Far away from the bright and sunny city of Oakhaven, a freezing wind blew hard through a dark mountain pass.
The main base of the Blood Shadow army was hidden deep inside a massive stone cave. The sky above the mountain was always a dark gray. The air smelled like old rain and cold dirt.
Master Goliath stood outside the giant cave entrance. He was a terrifying man. He was much taller and wider than any normal person. His huge chest and arms were covered in thick, ugly scars from past battles. He carried a massive steel axe on his wide back.
Goliath looked down at the deep valley below the mountain. The valley was completely filled with people.
Thousands of elite outcast killers stood in perfect, silent lines. They wore dark clothes and dark red masks. They carried heavy curved swords and sharp daggers. Their eyes were cold and empty. They were the angry men and women who failed to join the Shadow Command. They were hungry and ready to destroy anything in their path.
Goliath raised his huge hand. Three men stepped out of the dark cave and stood right behind him. These were his three best generals.
The first general was named Blood Hand. His hands were stained a deep red color from using forbidden poison arts. The second general was named Iron Skin. He was a huge man with pale gray skin that was as hard as solid rock. The third general was named Ghost. He was very thin and wore a tight black suit. He moved without making a single sound, like a shadow on a dark wall.
"Listen to me," Goliath shouted loudly. His deep voice echoed off the cold mountain walls. The entire army looked up at him in complete silence.
"For three years, the world told us the Shadow Commander was dead," Goliath yelled. "They told us the strongest man in the world was gone. But they lied to us. We found him. He is hiding in a small city called Oakhaven. He is playing a silly game, pretending to be a useless husband."
The army of killers shifted slightly. A low murmur of surprise rippled through the valley. Everyone knew the terrifying legend of the Shadow Commander.
"We are not going to Oakhaven for spirit stones," Goliath continued. He pulled his massive steel axe from his back and pointed it at the dark sky. "We are going to Oakhaven for pure glory. We will hunt the god of the shadows. We will crush his city. We will steal his legendary power. We will show the High Regent King that the Blood Shadow is the true master of this world."
The thousands of killers raised their curved swords high in the air. They let out a massive, terrifying battle cry. The loud sound shook the dirt on the mountain.
Goliath looked directly at his three generals. "Ghost. You are the fastest fighter we have. Take a small team of elite killers and go to the city first. Find the Valerius family. Find his wife. Set the trap. Iron Skin and Blood Hand, you will march with me and the main army. We leave right now."
The dark storm was officially moving toward Oakhaven.-----Later that exact same morning, the Valerius Tower was full of warm light and quiet peace. The Caldwell Trade Union was completely bankrupt and gone. The Valerius family was finally safe from their old rivals.
The family sat around the large dining room table for breakfast. There was fresh fruit, warm bread, and hot tea.
Caspian walked into the dining room wearing comfortable gray pants and a soft white shirt. He sat down in the big wooden chair at the head of the table. He felt completely rested. His core was stable and quiet.
He reached out his hand to pick up a piece of warm, buttered toast from a silver plate.
Suddenly, a hand darted across the table.
Silas grabbed the piece of toast right out of Caspian's hand. Silas took a huge bite of the bread and chewed it very quickly. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He waited for a few seconds.
Caspian stared at his empty hand. He looked at Silas with complete confusion. "Silas. Why did you just steal my breakfast?"
Silas opened his eyes and smiled proudly. He wiped crumbs from his mouth. "I did not steal it, brother in law. I am protecting you. I have decided to become your Royal Food Taster. What if someone tries to poison your butter? I must test it first."
Caspian laughed out loud. It was a real, warm laugh. "Thank you, Silas. I appreciate your hard work."
But the happy moment ended instantly.
The shadows in the corner of the dining room suddenly shifted. The bright morning light in the room seemed to get very dark.
Thorne stepped smoothly out of the shadows. He wore his sharp black suit. He was breathing heavily. His face was set in a tight, hard line.
Thorne slowly turned his head and gave Silas a cold, deadly stare.
Silas froze completely. His hands started to shake. He looked at the half eaten toast in his hand, and then he looked at Thorne's terrifying eyes. Silas thought Thorne was furious because he had just stolen food from his master.
