*Shaaa

Flashes of lightning flash across the grey and gloomy afternoon sky. The scent of the muddy ground at his feet invading his nose along with the earthy scent that comes with the falling rain.

BANG!! The thunder echos in the sky above him. The assault on his senses is not small; the loud and wet rain, the thunder, the light from the lightning and the smell from the ground and rain.

The young man dressed in aqua blue, lined with white-gold ripped and muddy robes - dragged his feet as he walks. The white and aqua embroidered brocade boots on his feet fill with rain from above making his steps heavy and slow - the silver tassel no longer danced along his waist.

His long black hair draped over half of his face exposing one bloodshot left eye. His lips quiver as he wears a self-mocking smile on his face.

Dragging his two feet step by step through the heavy downpour. He had been travelling for the past three hours by foot from the entrance of his home to the mountains right before him, the pit inside of a forbidden area,  *Deadman's Wonderland.

(a/n: A valley in the mountains, surrounded by fog and a densely packed demonic aura will go into detail in later chapters.)

In the rain, biting on his bottom lip, he cries his heart out but not a single tear can be seen on his face. The rosy cheeks he had three hours before had long since turned pale from the cold and wetness that came with the rain.

Choking on his tears and the rain falling into his mouth. He stops in his step and wipes away the water on his face. Looking down at the slender, pale hands that wiped away the tears and water, he bit down onto his bottom lip.

Dropping his hands to his side he looks ahead of him and calculates the distance, “About one hundred meters left.”

In the distance, the path leading up to the mountain is slowly drawing near. The banners sewn onto poles can be seen with the almost blood-like ink arrays marked on them.

BANG!! The lightning strikes a tree behind him; not feeling the need to look back he continues to walk forward, one step at a time, one meter closer to his destination.

Although his head is hanging low as he suppresses the choking and suffocating sensation from crying his heart out, he can see from the corner of his eyes. The sky that is turning darker as time slips away, becoming slightly eerie as he gets closer and closer to the mountain path.

“Is it still the *Wu period?” he asks himself, not knowing that it is already in the hour of the *Shen period.

(a/n: Wu period 11:00 am - 12:00 am. Shen period 15:00 pm - 16:00 pm)

With his mind turning black from exhaustion, his father’s phoenix eyes and sword-like eyebrows appeared before him. The look in his father's eye that represented hate and disgust.

Remembering this, his body involuntarily shivers and the centre of his chest burns. Grabbing at the ripped fabric draped down his chest, Seungho pressed against his burning chest. He looked down at the black mark on his chest; before, the wound was bleeding but now because of the rain and aftermath - it turned black.

The space between his chest used to belong to his “Core”. The spiritual core that stored his twenty-one years accumulated cultivation, but now… because… of himself… because he thought he could trust that man, the man he calls “father” all his hard work - gone.

His core was dissolved and the pain from it along with the pain from his heart being ripped apart by his loved ones, reduced him, Yoo Seungho, to nothing but an empty shell.

Stepping down with his right foot his balance is immediately put off and as he comes to his senses right this second, Seungho’s eyes widen. A sense of danger flashes in his eyes but soon disappears, finally realizing why he is here.

Lifting his head and facing the heavens, opening his murky eyes wide letting the rain drip into them - his eyes turning red.

Remembering his father’s last words, “You are no son of mine! Such a disgrace! Yoo Seungho, go sacrifice yourself for the sin you have committed, save my Yoo family and die one hundred times as an apology. NO! Even one thousand times won't make up for your sins!”

Closing his eyes, Yoo Seungho exhales and steps forward. Feeling the wind blow pass his face through his fingers and his ripped clothes, he opens his eyes but doesn’t regret the scene in front of him.

The dense fog covering his view make it easy for him, he can’t see anything before him even though his body is falling.

Closing his eyes once again, the events that unfolded many hours ago run through his mind. Tears begin to flow once again from his eyes, his mouth trembles as he mouths the words, “Someone, save me.”

Normally when Seungho was in trouble or needed help, the first person who he would call for is his father. The second person is his blood brother who is thirty years older and more experienced than him, Yoo Seunghoon, but neither of the two, see him as a part of the family anymore, wanting nothing to do with him.

Seungho realized this five hours ago when he stood in front of them and after he left his family’s sect, which they exiled him from, he erased the bonding he once had for them, hating his family and clan with all his being.

Sending him to his death, leading Seungho to not call them for help and instead call an unknown “Someone” who was listening.

A few more seconds passed and Seungho’s chest slammed first onto the ground. Still conscious and feeling the pain coming from his chest, his head hits the ground the same time as his limbs, cracking every bone in his body then finally his bones begin to crumble under his muscles piercing his flesh.

After his head hit the ground, it bounced back, snapping his neck then landed on the left side crushing all the bones on the left side of his face. This caused the right side of his brain pain and the right side of his body to feel extreme pain becoming motionless.

Seungho slowly opened his right eye that was dripping and covered in blood. He saw that his right arm was laying not too far from him. Blood seeping from his mouth and other open areas on his body, pooling underneath him - he could see all of this.

Seungho’s eye slowly closed with tears dripping out, he was in so much pain that it hurt. This time he wanted to call for his father to save him but he remembered what happened and how he got to where he currently is - the reason why he was in so much pain.

The feelings of resentment and hate swelled up in his heart as the faces of every member of his family and clan brothers and sisters - at this moment, he hated them all.

Seconds after he realised this a deafening “hum” sounded as if it came out from the mouth of a beast, sounded and echoed in Deadman’s Wonderland.

The dense fog above him turned poisonous green in colour and the blood from all the dead started boiling, creating a deep and bloody stench, making the previous scent of blood intensify.