His mind… emptied in an instant.
Then it filled.
What… is happening?
He had touched the Ruven and—
A voice.
Not in his ears,
not in the outside world.
Inside him.
Run.
A single word.
But it weighed like an order.
His heart suddenly raced. Something inside his chest was pounding out of rhythm. His knees trembled. He felt the ground beneath his feet pull away—as if the world had decided to stop holding him.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from the Ruven's dark, concentrated crimson.
The color… wasn't vivid.
It was deep.
Hungry.
Run… but why?
His breathing turned erratic. His chest tightened. This was the first time something like this had happened. He had felt blood before, but—
This was different.
The blood had spoken.
And he hadn't understood what it was saying.
"Kaien?"
Eryon's voice came first from far away. Muffled, like from underwater.
Then it drew closer.
"Kaien! Kaien, what's wrong?!"
Kaien opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He couldn't move his tongue. His throat was dry.
The whispers grew louder.
It wasn't a single word anymore.
They overlapped. Fragmented voices piling over one another.
Don't look back.
Run.
Don't look.
The world spun.
Eryon grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard.
"Snap out of it!"
That jolt didn't pull Kaien's body back—it pulled his mind. The image sharpened for a moment.
He took a deep breath. His lungs burned. Cold air sliced into him.
His eyes finally tore away from the Ruven.
The whispers stopped.
But the cold remained. It had sunk into his bones.
"B–Brother…" he said with effort.
Eryon's face was pale.
"Don't ever touch it again," he said.
His voice was firm… but beneath it lay a hidden fear.
"It was saying run…" Kaien said, breathless.
"It was a woman."
Eryon hesitated.
"When you touched the Ruven… did you see something?"
"A silhouette," Kaien said.
"There was a girl beside her… about our age."
His eyes hardened. The fear was still there, but something else had layered over it.
"We have to save her."
The forest was darkening.
And right then—
A scream rose.
A woman's scream.
It tore through the night like a blade.
Kaien ran into the forest without thinking.
"Kaien!" Eryon shouted.
"What are you doing?!"
But Kaien didn't stop.
Eryon froze for a moment as he watched him. It was the first time he had ever seen Kaien like this.
This afraid…
and this determined.
He clenched his teeth.
He chose to trust his brother.
Together, they moved toward the darkness of Ashmere Forest. The trees grew denser, the shadows longer. They followed the direction of the sound.
And neither of them yet knew that this was a decision with no return.
As they moved forward, the voices grew closer. The oppressive air of the forest thickened, the trees seeming to lean inward. Even the moonlight slipping through the leaves was weak.
Eventually, they got close enough to hear the men clearly.
They ducked behind a large rock on instinct.
Another scream rang out.
The woman's scream.
It echoed through the entire forest.
Kaien's breath caught.
The man looked to be past thirty-five. His hair was a mix of brown and gray, messy and coarse. His face was angular. His eyes were mismatched—one pitch black, the other tinged with red.
He wore clothes decorated with black patterns. His shoulders were broad, his stance commanding.
At his waist hung a black dagger. On his back rested a dark katana.
And on his chest—
A clan emblem engraved with a black katana and dagger.
The symbol of a clan from the Eastern Kingdom.
The man drew his katana without hesitation.
And cut off the woman's arm.
Her scream ripped through the forest.
Blood splattered across the ground.
The man beside him was in his twenties. Tall, with dark gray hair. He bore the same clan emblem. It was obvious at a glance that he was a noble.
The younger one spoke with a mocking smile.
"Because of this bitch, I lost two of my subordinates. She even helped the girl escape."
His voice was calm.
Far too calm.
Nearby, the mouth of a cave was visible. Behind them stood about five more men. None of them looked surprised.
Just then, a hunter emerged from the forest. He had likely heard the noise.
His face tightened at the sight before him.
"What's going on here?" he said sharply.
"You've entered Ashmere Forest without permission. Who are you? State your identities."
The katana-wielding man stepped forward.
"Who do you think you are, speaking to the heir of the Chenju Clan like that?"
He extended his katana toward the hunter.
The hunter took a step back. He understood this wouldn't be resolved easily.
"Greetings to the heir of the Chenju Clan," he said cautiously.
"Please leave the forest, my lord. This land belongs to the Riveryan Clan. A foreign clan's presence here without our lord's permission is not welcomed."
He paused.
Then added:
"You're fortunate I'm the only hunter here. For a reasonable fee, I won't tell anyone."
"So that's how it is…" the Chenju heir said.
A mocking smile spread across his lips.
"You're clever."
He turned to his subordinates.
"Give him what he wants."
The hunter relaxed. His shoulders loosened. He was almost about to thank them when—
Despite the roughly twenty-five meters between them, the young heir lunged forward at a speed impossible to follow.
One instant.
And the hunter's throat was cut.
Blood burst out.
Kaien and Eryon held their breath.
Eryon's lips trembled.
"K–Kaien…" he whispered.
"Did you see… the technique he just used—"
At that moment, something snapped inside Kaien's mind.
The world pulled away for an instant.
—
(Two years earlier)
The place was beneath the Ashmere Tree.
