3
1752 Words
POV: Liam
The bedroom, which only moments ago felt like a stagnant tomb, was now the epicenter of a swirling, ethereal storm. A thick, pearlescent white fog bled from the system screen, swallowing the tattered rug and the moth-eaten curtains. It wasn't just mist; it felt heavy, charged with a primal energy that made the very air hum against my skin.
As I sat small and frail on the oversized bed, three silhouettes began to coalesce within the haze. They grew taller, sharper, and more imposing with every passing second. The silver fog began to dissipate, retreating like a tide, and revealing the trio that would become my sword and my shield in this treacherous world.
Standing to the left was a man who looked like he had been forged in the fires of a thousand wars. He was middle-aged, his face a map of jagged scars and weathered wisdom. He wore crimson war armor that seemed to pulse with a faint, bloody light, and in his hand, he gripped a spear so long it nearly touched the ceiling—its tip stained a permanent, dark rust.
To his right stood a woman who radiated a lethal, predatory grace. She was a demi-human, her lithe frame draped in obsidian cultivation robes. Two sleek, black horns curved elegantly from her forehead, and patches of shimmering scales traced the line of her jaw and neck, glinting like diamonds in the dim light. Her golden eyes were slitted, reminiscent of a dragon's, cold and unwavering.
And then, nestled between them on the floor, was a small, snowy creature that looked entirely too innocent for this grim room. A young, nine-tailed white fox. Its fur was like spun silk, and its nine tails swayed behind it in a mesmerizing, rhythmic dance.
Before I could even draw a breath to speak, all three of them dropped to their knees in a synchronized display of absolute submission. Simultaneously, translucent windows ignited above their heads, displaying their hidden truths to my eyes only.
The Warlord's stats flickered into view:
[Name: Not Given Yet]
[Title: Genius Warlord, Supreme General of the Bloodthirsty Army]
[Age: 60 Years Old]
[Cultivation Qi: Fifth Stage - 4th Level Mind Palace]
[Cultivation Body: Third Stage - 3rd Level Bone Refining]
[Skills: Spear Master Lv.8, Berserker Lv.9, Martial Arts Lv.5]
My heart hammered. A Fifth Stage cultivator? In this backwater city, he was essentially a god. Then, I looked at the woman:
[Name: Not Given Yet]
[Title: Demi-Dragon Shadow Guard, Genius Assassin, Leader of Shadow Guards]
[Age: 28 Years Old]
[Cultivation Qi: Second Stage - 4th Level Qi Gathering]
[Cultivation Body: Fifth Stage - 4th Level Body Forging]
[Skills: Martial Arts Lv.8, Assassin Lv.9, Dagger Master Lv.9, Beast Language Lv.8]
A Fifth Stage Body cultivator. She was a living weapon, capable of tearing through steel with her bare hands. Finally, the little fox:
[Name: Not Given Yet]
[Title: Divine Beast]
[Age: 1 Year Old]
[Cultivation Qi: First Stage - 2nd Level Body Refining]
[Skills: None]
The air in the room felt different now—thicker, safer. I took a deep breath, trying to modulate my high-pitched voice to sound as authoritative as possible.
"Hi... it's nice to meet you all," I began, my voice small but steady. "Please, stand up. I am Liam. It is my pleasure to have you here."
They rose as one, but none dared to meet my eyes directly. Their heads remained bowed in a gesture of profound reverence. The armored man stepped forward, his voice a deep, gravelly rumble that seemed to vibrate the floorboards.
"Your words are our commands, my Lord. We exist only to serve your will. We possess no names of our own in this world; we ask that you bestow them upon us as you see fit."
The woman and the fox nodded in silent agreement. I looked at the old soldier, his presence reminding me of a mythological god of war.
"Then, I shall call you Thor," I decided. It was a name that carried the weight of thunder.
The man—Thor—let out a breath, a wide, genuine smile breaking through his stern expression. "Thor... I accept this honor with my life, my Lord."
I turned to the demi-human woman and the tiny divine beast. "And what about you two? Any preferences?"
"Please, name us anything you wish, my Lord," the woman replied, her voice like silk over unsheathed steel. The fox let out a soft yip, its nine tails wagging with frantic expectation.
"Hmm... for you, the shadow of my path, your name shall be Ren. And for our little friend here... Kurma."
"Thank you, my Lord," Ren said, her slitted eyes glowing with a brief flash of joy. Kurma, meanwhile, began jumping around my feet in a blur of white fur, his tails tangling in his excitement.
