Crow's voice didn't falter. He leaned back slightly, the long black feathers of his mask catching the dim light.
"Do not misunderstand. Moi is just one stepping stone. A mission, yes—but not your true mission. Your true mission lies ten years from now."
His tone sharpened like a knife pressed against skin. "Until then, you will carve your way through the small fries. Rats, traitors, disobedient dogs. Every mission a grindstone for your soul."
The children stayed quiet, not a breath louder than the hall's still air.
Crow continued, his cadence slow, deliberate, like he was reciting an old scripture:
"You already know that a soul can integrate another soul. But hear this clearly—there is a limit. A [10th Rank: Awakened] soul can at most hold ten essence souls of the same rank, and of the same Domain. A mismatch between Domains can shatter you from the inside. It can warp your soul until it turns against you."
Grimm's stomach knotted. 'Ten… and only in the same Domain. Then what happens to me if… if I force in something else? Would I even stay myself?'
Crow's head tilted slightly toward him, though it was impossible to tell if the man read his thoughts.
"But don't worry," Crow said, his tone almost mocking. "The Mind Domain is generous. Mind can echo into flesh."
'He really talks weirdly...' Grimm thought.
He let that linger, before pulling from his robes a thin stack of folded papers.
They weren't mere books... they looked older, symbols traced with sharp ink, written in neat but alien script. He set them on the ground before the children.
"Your identity essence is yours now. It is not counted among the ten. It is your foundation. What comes after will be decided by skill, luck, and hunger."
Grimm glanced at the papers. His throat felt dry. 'Mantras. Again. These things… they're basically tools to reshape us.'
Crow gestured with two fingers, and the children instinctively stepped closer.
"These mantras," he said, "will mold your blades sharper. Stealth and assassination mantras—methods refined over generations of killers. Here also—" he tapped a page marked with a faint spiral "—a sound-absorbing technique."
He lifted another page. "And here, you will learn the truth of Ael. How it wraps itself around presence, how it cloaks the soul. The body, the sound, the scent, even the will itself... Ael can smother them until nothing remains. This is the path to complete stealth."
The hall seemed colder as he spoke, as if the weight of what he promised could erase them from existence.
Grimm swallowed hard, his mind racing. 'Sound… scent… even will? They're teaching us how to disappear completely. He's nuts...'
Qin's eyes lit up with that unnerving enthusiasm of hers. 'Complete stealth… hah. That means I can walk through a crowd and pluck faces one by one, and no one would ever know.'
Haoran's brow furrowed, calculating. 'If we master this, then even fighting someone a rank above isn't impossible. With ambushes… precision. Our only chance against someone like Moi is this.'
Hui closed her eyes, steady. 'Ael is deeper than just energy. If it can cloak the soul itself… then every weakness becomes invisible...'
Crow's voice cut through their thoughts:
"Engrave these teachings in marrow and blood. For every step you take unseen, every life you snuff out unheard... you will come closer to survival. Do not mistake it for freedom. You are Black Moon's shadows now. And shadows have no will of their own."
"You will go to the black moon's labyrinth in five days, reach at least 10 floors."
The papers lay waiting in silence.
The hall fell into silence after Crow's words.
His silhouette lingered only a moment longer, then like a smoke dispersing... he was gone. The crystal lights flickered faintly in his absence, and the room seemed larger.
Grimm stared at the space Crow had stood. His hands were sweaty without him realizing.
'The way he talks… it's always like he's half chanting, half taunting. It's like he's not even… human. Maybe that's his essence? Maybe his soul warped him like that.'
He didn't notice he'd been muttering until Haoran gave a short laugh.
"What a weird way to talk, I wonder what does he gain talking like that," Haoran said, folding his arms.
Qin giggled, sharp and careless. "I like it. Makes him sound scary. Creepy words, creepy man. Fitting, don't you think?"
Grimm frowned. 'She's nuts too...'
Hui, who'd stayed quiet, finally spoke.
"You're both missing the point. Weird or not, he's preparing us for that labyrinth. That's what matters now." Her voice was calm, measured, but her eyes had a depth that made Grimm think she'd been analyzing every word Crow had said.
Qin tilted her head. "Labyrinth, huh? Ten floors, countless creatures, all sorts of dangers..."
Grimm gave her a look. "You look like you're having fun."
Her grin widened. "I do, why?"
Haoran cut in, shaking his head. "Stop useless chatter, we need to prepare. We'll fight, integrate, and gather Ael. That's what Crow said. Our soul cores will grow or we'll die. Those are the only outcomes." Haoran said flatly.
The silence pressed in again, thicker this time. The thought of wandering into some endless labyrinth, hunted by monsters, clawed at Grimm's chest.
'A labyrinth… what kind of world did I land in? Monsters, souls, domains, and now this. Ten floors, countless dangers. Crow made it sound so casual, like walking to market. Maybe that's what makes him terrifying. Death doesn't mean anything to him anymore. Damn, I wanna go home...'
