Chapter 23: The Recruitment Offer
Rhaizen returned to Ashveil as the moon started to rise. The sky was dark blue, and the lanterns around town gave off weak light. Most people were already inside their homes, and the streets were quiet. Only a few guards walked around, their steps heavy from exhaustion and fear.
Rhaizen walked silently, keeping his hood low.
He wanted a quiet night.
He wanted to rest.
But most of all, he needed to think.
Shadow Veins had left a corpse on purpose.
Crimson Fang was getting bolder.
The council didn't want to resist.
Everything was falling apart, and he knew the storm wasn't over.
He turned down a narrow street on his way back to the inn. This alley was empty, quiet, and dim—just one lantern flickering weakly near the far wall.
He stepped into the alley.
And he froze.
Someone was there.
---
The Unexpected Presence
The alley looked empty at first, but Rhaizen felt it—
A presence.
Calm.
Silent.
Watching.
His hand moved slightly, his Qi ready to flare at any moment.
Then, softly, a voice came from the darkness:
"Relax. If we wanted you dead, you wouldn't have heard us."
Rhaizen's eyes sharpened.
A figure stepped out from the corner.
He wore a dark robe with a faint gray pattern that resembled veins spreading across the cloth. His hood was lowered, revealing a pale face with calm, unreadable eyes. He held no weapon. His hands were empty.
But his presence… it felt heavy.
Dangerous, but controlled.
Rhaizen didn't move.
"What do you want?" he asked.
The man smiled—not kindly, but confidently.
"To talk."
---
A Calm but Dangerous Conversation
Rhaizen took one step back, giving himself space.
"Talk?" he repeated.
"Yes," the man said. "Nothing more."
"No tricks?"
"If I wanted to trick you, boy, you wouldn't be standing right now."
Rhaizen narrowed his eyes. The man wasn't arrogant—he was stating a fact.
The shadowy figure dipped his head slightly, almost polite.
"I am a messenger of the Shadow Veins."
Rhaizen clenched his jaw.
Of course.
The messenger continued:
"We have watched you. Your movements, your fights, your improvement. We know your strength."
Rhaizen didn't reply.
"We also know your anger," the man added softly. "It suits our path."
Those words hit harder than Rhaizen expected.
His anger.
His hate.
His desire to become strong enough to face Elder Kaien again.
He stayed silent, but his fists tightened slightly.
The man smiled again.
"Your fire… your rage… your potential. You have something rare. Something that does not belong in this small, dying town."
Rhaizen forced his voice to stay steady.
"I'm not joining you."
"You haven't heard the offer yet."
---
The Offer
The messenger walked closer—slow, unthreatening steps. Rhaizen stayed on guard but didn't attack.
"You fight for this town," the man said. "You bleed for them. You almost died for them."
Rhaizen's jaw tightened.
"And what did they give you?" the messenger continued. "Fear. Doubt. Distrust. They even begged you to leave."
He wasn't wrong, and that irritated Rhaizen more.
"You fight both Crimson Fang and us," the man said, "while the town you protect hides behind walls and prays you disappear."
Rhaizen looked away for a moment.
He hated that the messenger's words were true.
"They fear strength," the man whispered. "They always will. The weak do not understand people like you."
Rhaizen glared at him.
"Enough," he said. "Stop talking in circles. Say what you came to say."
The messenger's smile widened slightly.
"Join us."
Rhaizen's eyes widened a little—but he didn't step back.
"Join the Shadow Veins," the man repeated. "We can give you everything you want."
Rhaizen didn't trust him, but he forced himself to ask:
"Everything… like what?"
"Power," the messenger said. "Real power. The kind that helps you crush the ones who wronged you."
Rhaizen didn't respond—but the messenger saw the sharp flicker in his eyes.
A flicker of anger.
A flicker of memory.
A flicker of Kaien.
The messenger leaned forward slightly.
"We know someone destroyed your clan. We know you want answers. We know you want revenge."
Rhaizen's breath caught for a moment.
"How—"
"We know many things," the man said calmly. "And we can help you kill the one you hate."
Rhaizen stayed silent, but inside, his heart pounded.
Kaien.
The Silent Veil.
The fire.
The betrayal.
He forced his voice to stay cold.
