A Song for The Ages

Darkness loomed, heavy and suffocating.

The survivors stood in a tight, tense cluster as the sound of footsteps approached.

Out of the shadows emerged the same black-robed man from before, the one who had thrown them into this hell a month ago.

His gaze swept over them, calculating, disinterested. Behind him, several servants followed in eerie silence, each carrying boxes filled with small glass vials.

For a moment, he simply stared at them. Then, with a slightly surprised chuckle, he muttered to himself,

"Oh? I didn't expect to see more than ten survivors out of two hundreds… but here you are, a full thirty-five of you." His lips curled into something akin to amusement, muttering to himself. "Cave number three… for children between six and twelve… produced unexpected results."

The survivors stiffened.

Feiyin's eyes narrowed.

That meant there were other caves. Other groups. But what happened to them?

His fingers clenched at his sides.

The black-robed man clapped his hands together. "Well. If you're still alive after a month in there, then perhaps you have some use. Consider it an accomplishment, you've proven you have some worth."

His amused tone sent a shudder through the group.

Without missing a beat, he waved a hand. "As a reward, here is your antidote for this month."

The silent, expressionless servants stepped forward, opening the boxes. Inside were rows of glass vials filled with a murky, deep red liquid. One by one, they began handing them out.

The survivors hesitated.

Some stared at the vials in their hands, almost afraid to drink.

The black-robed man let out an exasperated sigh. "Drink it or don't. But if you don't, you can drop dead now."

Those words broke whatever resistance remained.

One by one, they drank.

Feiyin did as well, but he wasn't focused on the taste.

He was focused on the worm.

The moment the antidote slid down his throat, he focused all of his inner sense on the parasite latched onto his heart.

It stirred.

For a moment, it twitched, its oscillation shifting unnaturally, as though it had been suppressed.

Feiyin's brows furrowed.

'So the antidote isn't truly an antidote, it simply forces the worm back into dormancy.'

His grip on the empty vial tightened.

It didn't remove the parasite. It just stopped it from eating them alive.

For now.

He exhaled slowly.

He would find a way to kill it.

There was always a way.

The black-robed man let them sit in uneasy silence for a few minutes, letting the antidote take effect. Then, without warning, he turned on his heel.

"I hate staying here longer than necessary." His voice bored. "If you don't want to die lost in this cave, then follow me quietly."

With a few lazy steps, he approached one of the cavern walls and…

Knocked.

Seemingly at random.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A strange pattern.

Then, with a deep rumbling noise, the wall shifted.

A section of stone slid aside, revealing a wide passageway.

A few of the children gasped at the sight.

For a full month, this cave had been their entire world.

Now, there was a way out.

The black-robed man stepped toward the passage,

But before he could enter…

A cry rang out from the distance.

"Wait! Wait for me!"

Heads snapped toward the sound.

A girl, no older than ten, ran toward them from afar. Clutching her chest in pain.

Feiyin's stomach dropped.

She stumbled forward, gasping, her face twisted in desperation.

"I'm here! Please, give me the antidote!"

The black-robed man paused.

His lips curled mockingly.

"You're feeling the pinch, huh?"

The girl nodded furiously. "I was stuck fighting ra, AAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!"

Screams.

Agonized, piercing screams.

She collapsed.

Her body convulsed violently.

She clawed at her chest, her fingers digging in, as if trying to rip out her own heart.

Her eyes bulged. Her mouth foamed.

And then,

Silence.

The cave felt empty.

She lay still.

Blood trickled from her nose.

And just like that, she was gone.

Feiyin felt his stomach twist violently.

He had survived.

But only because they allowed him to.

His fists clenched.

His heart burned.

How dare they.

How dare they decide who lives and who dies so nonchalantly.

The black-robed man simply sighed, clapping his hands once.

"Well, that's that." His tone casual, as if he had merely stepped on a bug.

He turned, striding into the passage.

"I don't have all day, so if you don't want to get out, then stay here. I really don't care."

A tense, horrified silence gripped the group.

No one moved.

Then, one by one, they followed.

Feiyin lingered.

His gaze stayed on the girl's small, lifeless body.

His throat tightened.

'I don't know your name…'

His chest ached.

But anger burned over the sorrow.

'…But I can promise you, it won't end well for them either.'

He turned.

Without looking back, he stepped into the unknown.

, ---------------

The group moved forward in tense silence, following the black-robed man's measured, unhurried steps through the dimly lit passage.

