He never thought he would be this happy to leave that troublesome place. But when he turned around, the hole was gone. Just smooth stone.
'Okay, disappearing door. Let's cross that off the list of places to never visit again.'
"The universe really making me question my sanity."
But he had never felt so happy to be back in his prison. Maybe a bit too happy. He hugged the wall, the ground, and might have even kissed the floor a few times, just to show how much he had missed it.
He lay there for a while, staring up at nothing, then muttered, "Hey… you remember how we understood that serpent?"
'Yeah.'
"So… you think we can talk to snakes now?"
'What, like snake-tongue?'
"Yeah."
He sat up, testing out his theory, letting instinct take over, and released a soft hiss. The sound echoed through the tunnels. For a moment, nothing. Then he noticed them, countless snakes slithering toward him, surrounding him in every direction.
'Yes, yes. We are the king of snakes. Now we have unlimited friends… and not to mention food for at least three months.'
"No, idiot. We're going to use them to get out."
'How?' the voice asked, edged with confusion.
"They've lived here their whole life, right? If anyone—"
'They'll be the ones to know the way out,' the voice cut him off, smug. 'I'm a genius. Aren't you glad to have me around?'
He sighed. "Oh yeah, I'm the luckiest."
He followed the snakes. A moment later, they came to a dead end. He had been here before but turned away because, well, it was blocked.
His hand moved across the stone, and he could feel air seeping through.
"I guess this is it."
Gritting his teeth, he slammed his fist into the wall, shattering what had kept him imprisoned for years.
Although he was free, his steps were weighed down by doubt. He had dreamt of this day, yet the invisible shackles of confinement still clung to him, refusing to believe the crack of light ahead was real. But he pushed it open.
For the first time in years, the sunlight struck him, burning into his delicate crimson eyes. He flinched but was unable to look away from the fiery sphere.
It spilled down over him, brushing his pale skin like a long-lost touch, as if the world above had waited all this time just to welcome him back.
His eyes welled as he stared at the sun. Not sure whether it was from joy or the sun's fury, but it was amazing. Just then, the tiny snake peeked from his attire's pockets.
The same purple attire he might, or might not, have stolen from the assassin lady. According to him, he was "borrowing" them… though he had closed his eyes while borrowing.
The little snake basked in the sunlight as much as he did. After he fed her a few drops of his poisonous blood, they lingered together under the open sky, surrounded by mountains and trees.
Time passed. The sun sank into the horizon, and the moon rose in its wake, two souls bound to follow one another, but never able to embrace each other.
He lay still under the pale glow of the silver moonlight. The cold breeze brushed over his skin, almost felt too gentle, something he hadn't felt in years.
He glanced down, seeing how peacefully the baby snake slept on his chest. He let his eyelids drop only for a moment.
The howling of wind grew louder, waking him up. He rose slowly to his feet and slipped the adorable snake back into his pocket.
He needed a new pair of clothes. The ones he borrowed from the assassin lady were too big, dragging behind him. So he went straight to the clan armory. The night wrapped around him, letting him slip through without effort.
He knew he could leave the island. Freedom was right within his grasp. But it would never extinguish the fire clawing at his chest. The rage he carried burned too deep.
He scanned the room. His gaze stopped on the closet in the corner, the place where all the broken, useless things went. He walked toward it.
'Don't open that door.'
His hand froze, knowing what lay behind it. But he didn't listen. He opened it anyway.
It looked much smaller than he remembered. He remembered his time here. Unforgettable. The endless nights trapped in a room too small to stand. Hunger gnawing until he could barely move. Hours crying into the dark, begging for someone to come save him.
But no one ever did.
He put on a new set of attire, gathered a few other things he might need, and turned away. He left the armory alongside the horrible memories with it.
He sat on the peak of the mountain. From where he stood, he could see the world below.
With a dark expression. "Let's begin."
Cold, almost emotionless, he called out the Black Knight, and it rose from his shadow, waiting for its master's command.
[Entity: Black Knight]
[Rank: Dormant]
[Shadow Fragments: 0 / 100]
• Upon reaching 100 fragments, the Black Knight will evolve to the next tier.
[Passive – Abyssal Endurance]
• When struck by a killing blow, the Black Knight may endure up to three times.
• Each endurance grants permanent resistance to that specific attack type.
It appeared again. Like before, he reached for it. His hand passed right through. Even closing his eyes didn't help, as if it was engraved into his mind.
He muttered, "Ok, I get it, go away." And to his surprise, it did.
"Oh… this is interesting."
A wide smile tugged at his lips. "Go say hello to them for me, would ya?"
The Black Knight leapt high, then came crashing down in the middle of the village.
The impact was strong enough to send shockwaves rippling through the island. Trees snapped like twigs, houses were blown away like paper, and the island itself seemed to groan under the force.
That got their attention.
The ones nearby crawled out from the rubble, coughing and dragging themselves free, while those farther away rushed out armed and ready, but not without a flicker of confusion on their faces. From a distance, he watched them all unravel, panic spreading like fire.
But once they realized they were being attacked, they snapped and closed in, circling the knight. Fast, but sloppy. Unprepared. Their blades drove into the black armor, convinced someone was trapped inside, only to splinter like brittle glass.
Their attack might have done nothing to him, but his did. With one brutal swing, the ebony blade sheared through them, flesh and bone giving way as if nothing stood there at all.
In situations like this, it was normal to flee after witnessing what the knight had done. Some did.
But the more experienced assassins didn't. Instead, they raised their weapons, still convinced a man was inside, shouting for it to remove its armor.
The Black Knight ignored them and moved toward its main target, his father.
While its back was turned, they struck all at once, throwing everything they had. First, the knight's legs sank into the ground like shackles. Next, vines whipped down to bind its arms, while others dove from above, blades glinting in the dark.
But that only made the knight angry. It broke free with ease and shot forward, moving with terrifying speed. In less than ten seconds, dozens of assassins were already cut down. With its ebony sword in hand, the Black Knight was nothing short of a monster.
The knight moved forward, its once pitch-black blade now dripping crimson.
Then something came crashing down from above, like a meteor.
His father.
No longer human, but twisted into a beast-like form. He slammed into the knight with crushing force, claws tearing through the air.
"You did well. Now I'll handle it from here."
He probably could have let the knight deal with his father, but to him this was personal.
He shot out of the knight's shadow, closing the distance in an instant, and kicked his father in the jaw. The crack echoed like thunder, hurling him from the sky and through his own house.
He turned around. "Kill everyone."
His father pushed himself off the rubble. "Who are you?"
The knight turned to the others and began slaughtering anyone it could reach.
With a crazed smile, he spread his arms wide. "What? Don't recognize your own son?"
Both daggers materialized in his hands out of thin air, shadows curling at the edges of the blades. "Your beloved son has returned."
His father's face darkened as his body twisted, taking on a more beast-like form.