Darkness of the Deep Sea

Cataclysmic Celebration had detonated more than just corpses; it had also sent dust billowing into the sky. The flare's power was infinitely amplified, its blinding light reflecting chaotically among countless tiny particles and turning the demon's vision into a vast white haze.

This series of attacks looked complicated, but in truth, only a few dozen seconds had passed.

"Did it work?"

Tamara's left arm trembled slightly. She exhaled a breath of foul air and slowly held her bow across her chest in an aiming stance.

Sian frowned as he looked at his teacher. He knew exactly how terrifying the power of his master's full-force Aimed Shot was, and their coordination had been flawless, yet he still doubted whether the demon was truly dead.

Tamara said nothing. She stared intently at the shadow within the smoke and dust. The scent of the Mark of Blood was so distinctive that it had completely exposed the blood's owner's location.

The hunting master pushed a hunter's five senses to their limits. She locked onto the target in the darkness, and for a seasoned hunter, even a silhouette was enough.

Clap—clap—clap—

Rhythmic applause sounded from the darkness, accompanied by the demon's mocking laughter, as though he were ridiculing the failed masterpiece of the two assassins.

"Damn it!"

Sian drew his bow to its limit and fired another arrow straight ahead.

The opportunity was rare. He had no time to worry about why his teacher had hesitated at such a moment.

Vel'th sneered. He did not even dodge, and his mocking expression seemed to say: Hey, kid, was that weak attack because you skipped breakfast?

Yet what happened next surpassed Sian's understanding.

The Wind Arrow that had shot forth... dissipated?

It truly had dissipated. Before it even reached the target, the arrow shattered in midair and turned into a puff of dust.

"Bastard!"

Sian cursed viciously, his right hand not pausing for an instant as it reached for the quiver at his waist.

But then a sudden change occurred!

With a hum, the demon abruptly vanished from his sight.

Fast! Too fast! There was no time to react; even his body's instinctive response had not been triggered!

Sian felt a sharp pain shoot from his throat. Only when the pain became a suffocating pressure did his sluggish eyes catch the figure right before him.

It's over! Sian thought despairingly. He felt all the blood in his body rushing toward his head. His life had entered its final countdown.

With his last shred of strength, Sian swung his bow and smashed its sturdy limb viciously toward the demon's head.

But with a dull cracking sound, his precious weapon, his master's gift—the Green Guardian's Bow—snapped in two as well.

His final counterattack had failed. There was no hope left...

Sian's thoughts began to slow from the lack of oxygen. His body felt heavy one moment and weightless the next, as though he were floating and sinking in a dark ocean.

Someone was saying something in the darkness, or perhaps laughing. There were wet, sticky smacking sounds. Who was laughing at a fish stranded in a drying rut, struggling so desperately?

That mockery stirred the resentment in Sian's heart, along with a furious despair.

Hatred grew wildly within him. Never before had he craved power as much as he did now—craved revenge, craved to personally kill the demon who had taken his loved ones' lives, craved to drink his enemy's blood!

Until he began to pray to some unknown existence...

Moon Goddess, great Earth Mother, if you still have even a trace of pity for your child, grant me power! Grant me the power to take revenge! I need this power, need it to destroy my enemies! For it, I am willing to pay anything!

But no god answered this baseless plea. He was merely one among countless living beings. Even the bright moon would not alter its face for him, so how could he earn the gods' pity?

Thus, he grew even angrier, consumed by a groundless rage at the unfairness of fate.

It made him unable to hear the clear call any longer. That terrifying laughter gradually became distinct and profound, as though it came from the distant depths of the sea.

Power... revenge... a bargain... hehehehe... I like bargains...

His soul gradually grew weary, but he still exhausted all his strength to cry out:

"Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The whisper let out wave after wave of mocking laughter. Then, a violent radiance illuminated the entire world.

"I am everything in this world!!!"

Looking out, terrifying obelisks stood reflected in an upside-down world. Endless yellow sand drifted through every corner. Beneath the glow of the setting sun, twisted tentacles covered every sky. All of it silently depicted a scene from hell—horrific, majestic, and breathtakingly magnificent.

Ny'alotha, the Waking City.

In the depths of every despairing soul, the Black Empire slumbered peacefully.

Take revenge, take revenge... All things would eventually return to silence. Embrace this vast void, and the shadows would reveal their truest truth. Then, you would understand what it meant to forge ahead. Everything in this world would open its gates to you...

Nameless whispers echoed by his ear, and the lost lamb sank deep into them. The little Tauren suddenly felt an unprecedented happiness and satisfaction. He recalled such wonderful forgotten things, and those long-forgotten, forgotten things.

A soul tormented by suffering roamed freely through the world of shadows. Wearing a twisted smile filled with happiness, he was about to open that tightly shut door.

Suddenly, a faint sigh shattered it all. A ray of moonlight pierced the darkness and shone upon his forehead.

That clear moonlight seemed to stir the sleeping ocean. In the next instant, a massive crimson tide erupted from his soul, instantly restoring clarity to all things and dragging him back from hell's entrance to the ordinary world.

Little Sian's body suddenly shuddered, and cold sweat poured out in great quantities, soaking his back in an instant.

Before he had time to process what had happened, he incredulously clutched his completely unharmed throat. Even more horrifyingly, he found that his arrow was still perfectly intact, nocked against the bowstring.

"Damn it! You... what exactly did you do!"

Sian was both shocked and terrified. His trembling arm seemed glued to the bow's limb.

"It was nothing much. I merely... allowed a foolish mortal to glimpse the truest corner of this world."

The demon smiled and said smugly, "It was magnificent, wasn't it?"

The void, the shadows, the sacred empire buried deep beneath the yellow sands, the Temple of the Betrayer hidden in the cold wind, the Forgotten Realm sleeping in the depths of the earth, and the Waking City lurking in the deep sea...

The oldest and deepest darkness dwelling upon this planet had long since awakened. No! It would be more accurate to say that they had never slept!

"Relax, my child."

A gentle voice called Sian back to his senses. Only then did he realize that his master's palm had been covering the hand with which he held the bow. Under her gentle caress, his stiff joints gradually loosened.

Staring ahead, Tamara nodded lightly. "I understand your anger. I feel it just as deeply."

"But my disciple, you must remember this: never let anger devour your calm, because you are a hunter, not a warrior."

Sian abruptly looked up and immediately saw the demon's half-smiling expression.

Hypnosis? When did it happen? No, this is bad!

"Watch out for his Hypnosis! Don't look directly into his eyes!"

"HAHAHAHA! Too late, fools! Witness this moment to your hearts' content, and welcome the blessing of shadow and void!"

"Shadow Word: Awaken!"