The air in The Broken Anvil didn't just turn cold; it became heavy, as if the oxygen itself was being sucked into a vacuum. The usual rowdy atmosphere—the clinking of beer mugs, the loud boasts of mercenaries, and the raucous laughter—died instantly. In its place was a suffocating, graveyard stillness. Every man in the room, from the hardened killers to the low-life thieves, felt a primal instinct screaming at the back of their minds. It was the sensation of a cold blade held invisibly against their jugular, waiting for the heartbeat that would signal the strike.
The bartender stared at the blackened coin on the counter, his skin turning a sickly, translucent shade of gray. His throat felt like it was filled with dry glass as he tried to swallow. He had lived in Oakhaven for thirty years; he had seen countless "tough guys" die in the mud, but he had never seen a Van Croft relic. To the common folk, that name was a curse—a ghost story whispered to keep children from wandering too far into the ruins of the old estate.
「 "The new Lord..." 」 the bartender finally whispered, his voice trembling so much it was barely audible. He didn't dare look into Shin's eyes, fearing he might see his own death reflected there. 「 "His name is Baron Kaelen. He didn't just inherit the land, kid. He took it. He stepped over the charred bodies of your kin to claim that throne. But he isn't just a Lord anymore; he's a monster protected by the Iron Guard—men who have traded their souls for forbidden power. If you go near that manor, you won't even find your way to a grave. They will erase your very existence from history." 」
Shin's fingers traced the jagged, burnt rim of the coin. The metal was icy to the touch, yet in his mind, it was glowing with the heat of the fire that had consumed his childhood. 「 "Kaelen," 」 he repeated. The name felt like a mouthful of bitter ash. A flash of memory pierced through his cold exterior: he saw Kaelen standing in the rain ten years ago, holding a torch with a sickening smile while the Van Croft manor turned into a pyre. The man hadn't just betrayed a family; he had betrayed a legacy.
The floorboards suddenly groaned under a massive, rhythmic weight. A heavy, calloused hand, thick with scars and smelling of cheap gin, slammed onto Shin's shoulder. The impact was enough to shatter a normal man's collarbone, but Shin remained as unmoving as a statue. Behind him stood 'The Butcher', a man seven feet tall whose reputation for snapping necks was the only thing bigger than his ego.
「 "You've got a big mouth for a stray cat," 」 The Butcher growled, his breath a foul mixture of rot and alcohol. He squeezed Shin's shoulder, his knuckles whitening. 「 "And that coin... it's too heavy for a brat like you to carry. It belongs to the Baron now. Hand it over, and maybe I'll only break your arms instead of feeding you to the dogs." 」
Shin didn't flinch. He didn't even acknowledge the giant's presence. His gaze remained locked on the bartender, who was now backed against the wall, clutching a rag like a shield.
「 "Remove your hand," 」 Shin said. His voice was flat, devoid of anger, yet it carried a weight that made the candles in the room flicker. It was the tone of a judge reading a final sentence to a man who was already dead in his eyes.
The Butcher laughed, a wet, guttural sound that sprayed spit onto Shin's cloak. 「 "Or what, little ghost? You'll haunt me? I've killed men twice your size and slept like a babe. What are you going to—" 」
He never finished the sentence.
Beneath the shadows of Shin's cloak, a spark of Black Lightning—the forbidden energy of the Void—erupted. It wasn't the bright, crackling light of common magic; it was an obsidian streak of pure nothingness. A sound like a thousand starving crows screaming in a storm shattered every glass window in the tavern.
Crrr-ack!
The Butcher didn't even have time to register the pain. His massive frame was launched backward as if hit by a battering ram. He smashed through three heavy oak tables, turning them into splinters, before his body slammed into the stone fireplace with a thud that shook the foundation of the building. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, his right arm charred to the bone, wisps of dark smoke rising from his skin.
Shin stood up slowly, his movements unnaturally fluid. The void in his eyes was no longer a mere glow; it was a swirling vortex of darkness that seemed to pull the light from the room. He looked at the other mercenaries. They had reached for their swords, but now their hands were frozen on their hilts, their faces pale with terror.
「 "I told you to remove it," 」 Shin addressed the broken man on the floor, though his eyes were already scanning for the next threat.
He leaned over the counter, his face inches from the terrified bartender. 「 "One more thing," 」 he whispered, the words carrying a lethal chill. 「 "Tell Kaelen that the shadows he buried ten years ago have grown tired of the dark. Tell him... Shin Van Croft is home. And the debt he owes will be paid in blood, not gold." 」
Shin turned and walked toward the door. Every step sounded like the tolling of a funeral bell. As his hand reached for the cold iron handle, a hooded figure who had been sitting in the deepest, most shadowed corner of the room finally moved.
「 "Wait," 」 a feminine, melodic voice called out. It was a voice that sounded like silk, yet it carried an edge of steel. 「 "If you go to that manor tonight, you won't find Kaelen. You'll only find a trap designed to kill things far worse than a vengeful boy. He's been expecting you, Shin. He's been dreaming of your return for a decade." 」
Shin paused, his hand tightening on the doorframe. He didn't turn, but he felt a strange resonance in his soul—a connection to a past he thought had been burned away. The #HIGHIQ part of his mind analyzed her tone; she wasn't guessing. She knew.
「 "Who are you?" 」 he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
The girl stepped into the flickering candlelight, pulling back her hood to reveal a cascade of silver hair and eyes that held the wisdom of someone who had seen too much death. On her neck was a faded mark—the seal of the Royal Academy, now tarnished and broken.
「 "Someone who was also supposed to die in that fire," 」 she said, a sad, defiant smile playing on her lips. 「 "Someone who has spent ten years hiding in the dirt, waiting for the heir of Van Croft to wake up. You don't need an ally, Shin. I know that. But you need a map to his heart. And I am the only one who knows the secret passage he built to hide his soul." 」
Shin finally turned his head, his gaze locking onto hers. The void in his eyes met the fire in hers. 「 "Why help me?" 」
「 "Because," 」 she whispered, stepping closer, 「 "I want to watch the look on his face when the boy he 'killed' becomes the monster that ends him." 」