The Dark Palace shimmered under an eerie twilight glow, its black crystal towers rising like blades against the blood-red sky. It had been nearly two weeks since Little Dark had been brought here by the Queen of the Dark Country, a mysterious and powerful woman whose smile could melt iron and whose gaze could freeze blood.
At first, he had resisted everything—the palace, the comfort, her presence. But over time, something about her... the way she treated him with amusement and curiosity, had slowly broken down his walls. She didn't order him around like a ruler. She teased him, challenged him, and occasionally—confused him.
That morning, he had trained in the black courtyard, sweat dripping down his shirtless form as he practiced the "Dark Coil Arts," a secret technique he had developed in the death matches. The Queen stood on the palace balcony above, sipping blood-wine from a crystal goblet, her eyes gleaming behind a dark veil.
"You look like you're trying to seduce the shadows themselves," she said with a smirk. "But today, you won't be fighting shadows. You'll be watching one."
Little Dark paused, catching his breath. "Watching?"
"We're going out."
His brows furrowed. "Where?"
"There's a show at the Illusion Hall tonight—an ancient play about the birth of the Dark Country. You're coming with me."
He blinked. "...A date?"
She grinned. "Call it what you like, but wear something decent. I'm not walking beside a battle-worn brute covered in blood."
---
Nightfall
The Illusion Hall stood like a temple of dreams at the edge of the underground river. Built with enchanted black jade and veins of starlight ore, it sparkled with phantasmal light. Hundreds of nobles, guards, and masked guests filled the vast chamber, whispering and drinking from floating cups of illusion wine.
Little Dark wore a fitted black robe gifted by the Queen herself. Its interior was lined with dark spirit silk, soft yet reactive to danger. His long hair had been tied loosely, and a single obsidian earring dangled from his left ear.
The Queen was stunning.
She wore a revealing crimson dress with fire-shaped embroidery and a long slit that exposed her smooth leg. Her veil was sheer tonight, revealing pale lips and eyes that glowed like moonlit embers. As she entered with Little Dark at her side, heads turned, and whispers followed.
"Is that...?"
"The Queen has brought someone?"
"He's not from any clan. A rogue? A new toy?"
Little Dark ignored them. He was used to being stared at.
The hall dimmed, and illusion lights floated to the ceiling. The curtains opened, revealing a 3D-stage of living shadows.
The show began.
It was a tale of forbidden love between the first Dark Queen and a banished Light Cultivator. A tragic romance with sword fights, betrayals, and divine punishment. The actors floated and danced through illusion magic that made the scenes feel real—the heat of battle, the sorrow of loss, the bitter ending.
Little Dark was... mesmerized.
He had never watched something like this before.
At one point, the female lead stood atop a black mountain, weeping as her lover was executed. The illusion rain fell across the audience, cold and wet.
Beside him, the Queen whispered, "You feel that?"
He nodded.
She leaned closer. "That's why I like this play. Even illusions hold truth. And pain."
"...Was that your story too?" he asked.
She paused, startled. Then smiled faintly. "Maybe once. But I buried it. Now I just enjoy the acting."
Halfway through the play, she rested her head lightly on his shoulder. He stiffened, unsure how to respond. Her scent was like warm wine and lavender shadows.
"Relax," she whispered. "You're not in the death ring anymore."
For the first time in years, Little Dark felt something stir deep inside—something soft, fragile. It scared him more than any death match.
---
After the Show
They walked by the underground lake, its surface shimmering like black glass. A pair of spirit-cranes flew overhead, trailing stardust in their wake.
"That was... impressive," Little Dark finally said.
The Queen smiled, linking her arm with his. "I knew you'd like it. You're not just blade and bone, you know. You have a soul—though it's cracked."
He stopped walking. "Cracked?"
She turned to him. "Your soul is damaged. I sensed it the night I met you. That's why you can absorb energy so easily. Your spirit is broken, leaking and hungry."
Little Dark didn't deny it.
She stepped close. "If you want to survive the next stage of cultivation, you'll have to stabilize that soul. Or it'll consume you."
He looked into her eyes. "You're planning to help me?"
"I'm not heartless, despite the rumors. I like broken things. They're more interesting."
There was silence between them, thick and warm.
Then suddenly, a shadow stepped out of the air behind a pillar. It was Little Death, cloaked in flickering black robes, unseen by all but Little Dark.
The Queen felt nothing.
Little Dark's eyes narrowed as the projection of his brother walked beside them, unseen by the world.
"Danger will come from the one who smiles the most," Little Death whispered. "But the choice will always be yours."
Then he vanished.
Little Dark clenched his fists. He didn't fully understand the warning, but it left a cold sensation in his gut.
---
Later That Night
Back at the palace, the Queen handed him a small jade box.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A reward. From me."
He opened it and saw a shimmering black gem inside. It pulsed with powerful dark qi.
"It's an Earth-Shadow Stone," she said. "It amplifies your control over terrain and shadows. Rare. Found only in collapsed spirit mines."
He closed the box. "I don't like accepting gifts without reason."
She raised an eyebrow. "Then return it tomorrow. For now, accept it as a souvenir from our date."
He nodded, reluctantly accepting it.
But as he placed it into his robe, a strange flicker passed through her eyes. It was too quick to notice—but had he seen it, he might have hesitated.
---
The Next Morning
Little Dark awoke with a pounding in his chest. The Earth-Shadow Stone was gone.
Vanished.
His robe was undisturbed. The palace guards saw nothing. The Queen... claimed to know nothing.
"That stone was unstable," she said. "Maybe it teleported or reacted with your soul."
But something felt off.
He didn't press her.
Instead, he began cultivating deeper than before, channeling the dark essence around the palace into his cracked soul. The energy flowed smoother now, faster, as though the date had soothed something restless inside him.
And yet, Little Death's warning echoed in the back of his mind.
"Danger will come from the one who smiles the most..."
---[To be Continued]--