The moon bathed the world in an astonishing grey, as the Long Night had finally begun.
In a crumbling village of the Primal World, a boy had his hand around an old man's throat.
Despite the size advantage, the man couldn't break free from the grip of the boy.
He merely watched with his narrow eyes as the old man was slowly losing his life.
"You… shameful Aberrant," He said, choking out the words.
In an agonizing slow pace, he turned his head to look at the chestnut-haired boy who had been strangling him.
"You have no honor."
The young boy furrowed his brows, seeing the old man hadn't just collapsed and died already.
He didn't reply. The boy pulled out a dagger from his robe and pressed it to the old man's throat.
The scream of the old man was swallowed by a hand over his mouth.
With almost no hesitation, the boy cut open his neck, sliding the dagger across his throat.
Blood splattered like a crescent moon. The boy then let go of his grip. With no care in the world, he allowed the body to collapse on the floor with a loud thud.
He looked down at the corpse, his face showing more disgust than guilt.
"Honor? You think I was born with such luxury?"
Having said that, he quickly went inside the storage room that had all types of food saved up for the villagers.
He took what he could, storing them in a backpack. Mostly bread, but it would do the job for the next few days.
Truly, if it came to it, he could fend off or kill all the guards that 'defended' the village. But it wasn't worth his time.
Minutes passed as he finally took enough food for him to survive. As soon as he finished, he ran outside and into the Sableroot Forest that was situated directly next to the village.
In the Primal World, food was more than just a necessity. It was hard to gain access if not a citizen of one of the Seven Great Cities.
***
After running for quite some time, he finally reached what appeared to be a campfire in an open area surrounded by trees.
The fire flickered. Two people sat around it: one woman, who had her eyes closed, and a blonde man with a red tie wrapped around his head.
"You plan on eating all of that by yourself?" Kellen asked, his tone more serious than sarcastic.
He had a well-built physique, strong enough to survive outside the City. The long red tie circled his yellow hair, indicating signs of temporary banishment.
Aren clicked his tongue. "You're not funny."
The woman remained silent. Her eyes were shut, covered by a soft blindfold that left only her long dark eyelashes visible.
She wore a delicate, sleeveless white dress, and her very long, flowing dark hair, adorned with deep pink highlights, cascaded far behind her.
Faye seemed to be almost the same age as Aren, maybe even younger.
Ignoring the eeriness she radiated, he placed his backpack with the food far from the campfire and sat beside it alone, leaning against a tree.
Kellen shot him a glance, looking a bit offended.
"The Order is still after us… We must hurry now that the Long Night has begun," the woman finally spoke, her voice ethereal.
"I would rather avoid fighting as well; it might disrupt the area," Kellen replied cautiously.
Silence enveloped them as each of them became lost in their own thoughts.
Aren gazed at the giant moon, his head filled with uncertainty.
"If you stare too long into the Abyss, it will stare back at you."
His eyes widened slightly at the words Faye had spoken. They echoed in his mind.
Before his banishment, people in his city would often say the same line about those who gazed too long at the moon. The memory felt unsettling for Aren.
***
More minutes passed as they drew warmth from the campfire before finally deciding to continue their journey.
Fortunately for Aren, the hunter wasn't the one from whom he had stolen food.
As soon as they emerged from the forest, they found themselves in a village that felt empty and lifeless.
Dark and gloomy, the village was clearly abandoned.
Seeing abandoned villages was a common experience on the other side of the Sableroot Forest, where monster activity was greater than average.
Realizing this, Aren let out a quiet sigh, disappointed. He thought, *I would've preferred having more food.*
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The three of them froze, wearing stiff expressions.
Aren gripped his dagger tightly, sensing that danger was imminent.
They were being watched. They didn't know by whom, but it sent chills down their spines. In this world, no one could ever feel completely safe.
Within seconds, they found themselves surrounded. Countless unrecognizable figures stood beneath the night sky, each one raising their blades high in the air.
"Hunters," Kellen whispered.
'I can clearly see that,' Aren thought with irritation, annoyed that Kellen had stated the obvious.
What were hunters doing all the way out here, anyway? They typically never traversed Frostgrave, which lay on the other side of the Sableroot.
Finally, one of the hunters spoke, their figure still obscured.
"Turn yourselves in. You're outnumbered; there's no need to shed blood."
The crew remained silent, resolute, despite being outnumbered three to one.
"I recognize you," the same hunter continued, pointing directly at Aren.
Aren raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
He didn't care whether or not the hunter recognized him. After all, he probably had the worst reputation in the world.
"You're the son of Vyla, aren't you?" He said, a smirk forming on his face.
Aren furrowed his brows aggressively as he was reminded of his mother.
Barely keeping his composure, he replied, "How do you know her?"
"She was a great… entertainer—"
Silver light flashed from nowhere toward him.
His heart was pierced, leaving a gap in his body. Slowly, his body started disintegrating like a decaying statue.
Seeing this, the other hunters slowly backed up.
Aren was furious. His mother's reputation is what ruined his life in the City.
'Son of a bastard!'
All types of emotions swelled up within Aren, being reminded of his mother, who was one of the main reasons why he was banished.
He turned his head to where the beam came from, only to see Faye, her arm high in the air, palm open.
She kept her eyes closed, and her long, dark eyelashes were only visible.
"The Abyss has graced us with its light on our horizon. Do not stain it."
Blue slate rings formed around her two wrists, orbiting them like ancient power.
One of the hunters whispered, "She's already Shade Two… and she's a kid?"