"I did not steal it," Silas squeaked. He dropped the toast onto his plate. He tried to make himself look very small in his chair. "I was just checking it for poison. Please do not cut me. I am just a helpful butler."
Lyra noticed the heavy tension in the room. She saw Thorne standing there with a serious face. She knew Thorne did not care about the toast. Thorne only appeared like this when he needed to speak privately with Caspian about dangerous business.
Lyra stood up quickly to give them privacy. She picked up her black leather bag.
"Well," Lyra said with a bright, slightly nervous smile. "I have to go to work now. The city bank just sold us one of the old Caldwell supply warehouses at the eastern docks. I am going to inspect the building this morning so you two can talk."
Silas jumped up from his chair so fast he almost knocked it over. He desperately wanted to escape Thorne's scary death stare. He grabbed his warm coat from the wall.
"I will go with you, Lyra," Silas said loudly. "Those old docks are not safe. I am the older brother. It is my job to protect you. Let us leave right now. Goodbye Caspian. Goodbye terrifying shadow man. I promise I will never eat the toast again."
Silas practically pushed Lyra toward the front doors before she could even say another word. The heavy doors clicked shut behind them.
The dining room was finally quiet.
Caspian stopped smiling. The relaxed look completely vanished from his face. He knew Thorne never showed up like this unless death was already at their door.
"What is wrong, Thorne?" Caspian asked. His voice dropped to a low, serious tone.
"We have an emergency report from our hidden border scouts," Thorne said quickly. "The Blood Shadow army has left their mountain base. Thousands of elite killers are marching directly toward Oakhaven. They are moving extremely fast."
Caspian felt a cold chill run down his back. He realized his massive mistake.
"They figured it out," Caspian said softly. He sounded like a human who had just made a terrible error. "When I used the Abyssal Seal Strike to defeat Viper last night, I left my energy signature behind. Master Goliath knows exactly who I am and where I am hiding."
"Yes, sir," Thorne agreed. He looked at the floor. "They are coming to hunt you down. But that is not the worst part. I just checked the tracking signal on your wife's car. She arrived at the old Caldwell warehouse two minutes ago. But the signal just went completely dark. Someone is using a jammer. We have lost them."
His chair crashed backward onto the floor as Caspian stood up. His heart hammered in his chest. "Get the car," Caspian ordered loudly. His voice shook with real fear. "Get the car right now."-----Across the city at the eastern docks, the old Caldwell warehouse was completely silent. The building was massive, dusty, and smelled like old metal and salt water.
Lyra walked through the large open doors. Silas walked right beside her. He tried to look tough, but he kept jumping at every small shadow.
"Hello," Lyra called out. Her voice echoed loudly in the empty, dark space. "Is the bank manager here to give us the keys?"
Nobody answered her.
Suddenly, a loud, heavy grinding sound echoed through the building. The massive metal doors behind them slammed shut with a terrible bang. The heavy steel locks clicked into place on their own.
Silas screamed and jumped backward. "What was that? Who locked the door?"
Lyra quickly reached into her leather bag to get her phone. She looked at the bright screen. There was absolutely no signal at all.
Then, they smelled it.
A thick, dark red smoke began to pour out from the air vents near the high ceiling. It smelled like burned blood and dirty iron. The smoke quickly filled the large room.
The red smoke carried a terrible, crushing spiritual pressure. It was not a normal smoke. It was designed to hurt cultivators.
Lyra coughed loudly. She grabbed her chest. The heavy pressure from the red smoke slammed into her silver tier core. It was too much for her to handle. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She collapsed onto the dusty concrete floor, completely unconscious.
"Lyra," Silas yelled. He dropped to his knees beside her. He shook her shoulders, but she did not wake up.
Silas coughed hard. The red smoke was burning his lungs. He was terrified. He wanted to run away and hide. But he looked down at his helpless little sister. He could not leave her.
Four figures dropped down from the high steel beams near the roof. They landed silently on the concrete floor. Three of them were elite Blood Shadow killers. The fourth man was General Ghost.
Ghost slowly stood up and tilted his head to look at Silas. His black eyes were full of cruel joy.
