On a new moonlit night, under the thick fog of the Karthun slum, permeated by the smell of old blood and an atmosphere filled with despair, resignation, and selfishness. Amid the shadows of ruined buildings and mud-soaked streets, the silhouette of a young man, chained and covered in filth, can be seen shuffling his feet.
Tomas Silver, a young orphan, was famous in the town because even at his young age he was able to kill several adults when he was only eight years old. This is how the now twelve-year-old boy earned the nickname Silver Wolf due to the shine of his grayish hair in the light of the full moon and he had red eyes that showed in his gaze the ferocity he possessed, resembling more a beast than a human.
A pair of mysterious men hear about a famous beast and it catches their attention because they were looking for talented young people.
The mysterious men manage to locate Tomas because no one supported Tomas, being a notorious figure in the Karthun neighborhood, they ambush him and Tomas is bewildered by such a situation since these men were unlike anything he had faced before.
Tomas (Thinking while fleeing from the chase):
— Who are these guys? —
As Tomas gets lost in his thoughts, he realizes that they have managed to cut off his escape route.
Tomas understands that he has no choice but to fight even if he knows he won't win. So he uses his environment to his advantage by fleeing, crossing the buildings, but he can't avoid being followed by these mysterious men or at least that's what they thought since Tomas took advantage of the dust left by the rubble of the wall he crossed to hide and thus achieve a precise attack on one of them, since what Tomas wanted was to at least take one of them with him on his way to hell.
But Tomas's attack was predictable for those men so the attack was intercepted by stopping both of Tomas's hands and then releasing them and quickly landing a direct blow to his abdomen sending him flying through another of the building's walls. One of them approaches Tomas to check his condition and take him away if he was still alive, as he approaches Tomas he notices the slight movement he has and due to the astonishment of seeing a young man resist such an impact his reaction time was slower so when Tomas got up throwing a direct blow with all his strength in the direction of the face of the man who approached him, he could not evade it in time receiving the full impact in the face and then see how Tomas collapses due to all the damage and fatigue that he accumulated.
After that, they take Tomas into their power, chaining him while they waited for the arrival of their leader. Both men observe the neighborhood where such a peculiar young man grew up and noticed a smell of blood and filth, making it difficult for them to believe that such a young man could have managed to grow up with such fierce eyes in a place that seems to have people just waiting for their death.
The leader of the mysterious men appears wearing a dark reddish hood, and on his chest he bears the symbol of a red moon and a golden dagger in the middle. This was the symbol of the Order of the Blood Moon, one of the most prominent assassin organizations on the eastern continent of Kareshia.
Just as the leader of the men Tomas was fighting with arrived, he also managed to wake up and noticed a presence even more dangerous than that of those who attacked him. He also noticed that he was chained, and instead of trying to escape, he understood the situation, realizing that he couldn't escape with the leader of that pair watching him.
The name they called Tomas was the Silver Wolf, but in the eyes of the leader of those men, the image they had of Tomas was now that of a chained dog who would be turned into a tool, making him nothing more than a hunting dog.
Killer 1 (Pulling the chains hard enough to make him fall):
—Move it, trash! —
Tomas falls hard to the ground, the impact jarring his already aching bones and opening the wounds inflicted by his captors. He didn't cry. He didn't beg. He had learned as a child that, in the slums, tears only served to feed predators.
Killer 2 (Mocking as he kicks him as he falls to the ground):
—This is the famous "Silver Wolf"—
The Blood Moon Order assassin amuses himself by kicking and ramming his spear into the chained youth's back, further tearing his skin and widening his wounds. The warmth of his blood shows as it flows and stains his captors' robes. Annoyed by the stains on his robes, the assassin punches the youth in the face until his companion stops him, as they need the boy alive.
Killer 1 (Annoyed, he looks at his partner and replies):
—Imbecile! Don't overstep your bounds, we need as many people as possible for the next project.
The murderer who was attacking young Tomas stops at the words of his companion and lifts the boy who is all beaten up to take him to his headquarters while continuing his mockery of him.
Killer 1 (While watching Tomas, he comments):
—Apparently, he killed five men with his bare hands when he was just eight years old. He'll be a potential specimen for this project, Little Silver Wolf.
Tomas didn't respond. His eyes, despite his state, still held the glow of his will as he surveyed the road ahead. The narrow, dirty streets of the lower district were empty, as if the world itself had turned away from his humiliation. But he remembered. He remembered the day he'd been hunted like an animal, when his strength, his only advantage, had become his curse.