The servants trailed behind them, carrying the now-empty boxes, their faces as blank and emotionless as ever.

Feiyin's ears were sharp, picking up the faint shuffle of bare feet against stone, the uneven breaths of exhausted, fearful children.

Every step felt heavy.

No one spoke.

The weight of what had just happened, of the girl's lifeless body left behind, hung over them like a suffocating fog.

Feiyin's fingers twitched.

Even though he kept his expression neutral, his blood was still boiling.

That man had acted like it was nothing.

Like her death didn't matter.

He gritted his teeth and kept walking.

Minutes passed.

Or perhaps longer, time felt strange in this place.

The passage stretched onward, its walls lined with faintly glowing blue crystals that cast an eerie, cold light across the group.

For the first time in a month, they weren't stumbling blindly in darkness.

Yet, despite the faint glow, the path ahead felt endless.

Then,

A shift.

Something different.

At first, it was just a faint glimmer in the distance.

Then, it grew brighter.

Larger.

Closer.

It was light.

True light.

Not the cold glow of cavern crystals, nor the flicker of distant torch flames.

But sunlight.

A few of the children gasped.

Even Feiyin felt his breath hitch.

After a full month in unrelenting darkness, their first glimpse of daylight was almost blinding.

Their pace quickened instinctively.

The once sluggish, hopeless shuffling became eager strides as the group pressed forward, drawn toward the opening ahead.

The black-robed man said nothing, simply stepping out into the light without hesitation.

Feiyin followed.

And then,

He stepped outside.

The moment he emerged from the passage, his breath caught in his throat.

The sky stretched endlessly above him, vast and impossibly blue.

The air was crisp and cool, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.

The sunlight, bright and warm, kissed his skin.

Not stone. Not damp, suffocating air.

The real world.

They had emerged near the base of a towering mountain range, the passage hidden within a sheer cliffside. Below, dense forests stretched for miles, their green canopies swaying gently in the breeze.

The contrast to the cold, dark hell they had been trapped in was overwhelming.

For a moment, no one spoke.

The children stood still, their faces turned toward the sky.

Some were stunned.

Some were shaking.

One boy, barely older than Feiyin, let out a broken sob and sank to his knees.

A girl beside him covered her mouth, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Feiyin breathed deeply.

The fresh air filled his lungs.

This… this was freedom.

But only for now.

He lowered his gaze, forcing himself to stay grounded.

They were still prisoners.

The moment of relief was fleeting.

His fists clenched.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

The black-robed man glanced over them, as if assessing their reactions.

Then, with a disinterested shrug, he said, "Alright now, keep moving."

No sympathy.

No acknowledgment of what they had just endured.

Just orders.

Ren, standing just a few paces from Feiyin, scoffed quietly.

Yue, beside him, exhaled shakily, gripping her sleeves.

Feiyin could feel the weight of her tangled emotions, the relief of surviving, the grief of what they had lost, and the fear of what lay ahead.

She turned to him, her golden eyes wide, filled with something between awe and uncertainty.

"…We're really outside."

Feiyin gave a small nod. "Yeah."

His voice was quiet.

Even he wasn't sure how to feel.

Yue swallowed. "It feels… strange."

Ren scoffed, crossing his arms. "Hah. I almost forgot what fresh air was like."

Despite the mocking tone, Feiyin caught the way his shoulders were tense, how his gaze lingered on the sky longer than necessary.

For someone who had spent most of his life in the slums, trapped in filth and misery, the sight of endless open space must have felt… foreign.

A few feet away, Shen Mu adjusted his sleeves, exhaling.

"…It's beautiful."

Feiyin glanced at him.

Shen Mu had been collected and composed this entire time, never panicking, always thinking.

But now, in the open, a quiet look of reverence crossed his face.

Feiyin turned his attention back to the horizon.

Yes.

It was beautiful.

But right now, it was nothing more than a cruel reminder.

A reminder that they were not free.

That they still belonged to their captors.

That they were still bound by the parasite inside them.

His stomach twisted.

The Saint Spirit Sect had taken so much.

They had stolen their freedom.

Had stolen their lives.

Had stolen their choice.

His fingers grazed Bai Yu, who was curled securely around his arm inside the long sleeves of a robe he exchanged for food.

The small white snake, sensing his emotions, tightened its coil slightly, as if offering silent comfort.

Feiyin let out a slow breath.

No matter what happened next…

No matter what they forced him to endure…

One day…

He would break free.

And he would make them pay.