The city clung to the base of a monstrous mountain range, like a beggar at the feet of a giant. The Awoken Moon Sect's buildings were carved right into the rock, as if the mountain itself had spat them out.
The sect's entrance was a pale blue pagoda, gates etched with gold, a jade crescent moon gleaming atop the mountain.
It caught the moonlight like a mirror, throwing this eerie glow over the land. I could feel it, like a cold hand on the back of my neck.
I noticed a marked contrast between the nighttime atmosphere here and the forest.
I pressed onward until I reached the entrance to the pagoda's three gates.
One of the guards at the entrance halted me as I got closer, asking for something.
"Where's your proof of origin, kid?" The guard quipped impatiently.
"I don't have any, sir. I came from a little village about three days from here."
"Do you have anything? a seal, a tag?"
I shook my head, warily, he seemed like he had a short fuse. "That's suspicious. Travelers usually carry some sort of token or seal."
The guard's eyes narrowed, tightening quickly. "What village are you talking about? There's no village for miles anywhere near here. You are lying" He took a step forward, with his hand moving onto the handle of the sword latched on his waist. "I don't care how young you are, you'd best tell the truth, or there'll be consequences."
I almost smirked at the thought of how unknown my home was, then I realized how much bigger he was than me. He loomed, scarred and six-foot-one and had scars running all over his body. There was an especially nasty one on the right side of his neck. I was guessing this man knew how to squeeze the life out of me with his big toe.
Translation: I'd probably lose this fight.
Thankfully, I didn't have to fight.
"Oi, Jerki, I think he's talking about that hamlet by that old creek. The one with the skinny poor people."
"Oh, thaaaat one." Jerki turned back to me. "Luckily someone remebered your home, kid; no proof usually means trouble," He sighed. "Why do I always have to deal with these dirty newcomers? I wish I worked at the right-side gate. At least then I could work with the nobles."
The other guard who had told Jerki about my village, had walked over by now.
"Evening, kid, why are you coming to the lovely city of Lunis at this time of day?"
I looked him straight in the eye. "Cultivation. I want to become a cult—"
"BAHAHAHAHAH, you're not the first one to think becoming a cultivator is simple." He chuckled. "If cultivating was that simple, you think I 'd still be here as a guard... here at this gate?" He roared with laughter. "Jerki, d'ya hear the boy?"
"Hahah, sure did, Michael. Another tragic backstory on the way. So many kids have come through here to cultivate; I could probably guess it. What is it going to be this time?" He looked towards Michael with a smile on his face, then back at me "Stolen sweetheart, cursed heirloom from your dying mother?" His voice dripping with mockery, his smirk widening as he waited for my reaction.
My face scrunched up in confusion. My reaction seemed to amuse them even more.
"Kid, if you really do have a magical item, throw it away. It's probably low quality and more likely to explode and kill you than actually help you."
I had a blank look on my face, he paused, "Empty out your bag, lets make sure you are not hiding anything." Michael leaned closer, grinning. "Well, if he doesn't have any identification, maybe a coin or two will help smooth the process right, Jerki?" Jerki smiled in answer.
My pulse quickened. They wanted a bribe, I barely had anything to give- just some coins and maybe the spices would be enough. If I pushed back they could throw me out, or worse. "I don't have anything but the stuff in my bag." I opened it up to him to show what was inside.
He lost his smile after that.
"You really are from that backwater dump. Alright, kid, quick lesson. Those copper coins are worth enough for about two days of rent and three small, hot meals. After you get in, you're going to want to find some work after failing the aptitude test. I recommend blacksmithing or butchering." He sneakily took a few choice spice blends and handed off some to Michael, "We could at least get something for this."
Michael replied, "If not, we can still give it to our wives." They both laughed at that.
I didn't flinch at the obvious jab. One thing I had always had was belief in myself, whether from years of hunting, or taking care of my father during his drunken episodes. I'd had it in spades my whole life.
"Thank you, sir. Is there a fee?" I looked at my pouch.
"I get paid by the hour. No," He said, as if he hadn't taken anything. "Just go in; there are enough of your kind around that nobody will notice an extra one. If you do become a cultivator, though, you owe me one."
"Thank you, sir."
He pointed over his shoulder at the left gate of the pagoda, indicating I should hurry off.
I quickly said my goodbyes and left to join the small, dwindling line of harvesters, farmers, and other people like me.
I was let in through a long, winding tunnel.
It wasn't long before I finally got inside the city.
I only had one word.
Disgusting.
I dodged horse dung, nose wrinkling at rotting meat and filth—flies swarmed, kids darted through alleys.
This couldn't be a cultivator's city- this was a dung heap.
Flies swarmed over what looked like vomit and gaunt, sickly children.
There was no way that cultivators lived here.
I hated uncleanliness and disorganization. I expected cultivators to have that same attitude toward the city.
Even in my little village, it never got this dirty. Granted, I did get up every morning to go around and make sure that it was clean. One of the habits I had picked from my father.
It would probably turn into a dung heap like this since I've left.
Needless to say, I felt like I had been duped- this place was a rotten apple hidden by a bright red exterior.
A stocky man, who seemed even shorter than me, noticed the dazed look on my face and ambled over, his face fashioned with a knowing smile.
"You new here, kid?" I nodded. "Ha, that's why you got that look on your face. You came from the pagoda at the entrance, right?" He didn't even wait for my answer this time.
"You probably saw the breathtaking view of the city and thought that's where you were going, huh?" I continued to stare with a blank look on my face. He laughed again.
