Not all deaths come with steel in hand or fire that burns the skin; some deaths come slowly, like poison dissolved in the water one drinks.
I, Jiang Wuxin, learned this bitter truth the night I lost everything. When shadows swallowed my home and darkness took up residence in my heart, I was marked by fate not with promises of glory or redemption, but with the weight of a vengeance no one would dare to seek.
I remember the sound of the wind, carrying a strange tone that night, as if something ancient and sinister had awakened beneath the roots of our land. The forest around our city seemed to breathe with the weight of a hushed whisper that urged me to be on guard. But like all innocent men, I did not believe in the evil I could not see.
Our family was the guardian of the Sacred Tree, the heart that sustained our land and gave us strength. Generations ago, the Jiangs sacrificed themselves to protect this ancient power, a gift that made Arthovya more fertile and magical. My life was devoted to her and my family. But that night, everything changed.
I still remember the terror I experienced, and it was horrible. No, disturbing. But before it all really happened, I didn't even care about the future...
The wind blew calmly that afternoon, carrying the familiar scent of the flowers that surrounded the Jiang residence. Under the shade of a tree, there I was, Jiang Wuxin, perched on a high branch, with a bottle of Sunflower wine that I had "acquired" from our cellar without permission. The breeze made the leaves rustle like old friends, and the sky was flooded with a deep blue, devoid of any threat.
I took a sip of the wine, feeling the incredible warmth run down my throat, and smiled. Standing there, alone, the world seemed so simple. My gaze wandered across the horizon, to where the towers of Arthovya, the Martial City, disappeared into the mantle of the distant mountains. Those towers always seemed to stare back at me, like watchful, dark eyes.
"So this is where you've been hiding, is it?" a familiar voice said.
I looked down and found my older sister, Jiang Yao, with an amused smile on her face. She crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Do you think no one noticed the missing bottle in the cellar?" She crossed her arms, with a delicate smile.
"Me? Hiding?" I laughed, taking another sip. "It's just… meditation. You should try it."
She rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Father wants to see you in the great hall. It seems important."
I took a final sip of wine, and as I climbed down from the branch, I felt a chill. It was rare for my father to call me to the hall, and when he did, it wasn't for trivial discussions. My sister, however, seemed calm, so I did the same. It was better to hide any worries behind the same mischievous smile.
As I entered the great hall, the imposing Steel Throne struck me with force. It was not a throne for kings, since there were none here; it was a symbol of our family's strength and responsibility. There stood my father, his face serious, his eyes tired but attentive as always. Beside him, our family's advisors whispered among themselves. He beckoned me over with a wave and a look I knew well. There was a restrained concern, a tension he hid from everyone but me.
"You took your time, Wuxin," he murmured, but the corner of his mouth almost lifted in a smile. He knew my easygoing nature well.
"I was… meditating," I said innocently. But my father's smile did not come. Instead, he sighed and placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Son, the times of peace are leaving us." There is darkness moving beyond the mountains." He glanced at his advisors, indicating that our conversation was for the ears of a select few. I sat down beside him as he continued. "Our spies have observed unusual… movements from the Blackwoods. They are not acting alone this time." "So what is their plan?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady. I knew our conflict with the Blackwoods was eternal, but I never thought they would go this far. My father nodded slowly. "They have formed an alliance with the White Lotus Sect. Masters of demonic magic, these men are capable of manipulating forces we cannot even begin to comprehend." I suppressed a shiver. The White Lotus Sect was known in many legends, as something parents would mention to scare their children. But now, this threat was moving against us. "What do we know about their movements?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness. "A traitor has poisoned us from within," he said, his tone thick with bitterness. "Our supplies have been corrupted, and the energy of our disciples and soldiers has been drained. Even our own family members are weakened. We have no choice but to fight to survive." His words fell like stones upon me. I looked at the Steel Throne and realized that, at that moment, it had seemed so imposing as a grave. We had no way out; we were about to face an army fueled by demonic magic, while we ourselves were weakened.
My mind, as if automatically, traveled to Li Meiyu's face. She had lost her family at the hands of the Blackwoods and the White Lotus. Since then, she had lived among us, and had become not only one of the best fighters in our house, but also my childhood fiancée. She was the person I thought about most at that moment, more than the danger that surrounded us.
"Li Meiyu... Does she know about all this?" I asked, with an unusual hesitation.
