Chapter 7: Bonds of Blood
[POV – Ethan Cross]
The warehouse was silent now. Broken bodies lay scattered across the floor, groans and whimpers slowly fading into the shadows. Ethan's ribs throbbed, bruises blossoming across his arms and legs, but he felt more alive than ever. Every strike, every block, every fall—he had savored it all.
Seongji Yuk wiped blood from his face, chest heaving. His smirk was wide, sharp, predatory.
"Not bad," Seongji said, voice low. "You're faster than I thought. Brutal too."
Ethan laughed softly. "Thanks. You weren't too bad yourself."
Silence hung between them for a moment. Mutual respect. Mutual understanding.
Then Mujin Jin's voice cut through the air. "Good. You survived your first real trial together. But surviving isn't enough. Cheonliang doesn't reward mere survival."
[POV – Mujin Jin]
Mujin stepped forward, eyes scanning the two boys.
"You need more than strength to survive here," he said. "Strategy. Instinct. Pain tolerance. Cooperation. None of that is optional."
He gestured toward a narrow corridor leading deeper into the warehouse. "Inside, another trial waits. Live or die. This will test whether you are predators or prey."
Seongji's grin widened. Ethan mirrored it instantly.
"Perfect," Ethan muttered. "I was hoping for more."
[POV – Seongji Yuk]
Inside the corridor, shadows moved before they could even blink. Figures emerged, faster and more coordinated than the ones they had faced before. Weapons—pipes, knives, even bare fists—cut through the air.
Seongji and Ethan split instinctively. Seongji took the left flank, raw force smashing anything in his path. Ethan moved right, precision strikes tearing through opponents with minimal motion, almost surgical.
A man lunged at Ethan with a knife. He ducked, rolling under the swing, and drove an elbow into the attacker's ribs. Another strike to the head and the man fell.
Seongji had three attackers on him. He blocked one punch, grabbed another, and slammed him into the floor. A brutal kick sent the third flying into the wall.
The corridor echoed with blood, bone cracking, and the two boys' laughter—chaotic, dark, hungry.
[POV – Ethan Cross]
Sweat dripped into Ethan's eyes, stinging, but he barely noticed. He was alive. Fighting. Thriving. Pain was his fuel. Every bruise, every cut, every scream only sharpened him.
Seongji's fists collided with another opponent nearby. The force rattled the corridor. Ethan's smile widened. They were unstoppable together.
He caught a man charging behind him, twisted his arm, and slammed him down. The man groaned, clutching a broken rib. Ethan barely paused.
Seongji shouted, "Ethan! Left side!"
Two attackers converged on him. Ethan pivoted, intercepting one with a low kick to the knee, elbowing the other back. Perfect coordination.
[POV – Mujin Jin]
Mujin watched silently from the shadows. Blood dripped from walls, bones snapped, the cries of the fallen echoing.
These two were learning faster than anyone he had trained before. Their coordination, speed, and ferocity were terrifying. One mistake could kill them—but that was the point.
Cheonliang didn't forgive mistakes. And neither would he.
"You two," Mujin muttered to himself, "will become monsters."
[POV – Seongji Yuk]
The last man standing made a desperate lunge. Seongji caught him mid-strike, twisting the attacker's arm behind his back and driving a knee into the man's stomach. The man gasped, falling to the floor, broken.
Ethan landed beside him, chest rising and falling, eyes gleaming.
"We make a good team," Seongji said.
Ethan smiled wider. "The best."
Mujin stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "Good. You've earned this… for now. But tomorrow, the trials get harder. Cheonliang doesn't wait."
Ethan and Seongji exchanged a glance. A bond forged in blood. Respect earned in pain.
Two demons. One hell. And it had only begun.
End of Chapter 7
Chapter 8: Fire and Fury
[POV – Ethan Cross]
The night air was thick with smoke and the stench of sweat, blood, and iron. Cheonliang never slept, and neither did its predators. Ethan crouched on a rooftop, watching the streets below. Shadows shifted, figures moved, and the distant clatter of metal on metal sent a thrill through him.
Seongji Yuk joined him silently, crouched beside him, his breathing even despite the exhaustion.
"Looks quiet," Seongji said.
"Too quiet," Ethan replied, eyes scanning every alley. "They're waiting for us."
They didn't need words. This was survival. This was Cheonliang.
[POV – Mujin Jin]
Mujin watched from a shadowed corner across the street. He had set this trap deliberately—a way to test their instincts and coordination.
Two days of fighting had sharpened them, but Cheonliang demanded more. Not just power. Not just skill. Strategy, timing, and adaptability.
The first wave emerged from the alleyways below—five men, stronger than before, eyes cold, weapons at the ready.
"Show me what you've learned," Mujin muttered quietly.
[POV – Seongji Yuk]
Seongji dropped silently from the roof, rolling into a crouch. One of the men swung a bat. Seongji caught it midair, snapping it with a quick twist. A sharp grin formed on his face.
Another charged from the side. Seongji pivoted, elbow connecting with the man's jaw, sending him sprawling.
Ethan was already moving beside him, ducking a knife swing, countering with a brutal palm strike to the ribs. The man screamed, clutching himself, but Ethan barely noticed. His body moved instinctively, each strike precise and calculated, despite the chaos.
The two of them were fluid, a storm of fists and kicks, metal crashing, bones breaking, blood spraying.