"This is the Humilis District. The city is divided into three: the Humilis District, the Gallant District for nobles, and the Middle District for wealthy commoners. For people like us. If you want to go to the city you probably saw, then you have to either be a noble, very rich, or," he looked around nervously, "a cultivator."My eyes widened in realization while the corners of his mouth curved up as he smiled in satisfaction.
I asked, "I saw the sect as I came toward the city. How do I get accepted to the sect?"
He glanced at me knowingly and said, "Planning to become a cultivator, eh? My son is also trying again this year. They are having a test three days from now. It starts at dawn. If you pass the test, then you get into the sect. If you don't, then you get rejected."
"Then where do I go to take the test?"
"Don't worry about it, kid. Looking at you, I'm guessing you don't have a place to stay. Stay with me for the next three days. You also don't have money, right? You can help around my house, and then you can go with my son to the sect."
"Thank you, sir. Truly, I'll make sure to repay this kindness." I immediately took off the bag of farming equipment from his back and invited him to show me the way.
The stocky, slightly hunched man led me through a winding maze of narrow alleys and dilapidated buildings, his pace steady and sure, despite the muck that stuck fiercely to our shoes. When we reached his home- a simple construction of earth and straw- it still struck me as sturdier than most I'd seen so far. It was better than the mud huts we had back in my village- an oasis in a desert of squalor.
The floor was made of earth and straw, and the furniture consisted of a few stools, a trunk for bedding, and some cooking utensils. He had only three kids, which was weird when most peasants had over thirteen, and he didn't look that young.
A couple of minutes later, his son also came to the house. It turned out he was a town guard in the Gallant District. He was tall, much taller than me, but most men were taller than me at that time, and he looked like he was specially formed of thin, wiry cords of muscle. It was no surprise to me then, when I saw the look of pride in his father's eyes at the sight of him.
He was probably counting on his son to take them out of the peasant life.
The son's name was Hoffnung, and the father's name was Henley.
Hoffnung's sisters, Isabella and Charlotte, pounced with squeals—he flexed, lifting them as giggles rang.
The oldest looked to be six years old; her name was Isabella, and the youngest, about five or so, was called Charlotte. It was sad.
In this age, beauty was a double-edged sword. Looking as striking as them was more a curse than a blessing. They shouldn't be in a place like this- sadly, girls like them attracted the wrong type of attention, and everyone in the room knew it.
That was the problem. It was a curse to be pretty as a peasant. It was like being a fat, slow cow in the presence of starving lions.
Hoffnung's shoulders tensed up, his hands balling into fists, as a passerby cast a too long glance at his daughters.
I looked into Hoffnung's eyes and saw the fierceness of the fire that burned in them. He understood what I did. That explained his physique and job better to me. Being accepted into the sect was likely also his only hope.
What awaited his sisters if he didn't was blindingly clear. The thought made my stomach turn uncomfortably. They were only children, but in such a place, innocence was a fleeting luxury. I didn't know them, but I'd seen enough girls, even in my own small, remote village, taken or... broken, to understand the weight in Hoffnung's eyes. For the sake of his family, I hoped he suceeded.
I wanted to ask where their mom was, but judging from the appearance of the father, I could tell the girls' beauty didn't come from him. She probably caught the eye of a noble one day and then disappeared.
She would be dead by now since it seemed the kids didn't remember their mother. They were the only ones willing to talk about the little they remembered about her. If she wasn't dead, then it was best if her kids didn't have to go through seeing her again.
She'd be a shell of a person if she was still alive.
Henley nodded and pointed out the door at me before looking at his son. I understood the message and started to walk outside. It seemed they wanted to talk to me.
Hoffnung put down his sisters and spoke in a deep, gravelly voice, which irked me because he was only a year older than me, and he already sounded like a man. My voice still sounded like it was in transition. His deep voice carried an authority I envied.
"Sit down and I'll bring you a gift." Their eyes lit up at the promise. His voice turned into some sort of sing-song tone the longer he talked to his sisters.
"Yay, gift!"
"Is it pondi buns?"
He glared at them because they still weren't sitting down before they went to sit down by the fire and pouted. Chuckling, he walked outside with his father, but his gazed darkened when he stepped outside with his father.
Henley, couched, clearing his throat, his gaze shifting constantly between his son and I. "I've not already introduced you guys, but," he looked at his son, "this is Khan," He said finally. "He'll be staying here with us, untill the Awoken Moon Sect entrance test, he doesn't have a lot, but I think we can manage, right." He looked meaningfully and firmly at his son. Who scoffed and turned his head away. "You guys will be going together. He will also be helping me out with stuff that needs doing at and around the house or at the farm till then." He'd made up his mind, even if he wasn't completely sure why.
Hoffnung nodded at me. I nodded back.
"Those are my sisters in the house. The oldest is Isabella, and the youngest is Charlotte." His gaze hardened, his voice low as he could make it, "Those little girls are allI have left. If something happens to them and its because of you, I'll make sure your own parents forget they made you. Got it?"
"I don't appreciate the tone, but I understand." If I had sisters, that would also be my reaction, especially if they were as beautiful as them.
"Alright, you and Hoffnung will be sleeping on the mat on the floor.
It was a little longer before it was actually time to sleep for us. I carried all my belongings, which was just the stuff in my bag to the corner of the room.
As I put my head down on the mat next to Hoffnung, the sounds of Henley's family faded, but my mind remained, ringing with thoughts of what lay ahead. Failure here would mean something worse than rejection... it meant survival. I couldn't afford to fail. I didn't know what would happen if I did, but I feared it deeply, a fear that hid in my bones. And somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew—this city wasn't the last of my problems."