My father nodded, seeming to read my thoughts. "She knows, Wuxin. But what she doesn't know is that you are about to become the pillar of our house. I need you to promise me that, no matter what happens, you will protect our lineage, protect Li Meiyu and her sister."
I hesitated, feeling the weight of his words. I was too young to inherit such a grand role, but at that moment, with the worry and fear in my father's eyes, I knew I could not back down.
"I promise," I replied, feeling my own heart harden.
My father nodded and stood, indicating that he wanted me to follow him. We left the hall and walked to the courtyard where the Sacred Tree stood. Beneath its thick trunk and shimmering leaves lay the heart of the Jiang clan, the essence of our traditions and our strength.
We stood there in silence. The twilight tinged the sky with shades of gold and red, as if the horizon itself foretold the blood that would be spilled. My father, his eyes fixed on the tree, spoke in a calm, steady tone.
"You know, Wuxin, many believe that power is that which is imposed with iron and fire. But true power… the power that holds this family together, is that which preserves, is that which endures." He reached out and touched the trunk of the tree. — It is what survives, even in the worst storms.
"But what is left for us now, father?" I asked, feeling the weight of his words. "We are weakened, our allies have betrayed our trust... and the White Lotus Sect has no mercy."
"All that is left for us to do is fight, my son," he replied. "And all that is left for us to do is remember who we are. The blood of the Jiang flows in you, and no army or spell can erase that."
The air around us seemed to grow cold, and I felt a strange sensation, a mixture of fear and resignation. But before I could say anything else, a distant sound could be heard, like the echo of a knock on the door of the world. It was a loud, metallic roar that echoed through the air.
"It can't be…" I murmured, as my father clenched his fists.
Then a disciple ran toward us, panting, his face pale and his eyes wide.
"Sir, little young Master... they are here!" he shouted. — The Blackwoods... and the White Lotus Sect! They have breached our gates!
My father glanced at me, a look filled with everything he could not say, and then he ordered his disciple: — Prepare to defend our home.
I stood there, paralyzed, with the weight of duty hammering at my soul. But before I left, I looked one last time at the Sacred Tree, feeling the ancient presence of my ancestors, and then I followed my father. When I reached the courtyard, the sight I found was the beginning of a nightmare.
My father, a man whose hands always seemed made to protect, was kneeling on the ground, surrounded by men whose faces were only silhouettes beneath black hoods. Their swords, long and cruel blades, reflected the moonlight. The Blackwoods were like a storm of anger rising up inside me. I knew they were known for cruelty, massacres and dishonor, but I never imagined they would dare to set foot on our lands, much less attack our family.
My father looked up and saw me. His eyes wounded, he gave me a silent order, almost a plea: run.
But there was no escape. Beside me, my sister Yao'er trembled, her eyes wide as she watched the massacre begin. There was hatred in the eyes of those men, a desire for destruction that went beyond mere disputes over land or honor. The Blackwoods wanted something more, something we could not stop them from taking.
"The power of the Sacred Tree will be ours," their leader said, his voice hoarse and bitter as poison. And then he looked directly at Li Meiyu, who had arrived accompanied by a few Jiang disciples.
I felt the world tremble around me. They were not here just to destroy us; they wanted her. Li Meiyu, the most beautiful young woman in Arthovya. They saw her as a trophy, a prize for their house, and the Sacred Tree, which we protected, as a weapon to strengthen their generations.
"You... don't know what you're doing," I hissed, my voice shaking with rage and helplessness. "If you use the tree the wrong way, it will corrupt the world. And demonic creatures will appear on the earth."
"Oh, we know," the Blackwood leader smiled, and it was a smile that carried an eminent cruelty. "We know that the Jiangs possess a strength that goes beyond the flesh. Let us make this strength our own and we will have our revenge in each generation."
My Redemption sword was in my hand before I could even think. But as I tried to do them some damage, they moved with impossible speed, like shadows. For every blow, two of them advanced, and it wasn't long until my sword was ripped away and my arms were held by cold, unwavering hands. I felt the iron of the chains tighten around my wrist, felt the weight of defeat, and then the worst of all horrors happened: Li Meiyu was torn from Yao'er's arms. She struggled, she struggled, but it was useless. I saw her being taken away, and her voice calling out my name, a last scream that echoed in the night.
"Wuxin!"
