Song Yi woke up suddenly.
His head throbbed with a strong and constant pain. He opened his eyes slowly and saw only dark and uneven stone above him.
The air inside that place was cold, damp, and heavy. Each breath burned his lungs as if he were inhaling hot smoke mixed with a sour and metallic smell.
He coughed several times forcefully and felt his chest burn intensely, as if something scraped inside.
It was not a common room. It was a cold and cramped prison. The walls were thick, made of poorly finished stone blocks, with damp stains that slowly trickled down.
The floor was hard and dirty. There were no windows, only a weak and yellowish light that came from the corridor, passing through the thick iron bars. The strange smell of the air made it difficult to breathe deeply. Each breath hurt more than the last.
He was not alone. There were about twenty people scattered across the floor of the cell. Most were still sleeping a heavy and restless sleep. Some had already woken up and remained sitting or leaning against the walls, looking around with eyes full of fear and confusion.
No one spoke. The silence was broken only by dry coughs and short and painful breaths.
Song Yi slowly sat up on the cold floor. His whole body ached, especially the back of his neck. He looked around carefully. He did not know any of those people. They were complete strangers.
There was an elderly man with a messy white beard and wrinkled skin, two middle-aged women wearing simple peasant clothes, a tall and thin man who looked about forty years old, several other adults of different heights, and a boy of approximately ten years old curled up in the farthest corner. He was sleeping with his face dirty with earth and tear marks.
Song Yi was one of the youngest in the group. Only the child was younger than him.
The memories then returned clearly. He was in the forest near his small town, as he did almost every day.
He hunted rabbits and squirrels to survive, he was a poor and orphaned boy who lived on the streets. Life was hard for an orphan boy in that world. His life depended on what he could hunt, and because of that he was clearly malnourished.
While he was hunting, he suddenly heard light footsteps among the trees, he thought it was just another hunter. But two young men suddenly appeared. One of them moved at an impressive speed, almost impossible.
Song Yi could not react. He felt a strong and precise blow to the back of his neck. The pain exploded, and everything went black. He fainted from the attack.
And now he woke up here, locked with these strangers in that unknown place.
He stood up with difficulty. His legs trembled a little because of the cold and general weakness. He looked at the others once more, trying to understand the situation.
"What place is this?" He asked out loud.
Some eyes turned to him, but no one answered immediately.
Song Yi took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in his chest, and raised his voice so that everyone could hear.
"Hey. Everyone wake up. Come on, wake up!"
His voice echoed between the stone walls. Those who were still sleeping began to move. Coughs and groans filled the cell. In a short time, almost everyone was awake, sitting or standing, exchanging confused and frightened looks.
"Does anyone know where we are?" Asked a woman with brown hair, her voice trembling.
"I was returning from the market when two men attacked me." Said the elderly man with a hoarse voice.
"I did not even see where they came from."
"Me too." Said the tall man.
"I was in my workshop. But suddenly I took a blow to the head and woke up here."
People began to speak at the same time. Voices overlapped. Song Yi listened in silence, his brow furrowed. No one knew each other. They were from different places, with different ages and lives. The only thing in common was the way they had been captured, a quick attack, a violent blow to the head or neck, and unconsciousness.
"We were kidnapped." Said Song Yi, cutting through the noise.
"All of us. In the same way."
Silence fell heavily after that sentence. The child in the corner began to cry softly, curled against the cold wall.
Then they heard footsteps in the corridor. Calm and steady footsteps. Everyone turned their heads to the iron bars.
A man came down the stone steps. He looked about twenty years old, clean-faced, but with a cold expression. He wore light green robes, well tailored. He stopped in front of the bars and observed the group of prisoners.
"So this is the new batch..." He murmured. A thin smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I hope it is enough for Elder Wei..."
Song Yi felt anger rise.
"Hey! Why are we here? Who are you?" He asked out loud, irritation in his voice.
Other prisoners began to speak as well.
"Yeah! What do you want with us?" Shouted the elderly man.
"Is it money you want? I am rich. I can pay the ransom. Release me now!" Said a well-dressed young man, standing up and grabbing the bars tightly.
The man in green robes smiled faintly, unhurried. He did not look directly at them. He answered in a calm voice.
"You do not need to make so much noise. Soon you will understand."
He opened the cell. The creak of the iron was loud. Most stepped back. The man entered and looked at everyone. Then, he pointed to a middle-aged man, bald and strong.
"You. Come with me."
The middle-aged man turned pale. He did not move. Fear paralyzed him.
The expression of the man in green robes soured. He approached, grabbed the collar of the shirt with one hand, and lifted the man off the ground without effort.
"I told you to follow me. Or do you want me to carry you?"
Song Yi watched in surprise. That guy's strength was enormous. One arm alone lifted an adult as if he were light.
The middle-aged man was taken outside. The cell fell silent. The toxic air seemed to get worse. Many coughed without stopping.
Someone said between coughs.
"This air seems poisonous... It burns the lungs."
Song Yi agreed. His chest burned strongly.
After some time, a loud scream of pain came from the corridor. It was long and desperate. Everyone recognized the voice of the middle-aged man who had just been taken.
The expressions in the cell became even worse.
Half an hour later, the man in green robes returned. He carried the body on his back. He opened the cell and threw the man inside.
Everyone approached to look. The man's veins were bulging, thick, green, and purple. He was unconscious, breathing very weakly.
A woman knelt and touched his pulse. Then, she shook her head.
Song Yi asked.
"What happened to him? Will he survive?"
"Hard to say..." She replied.
"He was poisoned with something very strong. His pulse is weak. I do not think he will live another half hour."
"Damn it!" Shouted a tall man, hitting the wall.
"They kidnap us and still poison us?"
More screams of pain echoed shortly after. This time, a woman had been taken.
The man in green robes returned, dragging a young, dark-haired woman across the ground. He threw her into the cell and chose another person.
At that moment, five prisoners looked at each other and nodded. Song Yi had seen them planning before. The five suddenly rushed at the man, shouting and trying to land punches.
For a moment, it seemed possible. Everyone prayed for the attack to work.
But the man gave a single kick. And then the five were thrown backward with force. They hit the walls and other people in the cell. Song Yi was struck and fell to the ground.
Everyone looked in fear. The man then said in a low and cold voice.
"Tsc. Idiot mortals."
He looked at the group with disgust.
"You better behave. Or I will kill all of you before Elder Wei uses you."
He grabbed one of the five who had attacked him by the ankle and dragged him outside.
Silence grew heavy. Song Yi slowly stood up. In his mind, a silent despair was forming, he definitely did not want to be the next to be taken.
Then the rich young man from before spoke.
"I think I know where we are."
Everyone looked.
"Where?" Asked Song Yi.
"He called us mortals. And that strength... I think they are cultivators... And they are not good."
The word "cultivators" left everyone tense. Song Yi knew the stories told by people in his town about people who absorbed spiritual energy and became stronger than normal humans. He always thought they were legends. But now, seeing that guy's strength, it seemed real.
The man in green robes returned. He threw another body into the cell. The veins were also purple and green.
He looked across the cell, and his gaze stopped on Song Yi. The red hair caught attention. He walked straight toward him and grabbed the collar of his dirty shirt without wasting time.
Song Yi struggled.
"Let me go!"
He tried to punch, but it was useless. The man carried him outside without effort.
Song Yi looked back and saw the others looking at him with pity and terror.
"LET ME GO!" He shouted again.
The man got irritated.
"Shut up, beggar."
He gave a strong punch to the stomach. The pain was violent. Song Yi felt the air leave him. His eyes darkened as he was carried through the corridor.