The assassins arrive at the rendezvous point with their group leader. Unlike his subordinates, he wasn't wearing a mask and was clearly a tall man with a scar across his face.
Group Leader (With a calm and indifferent tone):
—Don't flatter yourself, boy—
—To the Order, you're just a tool. And tools, when they break, are thrown away.
Tomas clenched his fists, feeling the chains bite into his flesh. He wasn't a philosopher, nor a dreamer. He knew his life was worth no more than the mud beneath his feet. But he also knew something else: even mangy dogs bite when cornered.
The assassins gather all the young people they have captured, they take Tomas through a tunnel under the slums that connects to one of the Order's headquarters, when Tomas enters the headquarters he can make out a large number of symbols on the walls which light up in a reddish color, these were runes which were in charge of illuminating and being the surveillance, at the same time in the air a peculiar smell of herbs and burnt metal could be distinguished. Upon reaching the center of everything he manages to see at the top a flag which was dark and had in the center a Moon that seemed to bleed and a dagger in the middle that seemed to be responsible for it.
Tomas, noticing all this, thinks that this organization is just a group of assassins: it is an organized cult with hierarchies and rituals.
From the top of a tower, a silhouette can be seen. The men who were dragging it like a mangy dog looked at it with an atmosphere of fear and respect, waiting on their knees for its slow descent.
When the figure at the top reaches the same level as the captured youths and the murderers, they begin to speak to him with great respect.
Group Leader (Still standing, his gaze was lowered, avoiding eye contact):
—Master Crescens Rutilus. Lord of the Crescent Moon. It is an honor for me to be in your presence—
Crescens Rutilus (He looked with disdain):
He said this while showing a discouraged tone and then giving a small sigh, and moments later exuding his aura which is the Rei which is the energy that is based on the soul, sending a great pressure in the air to which several of the young people are immediately unconscious and even the assassins who brought them show difficulty breathing.
Group Leader (Bewildered by the situation):
— Ugh... —
He lets out a ragged breath and the only ones standing on the scene are: Crescens, the group leaders and the assassins under his command, and all the young men were lying on the ground and of the thousands, a few hundred remained conscious.
As everyone caught their breath, Crescens looked on with disappointment, and as he looked at the group leaders, the atmosphere became even more tense.
Crescens Rutilus (With a calm and cold tone):
—Take those who are unconscious to the ritual area and those who are not, take them to the training area so we can begin. —
Tomas watches as everyone who is unconscious is dragged away and becomes more alert after hearing that they are being taken to a ritual area. He must therefore strive to stay alive, following the orders of this organization, even if he does not want to.
Tomas Silver (Thinking):
— That guy called Crescens, his aura was too heavy and powerful, despite that I don't think he's the leader of this order, what leader would take the time to come just to see a few children, even so, that means there's someone who is even more powerful than that guy in this order. —
As he walked forward with difficulty due to the after-effects left by the pressure he experienced from Crescens heading towards the training area, Tomas continued thinking, at the same time as he walked forward he could perceive a stronger and penetrating smell.
Before reaching his destination, he is able to observe a peculiar and macabre five-story tower surrounded by a dark energy, which his instincts warn him to stay away from, but in his state and the situation he finds himself in, he knows he will not be able to do what he wants. In addition, he is surprised to see a dark elf wearing a higher-level outfit than those who captured him, but on him he can see a disturbing and annoying smile.
Squadron Leader 1 (In a mocking tone):
—Welcome! It seems you've already received a warm welcome from Master Crescens. Hahaha...—
After he finished laughing this dark elf begins to introduce himself.
—I introduce myself to you, I am Squadron Leader Lyrion. My mission is to oversee this project. —
As he introduces himself, he begins to look at everyone who has arrived, and although he doesn't lose his smile, you can see in his gaze a great indifference to everyone's situation.
—You will be part of the latest plan of Master Erebos Silvermoon, the lord of the full moon. This project seeks to create the best assassins for us—
Lyrion "Squad Leader" (While pointing a finger towards the imposing five-story tower):
—Your training will be in that tower, and survival will be your achievement. —
In a serious tone he begins to explain about the first floor of that tower.
—The first floor has gravity increased to twice normal, in addition to death traps, the oxygen level is a third of what it is outside and apart from the provisions that will be provided to you there is not much variety of food there—
Noticing that the atmosphere has become even more tense, he lightens the situation as he continues his explanation with a laugh.
