Master of the Dark Arts

*Shaaa

Flashes of lightning flash across the grey and gloomy afternoon sky. The scent of the muddy ground at his feet invading his nose along with the earthy scent that comes with the falling rain.

BANG!! The thunder echos in the sky above him. The assault on his senses is not small; the loud and wet rain, the thunder, the light from the lightning and the smell from the ground and rain.

The young man dressed in aqua blue, lined with white-gold ripped and muddy robes - dragged his feet as he walks. The white and aqua embroidered brocade boots on his feet fill with rain from above making his steps heavy and slow - the silver tassel no longer danced along his waist.

His long black hair draped over half of his face exposing one bloodshot left eye. His lips quiver as he wears a self-mocking smile on his face.

Dragging his two feet step by step through the heavy downpour. He had been travelling for the past three hours by foot from the entrance of his home to the mountains right before him, the pit inside of a forbidden area, *Deadman's Wonderland.

(a/n: A valley in the mountains, surrounded by fog and a densely packed demonic aura will go into detail in later chapters.)

In the rain, biting on his bottom lip, he cries his heart out but not a single tear can be seen on his face. The rosy cheeks he had three hours before had long since turned pale from the cold and wetness that came with the rain.

Choking on his tears and the rain falling into his mouth. He stops in his step and wipes away the water on his face. Looking down at the slender, pale hands that wiped away the tears and water, he bit down onto his bottom lip.

Dropping his hands to his side he looks ahead of him and calculates the distance, "About one hundred meters left."

In the distance, the path leading up to the mountain is slowly drawing near. The banners sewn onto poles can be seen with the almost blood-like ink arrays marked on them.

BANG!! The lightning strikes a tree behind him; not feeling the need to look back he continues to walk forward, one step at a time, one meter closer to his destination.

Although his head is hanging low as he suppresses the choking and suffocating sensation from crying his heart out, he can see from the corner of his eyes. The sky that is turning darker as time slips away, becoming slightly eerie as he gets closer and closer to the mountain path.

"Is it still the *Wu period?" he asks himself, not knowing that it is already in the hour of the *Shen period.

(a/n: Wu period 11:00 am - 12:00 am. Shen period 15:00 pm - 16:00 pm)

With his mind turning black from exhaustion, his father's phoenix eyes and sword-like eyebrows appeared before him. The look in his father's eye that represented hate and disgust.

Remembering this, his body involuntarily shivers and the centre of his chest burns. Grabbing at the ripped fabric draped down his chest, Qionglin pressed against his burning chest. He looked down at the black mark on his chest; before, the wound was bleeding but now because of the rain and aftermath - it turned black.

The space between his chest used to belong to his "Core". The spiritual core that stored his twenty-one years accumulated cultivation, but now… because… of himself… because he thought he could trust that man, the man he calls "father" all his hard work - gone.

His core was dissolved and the pain from it along with the pain from his heart being ripped apart by his loved ones, reduced him, Fah Qionglin, to nothing but an empty shell.

Stepping down with his right foot his balance is immediately put off and as he comes to his senses right this second, Qionglin's eyes widen. A sense of danger flashes in his eyes but soon disappears, finally realizing why he is here.

Lifting his head and facing the heavens, opening his murky eyes wide letting the rain drip into them - his eyes turning red.

Remembering his father's last words, "You are no son of mine! Such a disgrace! Fah Qionglin, go sacrifice yourself for the sin you have committed, save my Fah family and die one hundred times as an apology. NO! Even one thousand times won't make up for your sins!"

Closing his eyes, Fah Qionglin exhales and steps forward. Feeling the wind blow pass his face through his fingers and his ripped clothes, he opens his eyes but doesn't regret the scene in front of him.

The dense fog covering his view make it easy for him, he can't see anything before him even though his body is falling.

Closing his eyes once again, the events that unfolded many hours ago run through his mind. Tears begin to flow once again from his eyes, his mouth trembles as he mouths the words, "Someone, save me."

Normally when Qionglin was in trouble or needed help, the first person who he would call for is his father. The second person is his blood brother who is thirty years older and more experienced than him, Fah Qionglin on, but neither of the two, see him as a part of the family anymore, wanting nothing to do with him.

Qionglin realized this five hours ago when he stood in front of them and after he left his family's sect, which they exiled him from, he erased the bonding he once had for them, hating his family and clan with all his being.

Sending him to his death, leading Qionglin to not call them for help and instead call an unknown "Someone" who was listening.

A few more seconds passed and Qionglin's chest slammed first onto the ground. Still conscious and feeling the pain coming from his chest, his head hits the ground the same time as his limbs, cracking every bone in his body then finally his bones begin to crumble under his muscles piercing his flesh.