And then, silence. I was left there, fallen in the shadows, surrounded by the bodies of my family, my heart had been torn apart by emptiness. I heard Yao'er screaming for help, but I couldn't even move a muscle. What happened to me? Why couldn't I move at that moment? I let my sister be tortured and killed by those bastards... My beloved was stolen. They took my heart.
I don't know how long I stood there. Death would have been a relief, but they didn't even give me that. The Blackwoods left towards the tree, taking my dear Li Meiyu and our hopes. And I remained standing, feeling the bitter taste of dust and defeat. Until something... changed.
At the edge of my consciousness, a strange presence approached, shrouded in shadows as dense and cold as death.
"So this is the famous Jiang Wuxin," a voice echoed in my mind, a whisper that seemed to come from within, unearthed from some unknown abyss.
My body writhed in pain, every fiber burning as if it were being torn from the inside out. It was as if something... no, someone, was trying to enter me, possessing me. I wanted to scream, but my voice wouldn't come out; only that whisper, penetrating every thought, every memory.
The world around me was a haze of pain and distorted shadows. I thought I saw evil spirits sucking the negative energy from all those dead bodies. My eyes felt heavy, and every movement seemed to drain the last of my body's energy. I was being dragged by two disciples of the Blackwood clan, their faces impassive as they dragged me like an unwanted load, scratching my skin and smearing my blood on the sand.
I tried to look up and saw the destruction around me: a pile of bodies, the Jiang disciples who had defended our clan until their last breath, piled up like the wreckage of a past life. At the top, a sight that pierced my soul like a sharp blade. My father's head was hanging from a stake, his eyes open, empty, still staring into the void. He who had always believed in our power, in our strength. Now, I was nothing more than a macabre trophy of the Blackwoods.
My throat burned with thirst and with the scream I couldn't let out. I instinctively looked for my sister's presence, but her body was not among the others. Perhaps it had been destroyed to the point that nothing was visible. The emptiness took over me like a crushing weight, and I knew that the defeat was complete.
After a few hours of walking that seemed like an eternity, they abandoned me. They simply released my arms and let my body fall heavily onto the scorching desert sand. Despite it being almost night, the heat radiated from the ground, burning my wounded skin. Breathing was an effort, and the magical chain they had placed on me seemed to rob me of the last of my strength. It wasn't just a prison; it was as if it was sucking my very essence, draining the vitality that remained from me.
Time passed slowly, and thirst, heat, and pain mixed together in a suffocating whirlwind. My eyes flickered, sometimes focusing on the clear sky and the void around me, sometimes blurring until everything turned to darkness. I knew I was dying. Life was slipping away from me, and my consciousness was slowly fading away, like grains of sand blown by the wind.
Then, somewhere between life and death, I felt a presence. It wasn't like someone coming to help me; it was something dark, like a shadow slowly advancing, hungry and cold. Probably one of those evil spirits. It was then that I saw something horrible, a slender and powerful figure, its face hidden in a gloom that seemed almost tangible. It approached me like a predator that finally finds its helpless prey.
"Jiang Wuxin," he murmured, his voice reverberating in the void around me, "it seems your fate has been sealed."
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond. Each attempt was futile, the sigh weaker than the last. That thing knelt beside me, extending a pale, cold hand. I could feel the intent in its eyes; it wanted to take my body, absorb it the last of my energy was gone, and I couldn't stop it. With a touch to my forehead, I felt an even more powerful force invade me, pulling at my soul as if it wanted to rip it out from within.
But I was still alive. Something inside me resisted, like a weak but stubborn flame. And although I couldn't move, my consciousness struggled, clinging desperately. The thing retreated for a moment, and its face contorted into an expression of frustration. It couldn't take what still belonged to me. No matter how weakened I was, I was still me.
"You are weak, Jiang Wuxin," the voice continued, and now I could feel a touch of contempt, like a cold and impartial judge. "But fate has marked you for something greater, I can see something… dark."
"Who are you?" I managed to ask, my mind thrashing in the dark, searching for a face, a form. But all I saw was a hazy figure, a pair of eyes as red as embers.
"I am Seth," he replied, each syllable echoing like the tolling of a death knell. "And I have come to offer you a choice: you can accept the power I give you and become a weapon, or you can wither and die in your failure. That will make it easier to master your body and devour the energy of the Sacred Tree."
I had no strength to resist. I knew that what he was offering me came with a price, a price that could consume everything I was. But at that moment, with the vision of Li Meiyu being taken away engraved in my mind, the thirst for revenge was all that remained.
