Chapter 23: First Blood

Chapter 23: First Blood

Prey lay in the dirt, gasping for breath, staring up at the hole above with shock and disbelief.

Why the hell was there a deep pit here?!

The walls showed clear signs of being dug by hand—this was no natural formation. So someone else had been digging traps out here? There were no natives on the island, so could it have been the old prison guards?

No way this was Slavin and his crew's trap, right? If it was, then that Red-Haired Inquisitor should be down here with him!

And how the hell did he even end up near the trap? No matter how smart Red Lightning and Fan Xing were, they were just animals—there's no way they could've known where the trap was.

Prey couldn't think straight. He was too furious, his only thought being to climb out and kill those two miserable beasts. Even his hatred for Aether Orolan could wait.

He got up and studied the walls—rough and uneven, like they'd been dug in a hurry, with plenty of spots that could work as footholds. It wasn't like he couldn't climb out.

He found a good spot, grabbed a jutting rock, and jammed the Blade of Revelation in his right hand into the wall, planning to use it for leverage.

Shhhk—

The Blade of Revelation carved straight through a huge chunk of dirt instead of digging into the wall like he'd expected.

Damn it, he'd almost forgotten—once activated, the Blade of Revelation could cut through anything, so there was no way to stab it into the dirt like a regular dagger for a handhold.

Prey sheathed the relic. With a soft shink, the plain black scabbard was sliced clean in half.

Right—it was so sharp no scabbard could hold it.

Prey cursed under his breath, carefully trying to tuck the dagger into his belt. But when he moved, the dagger shifted and sliced his belt clean in two!

Now he was completely stuck. A normal dagger could be tucked into a belt or boot, but the Blade of Revelation would slice right through either one. He could hold it in his teeth, sure, but one wrong move and he'd never talk again.

How was he supposed to get this thing back to the surface when he needed both hands to climb?

He could either wait for the Blade of Revelation to revert to normal, or leave it here for now.

"Damn you all! Once I'm out of here, you're dead meat! I'll chop off your fingers and make you suffer a hundred times over!"

He plopped down at the bottom of the pit, screaming curses up at the opening. He cursed Red Lightning and Fan Xing, cursed the two Inquisitors, and even threw the Warden in for good measure. And finally, his uncle. The trump card his uncle had given him to save his life was now the very thing keeping him stuck down here!

Birds chirped noisily above. Their shrill calls sounded like mockery, hanging over him.

***

"Why are the birds so damn noisy today?"

The stable hand, Orif, unloaded a bundle of arrows from his horse, craning his neck to study the thick canopy overhead. Countless birds were hidden among the lush green branches and leaves. Their calls wove together into a discordant racket, with ravens making the most noise.

Lyman crouched by the fire, striking flint and steel. Hearing that, he glanced up at the treetops with a smile. "Don't you think it's poetic? The birdsong just makes the forest feel even quieter."

Orif mulled it over for a moment. "I guess you've got a point. Didn't know you had poetry in you, boy?"

Lyman smiled without replying, finally coaxing a spark to life. He used dry leaves to get a small fire going, then grabbed his canteen to boil some water. As he moved, his shackles and chains clinked. They didn't get in the way of most things, but running was definitely off the table. That was the point—to keep him from running off.

A few guards came back looking dejected. They muttered about how they'd lost them, dismounted, and tossed the reins to Lyman.

"Everything go well?" Lyman asked.

"Don't even ask—they were too fast, we couldn't keep up," one guard said. "That damn Inquisitor..." He caught himself, remembering the stable hand and Lyman were outsiders, and shut his mouth.

"Went off without a hitch. Everything's going according to plan," Orif said.

Lyman smiled and led the horses over to the oak tree, tying them up.

"So when do we pick the hunt back up?" he asked.

"Huh? Hunt, my ass! I need a damn rest!" the guard grumbled.

"Right away. I'll go tell it now." The raven in the tree cawed, spread its wings, and took off. A single black feather drifted down on the breeze.

The guards sat around the fire, looking uneasy, and told the stable hand to break out some food. Orif pulled dried meat and bread from his saddlebag and passed them around.

Just then, a sharp crack echoed from deep in the woods—the sound of dry twigs and leaves crunching under something heavy.

Everyone turned toward the noise. The guards, who'd hunted with Captain Prew plenty of times, instinctively felt the danger.

One guard grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow. "Could be something big," he muttered to the others.

"Hey, dinner just walked right in!" the stable hand said cheerfully. "Guess this trip wasn't a waste after all!"

The second the words left his mouth, a deafening roar tore through the forest. Birds exploded into the sky in a panic. The ground shook as a massive brown bear crashed out of the underbrush, charging straight at them with another thunderous roar.

