Chapter 2: The Shadow of the Past
The orphanage was noisy, packed with laughter and that cheap stew smell that never really left. The Director was crying—she always did. Su Yi kept his act up, nodding along, but honestly, his mind was out the window before the party even started. Once the lights faded, he slipped away, heading straight for his room.
He settled onto the thin mattress, legs crossed. Moonlight cut through the cracks in the window, painting the floor in weird, skeletal shadows.
He closed his eyes and dropped into Primal Heart Meditation, a skill from his pastlife. It stretched his senses out—suddenly, the whole room buzzed like a map made of vibrations.
Then something ripped through that calm.
The air in the corner warped, folding in on itself. A void darker than anything he'd ever seen tore open without a sound. Out stepped a figure, tall and wrapped in shadows, almost like he was built from the darkness.
Su Yi didn't freeze. His instincts kicked in, screaming battle. He launched from the bed, spinning mid-air, landing low by the door. Ice Crystals sparkled on his knuckles; his eyes cut into the gloom.
"Who are you?" Not the voice of a child—flat, cold, deadly.
The shadow held back. Instead, the man straightened—and to Su Yi's surprise, bowed deep, like in those old martial dramas.
"Young Master," he whispered.
Su Yi narrowed his eyes, his spirit power flickering hard. "Young Master? You're lost. I'm just an orphan. No name, no family."
The man stepped into the moonlight, showing off sharp features and a suit that looked both old fashioned and spotless. "No, Young Master. You are Su Yi. And I am Su Di, humble butler of the Su Clan."
"The Su Clan?" Su Yi kept his guard up. "If I've got a clan, why'd I spend six years in a slum eating scraps?"
"A great misfortune," Su Di's voice cracked with real bitterness. "To keep you alive, you had to be hidden—where no one would think to look. Only the shadows kept you safe."
Su Yi's mind spun. Instinct said Su Di was telling the truth, and the guy—able to cut into space itself—was clearly way above a Rank 8 kid. If Su Di wanted to kill him, he would've already done it. Still, Su Yi's soul—toughened by three lives—refused to trust easily.
"Tell me about this 'misfortune,'" Su Yi snapped.
"I can't. Not here," Su Di said, glancing at the flimsy walls. "You'll get every answer, but you have to come with me. There's a place prepared for you—today, the day your spirit awakened."
Su Yi stepped back, his chill aura flaring. "Where? Are you some Evil Soul Master? Kidnapping orphans through portals, that's their game."
Su Di almost lost his composure, eyes wide for a second. "No! Absolutely not! Your grandfather gave me strict orders—I was to wait for you to awaken, then bring you to the ancestral sanctum. He knew you'd have questions. That's where the answers are."
Su Yi glanced at his hands. Still only Rank 8. This guy? Probably a Soul Sage, or stronger. If Su Di wanted him gone, he could've done it in his sleep. The way he pleaded—it spoke of strange loyalty.
If I stay, I'm just an orphan with some talent, Su Yi thought. If I go, maybe I'll unlock that 'Throne' burning in my soul.
"Fine." Su Yi softened, but his voice stayed sharp. "Lead the way."
Su Di bowed again, a hint of relief showing. He offered his hand, gloved in black silk. "Take my hand, Young Master. The transition's... rough."
Su Yi didn't hesitate now. He reached out, gripping the butler's hand and felt a surge of raw power under that calm exterior.
"Let's go," he muttered.
With a sound like breaking glass, the room vanished. The orphanage, the cold air of Eastsea, his whole quiet life—all swallowed by the void.
Traveling through space felt like being yanked straight through the eye of a needle. When Su Yi landed, his feet hit solid ground and the air hit him too: no more salt and sea breeze like back on the Eastsea. Here, it smelled old—damp stone, heavy air, and a sharp, metallic tang he couldn't quite place.
They stood at the bottom of a deep ravine, shrouded in mist. Right in front of them rose a towering cliff, black as obsidian. No doors. Just a sheer, polished wall.
"A cave?" Su Yi asked. His red hair stuck to his forehead, wet from the fog. He shot a look at Su Di. "Why bring me to a dead end?"