—Hahaha... Don't worry, they still have rats and insects to eat. —
Changing to a more serious tone he continues.
—Even so, to move on to the next level you'll have to go through a short test. —
As soon as the explanation ends, Lyrion lets them rest for a short period of time so that the group leaders can then lead the young people towards the tower. The moment everyone passes through the entrance door to the tower, they immediately suffer from the increase in gravity. Tomas also suffers from the increase in gravity, but continues advancing without much difficulty since if he compared it to the pressure exerted by the Crescens high command, this was nothing. At the same time, he also noticed the large number of runes inside the tower, which seemed to form a large formation inside the tower. He realized that the size of the interior of the tower did not match what was seen from the outside, and the further he advanced, the more he became accustomed to the low oxygen level and the increase in gravity.
As he took his first steps, Thomas felt a certain sense of danger, and it was one of the traps Lyrion was referring to.
Time passed and Tomas grew accustomed to the environment on the first floor of the tower. After his rations ran out, he survived by devouring the rats and insects he found along the way, avoiding all the traps.
The already worn clothing he arrived in was replaced by the clothing of other deceased young men with a similar body structure. He simply lived a life of survival to accustom himself to this environment.
It's been four months since Tomas and the other young people entered the tower, at which Tomas managed to glimpse some stairs that led to the upper floor, but he notices a large red wolf about the size of a rhinoceros prowling around, which appears with the corpse of a young man in its mouth.
Tomas decides to attack the beast while it feeds since it was his only chance of winning against something of such magnitude.
Tomas quickly jumps through the wolf's blind spot, attacking from behind, which the wolf instinctively avoids. The wolf released the prey it was devouring, sensing that what was in front of it was dangerous.
Tomas (Thinking):
—Damn, I thought I had him with that attack, I must be even faster.
Tomas doesn't have time to get lost in his thoughts due to the situation he finds himself in, so the wolf fixes his gaze on Tomas, seeing him as a new prey, but showing caution towards him.
Wolf (Howls at Tomas to show his pride as a hunter):
—Ooooooh! —
Tomas stays alert and watches closely the direction of the wolf's front legs to foresee the direction in which it will attack, and it works since it distinguishes its attack from the right avoiding it, throwing dirt in its eyes while jumping to evade its attack, the wolf noticing at a disadvantage tries to flee, but Tomas gains momentum in a jump managing to mount the wolf's back. The wolf in its desperation shakes trying to throw him off its back, but Tomas resists by tightly grabbing its fur, they continue in that struggle until the wolf is totally exhausted and although Tomas is also tired, he brings his arms closer to the wolf's head and with the strength he has left, he twists its neck, thus defeating the imposing red wolf.
After the exhausting fight, Tomas finds himself exhausted and falls to the ground, but before he becomes unconscious from exhaustion, he approaches the wolf's corpse to use it as a shelter so that he can rest.
When he wakes up, the first thing he does is skin the wolf so he can use its meat and skin on the next floor of the tower.
Lyrion watched everything that happened, perplexed by the scene, as he expected it would take at least a year to pass the first floor. Thus, the surveillance of Tomas intensifies, as they see in him the potential to become a new squad leader or even a council member (Una Luna), like Crescens or Erebos.
As she climbs the steps to the next floor, she notices her body becoming even heavier, and her breathing becomes more difficult. As she manages to take her first steps onto the second floor, she suddenly hears a voice—Lyrion's, who seems amused by the whole situation.
Lyrion (In a cheerful tone):
—Well, kid, you've made it past the first floor of the tower, and that deserves a reward.
In a mocking tone, he explains what the second floor of the tower consists of.
—On the second floor, gravity has increased to five times normal and the oxygen level remains the same as on the second floor, and although there are no traps, your survival against the beasts of that place and the ability to distinguish poisonous plants from edible ones will be what determines if you can go to the next floor—
After the explanation, Tomás continues on his way as he begins to adapt to the new level of severity.
After several weeks, Tomas developed a resistance to poisons due to the fact that he consumed all kinds of plants as well as the beasts he killed, including poisonous creatures. His strength and agility increased by leaps and bounds as he gave everything to survive.
Months passed and he managed to find the location of the stairs to the next floor for which he prepared to go, but upon arriving he noticed that there were already other people who arrived before him and that they were fighting against a beast of colossal size, the fight was fierce due to the number of people who faced the beast which looked like a huge boar and that in its tusks had already pierced the body of one of the members of the group that was fighting against it.
