Eyes closed, a cold breeze, and a horrid stench, this was what greeted Yeonho as he woke up suddenly. He was laid on a pile of bodies, from what he could observe; decapitations, stranglings, hangings, stabbings, and some bodies that were torched.
This was clearly a mass grave site, and for what he was doing here, he wasn't sure, as he took his time to make some observations. The bodies were dumped carelessly, and each of them wore tattered clothing with holes and some patches. The place reeked, it was dark, and all he could hear was the wind blowing.
"Hey, over here." Someone whispered.
This alerted Yeonho, who immediately laid back down on the pile of bodies. He held his breath to steady his racing heart. He remained still and calm.
Listening for footsteps as someone approached, the footsteps weren't too heavy as they slowly made their way into Yeonho's reach.
"Damn, we're so lucky it's a noble's body, I'm sure we can get something good to sell off him," a boy said as he began patting Yeonho's body.
"Sam, be careful, we don't even know why he was dumped here," a girl said.
"Cmon Alyssa, if we get something good, we can feed ourselves for months," Sam replied excitedly.
Feeling a brooch in Yeonho's coat, Sam immediately grabs it and examines it.
"Oh, my goodness, Alyssa, it's a Rhineheart," Sam says, jumping in excitement.
"Sam, what is a Rhineheart doing in a place like this?" Alyssa asks with a confused expression on her face.
Sam responds, "beats me, but if we sell this, we'll be eating like nobles for a couple of years, or we can return it to the family, and maybe they'll grant us Titles or apprenticeships."
Yeonho, who had been playing dead, listened carefully to the children's interactions.
"-or maybe we can even go to the church to awaken our fortes," Sam said.
This surprised Yeonho, who began making a realization. He had to get more information to be sure. Listening closer to their voices, he pinpointed the girl's location. She was to his right, the boy was kneeling, patting his coat, looking for more things he could sell.
"We can just strip him and sell his clothes too," Sam says
In that instance, Yeonho carried out three actions simultaneously: opening his eyes, getting behind the girl with his arm around her throat.
This terrified both the children as Alyssa shook with fear in his arms.
Sam looked at the mysterious boy who held his sister by her throat, shaking nervously, sweat dripping down his brow.
"Now I'll give you a few words that I want you both to listen to very carefully, do we understand each other?" Yeonho spoke calmly.
Sam nodded his head quietly, and his sister, still held against Yeonho, followed suit.
"I want information on where we are right now and about the forte you both are speaking about." Yeonho continued
Alyssa nervously replied. "I... If I m..may, regarding forte, it's a unique trait granted to an individual at birth, it's usually imprinted on their soul, responsive to their personalities and style."
"As for where we are," she continued, "we're in the place commonly known as the graveyard, the lowest part of the Dukedom of Nord."
"I see," Yeonho said, his mind delving into thoughts and putting together information.
This place followed the very specification of his book; he had spent countless hours setting things up as he remembered for his deadline.
He looked at Sam, who looked back at him, fear imprinted on his face.
Suddenly, he could hear bells ringing, blinking, the girl in his arms and the boy in front of him vanished. He was suddenly alone, and there was a very sharp pain in his left leg that made his knees buckle.
Looking down in horror as a corpse bit hard into his leg, making him scream as they all began moving.
He kicked frantically at the corpse at his feet as he struggled to break away from it, only to fail as another rushed him from behind as the corpses began to tear into him, ripping him apart as he fought and struggled to break free, even begging and screaming.
Hours had passed, and his voice felt hoarse from screaming. He looked up at the white purple that loomed above him as the corpses devoured him limb from limb.
He heard the bell ring again, and he was back to the moment with the two siblings, his arms still around Alyssa's neck and Sam, who's leg shook in fear.
"The brooch," Yeonho finally spoke as though nothing had happened, "hand it over."
Sam, taking cautious steps, still riddled by fear, handed it over before stepping back.
Yeonho took his time to observe it. It was heavy and cold to the touch, formulated with iron and silver with traces of gold, and it was shaped into a blade with two horses at each side.
If memory served correctly, it was indeed a Rhineheart emblem; their sacred animal was a horse, which they believed carried their ancestor from the battlefield all the way back home without stopping, when he could no longer wield his sword.
They're a proud family known for their use of aura and sword as a primary weapon. Before touching one, they are assigned a horse to care for from the moment they can speak.
That aside, Yeonho realized he couldn't remain here, and as he took a step forward, a sharp pain immediately shot up his right leg.
Gritting his teeth, he looked at Sam and said, "Go grab me a walking stick, boy. There should be many among this mountain of corpses."
Sam nodded quietly before leaving, returning later with a cane and a silver watch, handing both to Yeonho, who takes them and pushes Alyssa into Sam's arms.
Sam immediately fell to his knees, asking if she was okay and if she was hurt anywhere, his eyes drifting back to Yeonho.
Yeonho, who stood above them, linked the watch to his coat, clicking it open; the hands showed 2:45 am. The sun would rise soon.
Using the cane as a support, he began making his way out of the graveyard after hours of walking, and the sun began to rise. The trail of bodies was a long distance behind him, and he saw some merchants setting up stalls to hawk their wares.