"For everyone else, it is a dead end," Su Di said quietly, stepping aside to give him room. "For you, it's the threshold. Go on, Young Master. Stand by the stone. It's waited six years just for your blood."
Su Yi stepped forward. Something inside him started to hum—a weird vibration, not from his heart, but from the power hidden deep in his soul. The closer he got, the louder it pulsed, like a furnace waking up after a long, patient wait.
He pressed his palm to the cold obsidian. Nothing. Then, suddenly, a crystal spike shot out from the stone and stabbed his hand.
Su Yi didn't even blink. He just watched, eyes sharp and distant, as his blood seeped into the rock. The obsidian didn't move or make a sound. It cracked inward. Thousands of stone shards hung in the air, shaking with spirit power, and then shifted to form a tunnel—a black hole, wide and deep.
"Go in," Su Di whispered. His voice shook, caught somewhere between fear and awe.
Su Yi just stood there for a moment, staring into the tunnel. He wasn't scared—his instincts were talking to him, but it felt more like they recognized something. Deep in his soul, that burning Throne pulsed hard. Once. Then again. Almost like it was calling him home.
He didn't say anything. He just stepped forward.
As soon as he crossed into the darkness, everything behind him disappeared. The tunnel swallowed up the light and sound. All that was left was the steady beat of his heart.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Suddenly, light spilled back in.
He found himself in a huge underground hall. Su Yi's eyes narrowed. The place was massive, as big as a city square. Black crystal pillars reached up so far the ceiling faded into darkness. Ancient runes glowed along the walls, pulsing quietly, like they were alive.
But that wasn't what stunned him.
It was the statues. Hundreds—just standing there.
The statues lined up, quiet and flawless, making a stone corridor straight to the heart of the cavern. Each was sculpted from this strange translucent gray rock that caught the faint blue rune-light and held onto it, like the stone was breathing.
Su Yi moved between them and his footsteps echoed, sharp and steady, breaking up the silence like a heartbeat. These statues weren't just for show—they were warriors. Some held huge claymores, others had slim ice lances, and plenty looked caught in the act of casting some wild spirit ability.
Walking through what everyone called the Hall of Ancestors, Su Yi noticed the statues were arranged by time. Near the entrance, the warriors wore rough, simple armor—stuff from an age so old it might even predate the original Shrek Seven Devils. Go deeper, though, and the armor got fancier, covered in soul-conductive lines that came before modern battle gear.
But it didn't matter how old or new they were. Every one of them had the same thing: The Eyes. Stone or not, their gaze was fierce, cold, and almost proud. They looked like they came from a long line that used to rule the soul master world—and they acted like it, too.
Almost right away, Su Yi felt the Jagged Throne in his soul shaking. Hard. Ice crept out from his feet—thicker and heavier than the "Ice Crystal" stuff he'd used at the Spirit Pagoda. This ice sparked with a weird crimson static, colder and angrier.
When he finally reached the end, the statues stopped. There was a dais made from flawless white jade, and sitting on it was a massive high-backed chair. It looked exactly like the throne.
Behind the Throne stood the biggest statue in the whole hall. It wasn't dressed for battle—it wore scholar's robes, but the aura it gave off was scarier than any armored warrior. One hand held a scroll; at its feet sat a small stone basin, filled with a liquid that hadn't evaporated after thousands of years.
Stepping onto the jade dais, Su Yi felt the temperature nosedive.His Rank 8 spirit power lit up on instinct, but the cold just ignored it, like his defenses were made of tissue paper.
"Is this the test?" he mumbled. For the first time, his voice shook.
His skin started to go pale, see-through blue. He could feel his blood stiffening, jagged as broken glass. This was more than cold—it was the Su Clan's Absolute Zero, the bitter environment behind every bit of their power. If he wanted the throne, he'd have to survive exactly what created it.
He looked at the basin by the throne's foot. Inside, that ancient liquid swirled, forming words that glowed in an old script:
"Strength is not found in the heat of the fire, but in the stillness of the frost. Sit, or perish."
Su Yi stared at the words in the basin.
Sit… or perish.
He let out a slow breath.
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