The manor was enveloped in dead silence. Under the cover of the night, a cold breeze swept across the grass, producing a faint rustling sound. In the shadowed corners, Ethan stood quietly against the dilapidated shack, sensing the flow of air.
His body was still weak, with a dull ache lingering in his chest. The thorny vine inside him twitched from time to time, reminding him that the brutal ritual's aftereffects had not yet faded. Each time the vine moved, he could feel the blood draining from his veins and his life force slowly slipping away.
"Time is running out..." Ethan thought to himself. He knew he had to leave quickly.
He moved quietly from the shadows, tiptoeing towards his rundown shack. Inside, there wasn't much of value-just a battered old trunk. He swiftly opened it, pulling out a few pieces of clothing and a small pouch filled with a handful of silver coins, his only savings left from the family. Just as he was about to leave, heavy footsteps and the clinking of armor echoed from outside the door.
"Hurry, the Third Legion detected an anomaly in this area. We need to conduct a thorough search," a patrol guard's voice came from outside, tinged with both tension and excitement.
Peering through the cracks in the worn wooden boards, Ethan saw several patrol guards entering in a line, holding eerie lanterns that emitted a ghostly blue light.
The wick of the lantern was a constantly rotating eyeball, as if it had its own consciousness. The eye turned slowly within the lantern, making a faint clicking sound-like the whispers of a nightwalker, or a curse from the abyss, seemingly searching for a unique energy.
Ethan quickly hid in the corner, holding his breath. He knew that these patrol guards were not to be trifled with, especially when they carried such strange oil lamps; it would be challenging to conceal his presence.
"The Third Legion sensed the anomaly, and we're just following their orders to search," an older patrol guard muttered in a disgruntled tone. "I have no idea why those freaks are so sensitive. It's always us running around, cleaning up their mess."
"You still want to join the Nine Great Legions, don't you? Especially the Third Legion.
I heard their enhanced sensory abilities can detect energy fluctuations throughout the entire Holy City, like a pack of hounds," a young patrol guard said, his voice filled with a hint of admiration.
"Hmph, those with strong sensory powers are impressive, but do you know the cost?" The older guard scoffed. "Not everyone can control their mutation. Those who can't control their powers either end up imprisoned or get wiped out entirely.
Do you still want to become a monster like them?"
"But possessing such power also means you can control your own fate, right?" the young guard retorted, a trace of confusion and fear flickering in his eyes.
"Fate? Do you even know what the world outside the Holy City is like?" The older soldier's voice lowered, tinged with a shiver of fear. "Outside the city, it's all Lightless Land-a region veiled in mist. You can't even see the sunlight, always trapped in a perpetual twilight. Those places hide things we can't comprehend, things that even the sensory experts of the legions can't fully detect."
"Lightless Land... is it really that terrifying?" the young patrol guard murmured, as if the name alone had triggered a primal fear within him.
"It's a hellish place. No one would willingly go there," the older soldier shook his head, his eyes filled with deep-seated terror. "'ve heard that most exploration teams sent to the Lightless Land never return. Those few who do come back are completely deranged, claiming they saw shadows in the mist that don't belong to this world. Some even lose their sanity, mumbling about voices whispering inside their heads."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat as he listened to their conversation. He instinctively realized that the Third Legion symbolized a kind of extreme power—a bizarre form of perception beyond the understanding of ordinary people. He couldn't suppress the surge of desire within him: if he could gain such power, he might be able to escape his current plight, maybe even take revenge on those who had wronged him.
Suddenly, the eyeball inside the detection lantern stopped rotating abruptly, fixing its gaze directly in Ethan's direction. A faint whispering sound emerged from the wick, like countless voices murmuring in his ear. The whispers grew clearer, resembling the voices of nightwalkers, or a curse from the abyss.
"Listen….. do you hear that? The sound of the lantern-it's found something..." One of the patrol guards turned pale, his voice trembling.
"Damn it, it's locking onto an energy signature! It's over there!" The leader of the patrol shouted, drawing his sword. The blade gleamed coldly under the lantern's light.
"Damn, I need to get out of here,
" Ethan thought, his heart sinking. The thorny vine
inside him convulsed violently, seemingly affected by the detection lantern's gaze.
He felt a sharp, stabbing pain that almost made him collapse.
Gritting his teeth, Ethan decided not to hesitate any longer. He swiftly slipped out through the back window of the shack, his movements as silent as a cat in the night.
He tried to avoid the patrol's line of sight, but the eyeball of the detection lantern seemed to follow him relentlessly, its eerie clicking sound echoing through the air.
"Quick, after it! It's wounded; it can't get far!" a patrol guard yelled, his voice brimming with excitement and bloodlust.
Ethan's heart pounded like a drum. He could only rely on the terrain and the cover of darkness, darting between trees and buildings. He could hear the footsteps closing in behind him, and even the whispers from the detection lantern seemed to grow louder, like a mocking voice in his ear, ridiculing his helplessness.
Suddenly, Ethan halted and extended the thorny vine into the ground, directing it to spread beneath the soil. He hid behind a dense thicket, holding his breath and waiting for the patrol to approach.
Soon, several guards rushed forward, their lantern's eyeball whirling frantically, casting its ghostly light all around.
"Where is it? It couldn't have just vanished!" The lead patrol guard scanned the area anxiously, unable to locate Ethan.
At that moment, the vine hidden underground lashed out, entangling one of the guards' ankles. The soldier let out a scream, losing his balance and falling to the ground. The lantern slipped from his grasp, its light extinguishing instantly.
"Retreat! It's here!" The older patrol guard's face turned ashen as he hastily gave the order.
Seizing the chaos, Ethan sprang out of the bushes, leaping over the manor's wall. He almost stumbled upon landing, a wave of pain and dizziness washing over him.
Finally escaping the pursuers, Ethan leaned against the wall, panting heavily, his eyes glinting with determination.
"Joining the Nine Great Legions... Only with such power can I truly control my fate," he murmured. He knew that his current strength wasn't enough to survive in a world filled with schemes and treachery. If he couldn't become stronger, he would inevitably end up as a pawn in someone else's game, or worse-wiped out like those uncontrollable mutants.
He looked up at the towering walls of the Holy City. In the darkness, the flags of the Nine Great Legions fluttered in the wind, almost as if they were beckoning him. Ethan felt an unprecedented surge of desire—a thirst for power, a yearning to survive.
"The Nine Great Legions of the Holy City... I will become one of them, no matter the cost," Ethan vowed silently to himself.
He knew there was no turning back. The only way was forward; the only way was to grow stronger if he wanted to live.
The night wind blew once more, and his figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.