The Less You Know, the Greater Your Chances of Survival
Snow had acclimated to most of his new environment. He had discovered numerous hidden rooms and located the real food storage, though he still didn't know what those grains were.
Only one room remained unexplored, and he intended to investigate it after a bit more adjustment. Despite not being able to feel anything, a faint sense of foreboding arose whenever he neared this room. He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and opened the door. The creaking of the door echoed as it scraped against the stone floor. The scene unfolded slowly, with the wind rushing out of the room, escaping the oppressive silence. It wasn't logical for air to exist in such a closed environment, but Snow had somewhat adapted to the unexplained wonders of this world.
His features twisted at the sight before him: blood everywhere, numerous scattered human body parts. It resembled a hidden torture chamber. Normally, one might be revolted and vomit, but Snow's expression returned to its usual coldness as he decided to explore the room.
Snow knew his twin wasn't a good person; he had mocked his victims while dismembering them during fights, playing with their skulls and blood. He wasn't sane. Snow had considered this dark possibility, but confronting the reality was different from imagining it.
He wandered through the place. It was vast, the walls stained with dried blood, while various human parts and bloodstains littered the floor. As he moved forward, stranger sights met him. Ahead, numerous large jars were arranged in a specific order.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to open one of the jars. He looked silently before pushing the lid forward—a human corpse. Considering the scattered body parts, it made sense, yet seeing it was different from imagining it. One could deduce such logical hypotheses, but encountering them firsthand created a psychological conflict.
He closed the jar and pretended not to see anything. The less you know, the greater your chances of survival. Snow could think and investigate, but he chose not to. After years of solitude and torture, he didn't want to think much. He wanted to live freely, like a bird, unburdened by thoughts.
He chose to ignore and look away, not out of selfishness, but because he could now live again. He had never tasted the world before. Now that he was part of it, he wanted to live it on his terms—without emotions, values, or principles. He wanted to start crawling like a newborn child.
Snow didn't know whether the corpse was alive or dead and decided to move forward. At the end of the path, he found a wide corridor leading to the right and left. He chose to go right, encountering several cells, dark and gloomy scenes, and many torches lighting the corridor.
To the right and left of the right corridor were adjacent cells. One might find a dead body, blood remnants of a living person, or some bones. Having finished the right side, he moved to explore the left, encountering the same scene. At the end of the left corridor, he heard breathing from one of the cells.
He wasn't reckless. He decided to take a torch from the wall and approach cautiously, maintaining a safe distance. The torch illuminated the iron bars, revealing the features of a small person. Their gender was indeterminate due to their small size, disheveled hair, and lifeless aura, reminding Snow of himself.
The difference between them was that this person was in a larger cage—a cell—while Snow had been placed in a dog cage, not meant for humans, despite its size being just enough to move a few centimeters. He recalled the moon he had confided in every night.
Memories flowed silently as he looked at this person—the cold nights without a single blanket, the hot nights that drained his body, the stones that left no part of his body unmarked, the mockery and ridicule that hurt his heart more than his body.
A tear appeared unconsciously in Snow's eyes. He didn't know if it was sadness or just nostalgia. In either case, he didn't care about something he didn't understand. After losing his emotions, he didn't know what feelings looked like or how to react to them. He chose only to move forward without understanding.
He approached the cell without fear, his incomprehensible feelings pushing him forward. He wanted to look closely at the features. The skin was smooth despite the thin body, but despite the details, Snow couldn't determine the gender. The thin prisoner suddenly looked at him.
Snow didn't react to the suddenness, their gazes locking for a while. Neither spoke a word. Snow noticed two containers, one for food and the other for water. Both were empty and dusty. Snow knew the person in front of him had lived just like him.
He could tell from the condition of the containers about the delay in food and water, the remaining impurities in the water container, the rotten and dirty food that could only leave the container in such a state, and the cracked edges of the containers from lack of care.
Everything in front of him was fully explained. He understood that the person before him was being starved for days before being fed. Snow didn't know if his twin had committed this crime or if this small prisoner had lived his life from a young age.
Snow dared to pull the containers from the small opening beneath the iron bars. The small prisoner didn't react, looking calmly at Snow. Snow returned after a while with clean containers and some food in them.
He placed them before the prisoner and left, returning to the study room he had found during his search in the past few days. Snow thought about freeing the prisoner but didn't know how dangerous he was. Snow could easily die from the humans of this world.