Upon spotting him, one approaches, "My lord, to what do I owe the pleasure of being graced with your presence this fine morning?"
Yeonho had taken time to examine himself, indeed he was dressed the part of a noble. As to the reason why he was in the graveyard, he wasn't too sure.
"I am looking for the cathedral," Yeonho responded with eloquent speech.
"Ah, yes, it's further down this road." The man responded, pointing down towards the east road.
Yeonho nodded and the man, in turn, bowed as he left, and Yeonho continued down toward the road.
After almost half an hour, the cathedral loomed before him Standing to observe, he could spot nuns running around, cleaning, and preparing to open; they all seemed to be in a rush.
The cathedral stood tall, with white pillars, tiled steps, and tall statues depicting the various gods, as well as their sacred animals.
Yeonho walked slowly, observing the statues of each god, each bearing a specific trait. Regardless of how perfectly they were portrayed, Yeonho knew more than anyone that they were even more like humans.
He had designed the world to be polytheistic, with each god taking on different characteristics and abilities, but they all possessed something similar to the very humans they rule over.
"Excuse me, sir." Someone spoke.
Yeonho, lost in thought, turned to face a man in a highly decorated priestly attire.
"Pardon?" Yeonho replied.
"How may I help a noble such as yourself, sir?" the man asked.
"I'm here to awaken my forte. How much will that cost me?" Yeonho asked, raising a brow.
The man responded, "Of course, for you, sir, not a single thing. The nobility has always been generous with their offerings, so all there is to do is to lead you to the altars for your awakening; if you would follow me."
Yeonho walked behind the man, his cane tapping the marble floors. Yeonho looked around, observing the golden patterns and designs engraved into the walls, and the stained glass around him, which felt different from the hell he woke up in.
The man stopped in front of two huge polished ashwooden doors, stepping to the side, he raised his left hand, his open palm gesturing to the door beside him.
"Here, you only need to kneel and pray, and the gods will guide your awakening," the man said, smiling.
"Thank you very much, sir," Yeonho said, bowing his head slightly, pushing the doors slightly to go in.
Yeonho stopped in his tracks before turning to the priest, "Do tell me, weren't there ten gods? Why are there only nine?
"Hmmm, I'm not sure what you mean, sir. There've only been nine gods as far as I know," the priest replied politely.
Yeonho nodded and continued through the doors, slamming shut behind him.
With this, the priest stopped a nun. "Please contact Althaven as soon as possible, a dog that's supposed to be dead is walking around. "
The nun, bowing her head, says, "Yes, Father."
Yeonho, walking down a long passage, eventually reaches the end, entering a grand altar with smaller versions of the tall statues outside, all standing around in a circle. The middle is a flat circular platform above a decorated stained-glass window with the sun shining behind it.
Behind each of the statues was a decorated stained-glass window, all perfectly arranged and aligned to all shine at the same time, forming a halo behind each of the pristine, white marble statues.
Yeonho, walking down the steps, eventually gets to the middle of the alter. Placing his cane on the floor next to him, he clasps his hands in a gesture of prayer.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them immediately. The priest had lied to him. This was not the way to awaken one's forte. This was more than likely a trap; the people responsible for dumping his body in the graveyard will have heard of his miraculous resurrection by now.
The doors behind Yeonho immediately burst open, and men clad in black cloaks immediately surrounded him. Walking in was a woman in dark clothing, and behind her was the priest who guided him to the altar.
The woman was a tall, noble figure with pale skin, emerald eyes, and long, dark, wavy hair. She wore long, dark boots adorning a decorated dress, like armor.
She walked behind Yeonho, walking around him like a predator circling its prey. Her left arm, which remained exposed, had a long tattoo of a viper.
Eventually stopping in front of Yeonho and raising her finger to his chin, lifting it to get a good look.
"I've always liked a pretty face, what a shame it seems you couldn't just stay dead, could you, boy?" she said, sighing, "you're making my job far harder than it should be. Normally, I wouldn't send you off myself, but you piqued my interest as to how it is you managed to survive consuming my poison, so tell me, pretty boy, how'd you bring yourself back from the dead?"
Yeonho, now smiling, responds, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me."
"Oh? Now isn't this interesting," the woman said, clearly amused.
"What are you doing, Andrea? Just take him out of here and slit his throat in an alley or something!" the priest yells.
The woman named Andrea looks at the priest, narrowing her eyes, and an expression of fear immediately strikes his face.
"W..what are you gonna do? Don't forget this is her order, you can't harm me," the man stuttered, backing off slowly.
"Why, nothing, bishop," she says in a sweet voice.
Suddenly, the man screams as he bleeds from his nose, then his eyes and ears, both with blood flowing from them. The man screams louder, grabbing his head furiously with both hands, thrashing and kicking on the floor now in horrid pain.
As the woman now stood up, smiling, Yeonho understood perfectly that this was due to her forte. "The Cauldron of Serpents andSnakes," and the woman with the wicked smile on her face was known by many and seen by few, her title as the seventh lord of the Althaven guild, Andrea the Viper.