Two guards dragged me out of the cell and led me through the dark corridors. A faint draft stirred the torn rags on the walls, while the smell of damp stone and rusted iron clung to the air. In the corners, some prisoners curled up and trembled, while others glared with quiet rage, their bodies battered and bruised but their eyes burning.
One figure stood out — an old man bound in chains. Every finger, every limb, even his neck locked in iron, yet his face showed nothing. Calm. Detached. Like he was no longer part of this place. In the chaos of despair, his stillness unsettled me the most.
Another world… will I survive… why do they even need me… unless I heard right, they mentioned Earth…
— How long do you think he'll last? — one guard muttered, rubbing a bare chin.
— Who knows. If he's really from that world, they won't let him die so easily.
Another world? You know of Earth?! I blurted in English.
The guards exchanged a puzzled look but said nothing more. They didn't understand me.
\[Passive Skill Active: Language Adaptation — 50%]
You begin to grasp fragments of speech. Full comprehension is not yet achieved.
The words buzzed in my head as we climbed higher. My body grew heavier, my steps unsteady. Fear gnawed at me with every breath.
We reached the upper floor of a tall pagoda. Through narrow windows I caught glimpses of a small fortified town: single-story houses, soldiers on rooftops, eyes trained on every movement below. The pagoda loomed above it all like a spear piercing the sky.
The chamber they led me into was drenched in blue tones, its furniture etched with thin golden lines. Near the window sat a man in his forties. His eyes lit up the instant he saw me.
So, you speak in a tongue that does not belong to this world… what is your name?
Before I could answer, a system prompt flashed across my vision:
\[Survive one month — Reward: 10 Stat Points, 500 EXP]
…Chris, I managed, voice unsteady.
I needed only one thing — to live. Just one year, the system had said. One year to return home. The memory of soft brown eyes, chestnut hair, the scent of oranges that Mia loved… it all struck me at once. For them, for myself, I had to endure.
— Chris, — the man repeated with a strange accent. — I am Fei Yan. You understand me now, yes?
I gave a short nod. His expression shifted into something terrifying. A smile that gleamed like struck gold, a madness flickering in his eyes.
— Interesting. A man from beyond our world, caught by low-ranking soldiers… which means you hide something far greater.
English slipped out of me again before I could stop it. His smile widened, and fear pinned me in place. A guard nudged me forward with his elbow, snickering.
— Take him to the chamber. Keep him alive, — Fei Yan ordered, his voice sharp. — Information wins wars.
War…? Cold ran through my veins. Did he mean this world was preparing to invade ours?
The chamber reeked of iron and burning coal. Chains rattled as they bound me to a chair in the center. Along one wall hung glass vials of colored liquid; on the other, knives, needles, even a hand saw. The flames of a nearby furnace threw shadows that writhed across the stone.
— Who should we call first? Mo Han? — one guard asked.
— Too much. He'd kill him on day one.
— Then Yun Fei. He knows how to make them talk… and heal them enough to keep going.
I clenched my teeth as dread settled in. Minutes dragged into an hour, every second heavier than the last.
The door creaked open. A girl stepped inside — long black hair, eyes of glacial blue, her face so delicate it could have belonged to a painting. Yet her gaze alone froze my blood.
She crossed to the vials, selected one filled with violet liquid, and pulled the stopper. A sweet lavender scent mingled with something bitter. Without a word she forced it down my throat. The taste was strangely pleasant.
\[System Message: Unknown substance detected. Monitor body response. High endurance required.]
At first, only a faint heat spread through me. Then my right arm ignited with fire. Veins bulged, pulsing with violet light. I gripped the chair so hard my nails cracked, splintering against the wood.
\[System Message: Extreme pain detected. Allocate stat points to Endurance?]
The thought barely registered. Pain consumed everything. My skin burned, my vision blurred, every heartbeat a hammer blow.
Outside the door, guards laughed.
— Still alive, ha! — one jeered.
— Screaming like a kitten, — the other smirked.
But they didn't see what I felt. Beneath the agony, beneath the tearing of flesh and blood, something stirred. A rhythm that wasn't mine. Heavy. Ancient. For a heartbeat the restraints trembled, and the chains rattled.
The guards kept laughing, unaware that the real trial had only just begun.