At the end of the fight, only two of the group survived, unconscious. Tomás skinned the beast, removing its skin and flesh, and then carried the survivors on his back to the third floor. They woke up as the force of gravity increased.
Although surprised by their situation, being carried on the back of someone they don't know, they are unable to do anything because they are exhausted.
Young man 1 (Tired):
—Wh... Who are you? —
Tomás responds to the words of one of the young men.
Tomás: With a relaxed tone.
—Don't worry, consider this trip as payment for giving me a great show. —
Young Man 2 (Somewhat confused):
—You watched our fight, and did nothing. —
Tomas (Relaxed, answers):
—That's right, don't take it the wrong way, but I had no reason to intervene. —
The first young man stops his companion from asking questions or continuing to talk, since, although they do not like the situation they find themselves in, they do not have the strength to do anything, so it was better for Tomás to take them to the third floor and then continue on their way.
They reach the third floor and again Lyrion's voice is heard explaining what the third floor will be about.
—On the third floor, gravity increases to ten times normal and the oxygen level returns to normal, but temperature changes are more abrupt and sudden; the beasts found on that floor are also more dangerous. —
Tomás is more accustomed to these situations and the increase in gravity, so after he leaves the skin and meat of the beast that looked like a wild boar, they separate. Nights pass and the sudden changes in temperature greatly affect Tomás, much more than the increase in gravity, since the cold wind cut like a sharp blade, so as he hunted the beasts, he used their skins as shelter in such situations, and with the increases in temperature giving those sudden changes, he had to be careful with his reserves of liquids that he obtained by saving the blood of what he hunted in addition to the stagnant waters that he obtained.
Now he sees the beasts as mere food, just like with poisonous plants, so he spends a year and a half on this floor until he finally finds the stairs to the fourth floor, but thinking he would face a new gigantic beast, he is surprised to see that it was an individual wearing the clothing of an Order assassin. To which he approaches carefully and when he reaches a certain distance, the ground shines through runes which teleport Tomas and the assassin there.
And from the distance you can hear Lyrion's voice.
Lyrion (Excited):
—From now on, all survivors will go through the same test. —
Lyrion takes a breath before continuing.
—You will have to kill the Order assassin in front of you, so I hope you are stronger than them now. —
After Lyrion's announcement ends, the assassin in front of Tomas slowly approaches while removing his mask.
Killer 2 (Confidently):
—Did the puppy come back for more? This time I won't have to hold back—
Tomas quickly remembers his opponent's voice and a smile appears on his face, being the first time he has shown a smile since he entered the tower with a body full of scars playing with the bone-based blade he had made.
—Perhaps I should introduce myself, since at least the hunter should give his prey a name, right? Not my mangy little dog.
As the killer continued his taunt, Tomas remained alert to his every move.
—Remember this well, doggy, your executioner's name is Drakar.
Immediately after appearing, Drakar quickly attacks Tomas with his throwing daggers, which he mostly evades with his calculated movements, receiving minor injuries.
Drakar (While laughing mockingly):
—You're still the same pathetic orphan! —.
Tomas: In a low voice, while wiping his blood with his finger
—Surprising coming from someone who attacks a... pathetic orphan from afar, isn't it? —
Drakar becomes confident as the battle progresses as Tomas accumulates wounds and begins to bleed out, but he also notices something strange: the more time passes, his attacks begin to be evaded more frequently. Tomas's advance is so great that he gradually gains ground and uses the daggers that Drakar threw earlier, imitating his technique and managing to wound him.
Drakar remembers the words of his group leader.
Group Leader (Remembrance):
—Drakar, an assassin should not rely solely on his weapons and skill; you should use your ingenuity more. —
Drakar begins to sweat, his breathing begins to rattle and remembering the words of his group leader he begins to grow impatient, and uses his dual blades for a more direct confrontation to which Tomas takes his distance and throws his dagger in the direction of Drakar who uses his Rei to wrap his arm in energy since due to the rapid movement he would not be able to avoid it completely, but he did not realize that the blade that Tomas threw had a rune inscribed which when it comes into contact with Drakar releases a slight explosion which damages him little but leaves him disoriented which Tomas takes advantage of who previously saved one of the daggers that Drakar threw and pierces his neck with that dagger
Tomas (Whispering):
—Tears feed predators... Thanks for the lesson—
Tired and wounded, he exhales a deep sigh as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, since the fight was more than a test or revenge, it was something he needed to prove to himself that he would be in control of his destiny.
