Moze

A Shadow Guard of the Yaoqing, Moze is taciturn and solitary, always acting on his own.

As an expert in intelligence services and other operations that must remain covert, Moze rarely shows himself before others. The moment he reveals his blade usually spells doom for his enemies.

He commands a vast wealth of assassination techniques, coupled with an extraordinary obsession for orderliness and cleanliness.

"Merciful of Sanctus Medicus... Now, listen to us. Swallow this — not only will your illness be cured, but you shall become no different to a long-life species... You shall live a long, long life..."

He tries to swallow the medicine, but does not dare inhale.

He has no idea how many more times he would have to endure this suffering. The thick liquid passes through his esophagus like he is swallowing needles. A powerful urge to vomit crushes his entire chest.

"Swallow it. Don't spit it out. This is medicine..."His body is also echoing this sentiment: Swallow it. Swallow it. Swallow it.

Swallow it, and you will never have to face the threat of wild beasts, never again will you fall into the gaping, bloody jaws of fear.

Swallow it, and your body shall no longer be powerless, never again will you have to stand by and watch your companions die.

Swallow it.

As his organs and flesh begin to consume the medicine, a strange power begins to course through him. He yearns to gasp for air, but the sensation of being devoured and torn that spreads from his abdomen down his limbs makes him feel suffocated.

"Endure it. Just like before... If you can just endure it..."He can no longer make a sound. Only his body is conversing with him.

Endure it. He will then no longer be the orphan abandoned by his village in the wilderness.

Endure it. Then, every word he speaks will be answered, and he will no longer be alone.

Endure it.

"Moze? How do you feel?"

"Very good. Seems like you withstood it once again."

"Keep holding on. Don't be afraid. All of your ailments will be eliminated."

"When that time comes... You can do whatever you please. Hunt the beasts of the wild, protect your companions, live a long and healthy life..."

"When your body is completely healed... you will obtain a whole life... you will become our true family."

"When that time comes, we must carry on each other's wills."

Who knew that one has to bear so much pain to finally find their family.

"It hurts..."

He can no longer take it. The sound of agony finds its way through the cracks in his gritted teeth. However, the person by his side simply says:

"Unity of Discipuli Medici, the Immortality's true path. Pass this trial in safety, and victory would mean life."

"The mercy of Sanctus Medicus."

No one cares what he has to say, so he slowly grows accustomed to not talking.

"General, report! One hundred and seventeen of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have been captured and will be handed over to the Ten-Lords Commission for imprisonment."

"However, this young man has likely suffered torture with their medicines. Look..."

As he hides himself in the shadows, the woman being referred to as the "General" walks towards him. She had clearly already noticed his presence.

"When that time comes, we must carry on each other's wills."

The voice that resounds in his mind is devoid of emotion, yet day after day of being exposed to it causes him to raise his dagger at once.

However, in the blink of an eye, the dagger comes crashing to the ground.

"You wish to kill me?"

"You killed my family."

He notices a momentary unease in the eyes of the fox-eared woman.

"You count them as family?"

"They saved me. They are the only reason I am alive."

She lets go of the boy and shakes her head.

"I see you know nothing... Never mind. Someone will come to plan a home and life for you. Just follow them and you will be fine."

As she turns to leave, the boy stays crouched on the floor, simply staring at her back. He knows that this may be his final chance.

He picks up the dagger from the ground, jumps high into the air from behind her, and lunges forward.

"A fine attack!" She praises him.

This time, the dagger does not fall to the ground, as it ends in the woman's hands. However, he does not give up. He dodges left and right, and even gnaws at the woman's hand when that failed.

"It's not polite to bite people, you know... Ah, don't worry about me. Stand down... This child reminds me of how I was in the borisin war camp."

The woman does not fight back. She simply dodges his assaults. The young man is panting and out of breath, yet still desperately seeking a break in her defenses.

They stand in a stalemate.

"How about this? You can come back with me."

The woman pulls out a strale and hands it to the young man.

"I'll make a deal with you. Come with me, and you can challenge me whenever you please until the day that your vengeance is successful."

"What do you mean?"

"If you come with me, you can kill me any time you like."

