Rising from the Abyss

Song Chi hurried through the forest, pressing a hand to his chest as dark crimson blood seeped between his fingers. Thorny branches reached out from the narrow path, tearing his robes, while a longsword wrapped in black cloth hung on his back, sharply out of place against his white attire.

“Tch.” He glanced back, then quickened his steps, though his strength was flagging and his gait grew unsteady. Several small knives flicked from his hand, shooting in all directions.

“Song Chi, you have betrayed your masters and ancestors, stolen the greatest treasure of Mount Shu—do you still intend to resist to the bitter end?”

Song Chi gave no reply; instead, he forced himself to move faster. Suddenly, a golden pattern flashed beneath his feet. Daring not to take another step, he turned to face the shadows within the woods.

Just as he was about to speak, a green flying sword pierced his chest. Life left him instantly. A man in white emerged from the shadows; the knives Song Chi had thrown floated idly beside him.

The man walked slowly to Song Chi’s corpse and removed the longsword from his back. As he was about to leave, an envelope wedged in Song Chi’s clothing caught his eye.

He reached for it, but a droplet of liquid fell onto the letter, soaking into the paper. The man looked up— the moon slipped behind the clouds, and the interlaced branches above deepened the night’s shadows. Looking against the light, he saw only the hem of a brilliant red robe and a pair of spotless black boots adorned with intricate patterns.

The man stepped back wa