Seth's presence enveloped me, thick and suffocating, like a dark fog that consumed everything around it. The pain in my body became small in the face of that colossal and enigmatic presence. I could feel his intentions like thorns stuck in my mind, probing every corner of my soul, trying to break any shred of will I had left. But I was Jiang Wuxin, and the stubbornness that pulsed through me was the last thing I would lose.
"I see a resilient soul in you, young Jiang Wuxin," Seth's voice trailed off like poison spilled into the silence, with a calculated coldness. "But what do you have left, now that all yours are dead? You are alone. Weak. I offer the strength you lost... and so much more. Just give me your body, come on."
I let out a hoarse laugh, feeling my body tremble as I tried to stand in the desert heat. "You offer power, do you? Of course you do. But tell me, what does a being like you really want? It certainly isn't friendship."
Seth took a step toward me, his presence intensifying like a living shadow. "A change of scenery, perhaps? A purpose?" I don't want to go back to the underworld anymore, it's so boring there. And I'm... an opportunity. For those who know how to take advantage of it.
My gaze, even clouded by pain and heat, didn't stray from his. My father always taught me that those who offered power never did so without a high price. And the truth was that the Jiang existed to purify the world of entities like Seth. But all of that was now a distant memory, buried under the blood of my clan.
I felt the temptation of the proposal in my flesh, every part of my body crying out for something to take me out of that miserable state. But I wasn't going to be fooled so easily.
"An opportunity, hmm? Then why don't you use it for yourself? There are many ambitious beings out there, but it seems that my little body is the best option for you, isn't it?" I teased, giving him a crooked smile. "After all, a being with so much... influence could do everything alone, right?"
Seth let out a low laugh, like the echo of a storm in the distance. — Ah, but why should I, when there is someone... so willing? Someone with the thirst to burn the world to the ground if he needs to.
I laughed back, though my strength was fading. — I may thirst for revenge, but I also have brains. If I accept your power, control will still be mine. Or no deal. — I stared at him with a sadistic smile. — You are a demon, and you cannot live long on earth without a body to inhabit, or you will die.
Seth's shadow wavered for a moment. I could feel his hesitation, as if he were considering it. It was a risky game, but all I had left was my cunning. I had to show that I was not such easy prey.
"You think you can fool me, boy?" he hissed, his tone sharp as a blade.
"Fool?" I let out another laugh, even though my throat was dry and pain throbbed in every part of my body. "I just want a fair deal. You help me survive, and in return, I become... your ally. Not your servant. I will use you, and you will be able to live on Earth without any problems.
Seth was silent for a few seconds, and I knew he was sizing me up, trying to probe the depths of my soul. I needed to act quickly, before he realized my true plan.
"Alright, Jiang Wuxin," he said, his voice now almost amused. "We will be allies. But remember, i am not a fool. You will have what you desire, but you will also pay the price for it. Power will come... but I will be your shadow.
I smiled, a defiant smile, even though I knew that what lay ahead would not be easy. Tricking him was not that difficult; the Jiang have a mind control technique capable of forcing the submission of beings like Seth. I would not be foolish enough to risk it. "Then we have a deal."
As soon as I accepted his words, I felt a cold wave pass through my body, as if Seth had infiltrated every cell of mine. He took root in me, merging with my very essence. He was a dark burden, a presence that seemed to try to take over every part of me, but I resisted with every ounce of my will.
The pain subsided, and in its place, an ancient and terrible energy began to pulse within me. It was a force that seemed to want to consume me, but that, at the same time, strengthened me, healing my wounds and reinvigorating my sand-burned flesh. I could still feel Seth, like a snake coiled around my heart, ready to strike at the slightest sign of weakness. But for now, he was quiet, and that was all I needed.
I took a deep breath, and the desert heat no longer seemed so unbearable. A new force, dark and powerful, pulsed through my veins, as if chaos itself had found a home within me.
"So, my precious little boy, you really managed to trick me," Seth whispered in my mind, his voice like a slowly dripping poison. "Forget it, I'm too lazy to try anything. Let your revenge begin… but don't forget. Every drop of blood you spill will also be a step towards your own downfall. Kill if you must, run if you must."
I shrugged, trying to ignore the feeling of Seth coiled around my being. "Maybe. But first, we have some debts to settle. And for now, I just want to bury my family in peace."
To be continued...