"Well," Ghost whispered. His voice seemed to scrape against Silas's ears. "We came for the pretty bird, but we caught a fat rat too."
Silas was shaking uncontrollably. Tears formed in his eyes. He was the biggest coward in Oakhaven. He was always afraid of pain. But as Ghost took a step toward Lyra, something inside Silas snapped.
Silas stood up. His legs wobbled, but he planted his feet firmly on the ground. He held out his arms to block Ghost from touching Lyra.
"Leave her alone," Silas shouted. His voice cracked with fear, but he did not move away. "I am Silas Valerius. I am the heir to the family. I am much more important than her. Take me as your hostage. My father will pay you anything you want. Just do not touch my sister."
Ghost stopped walking. He looked at Silas and laughed a dry, terrible laugh.
"You are very brave for a weak rat," Ghost said cruelly. "I will gladly take you. But I still want to break her first."
Ghost reached his thin, pale hand out toward Lyra's unconscious face.
Silas screamed and tried to punch Ghost. Ghost simply slapped Silas across the face. Silas fell hard to the ground, his lip bleeding. Ghost grabbed Silas by the back of his coat and lifted him into the air like a rag doll.
Ghost reached down for Lyra again.
Suddenly, the massive steel doors of the warehouse exploded inward.
The thick metal doors did not just open. They were completely ripped off their hinges. The heavy steel flew across the room and smashed into the concrete wall.
Caspian walked through the open doorway.
He did not look like a calm, perfect god. He looked like a man who was pushed past his breaking point. His breathing was heavy. His dark eyes were wide and filled with pure, murderous rage. He saw Lyra lying on the floor. He saw Ghost holding a bleeding Silas.
"You touched my family," Caspian said. His voice was a dark, quiet whisper that carried a promise of absolute death.
The three elite killers rushed at Caspian. They pulled out their curved swords to cut him down.
They did not even get close.
Caspian moved faster than human eyes could track. He used pure, brutal physical force.
He grabbed the first killer by the throat. The killer's eyes bulged in pure panic. Caspian squeezed his hand once. A loud snap echoed through the room. The killer dropped to the floor, completely dead.
The second and third killers tried to stab him. Caspian stepped inside their guard. He drove his fist into the chest of the second killer with the force of a speeding train. The killer flew backward and crashed into a metal pillar. Caspian spun around and kicked the third killer in the head, sending him smashing into the ground.
In three seconds, three elite killers were dead.
Ghost watched this happen. For the first time in his dark life, General Ghost felt true fear. He realized the rumors were real. This man was a monster.
Ghost knew he could not fight Caspian and win.
Ghost quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing Blood Burn Pill. He swallowed it instantly. Thick black veins popped out on his pale neck. His speed and power doubled.
But Ghost did not attack. He held Silas tightly by the neck and used his new speed to run in the opposite direction. He leaped high into the air, crashing right through the glass skylight on the warehouse roof.
"Commander," a loud voice shouted.
Thorne rushed into the warehouse just as Ghost broke through the roof. Thorne jumped up onto the shipping crates, trying to chase after the general.
But Ghost was an elite master fueled by a forbidden pill. He was simply too fast. By the time Thorne reached the roof, Ghost had completely vanished into the city skyline, taking the screaming Silas with him.
Thorne dropped back down to the floor. He looked deeply ashamed. "I am sorry, Commander. He is gone. They took Silas."
Caspian did not look at the roof. He dropped to his knees beside Lyra. He gently picked her up in his arms. He checked her pulse. She was breathing. She was just asleep from the pressure of the red smoke.
Caspian held his wife tightly against his chest. He closed his eyes. The anger inside his heart was boiling like a dark, violent ocean.
Silas, the coward who always mocked him, had just sacrificed himself to protect Lyra. Silas had bravely offered his own life to save his sister.
Caspian opened his eyes. He looked at the broken metal doors and the dead bodies on the floor. He was done playing games.
"Thorne," Caspian said. His voice was cold and terrifyingly calm. "Tell the Obsidian Vault to release all our funds. Call every hidden shadow guard we have in this country. The Blood Shadow wants a war. We are going to give them a slaughter."