The guard flinched, his fingers slipping—the arrow flew and hit the bear's shoulder, then bounced off like it was nothing.

The arrow didn't hurt the bear—it just made it angrier. It roared again and reared up on its hind legs, suddenly looming over them like a mountain. They had to tilt their heads all the way back just to see the top of it, and the light dimmed as it blocked out the sun.

"M-m-monster!" the stable hand screamed.

He had accompanied hunting parties more than once, but this was the first time he'd seen such a colossal beast. It was said that every forest harbored one exceptionally large and ferocious beast that ruled over all the animals—the king of beasts. Could this giant bear be the unknown beast king of the prison island's forest?

The bear swiped a massive paw at the guard who had shot the arrow. He screamed, dropping his bow, and threw himself to the ground, barely dodging the blow.

Another guard tremblingly drew his sword, but under the bear's fierce glare, he was so terrified he dropped it. The horses whinnied frantically, but were tied firmly to the trees and couldn't break free.

"Climb a tree! Bears can't climb!"

In the chaos, someone shouted. Everyone scrambled up the trees, not caring whether it was true or not. Those who got up first kicked down those who came after, while those below tried to drag down those above.

The stable hand Orif struggled with all his might to climb an oak tree, collapsing onto a branch to catch his breath.

The bear paced beneath the tree, occasionally slamming its massive body against the trunk. The whole tree shook violently. Fortunately, the oak he'd chosen was thick enough to withstand the bear's assault and keep him alive.

"Wait, Lyman!"

Orif suddenly realized his assistant was still on the ground. The prisoner, shackled as he was, couldn't climb up at all.

The silver-haired young man panicked, calling out to the guards in the trees, begging them to pull him up. But the guards merely watched coldly, none willing to risk their lives for a prisoner.

Orif reached out to Lyman, but a guard higher up struck him with a branch.

"Don't bother with him!" the guard snapped. "He's just a prisoner! This tree can't hold three people!"

"But..."

"Jump down and die if you want!"

Orif timidly withdrew his hand. He couldn't help but regret ever hiring this assistant—a life wasted for nothing...

The bear, seeing it couldn't reach those in the trees, turned its attention to the ground below.

Lyman's face went pale, shaking his head as he backed away.

"It wasn't me!" he cried out miserably. "I didn't kill your cub! It was Captain Prew! If you want revenge, go after the one who actually did it!"

The guards perched in the trees suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Captain Prew had indeed hunted down a bear cub on his hunting trip.

At the time, Inquisitor Nashel had warned him that a mother who lost her cub would go berserk, but no one took it seriously. Could this giant bear be the mother coming for revenge?

It all added up—perfectly logical!

Only problem was, this mother bear wasn't too bright—why'd she come looking for revenge here of all places?

The guards silently cursed Captain Prew again. He could've just stayed at Cape Prison as some cushy big-shot official, waiting for the Warden to retire so he could move up, and his men would've had it easy too.

But no, he just had to come hunting to "prove himself," dragging everyone down with him!

The giant bear couldn't understand Lyman's cries—it treated every human like an enemy. It charged with a furious roar, barreling straight at the silver-haired young man.

Lyman picked up the sword a guard had dropped and ran toward the tree where the horses were tethered. He tripped over the chains several times, stumbling and staggering until he finally made it to the tree.

He cut through the ropes with a single swing. The spooked horses bolted in every direction.

Lyman grabbed the pack horse nearest to him.

He couldn't mount it, so he just clung to the saddle for dear life, sprawled flat across its back.

The pack horse took off, tearing into the dense forest faster than it had ever run in its life.

The giant bear let out another deafening roar and gave chase, each step shaking the ground and rattling the trees.

The guards had no choice but to cling to the branches, praying the prisoner would lead the bear away.

Even if it meant he was escaping, even if he'd "stolen" a horse—as long as he led that monster away, they didn't care!

Finally, the shaking stopped. The forest fell silent, then the birds started singing again.

The guards, having narrowly cheated death, let out long sighs of relief, thanking the God of Dawn for watching over them.

They dropped from the trees, legs wobbling the moment their feet hit the ground. Nobody mentioned Captain Prew—even the guy who'd cursed the loudest acted like nothing had happened.

"We gotta find the horses," one guard said, out of breath.

Orif the stablemaster looked at him helplessly. "What about that prisoner... shouldn't we send someone after him?"

"Be my guest! You'd just be hauling back his corpse!" the guard glared back. "Forget him. Right now we need to figure out how to keep Captain Prew from blaming us!"

***

Deep in the woods.

The pack horse slowed from its gallop and stopped under a tree.

