Chapter 1 The Underworld

• Someone once said, “The underworld exists where people are.”
• Someone once said, “The underworld is about the ways of the world, not just fighting.”
• Someone once said, “In the underworld, loyalty and righteousness are as boundless as the sky.”
• In my eyes, the underworld is like a game of chess, and we are all just pieces on the board. We have no control over ourselves, no room to retreat. Through my experiences, I'll show you what the underworld truly is.
• December 2004, Bronzestad, a city in the northeast region.
• On this day, snowflakes drifted down during the harsh winter. It was the final month of 2004, and it marked the coldest winter Bronzestad had seen in the last twenty years.
• At Bronzestad Prison, the heavy sound of a door opening echoed as two men stepped out.
• One was in uniform, and the other wore a thick cotton-padded jacket, holding a cloth bag.
• Clearly, one was a prison officer, and the other was a recently released prisoner.
• That prisoner was me!
• The prison officer approached me, pulled twenty out of his pocket, and handed it to me with a sigh.
• “Theros, take care from now on, don't get into trouble again. Go on. Remember, don't look back—it's bad luck.”
• I took the money and gave a bitter smile. “Thanks, Officer Lewis!”
• Gerald Lewis had been especially kind to me during my time in prison. Compared to the other fierce prison officers, he was like a breath of fresh air.
• After bidding Gerald farewell, I trudged alone through the thick snow, every step sinking into the ground, until I reached the bus stop.
• My name is Theros Skye. When I was five, I became an orphan and grew up living with my aunt and uncle.
• I used to excel at school. I was my aunt's pride, the kid everyone wished they had.
• That is, until the summer three years ago. After finishing my grueling university entrance exam, I went to a restaurant with a few classmates to celebrate.
• Among them was my goddess and the most beautiful girl in our class, Rosalie Willow.
• Unfortunately, our luck was terrible that night. We ran into some drunk thugs at the next table who started making crude remarks toward Rosalie, even reaching out to harass her.
• In a fit of youthful arrogance, and because the victim was my goddess, I lost my temper and struck one of them with a beer bottle in the head. That impulsive act got me sentenced to three years in prison.
• Sitting on the bus, I leaned against the cold seat and gazed out the window, feeling nothing but regret.
• Three years of my youth wasted in prison, losing my future and my acceptance letter to Bronzestad University of Technology.
• What confused me even more was why my aunt and her family hadn't come to pick me up today.
• Did they not know I was being released, or had they given up on me entirely?
• Over the past three years, my aunt's family only visited me once, during my first year inside. Crying profusely, my aunt had urged me to change my ways. After that, I never saw them again.
• I let out a bitter laugh. Maybe that was it for family ties.
• As these thoughts swirled through my mind, the bus driver's booming voice snapped me back to reality.
• “Snowdale Village up ahead! Anyone getting off?”
• “Yes!” I replied, getting up and heading to the back door.
• Once the bus came to a stop, I stepped off. As it drove away, leaving a trail of exhaust, I stood there staring at the familiar village road, suddenly too nervous to move.
• “You're back! You're back!” I muttered with a forced smile, trying to comfort myself as I trudged through the snow, heading to the home I hadn't seen in three years.
• The village hadn't changed much, even after all that time.
• After about ten minutes of walking, I reached my aunt's house, my face flushed either from the cold or from a sense of shame.
• As I reached for the door, I froze. The front gate was chained shut, a heavy padlock covered in snow. The courtyard was filled with snow, ankle-deep, showing that no one had lived here for a long time.
• I felt a wave of disappointment and confusion.
• Did my aunt's family move?
• With that thought, I turned and headed to the village's information hub—the convenience store.
• When I stepped inside, the place was thick with cigarette smoke. The noisy sounds of people playing poker fell silent the moment I entered.
• “Well, if it isn't Logan's boy! You're out!” The store owner, Aaron Cooper, called out, his large belly bouncing as he walked toward me.
• I gave an awkward smile and asked, “Mr. Cooper, what isn't there anyone at my aunt's house?”
• Aaron waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, you don't know? During your second year inside, your uncle got electrocuted and died at the construction site. Heard the company paid out twenty grand, and then your aunt packed up and left with your brother.”
• After Aaron finished speaking, he grabbed a pack of Marlboro cigarettes off the shelf and handed it to me. “Here, Theros, take these. My treat. Since you just got out, go get a shower in town and clean off the bad luck!”
• “You're twenty-one now. Get yourself a job and start fresh. You've always been a smart kid, you'll make it if you keep your head down.”