"How do I know you aren't lying?"
The messenger chuckled softly.
"If I was lying, I would promise you comfort. Safety. Friendship. But we don't offer those things."
He held out one hand slightly—not to shake, but to present.
"We offer power.
Strength.
A path built on your anger.
A path where you owe no one anything."
For a moment—just one—Rhaizen felt that strange temptation.
A path with no rules.
No town to protect.
No people to worry about.
Just strength.
Just revenge.
Just the power to destroy Kaien when the day came.
But he forced himself to breathe.
"Power without rules," Rhaizen said quietly. "Is that all you people care about?"
The messenger tilted his head.
"No. We care about something more important."
"What?"
"Eliminating the weak."
---
The Truth Behind the Shadow Veins
Rhaizen's expression hardened.
"Did you destroy the missing villagers?" he asked. "Did you take them?"
The messenger's smile did not change.
"We did not destroy them."
Rhaizen's fist loosened slightly.
But the messenger's next words froze him.
"We simply removed the weak."
Rhaizen felt something cold move through his chest.
"Removed?" he repeated.
"Yes," the messenger said. "Those who fail the carvings. Those who cannot withstand the chanting. Those whose minds break under pressure. They are useless. Dead weight."
Rhaizen's eyes widened in anger.
"You killed them."
"We cut ties," the man corrected calmly. "Only the strong deserve a place in our ranks."
"Where are the missing people now?" Rhaizen demanded.
"The useful ones? Training. Learning. Becoming more than they were."
"And the rest?"
The messenger shrugged lightly.
"Gone."
Rhaizen's teeth clenched.
"Strength without fear," the messenger said softly. "That is our way. And you, Rhaizen… you are full of fear and anger, but you hide it behind shallow kindness. That is why your fire burns so bright."
The man's voice lowered.
"That is why you belong with us."
"No," Rhaizen said quietly. "I don't."
The messenger lifted one eyebrow.
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
The man sighed.
"A shame. We believed you would say yes. You match us perfectly."
Rhaizen glared at him.
"You think I'd join a group that kills people who fail tests? A group that takes villagers? A group that hides in the dark?"
The messenger's smile faded slightly.
"Then hear this, Rhaizen: refusing us is not wise. We do not waste time convincing people twice."
Rhaizen felt his aura flare slightly.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No," the messenger said. "Not yet."
Rhaizen's muscles tensed. He expected an attack, a trap, something.
But instead—
The messenger stepped back.
"Not tonight," he said quietly. "I am only a messenger. My task was to speak to you, not fight you."
Rhaizen didn't relax.
"The others," the messenger added, "are not as patient."
He turned, robe shifting like a dark wave.
"We will watch you. And next time, the offer will not be as peaceful."
Rhaizen took a step forward.
"Don't touch the town again."
The messenger paused.
Then he spoke without turning around:
"If the town gets in the way of our path…
…it will be removed too."
Rhaizen's aura snapped like a spark of flame.
But before he could move—
The messenger was gone.
No footsteps.
No rustle.
No sound.
Just empty air and a long, cold silence.
---
Rhaizen's Decision
Rhaizen stood there, breathing hard.
He had refused the offer.
He had stood his ground.
But the weight of what the messenger said pressed heavily on him.
Shadow Veins didn't want peace.
They wanted strength.
They wanted control.
They wanted to shape the region in their own twisted way.
And now they had their eyes on him.
He stepped out of the alley and looked at the moonlight reflecting on the roof tiles.
"They think I'm like them," he muttered.
He closed his eyes.
"I'm not."
But even as he said it, he felt the truth:
Part of him had been tempted.
Part of him still was.
Power without rules.
Revenge without restraint.
A path where no one could stop him.
He opened his eyes sharply, rejecting the thought.
"No. I won't be like them."
He had seen what the Shadow Veins did to people—
their minds, their will, their lives.
He wouldn't walk that path.
He wouldn't become another monster in the dark.
He turned toward the inn.
"Let them come," he said, voice low and steady. "I won't join them. And I won't let them take anyone else."
His steps were slow but firm.
He didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
He didn't know who would attack first—Crimson Fang or Shadow Veins.
But he knew one thing for sure:
The next time they appeared,
he would not be listening.
He would be fighting.