By the time Aj and Neo turned eighteen, they were no longer the frail boys who once clung to shadows. Years of training, of sweat and blood spent in the Wai Dungeons, had forged them into something harder—something ready. The Adventurer Test awaited, and with it, the chance to step out of the slums and into a larger, more dangerous world.
On the morning of their departure, the family gathered in the dim light of their home. Aj's father, silent for a long while, finally broke it. His voice carried both love and fear.
"Are you sure, son? If you are not well… stay. Your dream is too big for us to afford."
Aj met his gaze but said nothing. He simply gave a firm sign with his hands, an answer as stubborn as stone.
His father sighed and picked up the travel bag—rough animal hide sewn together with worn string. He checked the contents carefully, running his fingers across hunting knives, dried food, and a waterskin, as if he could pack his own protection into them.
Aj snatched the bag back with a crooked smile. "I'm not a child anymore."
Neo adjusted the strap of his axe across his back. "We should leave now. The test won't wait for us. It's at least five days on foot."
Together, the two stepped toward the slum's great wooden gate. The villagers had gathered to see them off, their eyes shining with a mixture of pride, worry, and silent prayer. The creak of the gate's hinges echoed like a farewell song.
But Aj stopped. His steps turned him back to his father. Without a word, he pulled him into a rough embrace. His voice dropped low. "Don't be a child. Do your work—and pray for me. I'll send letters when I can."
His father's eyes burned red. His lips trembled as he forced the words out. "If I could, I would have walked with you…"
Aj's father's younger brother placed a steadying hand on the man's shoulder. "Enough. They've grown. This is their path. Don't burden them with your tears."
The old man swallowed his grief and managed a small, trembling smile. "Yaa… you're right."
Aj and Neo lifted their hands in farewell. Some in the crowd cheered, others whispered prayers, and still others only watched in silence, their expressions unreadable.
The gate groaned open, and beyond it lay the world—dark forest, wide sky, and the promise of danger. The brothers stepped forward together, leaving the slums behind.
As Aj and Neo approached the wide gate, a sudden blaze lit the night.
Spheres of fire floated into the air, burning without smoke, flooding the street with orange light.
Garbage arrived with a few armored troops, mounted on horses. His laughter echoed as he nudged his horse forward.
"Well, well," he mocked, covering his mouth as though hiding his grin. "Going somewhere? Hm? Don't tell me… to the Adventurer Test?"
He chuckled, turning his head away as if it were all a private joke.
Then, with a false wave of his hand, he said, "Go on then. Don't let me stop you."
The slumfolk murmured in confusion. Aj and Neo glanced at each other, suspicious, yet kept walking toward the gate.
But just as they stepped to the threshold of freedom, Garbage's voice tore through the night.
"STOP! Return what you stole!"
Aj and Neo turned back.
"What stolen thing?" Aj asked coldly.
"The prince's jewelry," Garbage declared, his eyes gleaming.
Neo stepped forward. "We stole nothing!"
Garbage sneered. "Slum rats don't argue. They obey. You don't question me—you answer me!"
At his command, soldiers surrounded them. Bags were ripped open, belongings scattered across the dirt.
At first, nothing appeared. Then,
The soldier held up the ring and locket. Silence rippled through the slum crowd. Garbage's grin widened.
"Caught red-handed!" he barked. "The prince lowered himself to stay here, fed you, gave you mercy—and this is how you repay him? Slum rats stealing from royalty!"
He raised his hand, pointing at Aj. "And the biggest thief among them all—this SlumBrat !"
"Silence, fool."
The voice was deep, cold, and carried authority.
It came from the older knight who sat calmly on his horse beside Garbage. He had watched long enough. Now his gaze burned into the Garbage like fire.
Garbage froze. "S-sir—"
The knight's sword flashed. In a single motion, he struck. Garbage tumbled from his horse, crashing into the dirt as the blade's edge whistled past his eyes, leaving him trembling on the ground.
Silence fell.
"The prince's ring and locket cannot be stolen," he said, his tone like iron. "They remain only where he wills them. If they are with these boys, then it is by the prince's choice. If it is the prince's decision, we respect it."
Gasps spread through the crowd. Garbage paled, his confidence breaking.
The knight gestured toward Aj and Neo. "Return their belongings."
Then, with a pause, his voice sharpened: "And if their pride has carried them to the Adventurer Test, then so be it. None shall stand in their way."
Garbage's lips quivered, but under the knight's glare, he could only mutter, "Y-yes, sir…"
As he tried to climb back onto his horse, the old knight's voice struck him again, sharp as steel.
"On foot."
Gasps and whispers erupted from the slumfolk, while Garbage's face burned red with humiliation.
Then, The troop departed first, their horses clattering against the dirt road, carrying lanterns that swung and cast long shadows across the slum gate. The soldiers moved in disciplined lines, their light flickering like restless stars in the darkness.
Garbage remained behind, his face stiff as stone, forced into silence under the command of the old knight. He lingered for a heartbeat, watching the troop vanish down the path. His jaw clenched. His pride bled.
Aj glanced back at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. "Haa… looks like we got ourselves a companion."
Neo chuckled under his breath, adjusting the strap of his bag. "Then let's go."
Aj turned back once more. His father stood there, shoulders sagging, fighting to stay composed. Aj forced a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Don't wait up for me, Father. I'll write. I promise."
The two boys followed the trail, their steps lighter than they had ever felt. The slum gate shrank behind them, swallowed by night.
Garbage walked ahead, separated by a few meters, holding himself stiff and proud even as the humiliation clung to him like mud. A glowing sphere of fire drifted above his shoulder, casting steady light over the path. The soldiers' lanterns swayed further ahead, but Garbage's floating light was brighter, clearer—a cruel reminder of his power and status.
