Falling into darkness, never to see the light again...
"Congratulations, you have received an invitation to the Dark Banquet. You are the fifth to earn this privilege. Accept it with gratitude, existence named Wraithshade."
"Darkness might not be so bad after all! Heh."
It was all over. Joseph Qiao struggled to his feet, gazing at Stanley Tang who was grinning foolishly in the pale morning light. There was not a trace of hatred in Joseph's heart—only pity.
"If you can't do it, let me handle it."
Yuna Ji staggered over.
Joseph Qiao shook his head, raising the longsword in his hand. Stanley Tang stared at him, a flicker of fear flashing in his eyes.
With a ripping sound, Joseph Qiao plunged the sword into Stanley Tang’s chest. Blood streamed from Stanley's lips, his face contorted in agony.
"Heh, Joseph, I'll be waiting for you down below..."
Joseph Qiao let out a cry. He knew very well that Stanley Tang was fully conscious, just pretending to be out of his mind. If Stanley had truly lost his senses, Joseph would have spared him.
"You really are just as cunning as ever!"
"You've finally avenged your family, Joseph. How do you feel?"
Lucille Xing asked tentatively with a smile. Joseph Qiao shook his head.
"It's not bad. To kill my enemy with my own hands—I'll be able to tell Uncle Lu when I get back, won't I, Lucille?"
At that moment, in the woods, a bird perched motionless on a tree trunk, watching everything unfold. Its gaze was mournful—an expression no bird should have.
"Where's the old man?"
Sebastian Zhao lay on the ground and asked Phoenix Yu, who shook his head.
"I don't know what happened. I saw a dark shadow, and the old man I was holding just vanished."
"We've found the generals!"
A cavalryman shouted. Down in the fields below the forest, a large group of riders charged this way, while several generals dashed over, their faces full of urgency.
"It's nothing. We just didn't want anyone interfering with Joseph's revenge, so we fought through the night."
Phoenix Yu explained casually. Although some generals were still puzzled, they quickly recognized Stanley Tang.
"Take five thousand men to the east at once. The enemy is fleeing into the forest in large numbers—we must stop them from escaping. The more we eliminate, the better."
Joseph Qiao said with difficulty. The generals immediately sprang into action, ordering the soldiers to carry the ten wounded and head down toward the woods.
As voices faded into the distance, the bird perched on the large tree behind the cabin suddenly billowed with black smoke. With a mournful cry, Leonard Tang, tears streaming down his aged face, squatted on the trunk, staring at Stanley Tang's lifeless body and the spot where a human shape still lingered.
"Stone, Mr. Wraithshade."
Black tears streamed from Leonard Tang's left eye. He had never realized it before, but now, thinking back, Stanley Tang had always known something. He knew his fate rested in Leonard Tang and Wraithshade's hands; if they wished, they could have killed him at any time.
Leonard Tang had never noticed this. But ever since Stanley Tang's father, Thomas Tang, died, Stanley's attitude toward Leonard had changed—he became more respectful, even fearful.
Slowly, Leonard Tang crawled to Stanley Tang's kneeling, long-dead body. His aged hands trembled as he grasped Stanley's cold, stiff form.
"I'm sorry, Stone. Truly sorry. So you knew all along—your uncle had ulterior motives and wanted to use you."
No matter how much Leonard Tang cried and shouted, Stanley Tang could no longer hear him. All that remained was the expression of agony on Stanley's face before death—a life lived entirely under others' control, first by his father, and even after his father passed, by Leonard Tang.
In Leonard Tang's memory, Stanley Tang had never disobeyed his orders. Whenever anything happened, Stanley would always come to Leonard first.
It was nearly sunset when Leonard Tang finally stood up, lifting Stanley Tang's body—still staring with open eyes—onto his back. The scene felt familiar; in childhood, Leonard had carried Stanley this way. Back then, Stanley loved to put his tiny hands to Leonard's ears and scratch them, making him laugh.
By the time Leonard entered the woods, night had fallen completely. He had only one destination: the place in the northwest forest where Wraithshade had buried the Ghost Soul Casket.
"Stone, your uncle will save you. If you can hear me, hold on—don't leave your body."