"Whew... this should be far enough. Get off now—you're heavy, you know," it said to the rider on its back. "Man, I've never run that fast in my life, I'm beat... You promised me ten apples, and I want every single one!"

Lyman slid off its back and landed on the ground.

Behind him, the giant bear stopped. It padded closer, its massive body casting a long shadow over Lyman.

"Human, I've held up my end of the bargain. I never work with humans—this is the first time, and it'll be the last."

The bear's voice was cold and commanding, its black eyes locked on Lyman's, burning with fury and hatred.

The deal with the bear had been Lyman's plan from the start. Nashel's words had given him the idea.

If he promised the bear revenge for its cub, would it be willing to play a part in this little hunt?

Lyman had sent his mice into the forest to strike a deal with the bear. And he'd guessed right.

"You humans build walls, burn forests, and spread your territory without a care, pushing us into the farthest corners of the world. And that still wasn't enough—you killed my child! The cub just slipped out to play near the den, and that cost him his life! My baby!"

With every word, the bear's eyes dripped with more venom.

It had thought about revenge, but even the king of the forest couldn't walk away unscathed against human walls and armed soldiers—let alone humans with supernatural powers.

That's when Lyman made his offer, and the two sides hit it off right away. The bear would fake an attack on the camp so Lyman could slip away; in return, Lyman would help it take care of Prew.

"Alright, human. Time to keep your promise," the bear said to Lyman.

Lyman nodded to it. "Let's go."

***

Red Lightning and Fan Xing stood at the edge of the trap, watching the bottom with gleeful schadenfreude—Captain Prew lay there panting in the dirt, covered in bruises and scrapes like someone had beaten the hell out of him.

If the scholar Nikola were here, he'd have smugly explained that the thing that beat the captain was called "gravity."

"This is hilarious. I could watch this all day," Red Lightning said, thoroughly entertained.

"You've got some nerve to be so relaxed," Fan Xing said coldly. "If he didn't have that relic on him, I'd jump down there and finish him off myself."

"Just wait—Lyman said the relic's effect only lasts so long..."

Before he could finish, voices came from deep in the woods.

"What the hell? These horses are running around like they're possessed!"

"I heard animals get all jumpy before earthquakes. You don't think..."

"Shut your trap! Hey, isn't that the captain's Red Lightning?"

A tall and a short guard pushed through the thick foliage. The baffling scene before them left them scratching their heads—a horse and a dog stood by a deep pit, looking rather shifty.

And that pit—didn't it look just like the trap they had dug earlier? How many traps were there in this cursed forest?

Red Lightning and Fan Xing exchanged glances, both inwardly cursing their luck. They had instructed the other hounds and horses to lead the subordinates elsewhere, but who would have thought someone would abandon their horse and walk, stumbling upon this place by accident!

They swiftly vanished into the woods.

The two guards were about to give chase when they heard a familiar roar from the bottom of the pit: "Idiots! Get over here now!"

The tall guard rushed to the edge and peered down.

Captain Prew's disheveled figure, face covered in dirt, came into view.

"Captain?! What are you doing down there?"

"Moron!" Prew sputtered incoherently. "It's those two beasts! Kill them! Pull me up first!"

They had no idea what the captain was talking about, but they knew that if they delayed any longer, the captain would be killing them.

They hastily reached out their hands. Prew glanced at the Blade of Revelation—the crimson vein-like glow had vanished, returning it to its cold, pale purple state.

He clamped the dagger between his teeth and, fueled by hatred, managed to scramble to his feet. He charged at the pit wall, grabbed onto a protruding rock, and laboriously climbed up.

As he neared the top, the two guards grabbed his clothes and arms, hauling him out.

"Captain, what the hell is going on?"

Prey knelt on the ground, spitting the dagger from his mouth, sweat dripping into the dirt.

"Red Lightning and that mutt," he gritted his teeth, "they teamed up to betray me! Animals can't be this smart—someone must be controlling them!"

The two guards shot each other a look.

"The only ones who had it out for the captain were those two inquisitors. Nashel's ability was invisible blades, and Aether Orolan's wasn't a combat type, so it had to be him."

He'd seen through the captain's plan and decided to flip the script—that had to be it! What a sneaky, vicious pretty boy!

The shorter guard found the captain's sword lying nearby.

Prey tried to sheathe the blade, but remembered his belt had already been sliced in half by the Blade of Revelation.

The next moment, a massive brown bear crashed through the underbrush!

Facing a monster that stood twice as tall as a man, the two guards instinctively wanted to run, but with the captain behind them, they had no choice but to suck it up and fight.

They drew their swords and stood before the captain, but their blades shook like leaves.

The shorter guard barely raised his sword to strike when the bear swatted him into the air, his back slamming hard into a tree trunk before he crumpled to the ground, coughing up blood.

