The Throne of the Devoured God

The rain in the lower ring did not wash things clean; it only turned the filth into a thick, choking mud.

Lu Feng sprinted through the narrow alleyway, his feet splashing violently into deep puddles of stagnant water. His chest burned with every ragged breath he took, but his fingers gripped the damp paper wrapping of a stale loaf of bread like it was made of solid gold. Right behind him, the heavy, rhythmic thud of armored boots echoed against the rotting wooden walls of the slums.

"Hurry up," Wei Xuan shouted, his voice cracking from exhaustion. "They are gaining on us."

Lu Feng did not look back. He took a sharp left turn, sliding slightly on the slick mud before stabilizing himself. He ducked under a low hanging clothesline and dove straight through the shattered wooden doorway of an abandoned temple. Wei Xuan tumbled in right after him, immediately pressing his back against the rotting door to force it shut.

They held their breath, freezing in the absolute darkness of the ruined sanctuary. Outside, the heavy footsteps of the market guards rushed past the alleyway, their angry shouts fading into the steady roar of the downpour.

Only when the silence returned did Lu Feng finally let out a long, shaky exhale. He collapsed onto the cold stone floor, coughing slightly as he held up the stolen prize.

"We actually made it," Lu Feng said, a breathless grin breaking across his mud-stained face. He tore the loaf of bread precisely in half, offering the larger piece to his friend. "Eat quickly before someone else smells it."

Wei Xuan grabbed the bread with trembling hands and shoved a massive piece into his mouth. He chewed aggressively, his eyes wide and hollow from days of starvation. After swallowing hard, he looked around the leaking roof of the temple and sighed.

"I am tired of running, Lu Feng," Wei Xuan whispered, staring down at the remaining crust in his hand. "I am tired of eating trash, sleeping in the mud, and hiding like a rat every time a noble carriage passes by the main street."

Lu Feng took a small bite of his own portion, savoring the dry texture. "We will get out of here. We promised each other, remember? We rise together or we die together. We just need to survive until the next selection."

"The upper districts," Wei Xuan murmured, a distant look appearing in his eyes. "Do you think the sky is actually blue up there? Down here, the smoke from the inner factories makes everything look like a permanent bruise."

"I know it is blue," Lu Feng said firmly, leaning his head back against a cracked pillar. "My mother told me about it before she passed. She said up there, the fountains flow with clean water, and the buildings are made of white marble that shines in the sun. And the Soul Titans they ride are as massive as mountains, with feathers that look like spun silver."

Wei Xuan looked at his own dirty hands, curling them into tight fists. "If I ever get the chance to bond with a Titan, I will never look down at this place again. I will build a fortress so high that the mud can never touch my shoes."

"And you will take me with you, right?" Lu Feng nudged his shoulder, laughing softly. "You cannot leave your favorite brother behind to starve."

Wei Xuan forced a small smile, though it did not quite reach his eyes. "Of course. We are a team. We have survived the worst winters in the lower ring. Nothing separates us."

Suddenly, the air inside the temple grew incredibly heavy. The temperature plummeted so fast that Lu Feng could see his own breath misting in the darkness. The familiar scent of rain and rot vanished, replaced by the sharp, metallic smell of ozone and burning incense.

Lu Feng stood up instantly, his survival instincts screaming. "Wei Xuan, get up. Something is wrong."

Before Wei Xuan could answer, the front doors of the temple exploded inward.

The rotten wood shattered into a thousand tiny splinters as a massive wave of golden energy swept through the room. Lu Feng was thrown backward, crashing hard against the altar base. He groaned, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears as the smoke began to clear.

Bright, glowing lanterns attached to long silver poles illuminated the ruined temple. A line of imperial guards clad in polished crimson armor entered first, their long spears pointed directly at the two boys.

"Stand down, lowborn scum," the lead guard barked, his voice booming under the hollow roof.

Behind the guards stepped a man who looked like he belonged to a completely different world. He wore long, flowing violet robes embroidered with gold thread, and a massive jade medallion hung from his waist. His face was pale, smooth, and entirely devoid of any human emotion. This was a high noble from the inner ring.

"Lord Cao," the lead guard said, bowing deeply to the noble. "The energy trace led us directly to this location. The compatible bloodline is definitely inside this room."

Lord Cao did not speak. He merely raised a slender hand, and a small, floating silver needle materialized above his palm. The needle glowed with a faint, eerie blue light as it drifted forward, hovering in the air between Lu Feng and Wei Xuan.

Lu Feng tried to pull Wei Xuan back, but his body felt pinned to the floor by the sheer pressure of the noble's presence. The silver needle bypassed Lu Feng entirely, zipping straight toward Wei Xuan. It pierced the skin of Wei Xuan's index finger before he could even scream.

A single drop of blood was drawn into the hollow center of the needle.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, the needle began to shake violently. The faint blue light snapped, replaced by a blinding, radiant golden flare that filled every corner of the dark temple. The golden light was so intense that it cast long, deep shadows against the stone walls, reflecting beautifully in the puddles on the floor.

Lord Cao gasped, his cold demeanor completely melting away as he took a step forward. "The golden sun compatibility. It is absolute. It is pure. We have found the perfect vessel for the divine core."

The guards immediately dropped to their knees, their armor clinking against the stone. "Hail the new light of the empire," they shouted in unison.

Lu Feng stared at the glowing golden light, his heart swelling with an overwhelming sense of joy. The starvation, the running, the cold nights in the mud—it was all over. His brother had been chosen. They were finally going to the upper districts. They were saved.

"Wei Xuan, you did it," Lu Feng shouted, trying to lift himself up from the floor. "We made it out. We are actually leaving this place."

Wei Xuan did not look back at him. He was staring at his own finger, his eyes reflecting the brilliant golden glow. The fear that had defined his face for years seemed to vanish in an instant, replaced by a strange, hollow coldness.

Lord Cao stepped closer to Wei Xuan, reaching into his silk robes. He pulled out a single, polished silver coin and tossed it casually onto the dirty floor. The coin rolled across the mud, stopping right at Wei Xuan's feet.

"You are a noble now, boy," Lord Cao said, his voice smooth and dangerous. "Your old life is officially dead. But before we depart for the upper district palace, we must clear away the remnants of your past."

Lord Cao tilted his head slightly, glancing over at Lu Feng, who was still struggling to stand against the altar.

"Tell me, young master Wei Xuan," Lord Cao asked, pointing a manicured finger at Lu Feng. "What should we do with the worthless trash sitting beside you?"

Lu Feng looked at Wei Xuan, waiting for his brother to speak up, waiting for him to say the words that would bring them both into the light. He smiled slightly, expecting the familiar reassurance they had shared just moments ago.

Wei Xuan slowly reached down and picked up the silver coin from the mud. He wiped the dirt off it with his thumb, his gaze completely steady. Then, he finally turned his head to look Lu Feng dead in the eyes. There was no apology in his expression. There was no regret, no sadness, and no memory of the bread they had just shared. There was only a deep, consuming hunger for the power that had just been offered to him.

"The trash can be used for the awakening ritual," Wei Xuan said, his voice entirely flat. "I will need a blood sacrifice to ignite my core tonight anyway. Take him."