living by now.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I listened to him.

Was it fear? Or was it something else?

“Starting today, you aren't garbage anymore. You belong to the Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult now. You finally have a reason to exist, and that is to serve the Divine Cult. But listen well…”

Gwang-Ho’s face became dead serious.

“…we have NO use for the weak. You must find a way to get stronger, even if it’s just a tiny bit every day.”

Then, Gwang-Ho pointed at the black-clad warriors who were standing in the shadows.

“Look at these warriors. They are your instructors and seniors. Believe it or not, they were once just like you; standing in the dirt, shaking and scared. But look at them now. They walk through the world with their heads held high because they are members of this Great Cult. Every one of you can become exactly like them. All it takes is work. If you train until your bodies can't move, you will reach their level.”

Like them? Me?

My heart jumped at the thought of becoming like those warriors. I had seen their martial prowess with my own eyes.

In my whole life, I never even dared to dream of becoming a martial artist.  But now…I am given the opportunity by none other than the notorious ‘Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult’!

“Oh, and one more thing. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about our Cult before you came here. Every rumor you heard is true! We are the strongest force in this world, and soon, we will own all of it. Be proud that you are now part of something so powerful. Work until your bodies break, and NEVER GIVE UP!”

“One last thing. If any of you are thinking about running away, kill that thought right now. Bury it so deep in your heads that you never find it again. Because if you try to leave, I promise you will wish you were already dead! Bahahahaha!”

After that final warning, which made all of us shudder, Gwang-Ho left with his subordinates back into the pavilion.

Slowly, the thumping in my chest began to quiet down. To be honest, I was somewhat excited. I knew very well the notoriety of the Demonic Cult, no, the Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult.

I feared it. I still do.

But something was shifting inside my head. I saw a light in this dark cavern, something which I was unable to see until now in my life.

A chance to be strong and to make sure the world actually knew my name.

Yes!

I will take this gamble.

To die or to live!

From this moment on, I will devote myself to the Heavenly Demonic Divine Cult!

 

 

 

 

Dapao*: a traditional Chinese long robe