WBDS Prologue

Prologue:

The Moonshadow Phantom Thief

“So-ye, run!”

“At least you must escape!”

Voices of her siblings shouted behind her.

They weren’t related by blood.

They were just children born under the same sky and dragged into the same hell.

Deep beneath a steep, jagged mountain, abandoned children were locked away.
So-ye was one of them.

“Aaaah!”

A scream rang out behind her.

So-ye covered her ears and ran.

“My mom used to run a noodle shop in Anhui.”

“Please tell grandma I went far away to sell things.”

“My little brother… my brother…”

The children, including So-ye, were used for the glory of the Cult.

Their talents, their lives — even their blood and flesh.

This place was the Ten Thousand Great Mountains…

The stronghold of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

And So-ye had barely managed to escape from this hell.

Carrying unspoken words and unfulfilled wishes, she fled to the Central Plains (the civilized world).

Surviving each day was a struggle. Though she had learned martial arts from the cult, it wasn’t proper martial arts.

She had to constantly hide from the cult’s pursuers who might show up at any time.

She couldn’t stay in one place for long. She couldn’t form deep connections.

Of course, she couldn’t find a proper job either.

But somehow, she survived — because So-ye had an unexpected talent.

She was a thief.

“It’s the Moonshadow Phantom Thief! She’s here again!”

That’s how good she was — so good she became known as the Moonshadow Phantom Thief (월영신투).

Most thieves aim not to be caught. But the Moonshadow Phantom Thief was different.

Ordinary thieves would sneak into rich homes.

But she?

She broke into forbidden places:
The royal palace, the Sa Pae Sect, even the library of the Shaolin Temple.

Even if the victims tried to deny it, her name spread like wildfire. Because before every heist, she always sent a warning letter.

“Hmph, don’t you know what the Moonshadow Phantom Thief is about?”

“She steals from the unjust,” they say.

Becoming a thief was partly just to survive. But when she ran through the night air, she felt truly alive.

Even with all her fame, So-ye always managed to escape. But no thief sings a happy tune forever.

Even the legendary Moonshadow Phantom Thief would meet her end.

“Moonshadow Phantom Thief…”

Through her darkening vision, a blurry figure appeared.

A masked person pointed a sword at her and asked:

“Where did you hide it?”

Splurt! So-ye coughed up blood.

“…In my treasure vault,” she said, teasing even now.

“Across mountains and rivers… everyone knows it, but no one can reach it…”

Her dying words were a mix of teasing and riddles.

Her chest rose and fell for the last time.
As she let out her final breath, death — long awaited — arrived.

Ah…
Now maybe I can finally see my siblings who went before me…