Back at the cave where the sun neither rises nor sets. The three hours deadline was fast approaching, and the smell of blood still lingered heavily in the room. The pilling of dead bodies kept increasing as each minute passes.
A sharp bell sound echoed through the wall of the cave, bringing the slaughter to a pause. Everyone caught up in a battle alted in curiosity.
"Your three hours mark as come to an end, looks like you didn't disappoint in feeling the quarter." The masked man said, his voice filled with cold satisfaction, inhumane, demon like satisfaction.
"Looks like there are a few of you that are quite useful_" he adjusted his glances to the 10 prominent figures among the remaining 287 children.
But among those ten, only four people stood out the most.
One of them was from the Sichuan Tang Clan, one of the 4 main family in the center plains—the daughter of the Poison Lord, Tang Mia
As she used a poison arts to minimize the damages done to her.
Another one from the Moyong Clan, one of the 8 main sect in the center plains, Moyong Seol. He stood out because of his cruelty especially for someone coming from a righteous sect.
A young boy from Wudang Sect which where know for their sword arts—Wu Feng. He was among them who stood out the most. Using a tree root as though it was a sword. He cut the head of the other children in one clean cut. He was by far the most strongest of them all.
And finally, the one who stood out the most, or should I say the one who stood out the least—the last descendant of the blood demon sect, Ma Hyeolmu. Because he was able to hid his presence the most. He stood out the most. Now the guards had taken a interest in him.
"Form this point on you all will leave here, until your time is over, where u are finally ready to be pawns of the demon cult. If u perform well, maybe just maybe you would be more than just a pawn."
The DEATH masked guard as the turns back with the rest of the guard leaving the children to do to their things.
Finally the masked guard left the chambers, leaving only the sound of ragged breaths and the dripping of unseen water echoing through the vast chamber.
Many of the children slumped to the ground, their faces twisted with exhaustion and shame. The stronger ones began to group together, whispering in hushed tones. Fear and pride mixed together in their voices.
But Ma Hyeolmu did not linger. While the others tried to find comfort among themselves, he slowly walked deeper into the chamber. His pale hair glimmered faintly under the torchlight as he pressed further into the shadows, unnoticed as always.
After some time, his eyes caught a strange opening in the far wall, half-hidden by jagged rocks and mosses. He slipped inside quietly. The passage was narrow, damp, the air colder than the main hall. As he walked further in, he could see faint carvings on the stone walls—old, broken symbols long forgotten.
"This place…" he muttered under his breath, his voice low, almost swallowed by the silence. "its too grand for the demonic Cult, how did they even build this huge place under the cult or was it here before the cult?"
The air was heavy, carrying a strange stillness. To Hyeolmu, it wasn't anything new—like the same suffocating darkness he had lived in for the past two years. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened. No one was following him. For once since his arrival in this chambers, he was alone, and surprisingly it's suited him good.
After a while of exploring the cave entering deeper and deeper into the place where the air started feeling thin and the atmosphere became far more cold. He decided to return as he could not longer proceed, something was there in that cave that he couldn't face, at least now.
When he finally returned to the main chamber, the atmosphere had already shifted. The children had begun forming groups. The weaker ones flocked around the stronger figures mainly the three main children being the head, clinging to whatever hope they could find. Tang Mia sat quietly, her cold gaze sharp as she spoke with a small group. Moyong Seol on the other hand, was laughing harshly, having a smirk look all over his face as though he was invincible, already gathering followers with threats.
While Wu Feng, calm but proud, was surrounded by those who looked up to him as though he were a pillar being a disciple from the one of the most powerful orthodox sect in centre plains.
Hyeolmu stood apart, leaning silently against the stone wall. He made no move to approach anyone. His silence, his distance, made him stand out in a strange way.
It was then Tang Mia's eyes caught him. For the first time, she moved her steps toward him. Her voice was calm, but there was weight behind it.
"How about joining you us, you seem weak you won't survive here alone."
Hyeolmu did not respond. His eyes never turned to her. As though she hadn't spoken at all, he simply remained silent, his presence fading once more into the background.
The boy beside her frowned deeply. His pride couldn't accept the insult of ignoring Tang Mia, the daughter of the Poison Lord or maybe he was just trying to seek favor with her but anyways he snapped.
"Hey!" the boy snapped, his voice sharp. "Do you know who is speaking to you? Show some respect. Tang Mia is not someone you can ignore."
Still, Hyeolmu gave no answer. He simply stood up and began walking away, as if the boy's words were nothing more than empty noise.
The boy's face twisted with rage. With a sudden burst, he lunged forward and struck Hyeolmu across the face. The frail boy fell instantly, blood spilling from his mouth as he hit the ground hard.
"Learn your place," the boy spat coldly. "If you want to survive here, if miss Mia or I am speaking to you, you would answer, that's if you want to survive this pit."
The others turned their eyes away. No one moved to help. The chamber grew silent once again, the tension clinging to the air like a curse.
To be continued...