After his head hit the ground, it bounced back, snapping his neck then landed on the left side crushing all the bones on the left side of his face. This caused the right side of his brain pain and the right side of his body to feel extreme pain becoming motionless.

Qionglin slowly opened his right eye that was dripping and covered in blood. He saw that his right arm was laying not too far from him. Blood seeping from his mouth and other open areas on his body, pooling underneath him - he could see all of this.

Qionglin's eye slowly closed with tears dripping out, he was in so much pain that it hurt. This time he wanted to call for his father to save him but he remembered what happened and how he got to where he currently is - the reason why he was in so much pain.

The feelings of resentment and hate swelled up in his heart as the faces of every member of his family and clan brothers and sisters - at this moment, he hated them all.

Seconds after he realised this a deafening "hum" sounded as if it came out from the mouth of a beast, sounded and echoed in Deadman's Wonderland.

The dense fog above him turned poisonous green in colour and the blood from all the dead started boiling, creating a deep and bloody stench, making the previous scent of blood intensify.

Seconds after he realised this, a deafening "hum" sounded as if it came out from the mouth of a beast, sounded and echoed in Deadman's Wonderland.

The dense fog above him turned poisonous green in colour and the blood from all the dead started boiling, creating a deep and bloody stench, making the previous scent of blood intensify.

A deep voice sounded out. As if a demonic choir started singing, consisting of male and female voices, both young and old:

Look at me.

Look at us.

Why is he here.

Why are we here.

Such a young youth... sent to his death. A deep sigh comes from the being's mouth

Listen to me.

Listen to you.

Listen to us.

We are all.

We are one.

I am you.

You are us.

Death, Resentment… We have it all.

Love, Hate… Death to them all.

Let us make a pact.

Let us make a pact. A little girl giggles

Let us make a pact.

Let us be a family.

Let us be one.

Let us live.

Let us be free.

Let us strive to be the one

And you...will be free.

The little girl giggled who giggled before, giggled for the time of half an incense stick when lit then stopped.

The demonic hum sounded again bringing with it a strong gust of wind.

The blood in the valley he laid in started boiling, making bubbles of gas that bubbled till the stench from the valley deepened, giving off an intoxicatingly disgusting bloody smell that kept him from closing his eyes - keeping him alive.

The blood, the gas, along with the resentful spirits, forced into Qionglin's body.

His body was flipped over and pulled up towards the heavens by an invisible force but did not leave the valley of Deadman's Wonderland.

Hovering in the air, the resentful spirits forced their way through every wound on his body and every hole they could find. The pain of having his body overtaken hurt so badly that his appearance turned wretched, he had the appearance that would scare anyone lifeless.

His pale body turned grey almost withering away. The muscles and organs melted down leaving nothing but flesh and bones.

Qionglin was still conscious and frightened when he heard the voices sound out from all around him... being unable to speak or scream made him well up with fear.

He could feel the stinging pain from foreign elements invading his bones, streaming into the gaps between his skin, this feeling felt similar to thin long needles swimming around between the layer of skin and nerves... setting up camp and taking over his body.

The only thing he was currently capable of was moving his toes and fingers because the skin pulled against it and breathing in the air but even still while breathing in, his chest wasn't moving yet he could still somewhat breathe.

The more they invaded his body the skinnier he became, this continued till his skin wrapped around his bones.

At this stage, his eyelids widened and pulled back, almost making his eyeballs pop out of the sockets.

As this is happening, the spirits, blood and lost souls in Deadmans Wonderland immediately flow faster into his body restoring it. From his skinny body, it began to plump up and return to what it looked like before; this included his damaged limbs, neck, brain and face.

The tears stopped flowing and his eyes closed shut, sealing his eyelids with a bright green light.

From inside his nose, mouth and ears, a bright green light was shinny out and lighting up the entire valley outside the mountains.

His body rotated slowly for the next few days in midair, taking in every last drop of blood, every last bit of the green and poisonous fog, accepting everything, including the spirits and lost souls without a fuss whether they were man or beast, male or female - all with no exception.

Outside the mountains, a thousand meters away, the clans, villages, guilds, sects and animals also beasts in the surrounding area could see this green light shining through the clouds alarming everyone.

The heads and elders of each sect, clans, guild and the villages looked up into the clouds in that direction feeling that this phenomenon was a bad sign.

After doing some calculations, they realized that the green light that lit up the sky was coming from inside the mountain valley in the direction of Deadman's Wonderland.

All the curious youngsters who were cultivating and walking around in their respective sects stopped to look at this beautiful phenomenon, not knowing what all of this meant.

This phenomenon lasted for a week, which made the respective heads curious as to what was happening. No one slept during this week or cultivated because they felt something keep them in place to watch as the green light slowly disappear.

Not long after it finally stopped, the elders were dispatched along with the high ranking and powerful students to inspect the area and investigate what had happened.