The path stretched ahead, rough and uneven, lit only by the floating sphere of fire that hovered above Garbage's shoulder. Its glow wavered over the jagged stones, stretching the shadows of Aj, Neo, and their reluctant guide.
Aj quickened his pace until he was walking almost beside him. "You know," he said lightly, "this road isn't so bad. Fresh air, stars—well, what passes for stars here—and a little adventure already. Don't you think?"
Garbage's steps didn't falter, but his jaw tightened. He gave no reply.
Undeterred, Aj went on, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Since we'll be together for days, we might as well get along. A little teamwork, maybe? You could even show me how you manage that floating fire. Looks pretty useful."
The fireball flickered, its light swelling for a moment like it had sensed his words. Garbage finally spoke, voice low and sharp. "Shut your mouth. I am not your friend. I am not your companion. I am your leash. So walk, and keep silent."
Aj slowed just a little, letting the words hang in the air. The road filled with the sound of boots crunching gravel.
Behind him, Neo smirked and muttered, just loud enough for Aj to hear, "Guess someone doesn't like making new friends."
Aj chuckled softly, smirk returning. "Alright," he murmured. "We'll see."
Up ahead, Garbage kept walking, shoulders stiff, the fire sphere glowing hotter, as though mirroring the irritation seething in him.
The night was heavy, the silence so thick even the crickets held their tongues. Then Aj froze.
A cry.
It was faint, breaking through the hush of the forest—pained, desperate. A woman's voice.
"Someone's in trouble!" Aj shouted, already running toward the sound.
Neo followed. Behind them, Garbage stomped reluctantly, muttering with rage as his glowing fireball hovered beside him, spilling jagged shadows.
In a small clearing, four figures slumped against the roots of an ancient oak—two men and two women, all worn, their armor split and blood streaking their faces.
"They're injured," Aj breathed, kneeling beside one.
The woman groaned, reaching weakly. Neo moved closer, worry flashing across his face. Garbage only sneered, crossing his arms.
Then the ground snapped alive.
Thwip!
A net whipped upward, ensnaring all three of them at once. Aj, Neo, even Garbage were yanked into the air, tangled tight in coarse rope.
"What—?!" Neo fought, teeth bared.
"DAMN INSECTS!" Garbage thrashed furiously, his fireball sputtering as though mocking him.
The "injured" adventurers rose smoothly to their feet, their pain replaced by sly smiles.
"Got them," one muttered.
The ropes dug into Aj's wrists, his mouth gagged, breath heavy through cloth. Neo's eyes flicked around, furious but trapped. Even Garbage, thrashing in rage, was no better—his hands bound tight, muffled curses spilling uselessly into the gag.
Dragged into the bungalow, they stumbled across the threshold.
With no words wasted, they dragged the captives off the path, deeper into the woods.
The forest seemed to thicken with every step. The floating fireball flickered, dimmed… then vanished.
Darkness consumed everything. No starlight. No sound but the scrape of boots and the rope biting into skin.
Then—light.
Aj blinked as a warm glow cut through the black. It wasn't a torch or magic flame. It was glass.
In the middle of the wilderness stood a bungalow, windows glowing with golden light.
It looked impossibly ordinary—stone walls, wooden beams, a front porch lamp burning steady. Curtains swayed gently though the air was still.
Aj whispered, almost in awe. "A… house?"
Neo's chest tightened. In this cursed forest, nothing could be more unnatural than something so normal.
The captors said nothing. They hauled the net closer, toward the glowing bungalow that seemed to wait for them…
Then Aj blinked—just once—and the world changed.
The damp forest floor beneath him was gone. Instead, he stood in a grand hall bathed in golden glow. Countless orbs of light floated overhead like miniature suns. Long tables brimmed with steaming dishes, meat dripping with fat, fruits gleaming like jewels. People in fine garments laughed and drank, their voices echoing off marble pillars.
It was dazzling. Warm. Almost comforting.
But then his eyes lifted higher.
At the far end of the hall, on a throne carved from ivory and steel, sat a woman. She was beautiful beyond reason, her hair flowing like liquid shadow, her eyes glowing with an unnatural fire. She smiled faintly when Aj looked her way.
Aj blinked again—just a heartbeat.
The illusion shattered.
The banquet vanished. The laughing crowd dissolved into ash. The golden orbs of light dimmed, cracked, then burned crimson, bleeding their glow into the walls. The marble pillars blackened, and the throne loomed darker, more jagged.
Aj's breath hitched beneath the gag. The golden banquet had rotted into crimson horror. Neo squirmed against his ropes, and even Garbage froze, his arrogance drained in silence.
The four adventurers knelt before the throne, sweat beading their foreheads. One of the men—bolder than the others—stepped forward, his voice sharp.
"Free us! We brought what you asked , just like your deal."
The woman on the throne leaned her head lazily against her hand, her lips curling in amusement. Her voice was soft, yet every word pressed into the air like steel.
"Only three can go from you four. I needed four… but you brought me only three."
The man's jaw clenched. "You never told us how many you wanted! You said nothing of this—this is your fault!"
The two women beside him flinched, one grabbing at his sleeve. "Don't—stop talking—" she begged.
But it was too late.
Without a sound, the man's head slid from his shoulders. His arms and legs fell next, his body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut. There had been no flash of steel, no movement—only the silent certainty of death.
The hall grew colder.
The woman's smile stretched, her lips parting wider than seemed natural. Sharp fangs caught the glow of the crimson light, gleaming like ivory daggers. She rose ever so slightly from the throne, her voice dripping with mockery.
"Now you three. You may go."
Her words lingered in the air like a blade at their throats.