The singur bulb of the basement cast a soft, ethereal glow across the room, illuminating the dust that hung zily in the air. Under this gentle light, a man and a woman were deeply absorbed in a game of chess. The man occasionally rustled his dark hair, leaning backward in his chair. The only sound was the faint ticking of a old clock. The man smirked,already pnning his next move.
"You're killing me." The woman said,breaking the silence.
"Maybe you're just bad at chess,"The man said,clearly amused."Seyeong-Lin." He cornered Seyeong's king and forced a checkmate,securing his victory.
"Ugh Dang it,Hyeong-Kim!" Seyeong turned the chessboard off the cardboard box they were using. The bulb flickered,as though her anger had frightened it. Hyeong silently counted his fingers. "That's the fifth time I've beat her." All of Hyeong's elders considered him a god at chess. In fact, his crazy uncle thought he was a sorcerer and "Warrior of the Dragon Cn".
Seyeong stood up quickly."Sorry for getting mad like that." She turned around and walked halfway up the stairs."Anyway,I'll see you tomorrow." She said without looking back. She walked back up the stairs that led into the kitchen. Hyeong coughed while inhaling the dusty basement air. Out of nowhere,he heard a thumping sound. Like someone banging against a door. Out of curiosity, Hyeong moved closer but stopped himself.
No,I'm not dumb like the protagonists in movies. I'm not about to open a door to a possible murderer.
Then it happened. His hand began to spark,electricity arching through his fingers.
"What the fu-" He didn't get to finish his sentence before he was practically pulled by his own hand towards the noise. As he drew closer,he found the source of the noise,a old chest. His hand stopped and the electricity ceased. The chest was shaking and rumbling. Hyeong noticed engravings on the chest. He reached out and ran his finger over the markings.There was a audible pop and then the thumping stopped. He leaned forward and carefully opened the chest.
Please don't be a dead body. Don't be a dead body...
As he flung open the chest, a rush of adrenaline surged through him, making his heart skip a beat as a figure leaped out at him. The movement was a blur, zipping past the corner of his eye, causing him to instinctively back away.
His breath caught in his throat as he turned to see what had come out the chest .To his surprise, a book began hovering in the air just before him. The cover, covered with the same intricate markings he had seen on the chest, seemed to glow a vibrant blue. Its pages fluttered gracefully, as if caressed by an unseen breeze.
"Welcome,new warrior." The book said,its voice automated and robotic. He could almost feel the energy in the air, and noticed his hands were sparking with that now familiar blue lightning.
"Ha..." Hyeon felt that he was losing his mind. "I'm no warrior. This is just a damn dream."
The book moved closer to him,the energy in the air growing denser. The book went up to his face and gave him a papercut.
"Ow,What the hell man?" Hyeong instinctively reached for his injury.
"To show you you're not dreaming. I have waited decades for another warrior to come. I think you'll be the strongest." The book said,excited. "Now come along,we got work to do." The book motioned for Hyeong to follow.
"This doesn't mean I fully trust you,but where are we going?" Hyeong said,clearly dumbfounded.
The book simply fluttered its pages. "To go train to become the strongest."