After normalizing his breathing, he searches Drakar's corpse to see if there is a recovery potion or any medicine that could help him with his situation while he is injured. He finds an option and after recovering, he hears Lyrion's voice again, who watched the entire fight full of expectation for Tomas.
Lyrion (In a cheerful tone):
—I hope you liked my gift, I knew you would be the first to arrive, that's why the first assassin we used as a test was Drakar, tell me something, how did you feel after killing him? —
Tomas hears what Lyrion says, but ignores him as he advances to the next floor since after the fight ended Tomas was again teleported to the location where he was
Tomas reaches the fourth floor and notices that the gravity is greater than the third floor, but he is not able to observe anything around him since it is completely dark, and unlike the other floors this time Lyrion's voice could not be heard explaining what the fourth floor would be about.
At the same time, he notices his senses are somewhat disoriented as he feels the atmosphere is somewhat dense, realizing that there is fog around with a peculiar smell, and as he advances he bumps into walls that are aligned as if it were a labyrinth.
Tomas (Carefully):
—This is very strange—
As he moves forward carefully, he cannot trust his senses, as he perceives sounds from different directions simultaneously, and due to the darkness, he cannot trust his sight.
Lyrion is able to see everything because he has special vision to be able to observe in the dark and he has fun watching Tomas's state as he moves forward with difficulty, colliding with walls and falling into the simplest traps.
Several months have passed since Tomas took his first step on the fourth floor and as he turns a corner he notices a small light heading immediately towards it to realize that he has arrived at a room which is full of mirrors and as he passes through the room the density of the fog increases until it overwhelms him and the runes that were on the mirrors project illusions that show his past.
They show him how he stole to feed himself and how when he was caught he was beaten mercilessly, living in areas where it was common to find the corpses of several children who died of malnutrition and poor health, they show him his remorse at not being able to do anything to help those children, He remembers how he killed two men who attacked him while drunk and how after the death of these two he began to have a more violent life attacking those who looked down on him.
These memories raise doubts about whether he is really different from those who kidnapped him and live as a murderer.
Tomas (Internal Thoughts):
—I'm really different from these guys... Why did I kill Drakar? Because I wanted to, or because of the test? —
While Tomas's doubts arise, Lyrion is amused by the sight he's witnessing, but is perplexed to see him stand up and, with a deep breath, release his energy (Rei), dispersing the fog that surrounded him. He begins to advance. After passing that room, he is near the stairs to the next floor. Even with his doubts, he advances towards the top floor of the tower.
Lyrion observes in amazement the fact that Tomas in his vulnerable state is able to exude his Rei in the form of a shock wave, understanding how it was that in his fight against Drakar he was able to last so long, since the normal assassins of the Order can barely manifest the Rei and a Young Man who is not yet 15 years old defeated him, that seemed strange to him but he attributed it to his luck, now he understands that it is because little by little he began to manipulate his energy and this was because he was talented.
Lyrion gets up, bored of being just a spectator, and prepares to fix everything for the test on the top floor, all while holding a necklace containing a lock of hair with a slight burn.
Lyrion (Thinking):
—Maybe by using this child I can complete my goal—
On the other hand, in the headquarters of the Order of the Bloody Moon in the highest room is the Leader of the Luminis Umbra Order who is an imposing Vampire who has on his back a tattoo of a Lunar Eclipse which shows how he wants to envelop the world under its shadow as he advances he covers himself with a suit of a deep red tone, he heads towards his mirror with a silver frame which turns completely dark and from which a sinister voice is heard.
The one Luminis communicates with is a demon named Xalghur, who cautiously observed the man he would converse with.
Xalghur (Cautious):
— Mortal. The fact that you're initiating contact on your own means you're planning on taking the deal, right?
Vampire: With confidence
— I am already making preparations to meet your conditions. —
Xalghur (Arrogantly):
— That's excellent! —
His tone quickly changes to a more serious one.
—Okay, as soon as the conditions are met, my brothers and I will lend you our strength so that you can dominate the place you so desire—
The demon's tone increases.
—Destroy the seals that border our territories with theirs, mortal! —
Luminis simply remains silent, waiting for the demon to stop ranting.
Luminis (with calmness):
— Take it for granted. —
As the children in the tower struggle to survive, they have no idea that the project they're participating in is to create disposable pawns to be used in a mission that will affect all of Ethalios, becoming the spark that will ignite a new and more horrific disaster in the future. Tomas advances in search of his own freedom while following his path without looking back. While the night that covers Luminis's room fails to visualize the Moon hidden among the clouds.