The statues of the Seven Immortals stood silent as they had for centuries. A sacred ground whose name villagers whispered, bowing their heads whenever they passed by at night…
The massive tree's roots tore through the earth, bursting out onto the surface. Some were cracked, some covered in moss. The shadows pooling between the roots merged with the shadows of the statues, and in the afternoon sun, the stone faces looked almost alive.
As the wind passed through the leaves, it left behind dull, hollow sounds as it struck the stone surfaces.
This was not an ordinary place.
Everyone could feel it.
Zakaryon leaned against one of the tree's thick roots.
He was past forty, but his posture remained firm. Black and gray hair blended together, and the lines on his face gave him an even sharper expression. His chestnut-colored eyes carefully observed the two children standing before him.
Eryon and Kaien.
"Listen to me carefully," Zakaryon said.
His voice was clear. Serious.
Eryon was picking his nose.
Zakaryon's eyebrow twitched.
"Eryon," he said sharply.
"Stop playing with your snot."
Eryon flinched. His hand dropped instantly.
"Honestly…" Zakaryon continued.
"How can you both be this unfocused?"
The harshness in his voice faded quickly, but beneath it lay suppressed disappointment.
"Be serious," he said, then turned to Kaien.
"Kaien. Look at me, not the statue."
Kaien lifted his head.
He was eight years old. Thin-framed, yet his gaze was deeper than that of his peers. His eyes were almost black—dark when calm, but carrying a faint crimson hue when angered…
Right now, they shone with curiosity.
"Dad," he asked innocently.
"Why are these statues here?"
Eryon immediately jumped in.
"Yeah, dad! You never told us!"
His voice was excited.
Though only six months older than Kaien, he was bigger. His dark red hair was messy. His facial features resembled his mother, but his posture came from his father.
He was impatient…
But his passion was real.
Zakaryon sighed.
"Ah…" he said.
"Did I not explain this?"
He paused, looking at both of them.
"It's obvious how curious you are."
Eryon's expression shifted. He grew serious.
Zakaryon began to speak.
"These statues," he said,
"represent the warriors known as the Seven Immortals."
The wind blew a little harder at that moment.
"The strongest warriors of their eras, across the seven kingdoms."
Eryon frowned.
"Huh…" he said.
"So they're not actually immortal?"
His interest was already fading.
Zakaryon let out a short laugh.
"No," he said.
"But they were masters of the Seven Primary Paths, and their Ruven levels had reached a superhuman realm."
Kaien and Eryon spoke at the same time.
"Seven Primary Paths?"
"Ruven?"
"What's that, dad?"
Zakaryon's gaze hardened.
This time, there was no joking.
"If this has caught your interest," he said slowly,
"then it means it's time for you to learn."
He stepped forward.
"Listen carefully."
He paused, as if weighing his words.
"Ruven," he said,
"is the power required for blood arts."
Kaien's breathing quickened slightly.
"It's believed that most humans possess two hearts."
Eryon's eyes widened.
"What?!"
"You mean I have two hearts?!"
Zakaryon nodded.
"Yes," he said.
"But you're still young. Your Ruven heart hasn't fully formed yet."
Then he added:
"You won't find this information in books."
"I learned most of it by chasing truths… that weren't exactly correct."
Kaien clenched his fists without realizing it.
Zakaryon continued.
"The Seven Primary Paths form the foundation of blood arts."
He looked at the statues.
"The first path you will learn…"
"…will be Retsu."
Silence fell.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
"But know this well," Zakaryon said.
His voice grew heavier.
"Most people can endure only a single path."
Eryon unknowingly held his breath.
"To attempt a second…"
Zakaryon turned his eyes back to the statues.
"Almost always demands a price."
The stone faces of the statues sank into shadow.
And Kaien—though he didn't know why—
Felt fear for the first time.
—
His mind snapped violently back.
—
The hunter's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground.
Blood flowed between the leaves, seeping into the soil.
"My lord," said the large man nervously,
"There was no need for you to stain your hands. If you had told me, I would have done it."
The Chenju Clan's heir gave him a cold look.
"Are you the one who decides what I do?" he said arrogantly.
"Watch your tongue."
Then he added:
"Now dispose of this filth."
"I apologize, my lord," the big man said immediately.
"You're right."
He turned to the others.
"Get rid of the body."
The woman stood frozen. Blood still poured from where her arm had been severed. She couldn't move.
Her gaze drifted briefly into emptiness.
Pain burned through her body, but her mind remained clear.
They haven't found her.
They still… haven't figured out who she is.
She clenched her teeth.
I have to draw these monsters away from her.
No matter the cost.
As her blood soaked into the ground, she pressed her palm against the earth.
She took a trembling breath.
Please…
God, protect her.
She still doesn't know.
And she must not know.
The young heir approached her.
"Now then," he said calmly.
"Where were we?"
He smiled.
"Yes…"
"I believe I was asking where your daughter ran off to, wasn't I?"
The woman couldn't answer.
"When you didn't respond, I got irritated," he said indifferently.
"So I ordered your right arm to be cut off."
There wasn't a shred of mercy on his face.
The grim gray eyes, the demonic curve of his smile—
They carved themselves into the hearts of the two children behind the rock.
Kaien and Eryon watched the scene from their hiding place.
They didn't know what to do.
But now they understood one thing:
This wasn't the world told in stories.
This… was the real world.
And for the first time,
They were seeing with their own eyes
Just how cruel it could be.
—