Storm of Shadows

Chapter 5

“What in the world is this place?!” Alan’s voice rose before he could stop himself. “Is this hell?!”

The man beside him abruptly turned and clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shhhh!”

His expression was stern as he glanced around to make sure nobody had heard Alan’s outburst. Then, noticing several guards watching them, he immediately bowed his head in a show of submission.

One of the armored figures approached.

Alan’s heart skipped.

He had no idea what would happen if the guards discovered he didn’t belong here, but judging by the fear in the faces of the people around him, he had no intention of finding out.

The guard stopped in front of them.

“Pray, what dost thou both stand about for? Go hence and assist in catching fish for Lord Sorrowshade, or find some other task to occupy thy worthless selves!”

The stranger immediately bowed.

“Of course, my lord. We shall do so at once.”

He seized Alan’s arm again and hurried away before the guard could question them further.

Alan followed reluctantly, his mind racing with questions.

Was he really in the afterlife? If this was a dream, why did everything feel so real? He could feel the sand beneath his feet, the breeze against his skin, and the rough fabric rubbing against his body.

Nothing about this place felt like an illusion.

It was as though he had been transported into another world, one where the past had come alive and the suffering he had endured in his own life had followed him.

And there was something even stranger.

The people weren’t speaking the English he knew. Their words sounded archaic, as though they belonged to a distant age, yet he could somehow understand them.

What’s going on?

Alan struggled to keep his breathing steady. He had faced monsters before, but at least he had understood what they were and how to fight them. Here, he didn’t even know what kind of situation he had been thrown into.

As they reached the river, the surroundings shifted and Alan found himself among other men engaged in the task of catching fish.

The stranger pushed Alan toward the others before leaning closer to him.

“Listen carefully. If we fail in our labors, the punishment that awaits us is more gruesome than death itself. Here, death is considered a luxury.”

Alan turned to look at him.

Before he could ask what he meant, a sharp crack rang through the air.

WHIP!

Everyone flinched.

An armored enforcer stood nearby, holding a long whip. Its tip had struck the back of an elderly man who had accidentally dropped a fish onto the sandy ground.

The old man cried out in pain and stumbled forward.

“How darest thou be so careless?!” the enforcer roared. “To let fall Lord Sorrowshade’s fish is an offense most grievous! Bind him forthwith and dispatch him to the mountain!”

The elderly man immediately fell to his knees.

“No! I beseech thee, have mercy! Spare me, I implore you! Condemn me not to the mountain. I am an old man, frail and…”

His plea was cut short by another vicious lash and the old man crumpled onto the sand, trembling as he tried to shield himself from the next blow.

Alan winced.

He had seen people die in domains, but there was something particularly disturbing about watching an old man beaten so mercilessly over a dropped fish.

The other slaves didn’t dare intervene. They simply lowered their heads and continued working, pretending they hadn’t witnessed anything.

Alan swallowed hard before turning toward his companion.

“Wh-What is on that mountain?”

The man’s expression darkened. “You would not wish to know.”

He glanced at Alan, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and suspicion. “I comprehend not why thou ventured into the castle, but that was the gravest folly one could attempt here on the Island of Sorrow.”

Alan frowned.

“The Island of Sorrow?”

The stranger stared at him as though he had asked an absurd question. “Why, of course. The Island of Sorrowshade. The domain of Lord Sorrowshade himself.”

Alan’s expression changed.

“Island of Sorrow… shade?”

His voice trailed off as he remembered the strange message that had appeared before him.

He hadn’t given it much thought earlier. He had been too confused by his surroundings and too concerned about the possibility of being dead.

But now, the message seemed far more significant.

【Welcome to the Island of Sorrow, Alan Frost. Prepare for your first trial.】

A trial?

Alan’s thoughts raced.

‘Why am I suddenly undergoing a trial? What does this have to do with my death? And if this really is a trial, what am I supposed to do?’

The instant the questions crossed his mind, the air in front of him shimmered.

A series of glowing symbols materialized before his eyes, floating in the air like fragments of light. They shifted and rearranged themselves, eventually forming words in the English alphabet.

Alan stared at the message.

【1st Trial: The Island of Sorrow】

【Objective: Defeat Lord Sorrowshade to proceed to the next trial.】

For several seconds, Alan remained motionless.

Then he slowly raised his head and looked toward the distant castle.

Defeat Lord Sorrowshade?