It was dark.
Everywhere, everything he could see was plain darkness.
His flesh was melting.
Melting from his rage.
His anguish.
But, at the same time, he knew that such feelings were useless. There was no use in feeling rage for all who had wronged him, for he felt like getting vengeance was impossible.
What he needed to feel was pity.
Pity, for himself, and the world.
For, if the world can contain such vile individuals, that must be a sign that it is nearing its end.
No.
No, no…
It is not the end for me.
I…
I am Shuku. That is my name.
Me refusing to accept that is denying myself of my own life.
I was never Nameless. That is my folly.
I am walking the path I suspect I am supposed to walk. The door leading to the world beyond will wait for me, and I will be sure to reach that door, for I won't stop walking. No matter what… I will engulf them all in a rage I've cultivated myself in for years.
Those who dare stop me will die, and I will restore my broken self with their blood.
This is my resolve, forevermore.
•••
Then, finally, Nameless…. no, Shuku, woke up from his dream.
He had an emptiness in his mind as if he still did not know what he wanted to do, but he knew what he had to do.
"The desired time, huh?" Shuku muttered, referring to what the secondborn said, "Alright, but if you dare fool me, I'll make sure to at least kill you before I die."
He sighed and laid back on his bed. Stained by the blood of many, he was fortunate he had not become an apathetic murderer like his father was at his peak. Instead, he had become but a "fool" intertwined with the world's threads.
And, it was because he was a "fool", that he finally decided he wanted to see for himself, the outside world. He wasn't going to go far, perhaps just venture into the forests, but he wanted a change of scenery for once.
"After I finish my business here, I will venture out there, for the first time."
"I hope the world waits for me because I am coming. No matter how long it takes."
•••
A few days later.
"I can't believe it!"
"They can't be willing to let that awry traitor free! Why would they decide to do such a thing?!"
"He's going to try and usurp the cult one day, just watch!"
The following week, the Mountain Tyrant Sect was an outrage. The oldest-born was revealed to have been let out of the chasmic pit and was to join the conquering of the Black Dragon Manor, even further up north than the Mountain Tyrant Sect itself.
"Have you heard?"
"What, about the release of the traitorous waste? I can't believe he's been allowed out of that rotten pit, he should've just died in there."
"Yeah! Who the hell knows what he'll be up to during the domination of the Black Dragon Manor?! The potential young leaders are in danger!"
The vast majority of the cult's people denied Shuku's release heavily, thinking that he was a threat to the young leaders. But, since it was a decision made but the Mountain Lord himself, they quietened down eventually.
"Wait, wasn't the Mountain Lord, great Sloth Demon, the one to allow him to be set free, not the Yamagame Family?"
"Oh, right! He must have a great motive for it as he is the Oni!"
"Yeah! And since the Family Heads nor the cult's elders haven't spoken on it either, they must've unanimously agreed!"
Soon enough, the general opinion of the cult turned quickly due to that fact, and Shuku, who was only informed of the subjugation of the Black Dragon Manor the day before, sat down, lingering by a wall of the pagoda, quietly waiting for his siblings to come back out after visiting Father.
"Isn't… isn't that him?"
"Ah… it's best if we ignore him… I heard from another cult member who was nearly killed by him that they glimpsed him, coming close to killing a Spellborn of the Genda Family more than a few days ago!"
"Wait… that bastard's that strong?"
Shuku glanced their way, and the two irrelevant fools quickly scurried off elsewhere.
"The chatting of fools amongst themselves shouldn't bother me. But, what does bother me…"
Bōshi, the day before, also told him about the Mountain Lord's departure to visit the Cathedral of Dawn, which made an odd feeling crawl up his spine.
The pagoda, the realm in which the Oni slumbers, once belonged to the Sages of Twilight Dawn, an organization that worshipped the Midnight Sun, otherwise known as the Primordial Moon.
And, although loosely, the Mountain Tyrant Sect had always had links with Lunism, the religion that served the Primordial Moon. The father of the current Mountain Lord was also once blessed by a saint of the Cathedral of Dawn.
"I don't have a good feeling about it," Shuku muttered, "And, especially because of the things I've heard about Lunism over the years."
During Shuku's imprisonment within the Abyssal Pit, he had heard quite a lot about that specific religion from either the bizarre ramblings of those who had lost the will to do anything, or, a strange man who was called Nifty.
Nifty was an elderly man, and once a member of the Old Cathedral of Dawn, formerly known as the Lunaris Cathedral. And, he described it as more like a cult than anything else. The Primordial Moon that they served was, of course, an Elden God, and a peculiar one at that.
A God that was purely about the great communion of darkness and light, the embodiment of the everlasting moon. The religion that served them believed that the moon was its sacred body in the secular world and that eclipses and all were signs that the Primordial Moon required sacrifices.
"And, it's that same cathedral… I'm not sure what's happening there, or what's going to happen there, but, if it is to take the chance at killing my own Father away from me, I can't allow it."
"But, what am I supposed to do if that is the case…?"
At that moment, Shuku also recalled what else Bōshi had said to him.
He said not to worry about it, and that he would take care of things out of my control. But, will he do that? For me, of all people? Even the cult members see me as a threat, so why would he want to help me?
He must be after something. Definitely. But, for now, I have no choice but to trust him. After all, he succeeded in the ritual and I didn't.
A loud creaking of doors broke the tension of air about Shuku, and his five siblings had finally walked out. Thankfully, the Mountain Lord didn't follow after.
"Ah, what do you know? The eldest is also here," Rei said, a small smirk on his face, "Anyway, we have the directions, let's go already."
"Huh?! The eldest?" Hinote asked, surprised and delighted as he directed his gaze at Shuku, "You're the oldest?!"
"Of course," Bōshi said, "Now, let's head to the Black Dragon Manor."