Even the surrounding Verdant Knights were stupefied by her words.

"Of course, until the day you kill me, you must do as I tell you. You will eat three square meals every day, study, learn martial arts... Oh, and you will shower daily."

The young man swallows a heavy gulp.

"What about after I kill you?"

The woman was caught off-guard for a moment before erupting into loud laughter.

"Then, naturally, you will be free to do whatever you please."

"Who are you?"

He says nothing, but people who are staring death in the face tend to get chatty.

"I know. You're Feixiao's shadow guard. I'm right, aren't I? You've spent your whole life working in the shadows, doing things that should never see the light of day...

"How about I give you a chance? My master wants to know if the rumor of Feixiao having borisin blood is true. If we can reach an agreement, then when we take down Fei — AGH!"

Things are as he had suspected. So, he brings his mission to a swift end.

This is his duty as a shadow guard. There is no consideration for right or wrong... His actions are motivated only by orders.

This is because, to him, each successful mission is an opportunity... An opportunity for revenge.

"For every successful mission, you will earn one strale. One strale will buy you forgiveness after each assassination attempt."

He was once concerned that he would not be able to get close to Feixiao, yet he was assigned as Yaoqing's shadow guard and followed by her side at all times.

His assassination attempts were never successful, but through them, he had mastered the art of vanishing and reappearing like a ghost. This blade that strikes from the darkness is not only aimed at the general of the Yaoqing, but also the enemies of the Xianzhou Yaoqing. He is the omnipresent shadow.

"Are you... the crow-feather weirdo?"

Another mission complete. Sitting on the ground, the child timidly asks.

"They say the crow-feather weirdo beats up bad guys, punishes evil, and fights for good... but... The clothes he wears are so dark that no one can ever see him...

"You're so strong and your clothes are so dark, so, so... th—thank you for saving me!"

Punish evil and fight for good? That is never his motive. He just happens to save the boy while carrying out one of his missions. However, he has indeed become used to concealing himself within the shadows and keeping a watchful eye on all goings-on, not letting anything pass him.

In the sparkling eyes of the child in front of him, he can see himself clearly in his umbral clothes.

He walks in the darkness and stands in the darkness.

The crow-feather weirdo, the shadow guard... they are all parts of who he is.

The foxian healer half covers his face as he looks at the scene before him with great empathetic concern... Countless eyes, ears, tongues, teeth, limbs, and fur are sprouting from and falling off of the bodies in front of them, as if they are experiencing this final suffering in vain.

For the first time in forever, Moze feels a little uncomfortable. Not only because of the scene before him, but because it reminds him of his blurred memories of the past.

"The mercy of Sanctus Medicus... life without bounds.... old age never coming... the dead revitalizing..."

A crowd of Sanctus Medicus disciples huddles together. Though one of them is heavily wounded, those around them simply continue to murmur those familiar words.

"The divine traces of Abundance shall heal your body... quick. Drink this..."

"Suffering is temporary... you shall have a full life once more. you will not die in this mo... ment—"

In a flash, the speaker collapses to the ground. The black-clad shadow guard appears in the light before them and stands solemnly. Silence can not conceal the murderous rage that once again wells up inside him.

"These people are no longer people. They feel no pain... What about you, though? With wounds like those, are you going to tell me you feel no pain?"

The foxian healer sprinkles powder on his wounds and chatters away as always.

"We were originally here for reconnaissance. I told you we had a large force ready for backup. Why did you go ahead and take action?"

He does not say a word, simply looking down at the sharp, blood-coated dagger in his hands.

Over the years, through each and every mission he had completed, he had long since come to understand just what that former "family" of his was. However, he refuses to think about it in depth, nor would he acknowledge that his view had changed from all those years ago. If he did, what meaning would his vengeance and their vow have?

"Does that hurt?"

"..." He still refuses to speak.

The foxian healer decides to speed up his movements, wrapping his wounds in gauze and casually pressing down a little too hard.

"Ow..."

"If it hurts, then say it out loud. What good does enduring your pain do? Just seeing you like this is agony for me."

He nods.

He has become accustomed to not speaking, but also to having people speak on his behalf.