The mountains were cold, shrouded in a heavy mist that clung to the damp stone like a shroud. Dark clouds circled above, swallowing the moon and plunging the valley into a suffocating darkness.
Jiyul lay on the ground, his face pressed against the freezing earth. His body trembled violently, but it wasn't from pain.
He was laughing.
The sound clawed its way out of his throat—sharp, jagged, and broken like a cracked bell.
"Hahahahahaha!"
His fingers dug into the dirt, scraping until his nails bled.
"This… this is what I was waiting for!"
His voice cracked with a terrifying delight, vibrating against the stone floor.
"This is what made me a monster!"
Zekiel stood a few paces away, his glowing red eyes fixed on the boy with a mix of wariness and awe. Behind him, Sylus watched with crossed arms, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips.
Sylus's voice was a whisper, too low for Jiyul to hear, meant only for the shadows.
"You poor creature. That power doesn't belong to you. It belongs to me."
His smile sharpened into something predatory. He tilted his head slightly toward his servant.
"Zekiel."
The demon straightened instantly, the mockery gone from his posture. "Yes, my lord."
Sylus nodded toward the trembling figure on the ground. "Help him stand."
"Yes, Lord Sylus."
Zekiel walked forward, his heavy boots crunching on the loose gravel. He crouched beside Jiyul and reached out to grasp his shoulder.
But before his hand could make contact, Jiyul moved.
SNAP.
His arm shot out like a viper striking from the grass. He gripped Zekiel's wrist with a strength that felt like iron crushing bone.
"Remove it," Jiyul growled.
His voice was low, vibrating with a heat that hadn't been there before.
"I can stand myself."
Zekiel froze. He stared at the hand gripping him, feeling the raw, chaotic energy pulsing through Jiyul's skin. Slowly, carefully, the demon pulled back.
Jiyul pushed himself off the ground. His body swayed for a moment, unsteady on legs that had been broken and remade a hundred times over. But then he locked his knees and stood tall. His hair hung loose around his face, damp with sweat and rain. The sword on his back hummed faintly, resonating with the new power in his blood.
He lifted his head. His eyes were no longer human. They burned like dying embers in a pile of ash.
He turned toward Sylus.
And then
FLASH.
A memory struck him with the force of a physical blow.
The same vision Velkhan had shown him the massacre, the screams, the fire. But this time, it was distorted. The faces were blurred smears of agony. The killer was drowned in smoke. Only the blood was clear. Only the shadows were sharp.
Jiyul stumbled, clutching his head as it throbbed with a sudden, blinding pain.
"Why… now?"
He shook his head violently, trying to dislodge the images like water from his ears. When he looked up again, his gaze was clear, sharp, and lethal.
He stared straight at Sylus.
"Who are you?"
Sylus offered a polite, theatrical bow. "I am Sylus, of the Ashborn clan. I am here to help you."
Behind him, Zekiel lowered his gaze to hide the flicker of amusement. Help? the demon thought bitterly.
Jiyul's hand drifted to the hilt of his sword.
"I don't need your help," he said, his voice cutting through the damp air like a knife. "I can stand myself. I can fight myself."
Sylus's smile didn't falter. His tone shifted, becoming soft and patient, like a teacher explaining a simple concept to a stubborn child.
"I know you can. But the powers you carry now… they are not of this world. They are beyond the universe. No mortal can control them without guidance."
"Guidance?" Jiyul scoffed. The word tasted like bile. "Hell no. I will not accept another master above me. Never again. I'll find my own way. I'll control them myself."
Sylus took a step closer. His presence expanded, filling the cave with a suffocating weight.
"No, Jiyul. These powers are not something you can simply 'control' through will alone. You don't understand what burns inside you."
Jiyul's eyes narrowed. His fingers tightened around the hilt until his knuckles turned white.
"How do you even know my name?"
"I know everything about you," Sylus replied smoothly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "If you accept me as your guide, I will explain everything. Every answer you seek."
Jiyul moved.
It wasn't a step. It was a teleportation of sheer speed.
One heartbeat he was standing still; the next, he was a blur of motion.
SHING.
His sword was out. The cold steel edge pressed against the skin of Sylus's throat.
"Who are you really?" Jiyul hissed, his face inches from the god's. "And how do you know about me?"
Sylus didn't blink. He didn't flinch. He didn't even stop smiling.
"If you kill me now," Sylus said calmly, his eyes locked on Jiyul's, "your questions will remain unanswered. You'll live blind. Is that what you want?"
The cave froze.
The only sound was the dripping water, echoing like a countdown.
Jiyul's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat of adrenaline and instinct. He wanted to slice this man open. He wanted to silence the arrogance. But the hunger for answers was stronger than the hunger for blood.
Slowly, agonizingly, Jiyul pulled the blade back.
He didn't sheath it. He just lowered it.
"Fine," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "I'll listen. But if you lie… or if you hide even one truth… you'll pay for it."
Sylus nodded, satisfied. "Good. That's wise."
From the corner, a rough, barking laugh echoed.
Jiyul whipped around, his sword tip snapping toward Zekiel.
"Why are you laughing?"
His eyes blazed with a fury that demanded blood.
Zekiel raised his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender. "Nothing. I just remembered something from long ago."
But then, the demon caught Sylus's stare. It was dark, heavy, and silent—a warning that promised a fate worse than death.
Zekiel's laughter died in his throat. He bowed his head, falling silent.
The cave grew quiet again.
The three of them stood in the mist and shadows, the tension thick enough to choke on. Jiyul's hand remained on his sword, his muscles coiled tight. Deep in his gut, instinct screamed that this man Sylus was dangerous. Not a friend. Not a guide. A predator.
But for now, the predator held the keys to the cage.
And Sylus knew it.
Outside, the storm rumbled on. Rain lashed against the mountain stone, and thunder growled like a beast prowling in the night.