Seated comfortably on a wooden chair, a young man held a book in his hands.
One hand turned the pages slowly, while his eyes never left the words written upon them. His other hand rested lightly against his cheek, his posture relaxed, as if he were completely at ease in this quiet place.
The Youth is alone and surrounded only by countless books in his private library.
With every page he turned, new stories unfolded before him. A myriad of tales filled his mind, each word drawing him deeper in. His eyes flickered with interest, his expression constantly shifting, from joy, sorrow, excitement, grief, every emotion within the story reflected upon his face.
He absorbed everything, but just as he moved to turn the next page and suddenly stopped, as the book had ended.
A frown appeared on his face. Confused, he flipped to the last page again, only to find it blank pure white and empty and confusion deepened withim. The youth turned the page back and forward, still nothing, the story had simply ended.
Slowly, he closed the book and let out a quiet sigh.
Leaning forward, he moved to place it onto the small table beside him, where countless other books were stacked carelessly atop one another, but just before his hand could set it down, it stopped.
His hand froze midair, just before reaching the table, the youth's grip on the book tightened.
His fingers pressed into the cover as his jaw clenched, teeth grinding together. The Youth simply refused to accept it, refused to believe that this was truly the end.
Slowly, he pulled the book back and eyes lowered to its cover, it is a blank and nameless cover, a book with no title. Nothing that gave meaning to what he had just read.
The Youth simply stared at it, lost in thought and then tears began to fall down, silently at first and then more flown down.
His face twisted with emotion first anger, then unwillingness and finally frustration, all burning within him. His grip tightened even further, as if he wanted to crush the book itself.
Then suddenly, he opened the book again and randomly, without care tore a page out. Then another and another. Page after page is ripped apart, the sound of tearing paper echoing through the quiet library.
His movements grew harsher, more desperate, as if he could destroy the ending he refused to accept. Until finally, only one page remained. The last page and blank one. His hand stopped stopped at this page and his breathing slowed.
A flicker of clarity passed through his eyes, starring at the empty page in silence and for a long moment he didn't move. Then, as if something within him broke or perhaps settled, he closed the book and without giving it another glance, he threw the book aside.
The book landed somewhere among the countless other books scattered across the floor of his library and just like that, he let it go.
After the outburst, the youth looked exhausted.
He leaned back into the wooden chair, letting his body sink into it, and slowly lifted his gaze toward the ceiling of the library, it was pure white and blank and strangely, it resembled the empty page from the book he had just torn apart, but the youth didn't notice the similarity. He is too tired.
The anger, the frustration, the unwillingness, all of it slowly faded as exhaustion took over and his eyes grew heavy.
Then, without resistance, he closed them and sleep came quickly, but just as he began to drift into it a sharp pain struck his chest.
His heart pounded violently, each beat faster than the last. The pain spread through him, intense and suffocating and his eyes snapped open.
Opening his eyes, Ling Ye saw only darkness.
His heart was racing, pounding violently in his chest. A deep sense of unease spread through him, making his body feel cold and restless.
Ling Ye couldn't see anything, not even if a shadows would have move and he didn't know if Bai Da is already awake or is still asleep.
That uncertainty alone is enough to alarm him and with no way to confirm his surroundings, other than finding his racing heart alarming, Ling Ye acted on instinct, his clouded mind choosing the simplest option that he thought of.
"BAI DA!" The shout echoed through the cave.
Startled awake, Bai Da's eyes snapped open. The moment he heard his name being called, his body reacted instantly, danger.
Without hesitation, his hand shot to the hilt of his sword. In one swift motion, he drew it and began slashing blindly through the darkness.
One strike, then another and another.
His blade cut through empty air, until suddenly he feelt some kind of resistance and his sword struck something and it sank deep.
A low, painful, almost inhuman growl echoed in the darkness, Bai Da's heart skipped. Fear and shock surged through him, but he didn't stop.
With his sword momentarily stuck, he grabbed the sheath with his other hand and swung it like a second weapon, striking whatever stood before him, without hesitation, without even considering if it might be Ling Ye.
He struck once more and landed a solid hit, the resistance loosened and his sword came free. Without pause, Bai Da began to attack again.
