DEMON KING AZRAEL: REBIRTH OF THE ECLIPSE

Chapter 5

They wore the common grey robes of outer disciples, their sleeves bearing the faded azure cloud emblem, soiled with grease and self-importance. "The trash of North Peak is awake and playing host. Shame you forgot to invite anyone."

The leader, a stocky youth with a perpetually sneering upper lip and eyes like stagnant ponds, stepped forward. His name, a forgotten fragment from Han Xiao's memories, surfaced: Zhou Lei. His cronies, two gaunt, nervous boys, shuffled behind him.

"You're not Collector Feng," I stated, my voice still a rasp, but devoid of any fear. They look like fresh meat. Untainted by the touch of my shadow-energy, unlike that pathetic 'Master' Feng. Good. A clean canvas.

Zhou Lei laughed, a harsh, braying sound. "Feng? That fat oaf got what he deserved, didn't he? Heard he’s raving mad in the infirmary, screaming about 'demon eyes' and 'void whispers'. What a joke." He nudged one of his lackeys with his elbow. "You hear that, Hu Tao? The old man finally cracked."

Hu Tao, a boy with a perpetually twitching eye, offered a weak, fearful chuckle. "Aye, Senior Brother Lei. Heard he thinks he saw the Nine Hells."

"And you," Zhou Lei continued, his gaze narrowing on me, "you're supposedly the one who put him there, aren't you? Han Xiao, the 'trash' who suddenly grew claws?" He stepped fully into the shack, his heavy boots scuffing against the wooden floor. His cronies followed, crowding the already cramped space. The scent of stale sweat and cheap cultivation pills filled the air. "Don't get ahead of yourself, boy. Feng was old, soft. We're not. We heard you're refusing to pay the daily protection fee we demand from all you North Peak worms. Is that true?"

I kept my hands resting lightly on my knees, my posture relaxed. Protection fees. The parasites of this sect never change their methods, only their faces. "Protection from whom, exactly?" I asked, a hint of genuine curiosity in my tone. "From the very people demanding the fees?"

Zhou Lei's sneer widened. "Clever, aren't you? Thinking you're some kind of scholar now? You forget your place. We protect you from consequences. From unfortunate accidents. From falling off cliffs when the wind gets too strong, or having your meagre food rations 'accidentally' vanish." He paused, letting the implied threat hang in the air. "Now, where are our ten spirit stones? Or are we going to have to remind you how things work around here?"

"Spirit stones?" I repeated, my lips curling into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. My, how mundane their desires are. A King once commanded armies and shattered stars for empire. These children squabble over pebbles. "You think I have spirit stones? I am Han Xiao, the 'trash of North Peak'. Do I look like I keep a treasure trove under my rotten mattress?"

"Don't play coy with me!" Zhou Lei’s voice hardened. "We know about the stone you used to heal your ribs after that run-in with Li. Where did you get it? Did you manage to pilfer another one, you little thief?"

Li. His messenger delivered the news faster than I anticipated. The Azure Cloud Sect is a hive of gossip, it seems. "Li broke my ribs," I said, my gaze unwavering. "Not my spirit. And I used no such stone. My healing comes from... other sources."

The two cronies behind Zhou Lei exchanged nervous glances. One, the taller, lankier one named Chen, visibly shivered. "Senior Brother Lei, he looks... different. And his eyes... they're unsettling."

Zhou Lei rounded on Chen. "Nonsense! He's still the same rat! Just a bit of bravado. You think a single victory against a senile old man like Li makes him strong?" He turned back to me, puffing out his chest. "Listen, Han Xiao. I'm going to give you one last chance. Give us the stones. Or we'll strip you naked, tie you to the cliff edge, and see how long you last before the beast-folk decide you're dinner."

"Beast-folk," I mused, a phantom ache echoing in my shattered soul. The very thought of creatures of the wild feasting upon this vessel. Unacceptable. I would sooner incinerate this body than allow such indignity. "Is that your only threat? Starvation? Exposure? How utterly lacking in imagination."

My tone, low and strangely melodious despite the rasp, seemed to unsettle them more than any shouted defiance. Zhou Lei’s sneer faltered slightly.

"What did you say?" he demanded, taking a step closer. "Are you mocking me?"

"I am merely observing the limitations of your methods," I replied. "Your threats are… pedestrian. Predictable. They appeal to the base instinct for survival, certainly, but they lack the finesse required to truly break a soul."

"Break a soul?" Chen stammered, his eyes wide. "What are you talking about?"

"He's mad!" Hu Tao hissed, clutching his own arms. "Just ignore him, Senior Brother! Beat him until he talks!"

"Silence!" Zhou Lei snarled at his cronies, then refocused on me. His face was blotchy with anger. "You talk a big game for someone who's about to lose all his teeth. So, no stones? Fine. We'll take something else then. Your remaining dignity, perhaps? Or maybe a few fingers to send a message to the other North Peak 'tigers' you think you're inspiring."

He lunged. Not with any great skill, but with the brute force of a stronger, heavier boy against a perceived weakling. His fist, surprisingly large, aimed for my face.

I didn't move. Not physically, at least. This body is too fragile for another direct confrontation. One wrong move, and the Void Heart might cease its nascent thrum.

Instead, I unleashed it. The Soul Pressure.

It wasn't a visible attack. It was a wave, an ancient, abyssal vibration that emanated from the core of my shattered soul, a whisper from the infinite void. It seeped into the air, permeated the very wooden planks of the shack, and coiled around the minds of the three bullies.

Zhou Lei's fist, just inches from my nose, froze. His eyes, previously narrowed in aggression, snapped wide open, dilating until the irises were barely visible. He gasped, a short, choked sound, like a fish pulled from water.

"W-what... what is this?" he whimpered, his arm trembling violently, unable to complete its trajectory.

Chen and Hu Tao, standing behind him, fared even worse. Their knees buckled almost simultaneously. They collapsed onto the floor, not unconscious, but twitching, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, their mouths agape in silent screams. It was as if their minds had been momentarily disconnected from their bodies, overloaded by an unseen force.

A taste of true despair, I thought, a cold satisfaction spreading through my being. They mistake weakness for vulnerability. They forget that the abyss does not require a strong arm to consume.

I focused the pressure, a needle-thin point of terror, directly into Zhou Lei’s mind. I didn't inflict pain; I unleashed the sheer, unadulterated memory of cosmic insignificance. I let him feel, just for a fraction of a second, the vast, uncaring void beyond the stars, the crushing weight of eternal loneliness.

His face drained of colour, turning a sickly grey. A wet stain spread across the front of his robes as his bladder, betraying his body, released its contents. His jaw hung slack, and a thin line of spittle escaped the corner of his mouth.

"Do you understand now?" I whispered, my voice barely audible, yet it seemed to echo from every corner of the shack, reverberating inside his very skull. "Do you comprehend the true nature of 'consequences'?"

Zhou Lei whimpered again, a low, guttural sound that spoke of pure, unadulterated terror. He didn't speak. He couldn't. His mind was too busy trying to piece itself back together after its brief, terrifying encounter with the infinite.

I allowed the pressure to recede, a slow, deliberate withdrawal. The immediate terror vanished, replaced by a lingering, icy dread that would cling to him like a shroud.