Ray stood beside Isle, now renamed White, the First Dagger of the 13 Cross.
He held two ancient scrolls—inked in crimson and black, sealed with symbols that pulsed like living things.
"These," Ray said, "are not favors. They're foundations."
He handed White the first:
> Footless Walk – Chapter 1
A supreme stealth movement art that silences even intent.
Then the second:
> Blood Dragon Style – Chapter 1
A ferocious assassination form inspired by dragons who kill with one strike, then vanish.
White's hands trembled.
"These are..." he whispered, "...for me?"
Ray's voice was calm. "This world has hidden masters. These two techniques are among the highest. In this palace, only shadows will survive. You will learn both."
He placed a pouch on the table—glowing spiritual materials, pills, condensed qi crystals, rare herbs.
> "You have two months."
White bowed so deeply, his forehead touched the floor.
> "I will master them or die."
---
The Hidden Chamber
Behind Ray's chambers was an unused spiral staircase, hidden behind a false wall.
All princes were given secret training quarters under the palace—a long-forgotten tradition.
But Ray never used his. Until now.
He pressed the tile with the Phoenix Seal.
> Click.
The wall groaned and slid open.
Ray and White stepped into the stone chamber below. It was empty, cold, quiet—and perfect.
> "This," Ray said, "is the first nest. The beginning of 13 Cross."
A single chair. A lone table. Stone walls and torchlight.
Nothing extravagant. Only silence and secrecy.
> "We are not a faction. Not a cult. We are memory and blade."
> "This is our first headquarter. Thirteen will gather here—thirteen daggers to shatter the sky."
Ray turned to White.
> "Train here. Eat here. Sleep here. From today, this chamber is yours."
---
System Prompt – Headquarters Registered
> [DING!]
13 Cross Headquarters Established.
Location: Sub-Level, Prince Ray's Quarters
Base Status: Basic Outpost
Member: White (1/13)
Assigned Role: Shadow Blade
Techniques Assigned: Footless Walk Ch.1, Blood Dragon Style Ch.1
Resources Provided: 1200 Spirit Points worth
HQ Bonuses Unlocked:
5% Technique Learning Boost
10% Concealment Barrier
Thirteen shall rise.
Time Skip – Three Months Later
In the depths below Ray's chamber, the sound of footwork striking air echoed through stone.
> Ssshh—step.
Whoosh—slice.
Fade—vanish.
White, the First Dagger, moved like silence given form.
His eyes no longer blinked from fear—only precision. His limbs moved with the rhythm of Footless Walk, and his strikes curved with the savagery of the Blood Dragon Style.
His shadow split in two, then three—like ripples in reality.
Ray stood quietly in the darkness, arms folded, watching.
> "Excellent is not enough to describe you anymore," Ray whispered.
White paused only to bow. "I must become worthy of the blade you gave me."
---
The Technique of Darkness
In the second month, Ray had unlocked another technique through the system:
> Darkness – Chapter 1
Cost: 400 Points
A cloak of nothingness. Hidden in plain sight. A predator in blind daylight.
Ray didn't hoard it.
He shared it with White.
"You are the First Cross," Ray said. "You won't just walk in shadows… you will become one."
---
Missions in Blood
During the third month, Ray secretly accepted missions from the underground society, using the Faceless Technique to disguise himself.
Silent killings, beast hunts, courier assassinations, gang disruptions.
Each successful kill returned rewards.
> On one such mission, deep in the Moonlit Vale, he found a nest of cursed dragon eggs.
Only 13 survived. Unlike others, these were not ordinary dragons.
They were Blood Dragons—black-scaled, razor-edged, and pulsing with red light under moonlight.
> "A black dragon when shone by the moon glows blood red... and kills with elegance."
Ray stored them all into the system vault, but the first… he kept for White.
---
The Bonding Ritual
Inside the chamber, Ray stood before White and pulled a black orb from a silver box.
It pulsed. It breathed.
> A Blood Dragon egg.
Ray's voice was solemn.
> "Drip your blood onto it."
White bit his thumb without hesitation. The blood struck the egg with a hiss—and the egg glowed red, like it had waited its whole life for that drop.
> CRACK!
From within, a thin, serpentine creature slithered out—two horns, blood eyes, black wings.
It screeched—and vanished into White's body like smoke.
---
The Vow of the Cross
Ray placed his hand on White's shoulder.
> "He is yours. If you grow, he grows. If you kill, he kills. If you live, he lives. If you die…"
White spoke, voice like stone, "Then he shall die with me."
Ray nodded.
> "This is the first blood pact of the 13 Cross. Our bond isn't written in scrolls... it's carved in blood."
As the Blood Dragon vanished into White's back, a red mark appeared below his neck.
A burning cross of white flame—a mark of death.
It glowed once, then faded to stillness.
---
System Prompt – Dragon Bond Registered
> [DING!]
Blood Dragon Bond: First Cross Established.
Dragon: [Unnamed]
Element: Shadow Flame
Potential: Evolvable
Status: Linked
Thirteen shall ride with fire in their breath and silence on their feet.
---