The group stumbled through the right doorway, their steps faltering as their eyes widened in shock.
The hall beyond was in ruins.
Stone walls were carved with deep sword marks, cracks webbing across their surfaces. The floor itself had been shattered, as though a violent battle had raged here only moments ago.
Bek’s jaw dropped.
“Whoa… what happened here?” His voice trembled with awe.
Shin slowly swept his gaze across the devastation, his expression heavy.
“Uncle Dan was here,” he said quietly. “He must have fought a demon.”
Lin snorted, folding her arms.
“A demon? He couldn’t even handle a slow zombie,” she scoffed. “How could he fight something like this? He must’ve been eaten already.”
Shin lowered his head, pity clouding his eyes.
“Poor Uncle Dan… devoured by the demon.”
Bek clasped his hands together and muttered a prayer.
“Poor soul. Don’t blame us.”
Shin echoed softly, “Poor soul… don’t haunt us.”
Suddenly—
A deafening roar shook the air.
Wind exploded through the doorway behind them, carrying a suffocating pressure that crushed against their chests.
“ROOOAAARRR!!!”
Lin’s face drained of color.
“What… what is that?”
Bek screamed, his voice cracking, “A demon!”
“Run!” Shin shouted.
They bolted.
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Up the underground steps, through the ruined house, and out into the night they fled. Behind them came thunderous footsteps and shrill shrieks that echoed through the collapsing walls.
They barely dared to slow.
Bek glanced back, terror etched across his face.
“It’s still chasing us!”
“Don’t stop!” Lin shouted desperately. “If we do, it’ll catch us!”
As if answering her fear, a storm of bats erupted from the broken doorway. Thousands of wings filled the air, shrieking as they formed a violent, swirling gale.
“Run!” Lin screamed.
They raced across the graveyard, stumbling past crooked tombstones and sinking earth. When they finally reached the far edge, they froze.
Smoke rose from the ground ahead. Shadows flickered within the haze.
Then they saw them.
Another group—sprinting desperately toward them.
It was Pik’s group, bursting out from the same doorway Shin’s team had escaped moments earlier.
And behind them—
Zombies.
The undead poured into the graveyard, their groans tearing through the night.
“Somebody help!” Pik screamed as the monsters closed in.
Shin’s group ran again, not stopping until they crossed the outer perimeter of the graveyard. The moment they did, the pursuit ended.
The zombies halted at the boundary, snarling but unable to cross.
Only then did Shin realize the truth.
The undead could only move where dead qi lingered.
Exhausted and shaken, both groups scattered and returned to their homes, the horrors of the night clinging to them like shadows.
---
The Next Morning
Morning light bathed the village crossroads in calm, as though the night’s terror had never happened.
Today was special.
A ceremony would be held—one that tested the aptitude of children aged twelve to fifteen, determining the path they would follow in life.
Shin’s group had reached the age of twelve.
So had Pik’s.
“Hey, Shin!” Bek shouted, waving enthusiastically as he jogged over, Lin walking beside him.
They quickly fell into conversation about the ceremony.
“I’m sure I’ve got the aptitude to become a wanderer,” Bek declared proudly. “I’ve been stronger than kids my age since birth.”
Lin laughed softly.
“Yeah, your aptitude is definitely eating.”
“That’s because eating makes me strong!” Bek protested.
“Yeah, yeah,” Lin replied, eyeing his belly with visible discomfort. “Ehh…”
She turned to Shin.
“How about you? What do you think your aptitude will be today?”
Shin shook his head.
“I don’t have high hopes,” he admitted. “My foster father said my body is strange. Qi vanishes whenever it comes into contact with me.”
Bek frowned.
“So… how’s Mr. Roger? Any news?” he asked. “It’s been four years since he left and never came back.”
Shin lowered his gaze.
“I asked around the tavern last time. No one’s heard anything. It’s my fault—if I didn’t have this kind of body, he wouldn’t have left.”
“Maybe he’s looking for herbs to help you,” Bek said gently.
Lin nodded. “Mr. Roger’s a herbalist. It’s natural he’d search for medicine to heal you.”
They continued walking—and soon spotted Pik’s group ahead.
Shin slowed, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.
He crept up behind Pik, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Boo.”
Pik screamed and spun around, panic written all over his face.
“What’s wrong with you?!” he snapped, shaken and furious.
Shin smirked. “You forgot our contract. I did my part.” He extended his hand. “Now give it to me.”
Bek crossed his arms. “Yeah. Don’t try to scam us, or you’ll regret it.”
“And what can this fatso do?” Pik sneered.
“Me? Nothing,” Bek replied with a grin. “But your father can. Hehehe.”
Pik clenched his teeth and shoved a magic stone into Shin’s hand.
“Here,” he said with contempt. “We’re done.”
Then his expression hardened.
“So tell me,” Pik asked seriously, “what kind of treasure did you find?”
Lin answered bluntly. “A crab. And it’s on Shin’s shoulder right now.”
“Lin!” Shin protested. “Can you stop selling me out every time?”
She crossed her arms. “Because of you guys, I had nightmares last night. I’m never going with you again. All our loot was lost because of the zombies—and I got nothing.”
Pik burst out laughing.
“HA! You risked your lives for a crab half the size of my hand?”
He reached out to touch it.
The crab snapped its claw.
“Ehh!” Pik yelped, jerking his hand back just in time.
Shin raised an eyebrow. “So what did you guys find in the tomb?”
Pik reached behind his back.
“Look at this,” he said proudly. “Tada—a manual.”
A mysterious old book, left behind by a cultivator.
Bek’s eyes sparkled. “How much do you think that’s worth if I sell it?”
“It’s not yours,” Pik snapped, blocking him with one arm a
s Bek struggled forward. “It’s mine.”
Bickering as they went, both groups continued walking toward the ceremony at the center of the village—unaware of how much today would change their lives.
