Chapter 32 – Poisoned Oaths and Shadowed Truths
The chamber was quiet, suffocatingly so.
The seven prodigies stood in a half-circle before Elder Hwa, who loomed over them like a puppeteer admiring his collection. Behind him, shadowy runes flickered on the walls—ancient formations that dulled sound, hid spiritual signatures, and repelled all surveillance techniques.
No one outside would hear what was spoken here.
"You were chosen," Elder Hwa said, voice smooth like aged wine. "Not because of talent—many in this sect are talented. Not because of background—lineage is meaningless in the coming era. No… you were chosen because you all have darkness inside you."
He began pacing.
"Ambition. Rage. Cruelty. Secrets. I saw it in each of you during the trial. The way you fought. The way you survived."
His gaze lingered on Mu-won.
"You especially. You killed without hesitation. I saw the footage. Your hands didn't tremble even when you stabbed a senior disciple through the throat."
Mu-won offered no reaction. Inwardly, he was cataloging everything—tone shifts, power levels, every word spoken, every subtle glance exchanged between the disciples. Already, three of the seven were leaning toward loyalty. Two were hesitant. One—Seo Yura—was silently calculating her escape routes.
Elder Hwa extended his hand, and a vial appeared—a small jade container with a swirling black liquid inside.
"This is the Oath of the Hollow Fang. Drink, and you bind your spirit to secrecy and loyalty. Betray the Seven Shadows after drinking this… and your soul will implode."
He handed the first vial to the boy beside him.
A short pause.
Then… the boy drank.
A shadow mark spread across his neck and shoulder—black lines like veins burning into his skin. He didn't scream, but his eyes widened, briefly filled with terror.
One by one, the others drank.
Then it was Mu-won's turn.
Elder Hwa smiled, holding out the vial.
Mu-won stared at it.
His heart was steady. He had already identified the primary ingredients—soulworm essence, void-root poison, and a tiny fragment of an ancient contract curse.
He accepted the vial.
Then raised it to his lips.
Everyone watched.
He tilted it…
Paused…
And drank.
The shadow veins surged across his skin.
But inside, Mu-won smiled.
Because the pendant beneath his robes—his rebirth artifact—was actively devouring the curse. Evolving from it. Nullifying it.
The curse would mark the others. Control them.
But not him.
Elder Hwa nodded, pleased. "Now, our first true task begins. You will infiltrate the outer territories of the Twin Moon Sect. An elder there possesses an ancient relic—the Eye of Divination. We need it."
Mu-won's interest sharpened. The Eye of Divination? That relic can see fragments of the future…
"And what of those who resist?" asked one of the new recruits.
Elder Hwa's smile twisted. "Silence them. Permanently."
Mu-won's thoughts moved fast. This isn't just power consolidation… they're collecting relics to rebuild the Seven Shadows' true base. Probably a lost fortress or hidden temple.
When the meeting ended, the recruits dispersed.
But Seo Yura fell into step beside Mu-won in the shadows.
"You drank it," she whispered.
Mu-won gave her a sideways glance. "So did you."
"But yours… it didn't bind. I felt it. That thing inside you—your pendant—ate it, didn't it?"
He didn't answer.
She smirked. "You're dangerous, Mu-won."
He finally replied, voice low and unreadable, "Only to those who deserve it."
As the moon rose high, casting silver light over the Inner Court, Mu-won returned to his quarters.
He sat cross-legged.
Placed the Whispering Blade across his knees.
And whispered to the pendant:
"Show me… what's coming next."
The pendant pulsed—and visions flooded his mind.
Fire. Betrayal. A tower of corpses. His face, bloodied. A crown of shadows. And laughter—his own, echoing from a throne carved from the bones of sect leaders.
Mu-won opened his eyes.
And he smiled.
"Let them play their games. I'll end them all."
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