4 The Piercing Ligh (1/2)

It was late at night. Su Ming laid on his bed and looked at the darkness around him, unable to sleep. His elder’s words kept repeating themselves in his head and he kept remembering the scene from eight years ago.

With a long sigh, Su Ming sat up and quietly pushed open his wooden door. A light breeze blew through his messy hair. The breeze felt cooling, as if it had arrived with the night to cool down the earth.

It was quiet. There were only a few soft cries from birds and other animals from Dark Mountain, which was located in the distance. The settlement was mostly dark. The only sources of light were from the bonfire in the center of the tribe. Some of its embers scattered into the air. There were also torches placed on the giant wooden wall around the tribe, which seem to crackle as they burned in the night.

Su Ming lifted his head and looked at the sky. The moon and stars shone brightly in the sky, and it was a sight to behold. The river of stars seemed to never end, and it gradually clouded Su Ming’s eyes with uncertainty.

‘The tribesmen are kind to me…but it’s obvious that I look different from them… Perhaps this is the reason why I failed when I worshiped the statue of the God of Berserkers…

‘Without a Berserker Body, it will be impossible for me to train in Berserker Arts, then I will be trapped here forever, unable to leave, unable to see the world as depicted in the beast skin scroll…’

Su Ming sat down quietly outside and leaned against his house. As he looked at the sky, his uncertainty grew stronger.

Right at that moment, a melodious whine echoed in the air gently. The sorrow in the notes seemed to have fused with the moon and melted into the ground beneath Dark Mountain Tribe.

Su Ming frowned. His straying thoughts were broken by that melody, and he knew without even having to stand and look that his tribesman, Liu Di, was playing the xun again.

Liu Di was a low leveled Berserker. His favorite past time was to play that strange xun. The songs from that instrument were incredibly sorrowful, and every single time Su Ming heard it, he would be affected by some degree of sadness, which was why he did not really like those songs.

”Since the creation of the world and of man, the Berserker Tribe has existed and it still exists to this date… The people who hold the Berserker’s Power are known as Berserkers. They can fly in the skies, move mountains and turn the tides in the sea…Those who have the Berserker Mark can read the future and obtain the power of the sun, moon, and stars…” The young man looked at the sky and murmured softly as he sat in a corner in Dark Mountain Tribe that night.

At that time, he did not realize that the black stone hanging from his neck was emitting a dim glow once again…

Time passed by quickly and the third day arrived.

As it was the day of the Initiation for the La Sus in Dark Mountain Tribe, the entire tribe bustled with activity that morning. Almost all the tribesmen came out with their La Sus and gathered at the square.

An entire day was required for the Berserker’s Initiation ritual, especially for the La Sus who were 16 years old. It was like a coming of age ceremony. The La Sus who had completed the Berserker’s Initiation could even choose their own partners on this day.

Drum rolls with a strange rhythmic pattern resounded in the tribe. Backed by the drum roll, the La Sus stepped forward from the crowd and stood in the center.

There were approximately 30 people participating in the Berserker’s Initiation this time. Most of them were teenagers. Although they were still young, their bodies were strong and muscular, and they exuded an air of toughness.

Even the girls had a similar build to the men. Hence, Su Ming was especially eye-catching among the crowd. He looked clean and handsome, an odd addition to his surroundings.

Even so, the people there already accepted Su Ming a long time ago. Even though he looked different from the rest of them, they did not ostracize him but accepted him as part of the tribe.

Once they surrounded the La Sus who were ready to partake in the Initiation, Dark Mountain Tribe performed a traditional dance as a sign of worship to heaven. By doing so, they used their bodies to convey their respect and sacrifice to heaven and earth.

”Su Ming, I heard from the others that you also went to Dark Dragon Mountain and even got some Dark Dragon’s Saliva?” A good-natured voice sounded from Su Ming’s side amidst the cheers from their dancing tribe members.

It was a young man of the same age as Su Ming. His skin was rough and he had a large build, almost twice Su Ming’s size. His eyes were bright and he smiled boyishly as he looked at Su Ming.

Su Ming smiled weakly as he looked at the young man speaking to him. The youth’s name was Lei Chen. He was one of his few close friends within the tribe.

”I brought some back. I went to look for you yesterday but your father said you went with the hunting team to the mountains. Once the Initiation ceremony ends, come to my place and get some.”

Lei Chen lit up brightly and moved towards him, the boyish smile still on his face.

”I could have returned earlier, but we ran into a mink deer on our way back. I remember you said that you needed mink deer blood for your medicine so I followed it. That’s why I came back late.”

Su Ming knew that while his friend spoke of the encounter like it was no big deal, mink deer were exceptionally hard to kill and were very dangerous. Hence, he felt touched when he heard his friend’s words.

As the two of them spoke, the cheers around them gradually grew silent and the crowd made way for the elder. The elder wore a sack cloth and held a black cane made of bone in his hand. He walked towards the teenagers as he was escorted by a few tribe members.

His appearance brought about silence. The teenagers looked at him respectfully, obviously afraid of the man.

”Offer the sacrifice to our Berserker Ancestors!” His grandfather’s eyes were bright as he looked at the people gathered around him, his gaze pausing momentarily on Su Ming. As he spoke, he waved the black cane in his right hand. Immediately, several well built men stepped forward from within the crowd. Each of them carried with them a tied up wild beast on their shoulders.

The wild beasts were still alive and crying out in rage. They struggled fiercely but to no avail.

There were 49 different types of beasts and they were all lifted up moments later to be placed around the teenagers. Their cries resounded throughout the settlement, and their cries sounded like they had the power to pierce through souls. Yet, they were surrounded by the tribesmen of Dark Mountain Tribe. They were pressed down, making it impossible for them to break free.

The men standing by the beasts did not hesitate. All of them lowered their heads at the same time and took out sharp stone knives in their left hands.They then stabbed the beasts’ throats, cutting off their heads in the process.

Their cries were cut off abruptly as they were beheaded. It was a shocking sight and it made some of the La Sus partaking in the ritual turn pale in fear.

Su Ming also looked pale but he bit his lip and bore through it. He cast a glance at Lei Chen and saw that his friend’s eyes were filled with a scary glint screaming out for blood as if he was used to it or even enjoyed it. He looked completely different from the good-natured person Su Ming spoke to earlier.

More fresh blood spilled forth like a fountain and filled the air with a foul stench. The blood splattered onto the La Sus, on their hair, their bodies and the ground under their feet.

”You are fortunate because there are no longer any wars between tribes. But at the same time, you are unfortunate…” The elder looked at the teenagers standing before him and spoke softly.

”When I was young and went through my Initiation, I had to behead one of our enemies and drink their blood to complete my Berserker’s Initiation.”