Morning,
On a dirt road, a young man was being beaten badly.
Four soldiers were hitting him from all sides. Their master—a fat, well-dressed rich man—was sitting calmly in a horse carriage. A beautiful woman was sitting beside him, and he was slowly drinking his drink. His manner looked like that of a pleasure-loving man.
He lightly touched the woman's cheek and said to his soldiers,
"Stop."
Then he looked at the injured young man and said,
"Your mistake will be forgiven only if you work as my servant for one year."
The young man spat on the ground and refused,
"I won't do it. Do whatever you want."
A small smile appeared on the rich man's lips. The next moment, the soldiers started beating the young man again.
He was covered in dirt, and his body was soaked in blood.
The woman sitting in the carriage tried to speak in the young man's favor, but the rich man gave her a hard look and spoke in a threatening tone. Then he gestured for her to pour a drink into his glass.
When the woman poured the drink, her cheeks turned red—but there was no happiness in her eyes. It was clear that she was deeply unhappy inside.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew. The beautiful woman shook in fear.
A young man wearing a long cloak appeared, standing on the road. Dust flew into the air, and the trees began to shake.
The rich man was frightened, but his pride spoke first. He shouted, "Who is there?!"
Slowly, the dust cleared.
The man standing there removed his cloak.
It was Riyan Black.
Without saying a single word, he broke the bones of all four soldiers.
The scene was so terrifying that the rich man wet himself while sitting in the carriage.
Seeing this, the woman quickly got down and stood far away.
No one knew how, but the rich man's eyes became fixed, his heartbeat stopped, and he died right there—killed by fear itself.
Seeing this, the carriage driver ran away in fear.
Riyan stepped forward and helped the injured young man stand up.
The boy seemed to be about the same age as Riyan.
Riyan introduced himself, "My name is Riyan… Riyan Black.
But you can just call me Riyan."
The boy replied, "My name is Sunny. Everyone calls me Sunny."
They both ignored the beautiful young woman nearby — not on purpose, but because they were busy talking to each other.
After a moment, the young woman walked closer and said to Riyan, "Thank you."
Riyan asked, "Where are you from, and who are you?"
The young, beautiful woman took a shaky breath and said in a frightened voice, "My name is Enya. I have no one left now…
This morning, that rich man bought me for one hundred gold coins."
Then Riyan asked Sunny, "What about you? What's your story?"
Sunny replied, "I am going to join the Everila Empire's army. I just turned eighteen.
I am also alone, just like this beautiful Enya."
He said this while looking at her.
Enya took a deep breath filled with sudden hope, as if something inside her had been touched.
Riyan Black laughed lightly and said, "Heh heh… then why don't I also join the army? What do you say, Sunny?
And we also need someone who can cook. How about the three of us stay together?
From today onward, let's be friends."
Sunny thought for a long moment, then agreed.
Seeing this, Enya also agreed — because she had no other choice and no one to protect her.
Anyone could have caught her and forced her to become a servant or a concubine.
That fear was the real reason behind her agreement.
Riyan Black actually wanted companions like this so he could move freely and work easily.
Besides, he needed to enter the Everila Empire one way or another.
He had his own reasons.
Riyan had not revealed his true identity even during the fight.
He had strengthened his soul to a very high level, and he himself was a powerful spiritual master.
The three of them left together.
Riyan brought them to a small house — a place that had once been used as an urban meeting spot of the Dark World.
Seeing this, Enya's face lit up with happiness.
Sunny was clearly drawn toward Enya, and their eyes spoke many unspoken feelings to each other.
Riyan kept one large room for himself and gave the other large room to the two of them.
Despite their slight disagreement, he did not allow Sunny to stay with him and said calmly,
"I have always lived alone… try to understand."
In truth, Riyan had a reason for this decision.
He constantly practiced spiritual breathing to raise the level of his soul.
If someone stayed with him, it would either disturb his cultivation,
or reveal his true identity.
At this decision, Enya and Sunny looked at each other and slightly frowned —
as if silently saying something to one another.