[POV – Ethan Cross]
A larger opponent emerged, swinging a chain. Ethan's eyes lit up. Perfect. He dodged the first swing, rolled under the next, and came up behind the man. A knee to the spine, followed by a crushing elbow to the temple. The man collapsed, groaning.
Seongji was beside him instantly, spinning into another enemy with the force of a hammer, chest colliding with the man, sending him flying into the wall.
Ethan smiled wide, almost feral. "Come on. Is that all Cheonliang has?"
Seongji laughed, nodding. "Not bad. But watch this."
Seongji pivoted, delivering a spinning kick that connected with the largest opponent's chest. The impact rattled bones, and the man crashed to the ground.
They moved like one entity. Speed, precision, and brute strength perfectly synced.
[POV – Mujin Jin]
Mujin observed, his expression unreadable.
Two days in Cheonliang, and these two had already learned each other's patterns. Their attacks were synchronized, instincts sharp, ferocity unmatched.
But survival required more than synergy. Pain, exhaustion, and unpredictability—these were the real teachers.
A final opponent, unseen, stepped forward. Large, fast, lethal. The real test had begun.
[POV – Seongji Yuk & Ethan Cross]
The last man lunged. Seongji blocked the first swing and delivered a brutal uppercut. Ethan intercepted another, twisting the attacker's arm, kneeing him in the ribs.
The corridor erupted into chaos. Fists, elbows, and boots connected with bone and flesh. Each man was pushed to his limit. Sweat stung their eyes, blood dripped, and the sound of cracking bones echoed through the alley.
Ethan's grin widened, a demon's smile, eyes blazing with exhilaration. Seongji mirrored it.
They were two predators, hunting side by side, untouchable, unstoppable.
Mujin's voice cut through the chaos, calm but commanding. "Enough."
Breathing heavily, chest rising and falling, both boys stopped.
Bloodied, battered, and exhilarated, they had survived their trial. Together.
Two demons. One hell. Cheonliang's fire had only just begun to forge them.
End of Chapter 8
Chapter 9: The Edge of Madness
[POV – Ethan Cross]
The moon hung low over Cheonliang, barely illuminating the narrow alleyways. Ethan crouched behind a pile of broken crates, listening. Every footstep, every whisper, every shift of air carried meaning here. The streets were alive—hungry, vicious, waiting to tear anyone weak apart.
He tightened his fists, feeling the bruises on his body pulse. Pain was a friend, a reminder that he was still fighting, still surviving.
Seongji Yuk moved silently beside him, eyes scanning the shadows. "I feel it," Seongji muttered. "They're watching. Waiting."
Ethan's smile widened, teeth flashing in the dim light. "Good. I like a challenge."
[POV – Mujin Jin]
Mujin Jin observed from a distance, perched on a rooftop like a predator. He had deliberately pushed them to exhaustion, to the edge of their limits.
Cheonliang was a school without mercy, and today's trial would teach them that even predators could bleed.
Five figures emerged, faster and smarter than the last wave. Scars crisscrossed their arms, eyes cold with experience. They weren't thugs—they were killers forged by Cheonliang.
Mujin's lips curved slightly. "Let's see how far you've come."
[POV – Seongji Yuk]
The first man lunged at Ethan with a swinging chain. Ethan rolled, twisting under the attack, then delivered a brutal knee into the man's side. Seongji reacted instantly, intercepting another attacker and sending him sprawling with a spinning kick.
Two more charged together. Seongji grabbed one, smashing him into the wall, then kicked the other back toward Ethan.
Ethan's grin widened. "Right on time." He caught the incoming opponent mid-swing, twisting the arm, and elbowing the jaw.
The alley erupted into chaos—metal clashing, fists smashing, bodies hitting the floor. Blood spattered, screams filled the night, and the two boys moved like a single predator, fluid, precise, relentless.
[POV – Ethan Cross]
A large figure suddenly appeared, towering over the two of them, swinging a spiked bat. Every muscle in Ethan's body tensed.
He dodged the first swing, rolled forward, and delivered a brutal strike to the man's knee. The spike grazed his shoulder, tearing through cloth and skin. Pain shot up his arm. He didn't flinch.
Seongji met the man head-on, shoulder colliding with bone, sending the attacker staggering backward. Together, they pressed the assault, relentless.
Ethan's eyes shone with that demon-like grin. "This is fun," he whispered to Seongji.
Seongji's laugh was low, dangerous. "It's supposed to be."
[POV – Mujin Jin]
Mujin watched carefully. He noted every strike, every dodge, every reaction. Both boys were pushing themselves to their limits, dancing on the edge of exhaustion.
Cheonliang didn't forgive hesitation. The moment they faltered, death would follow.
A final strike was coming—one more hit could end it all.
[POV – Seongji Yuk & Ethan Cross]
The towering man swung the bat with all his strength. Seongji ducked low, catching the attacker's wrist mid-swing. Ethan rolled behind him, striking the man's knee and forcing him down.
In unison, they delivered a coordinated barrage: elbows, knees, and fists smashing with precision and power. The man collapsed, gasping, defeated.
Ethan and Seongji paused, chests heaving, bloodied and bruised. Silence fell over the alley, broken only by their ragged breaths.
Seongji looked at Ethan, eyes sharp but respectful. "We're getting better."
Ethan grinned, still wild-eyed. "Yeah… almost unstoppable."
Mujin stepped out of the shadows, nodding slightly. "Almost. But almost isn't enough in Cheonliang. Learn from this. Grow. Or die."
The two demons stood side by side, ready for whatever hell Cheonliang would throw at them next.
End of Chapter 9