The chamber had no walls—only darkness layered upon darkness, folding into itself like a living thing. There was no ceiling, no floor, yet the air felt heavy, ancient, and deliberate. Shadows moved without light, drifting like breath held too long. At the center of it all stood the Master, his presence commanding even the void to listen.
Before him knelt a shadow.
It had no form, no face, no age. It was neither alive nor dead, neither born nor made. It had existed as long as commands had existed, as long as obedience had been demanded. It was a messenger—one of the oldest.
The Master's voice cut through the stillness, calm yet weighted with centuries.
"You have been a great messenger all these years," he said. "You have served me, and you have served my forefathers. You have crossed realms unseen, ended bloodlines without sound, and carried commands without question."
The shadow stirred, responding not with words but with a subtle tightening of the dark around it.
"That is why," the Master continued, stepping forward, his long staff tapping once against the unseen ground, "I am sending you on this mission."
The shadows leaned inward.
"This is not a mission to save," the Master said quietly. "It is a mission to destroy."
The word echoed, heavy and final.
"The bloodline of Huang must end."
At the mention of the name, the shadows trembled.
"That bloodline does not deserve to exist any longer," the Master went on. "It has outlived its purpose. It has defied the ancient balance. It has preserved knowledge that should have died with the first age."
He raised his staff slightly, and symbols—old, forbidden—glowed faintly along its length.
"You will go to the city where humans live," he said. "A place of noise and light. Where metal beasts called cars move across concrete roads. Where towers of stone scrape the sky, and people believe themselves alone in the world."
The shadow shifted uneasily.
"It is far from what you know," the Master acknowledged. "You will not be used to it. You will stumble. You will feel things you have never felt."
He paused.
"That is why I will make you human."
The shadows recoiled.
"You will no longer exist as shadow alone," the Master said. "You will wear flesh. You will breathe air. You will hunger. You will feel pain. And you will walk among them unseen for what you truly are."
The staff lowered.
"Your mission is simple."
The shadow leaned closer, as if listening more intently.
"Find the Great Book of Huang," the Master said. "It is hidden within the ancient home of the bloodline. That book is the Book of Life. It contains what should never be remembered."
The Master's eyes hardened.
"That book belongs to my great master by right."
He turned slightly, as though gazing across distances no mortal could cross.
"The girl you are being sent to… she carries the blood of Huang."
The shadow stiffened.
"You will get the book from her," the Master commanded. "You will destroy her. You will cause her problems, confusion, danger—until her path collapses beneath her feet."
The staff struck the unseen ground once.
"Remember the oath you just took," the Master warned. "It stands. It binds. It watches."
Then, without another word, the Master lifted his staff and brought it down upon the shadow itself.
The darkness screamed—not in sound, but in rupture.
Light tore through shadow, and form burst into being.
Where there had been nothing, a body surfaced.
A young man stood there—tall, lean, unmistakably human. His skin was pale, untouched by sun. His hair fell dark and unruly over sharp eyes that reflected no age. He stood barefoot, almost naked, breath hitching as lungs filled with air for the first time.
The Master studied him.
"I made you look like this for a reason," he said. "You are young. You are handsome. Humans trust beauty. They open doors to it."
The young man did not speak. His eyes were steady, unshaken, unfamiliar with blinking.
"But do not forget," the Master added, voice sharpening, "your mission must be completed."
The Master turned and disappeared briefly into the darkness. When he returned, he carried clothing—simple, human garments. He dressed the young man slowly, deliberately, as one might dress a weapon.
"Move," the Master commanded.
The young man tried.
His legs buckled. He stumbled forward awkwardly, barely catching himself before falling.
The Master laughed—a dry, amused sound.
"Easy," he said. "You can do it."
The young man tried again. His movements were stiff, uncoordinated, almost comical. He lifted one leg too high, placed it down too hard, swayed like a newborn creature learning gravity.
Again and again he tried.
Finally, he managed to stand upright and take a few steps—still awkward, still strange, but moving.
The Master nodded and disappeared once more, returning with a pair of simple slippers. He knelt and slid them onto the young man's feet.
"You know your mission," the Master said, rising.
The young man looked at him, then nodded.
"Yes, Master," he replied.
Then suddenly, his hand moved to his stomach.
The Master paused. "What is it?"
"I do not know," the young man said slowly. "But something is moving inside."
The Master laughed again, louder this time.
"You are hungry."
He brought out a loaf of bread and a container of water and held them out.
"Take."
The young man accepted them but stared at the items uncertainly, then back at the Master.
"Karl," the Master said sharply.
The young man blinked. The name settled into him like a brand.
"Eat it."
Karl lifted the bread and placed it into his mouth.
His eyes widened instantly.
The Master sighed, stepped forward, forced Karl's mouth open slightly, and poured water in.
"You need to learn all this," the Master said. "You are flesh now."
He straightened.
"In this mission of the ancients, you have five years," he continued. "After five years, you will return to shadow—or be erased."
Karl said nothing. He stared at the Master, absorbing the weight of time for the first time.
"Karl," the Master said again, raising his staff slightly.
"You can go."
He lowered the staff, and the darkness around them began to shift.
"I will send you to the city," the Master said. "To a building where you will see the girl."
His eyes narrowed.
"If you see her… you will know."
The shadows closed in.
And Karl was gone.
I don't need rewrite
I need a new title for this my new novel
Let is sound romantic/war and protection all through