Again and again.
Each strike driven by instinct and fear. Until finally, the thing before him collapsed. His Sword pierced through it, and this time, it didn't move anymore and silence followed.
Bai Da then just stood there, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
Just moments ago, he had been dreaming of becoming a wealthy man and now, he had woken into a life and death battle in complete darkness. Something he had never experienced in all his years of wandering.
"Haa… haa… Ling Ye… did I kill you?" Bai Da muttered under his breath, fear creeping into his voice.
A cold realization struck him, what if the thing he had just attacked wasn't a beast? What if it had been Ling Ye?
His grip on the sword tightened as panic began to rise. Not daring to imagine that possibility, Bai Da silently prayed to the heavens.
Then a voice answered him. "Everything alright? Did you fight something?"
Relief flooded through him instantly. "Yes… I think I killed something," Bai Da replied, his voice still unsteady, though the tension in him had eased. "But I don't know what it was. Let's get out of the cave. I don't want to start swinging blindly in the dark again."
Ling Ye nodded, though the gesture went unseen. "Agreed. Let's leave. This cave is too dark."
As he spoke, Ling Ye carefully moved to his right, quickly checking himself. His dagger, water, rations, the notebook, the sword, everything is still with him.
Only after confirming this did he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Without wasting more time, he crouched down and crawled toward the exit. Reaching the entrance, he pushed aside the stones that had been blocking it and slowly made his way out.
Fresh air greeted him as Ling Ye stepped outside and lifted his head.
The sun was just beginning to rise and soft light spread across the horizon, replacing the suffocating darkness of the cave.
A moment later, Bai Da crawled out as well. He stood beside Ling Ye, looking at the rising sun, silently enjoying the gentle breeze brushing against his face.
For the first time in a while, they could finally breathe.
"Ahh… finally out of the dark. Living in the daylight is much better anyway, hehe." Bai Da chuckled lightly, trying to lift the mood, but the moment Ling Ye turned his head and saw Bai Da's exhausted, disheveled face, his clothes dirty, his expression still tense, the attempt fell flat.
The atmosphere didn't improve at all and Ling Ye said nothing. Instead, he shifted his attention and picked up the sword from the corpse, finally able to examine it properly under the light, but after just a single glance, His disappointment was obvious.
A sword was only as good as its sharpness and durability. It needed to cut cleanly and withstand impact.
This one… could barely do either.
The blade was dull, worn down to the point where it might struggle to cut even the simplest materials. At best, it still held some sturdiness, but even that is questionable.
Ling Ye's grip tightened slightly and disappointment began to settle in his chest.
This is clearly no legendary weapon, bo dragon blood forged sword. Just an old, worn out sword and that realization made his heart sink further. If even the sword was like this, then what about the notebook?
Meanwhile, Bai Da watched from the side, confused.
He raised an eyebrow, looking at the battered weapon in Ling Ye's hand. After a moment, it clicked, this must have come from inside the cave, but he hadn't seen anything like it before.
All he had found was the torn-apart corpse amd curiosity quickly replaced his confusion as he looked at the sword more closely.
"Village Head Ye, is that sword from the cave?" Bai Da asked.
Ling Ye simply nodded, not bothering to say anything more.
Realizing that the sword was the only thing they had found, Bai Da's curiosity quickly turned into excitement. In his mind, appearances could be deceiving, what if this was actually some legendary spiritual treasure?
"Village Head Ye, try it out! Cut something with it!" His voice was full of anticipation.
Ling Ye, however, didn't respond. He only gave Bai Da a brief look before handing him the sword, as if to say, You do it yourself.
Bai Da didn't hesitate and took the sword and gave it a few test swings in the air. The Sword cut through nothing, but he nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied with how it felt.
Then came the real test, his eyes landed on a small, young tree nearby, the only suitable target aside from dirt or stone. Taking a stance, Bai Da raised the sword near his left shoulder. He inhaled deeply, steadying himself.
Then, he lunged forward, with full momentum, he swung the sword toward the tree, the sword struck and in that instant, Bai Da's face turned pale and a sharp pain shot through his hand, forcing him to immediately release his grip on the sword and the Sword slipped from his fingers.