Hui broke the quiet. "Five days isn't long, but it's enough. Let's use it. Practice camouflage, breathing, presence suppression. If we don't sharpen everything we've learned, the labyrinth will devour us."
Haoran nodded. "Agreed."
Qin stretched, almost lazily, her grin never fading. "Let's do it then, let's show them madness."
Grimm forced out a laugh, though his chest still felt tight.
'Yeah… madness. Maybe that's the only way to live in this world.'
...
They returned to their cramped little room, the faint smell of wax and stone mixing in the air. A single stub of candle flickered in the center, its flame wavering each time one of them shifted.
The script—thick parchment bound with a simple cord—was laid out flat. Four pairs of knees pressed close, heads leaning in until their hair brushed together.
Grimm lingered a step back. He crouched, but not enough to touch shoulders with them. The closeness, the childish way of huddling around a book, felt suffocating to him.
'They're just kids. Of course they don't mind pressing into each other like that. But I can't… I'm not like them. I can't forget I'm older in my head. If I play too distant, though, they'll notice. And suspicion's the last thing I need.'
Hui broke the silence first, irritation sharp in her tone. "This is ridiculous. Four heads bumping into each other to read one line at a time? Give it here. I'll read it, and we'll all follow along."
Qin chuckled, resting her chin on her hand. "Bossy as ever. Fine, little teacher, tell us what our great future is."
Haoran smirked, not protesting. He leaned back a little, giving Hui the space she demanded.
Hui took the script carefully, smoothing the parchment with her palm. The candlelight danced across her face, highlighting the scar or maybe birthmark on her neck.
Her eyes narrowed, and she said, "Before we even get into this camouflage technique, we need to make sure we understand everything we've learned so far. If we don't, we'll be walking blind into that labyrinth."
Haoran gave a short nod. "Good. Start with essence."
Qin rolled her eyes but leaned in anyway, her ponytail brushing against the stone floor. "Essence makes us who we are. Changes how we act, how we fight. Our… weapon, basically."
Grimm stayed quiet, watching them. His fingers tapped against his knee, a nervous tick he hoped they wouldn't notice.
'She's right. And that's what scares me. If essence shapes us, how much of what I feel now is me, and how much is that damned centipede?'
Hui's voice pulled him back. "Essence affects body, mind, and soul. But the first one is the most important. It settles in our core. That's why they forced it into us. To bind us. To give us power we can't abandon, even if we want to."
Haoran interjected, his tone confident. "And to control us. They know exactly what we're capable of by the essence they chose. You think it's a coincidence they gave us what fits their needs? Mind Demon Ant, Face Stealer, Spider, Centipede… all tools for their assassins."
Grimm felt the words burn in his chest, but he forced his face blank.
"Next," Hui continued, ignoring the tension, "Ael. It's energy, fuel for everything we do. We store it in the soul core. Right now we're barely scraping at it. Breathing techniques, camouflage, even combat, all need Ael. Without it, we're nothing more than fragile bodies."
Qin hummed, tapping her fingers on her knee. "Fragile, huh? Feels like we're not so fragile anymore." She grinned, showing her sharp teeth in the candlelight.
"Fragile compared to what's above us," Hui shot back. "Which brings us to the order of life."
The air in the room seemed to grow heavier. Even Qin stopped smiling.
"Awakened," Hui said, looking at each of them in turn, "is where we are. [10th Rank]. The lowest. Children with soul sparks barely acknowledged by the world. Above us is unknown and after it was [Recognized]—[8th Rank]. That's the rebel Crow mentioned. Moi. And Crow said the gap between ranks is like sky and earth. Think about that. Just one step higher, and they're practically untouchable for us."
Qin smirked again, though softer this time. "Sounds fun."
Grimm felt his stomach twist.
'Fun? No, it's a nightmare. Ten years of blood and monsters and poison inside our veins. If we survive, we'll be killers molded by Black Moon. If we don't… just more corpses in their pile.'
Hui lowered the script onto her lap. "And our location. Eastern Region. Black Moon's territory. That much we know. This organization has reach. Enough to snatch hundreds of kids. That should tell us how big they are."
The candle hissed faintly as wax dripped down its side. Shadows bent across the walls, stretching like long fingers.
Haoran finally broke the silence. "So. Essence shapes us. Ael fuels us. Order of life decides who's prey and who's predator. And right now… we're still prey. That means for the labyrinth, we need to move together. No lone heroics. No one survives ten floors alone."
Qin gave a wicked grin. "Not even me?"
"Not even you," Haoran snapped.
Grimm exhaled softly, sitting back against the wall. His eyes drifted to the candle flame.
'They're kids, but not. They're smart and dangerous. And I'm just another piece on this board. If I want to live long enough to escape… I have to keep playing along. One step at a time.'