They could fly, release strange powers from their hands, and kill in gruesome and frightening ways. He couldn't guarantee the people of this world, so he decided to leave him. Despite the selfish act, he decided to share his food with the small prisoner, which might only last for two years.
Snow didn't know why he was doing this, but he felt a kinship with this stranger he had just met and decided to follow his heart.
...
A month had passed since that incident.
"He was holding the head of the Iron Fists Clan Leader, draining it of blood and laughing."
"Hahaha, you coward! I saw you tuck your tail and run at that moment, but I stayed and watched till the end."
"You! Do you want me to die from the energy overflow in that place? My life is more important than watching, you know."
The passersby and patrons in the taverns buzzed with the latest hot news.
Many footsteps echoed outside the tavern.
"Again... Ever since that incident, patrols have spread across the area. It's become hard to move freely without an identity card."
At one of the tables, a man in a black cloak sat alone. "What happens to those without an ID?"
"You must be new to this city. Let me tell you this: if you're caught without an ID, you'll be arrested and interrogated for a long time. If you have any goods by the time they're done with you, you can say goodbye to them," he said mockingly.
Many people who overheard the conversation laughed.
The young man didn't want to ask directly about what had happened. He stood up and sat at a table full of muscular men.
"What an interesting person you are. Aren't you afraid we might bite?" one of them said.
Laughter filled the surroundings, mocking the strange young man. He took out a heavy bag and placed it on the table.
"Tell me everything," he said, then took a sip from one of the drinks in front of someone.
"Hahaha, I like your boldness, boy. Listen then. Do you know Snow?"
The strange young man nodded.
"Well, that makes it easier. He broke out of his cage, spilled blood, and took revenge on the city lord and his associates."
He leaned in close to his ear. "Don't tell anyone this, but rumors say there's another twin of Snow. They say he's a demon like him."
The young man's expression changed. "Do you know where he went?"
"Give up, boy. It's been a month, and there's been no trace of him," said the tavern owner while cleaning a glass.
...
Inside the cave.
Snow now understood many things about this world. Humans could gain power using some strange practices. This energy was called Hād, according to the book's words. It was said that this energy existed in nature.
Its source was completely unknown. Ancient humans had discovered the strange phenomena in the world and, through research and exploration, found this strange energy permeating the air. They didn't disclose their methods of discovery.
After many years of experiments, humans managed to absorb this energy and created many manuals and techniques for absorption. Thus, technologies emerged, marking a renaissance of this marvel.
Modern generations couldn't keep up with this knowledge. Only those at the pinnacle of understanding Hād energy managed to create numerous inventions, such as technologies and different methods of energy gathering.
The book mentioned energy levels, starting from Sunrise, then Early Morning, then Forenoon, then Mid-Morning, and then Noon. People named them after times of the day, with Sunrise representing the time when the sun begins to rise.
In their concepts, it was the time when energy begins to rise in your body. Early Morning was the beginning of the day, after Sunrise, representing a deeper understanding. Forenoon was the time between dawn and sunrise, marking a transitional phase in understanding Hād energy and the world. The next phase, Mid-Morning, would enable you to fly like the other masters.
The naming was impressive, although it described times of the day. It was an ideal naming for the stages of rising in understanding Hād energy. After Noon, there were 12 stages, including Twilight, Dusk, Darkness, Shadow, Pitch, Mist, and so on.
Even when humans first discovered the energy and developed their understanding, they couldn't surpass the last four stages.
As for the grains, Snow understood they were meant to increase energy and purify the body. The body could maintain its youth as long as it had Hād energy, but this didn't mean you wouldn't age. It could keep your body agile and your skin radiant, but wrinkles would still form.
It was simply amazing that your internal organs could be in peak condition, which drove a person to delve deeper into understanding the energy. However, many people could still be filled with wrinkles, those who chose to use the energy to ascend levels.
Humans could always be perplexing, an incomprehensible marvel of human nature. Even Snow never understood himself from the beginning.
Others could claim understanding, but accepting ignorance was the solution to this deep-seated ignorance. Humans couldn't fully understand themselves. The stage where one exerts effort in the journey of understanding is the means to deepen your concepts and knowledge. Still, it doesn't necessarily mean the road has an end.
This road could extend in ways the mind couldn't comprehend.
Snow stopped his study, closed the book, and got up to replenish the food for the small prisoner.
Snow reached out as usual, without worry, pulling the dishes from in front of the prisoner. He wanted to retrieve his hand with the dishes, but the small prisoner grabbed his hand...