Wraithshade once said that after death, the soul leaves the body and becomes invisible to all—whether to those who can see ghosts or to ghosts themselves. It was a faint hope, but Leonard felt his nephew's soul was still inside this body.
Suddenly, Leonard felt a tickle at his ear. He wiped at it, and his once-dry eyes grew wet again.
He looked back once more. Through the woods behind him, he could barely make out the forest floor. Wraithshade's body had completely vanished—and perhaps he would never see him again.
Thinking back, it was after a dusk like this, with the sky overcast and his own young heart even darker, lost in endless gloom.
Once, while hunting with the tribe, a wild beast had clawed his eye. Though he survived, his right eye had to be removed to save his life. Even in his coma, he could feel the pain.
He slept for seven days and seven nights. Leonard Tang thought dying would be easier, but fate had other plans—he survived, becoming one-eyed. From then on, he began to see vague black shapes.
At just seventeen, once handsome and strong, he became frail and ghastly. People in the tribe were unnerved by his appearance; missing an eye made him unsettling to look at.
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Even his own reflection in the water made him angry and sad. From then on, whenever someone died in the tribe, Leonard could see black vapors rising from their house—by the next day, someone would be dead. At first, he didn't understand, but as he grew aware, he was thrilled, hoping to help his people.
But as Leonard's predictions kept coming true, people became more distant and fearful of him.
With a plunk, Leonard angrily tossed a pebble into the lake. Sitting by the tribal village's lake, he couldn't bear to see his own reflection, scattering it with stones. As night fell, he felt a little relief—people would rest, and he could walk outside without feeling their burning stares. Even by the lakeside, he wouldn't have to see his ugly reflection.
"It looks like your eye is full of ghosts!"
A cold, hard voice snapped Leonard from his anger. He turned to see a figure with his face masked in black animal hide, revealing only a pair of eyes—eyes Leonard had never seen before. They were ancient, as if they could see through everything, as if from another world.
Leonard gradually regained his spirit. He stopped predicting deaths in the village and wore an eye patch. Wraithshade lingered briefly by the lake, sometimes telling him stories about the ghosts he saw.
It was as if Leonard had discovered a new world—his heart filled with hope.
"Are you leaving?"
"Almost. I have to go. I can't stay in one place too long, or I'll bring misfortune to it."
"Will we meet again?"
"Maybe. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Leonard Tang began to work harder. Even with just one eye, even though the tribe still feared him, he was more diligent than anyone—whether hunting or solving tribal problems, Leonard always outperformed his elder brother, Thomas Tang.
Gradually, Leonard earned the respect of the entire tribe. Even his father hesitated when choosing a successor.
But tradition dictated the eldest would inherit. Leonard watched helplessly as his hard work benefited someone else.
"Hey, we meet again. Still the same—so gloomy."
A familiar voice snapped Leonard out of his gloom, like an old friend not seen in years. This time, it was in a cave behind the mountain—Leonard's secret refuge. Whenever he felt troubled, he would come here, spending hours alone to think.
By firelight, Leonard poured out everything in his heart, holding nothing back—from dusk until dawn.
"Don't you agree? I'm clearly better than my elder brother. All that talk about seniority—it's nonsense. The tribe should be led by the most capable, don't you think?"
Wraithshade pondered for a moment, then laughed.
"You find my ideas funny too?"
Leonard grew angry, but Wraithshade simply shook his head.
"I'm not so sure. After all, I've lived far too long—haven't talked with anyone for centuries."
"You're lying."
A hearty laugh echoed through the cave. However many days passed, Leonard always enjoyed his time with Wraithshade. He learned so much—things he had never imagined.
Dark and cruel, filthy and cold—like stones buried deep underground, never touched by sunlight. These things began to draw Leonard in.
"I have to leave again."
"Ah, it's only been three days. Why do you have to go so soon?"
"By the way, let me ask—would you like to join me, as a shadow in the darkness, forging a new future together?"
Leonard hesitated. He couldn't abandon his tribe and family. In the end, he shook his head.
"Alright then. I'll come back when I can. You may not truly know yourself yet!"
Watching Wraithshade leave, Leonard felt a wave of sorrow rise in his heart.