—Worthless piece of trash!

Prey cursed inwardly.

Was Aether Orolan so powerful he could even control monsters?!

Against something like this, regular swords were useless. Prey was about to drop his sword and grab the Blade of Revelation when a dark shape suddenly descended from above.

A raven swooped down, its talons snatching the Blade of Revelation before flapping away!

Prey's heart dropped. Without the ace in the hole that was the Blade of Revelation, how could he possibly deal with that beast?! If the relic got lost... the Church, his uncle, his own promotion...

"Argh!"

With a scream, the taller guard was also sent flying by the bear, rolling several times across the ground. When he came to a stop, his neck had twisted 180 degrees.

I'm next...!

A strange emotion rose up in Prey's chest. Was this fear? He'd lived his whole life without a care in the world, fearing nothing—but could he actually fear death?

No! This isn't over yet!

Prey reached into his robes. Besides the Blade of Revelation, his uncle had given him another gift at the time!

He pulled out a small mirror and held it up high.

This object was called the "Light-Focusing Mirror," capable of concentrating sunlight to drive out darkness and evil spirits. At the same time, the brilliant flash it gave off could temporarily blind anyone who looked directly at it.

According to his uncle, the prison island was crawling with dark forces, so he'd given him this for protection. If not now, when?

"Time to die, monster! Let there be light!" Prey closed his eyes and activated the Light-Focusing Mirror.

A crack split across the mirror's surface, and suddenly a dazzling white light burst forth, as if a white sun had appeared in Prey's hands.

The white light shot straight into the sky, clouds swirling around it. Birds burst from the forest in alarm, beasts fled in panic, and even the distant Cape Prison could see the pillar of light rising from deep within the woods.

The bear let out an agonized roar. The intense light robbed it of its sight, and it lost its bearings instantly, crashing headfirst into a sturdy oak tree.

Prey opened his eyes and saw the bear was blinded, knowing his chance had come. He picked up his sword and charged at the massive creature, targeting its most vulnerable spot—its throat.

—Got him!

A victorious smile curled across Prey's lips.

Just as he was about to strike the bear, a flash of silver-white suddenly came down from above!

The victorious smile vanished, replaced by a scream of terror.

Prey watched helplessly as his fingers separated from his hand, falling like five curled bits of flesh, blood splattering across his face.

A young man with silver-white hair landed softly. He wore a gray prison uniform, broken shackles and chains around his ankles, and a pale purple dagger clutched in his hand.

The dagger's blade was twisted, and from tip to hilt, a line of crimson glowed brilliantly, like luminous veins.

A raven flew overhead.

A few seconds of silence, then a heart-wrenching scream tore from Prey's throat.

The young man raised his head, his silver-white hair falling over his closed eyes.

Last night. The black cell.

***

"So, everything's in place. Tomorrow, it's do or die with Prey!"

Lyman held the little mouse Dandelion, listening to everything it had to say. Every step of the plan had been arranged, and all that remained was to let fate take the wheel.

No. Lyman thought. I'm an evil god—I don't bow to fate. Fate's on my side!

Thump thump thump. Someone knocked on the wall. Lyman leaned over, pressing his ear to the cold stone.

"Ah, good neighbor, there's something I forgot to tell you." Lunast said casually. "Actually, besides the Blade of Revelation, Captain Prey also has a 'wonder' on him."

"What is that?!" Lyman was shocked—another word he'd never heard of.

"A 'wonder' is an object made by a superhuman or someone who can talk to the gods. It's different from a relic. A relic can be used infinitely as long as it isn't damaged. But a wonder can only be used a certain number of times or for a set amount of time before it loses its effect.

"The wonder Captain Prey holds is called the 'Light-Focusing Mirror,' made by a High Cleric of the Dawn Church. It can concentrate sunlight. Anyone who looks directly at its light will be temporarily blinded. Evil spirits or ghosts would be burned to ashes instantly."

Lyman clutched his forehead: "You could've told me earlier! We're acting tomorrow, and you only tell me this today?!"

"You never asked..." Luna said in an aggrieved tone.

"Does Prey have any other goodies? Please, just tell me everything at once!"

"No, that's all." Lunast said hastily.

Lyman let out a heavy sigh. "Even if it's just one Light-Focusing Mirror, it's still a pain. I'm not an evil spirit or monster, but it will blind me. How am I supposed to fight this?"

Lunast chuckled: "Don't worry, the Light-Focusing Mirror has one fatal flaw."

"What is it?" Lyman pressed.

"Just don't look at it."

Lyman opened his eyes.

***

Crimson light swirled in his eyes, reflecting the red glow of the Blade of Revelation in his hand.