I sat back on the bed, watching them. The weight of the situation finally started to sink in. "Now, tell me the truth. Why do you call me 'Lord'? How did you come to be in this place?"
Thor looked genuinely confused, as if the answer should have been as obvious as the sun in the sky. "Because you are our Lord, and we are your shadows. We are your loyal servants, bound to your soul. Our origin is irrelevant; our purpose is you. Please, ask us for anything—your enemies' heads, the fall of kingdoms—anything."
Ren stepped closer, her movements silent as a ghost. "We have always been by your side in spirit, Lord. We are loyal only to you. No emperor, no god, no law stands above your word in our hearts."
I leaned my head against the bedpost, my mind racing. The system had clearly hardwired this loyalty into them. This wasn't just service; it was a religious devotion. It was exactly what I needed. In a mansion full of spies like Old Zhu and greedy guards, I finally had a foundation that wouldn't crumble.
'I have to be careful,' I thought, my gaze flickering to the closed door. 'If the world finds out I have Fifth Stage cultivators at the age of four, the Emperor won't just ignore me—he'll destroy me. I need to grow my power in the shadows before I turn fifteen. That's the year of the marriage... the year the original Liam's execution began to take shape.'
I looked at Ren. "Ren, you are a leader of assassins. You know how to take the discarded and turn them into ghosts, don't you? I want you to scour this State. Find the orphans, the forgotten, those with nothing to lose but a spark of potential. I want you to build me a shadow guard."
Ren knelt instantly, her golden eyes burning with a terrifying intensity. "My Lord, it would be my greatest honor. Using the secret techniques of the Demi-Dragon Clan, I can promise you this: within five years, I will deliver two hundred Shadow Guards at the Fifth Body Stage. They will be more than soldiers; they will be extensions of your will. No one will ever dare to breathe a word against you in the darkness."
Two hundred? My brothers, the "geniuses" of the capital, struggled to maintain thirty cultivators of that level. My heart leapt.
"Good. I am counting on you, Ren. And Thor..." I turned to the Warlord. "This State is a lawless wasteland. It's crawling with bandits, mercenaries, and underground syndicates. To the Emperor, this is a dumping ground. To me, it's a recruitment center. You are a genius warlord. I want you to take control of every underground organization in this territory. Build me an army."
Thor let out a booming laugh, his hand gripping the shaft of his bloody spear so hard the wood groaned. "Of course, my Lord! Give me four years—no more. I will bring the entire underground community to its knees. I will forge for you an unstoppable force... the Bloodthirsty Army! We will be the nightmare that keeps the Empire awake at night!"
Ren's eyes narrowed, her scales bristling. "Liar! Lord, do not listen to this old brute's boasting! Give me two years, and my Shadow Guards will be the finest force to ever walk this earth. We don't need a noisy army when a single blade in the night can achieve more!"
Thor's smile vanished, replaced by a dark, crimson mist that began to radiate from his armor. "What did you say, you overgrown lizard? My army will crush empires while your 'ghosts' are still sharpening their toothpicks! Lord, give me a year, and I will place the Emperor's throne at your feet as a footstool!"
The room's temperature seemed to drop as the two powerhouses locked eyes.
"Hmph!" Ren sneered, her hand resting on the hilt of a dagger that hadn't been there a second ago. "You and what army, you lowly human? Know your place! You get excited over a mere empire? Lord, ignore this pathetic monkey. I will make you the ruler of this entire world. Just trust in my shadows!"
Thor's skin turned a deep, angry red, his Berserker aura beginning to flare. "Monkeys? You arrogant lizard! All you can produce are low-level rats who use underhanded tricks! Lord, I, Thor, the Supreme General, never lie! I will make you the ruler of the universe! Every star will bow to your name!"
"Monkeys love to brag!" Ren hissed, her body coiled like a spring. "I could end your life before you even have time to blink!"
Kurma, sensing the tension, stood up on his hind legs and let out a series of angry, sharp "Squeak! Squeak!" noises, seemingly offended that he wasn't being included in the promise of world domination.
I stared at the trio—a legendary warlord, a demi-dragon assassin, and a divine fox—all arguing like children over who could give me more power. I didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity or cry at the sheer chaos of it all.
"Enough," I said, though I couldn't hide the small, hopeful smile tugging at my lips.
The room went silent instantly. They dropped back into their kneeling positions, their heads bowed low.
"We have a long road ahead," I whispered, looking at my small hands. "But for the first time... I think I'm going to enjoy rewriting this story
."
I lay back on the bed, exhausted but satisfied. The cannon fodder was gone. The Ruler was just getting started.
- Writer
