《Nightbane, A kid last nightmare.》 Chapter 1: A Truthful World Close to a Nightmare Chapter 1: A Truthful World Close to a Nightmare The boy was sitting inside the house. Black fire swept through everything, and his village was burning. The sound of burning trees enveloped the boy¡¯s ears, mixed with the screams of people and the frantic footsteps of those running. The boy covered his ears, closed his eyes, and lowered his head. This situation was too terrifying for him. It was the invasion of the Io Empire. The boy¡¯s village, located at the easternmost end of Edios near the Lu River, was an ideal target for frequent plundering by the Io Empire. Yet, no one left the village. The central government had issued an official notice claiming that the Lu River was too wide for the Io Empire to invade. But the result was this. The boy, following his mother¡¯s orders, never stepped outside the house. Even in the extreme fear induced by the screams, he did not move an inch. His eyes were already filled with tears, but they did not fall due to the pressure of terror and the guilt of his own helplessness. The boy knew. He knew that his parents had already been brutally killed by the soldiers of the Io Empire or had been taken as prisoners¡­ At that moment, a crimson and powerful light, like the sun, appeared before him. A man clad in silver armor extended his hand toward him. His face was obscured by the brilliance, but at the center of his silver armor was the symbol of Edios¡ªa lion with a mane like the sun. The boy lifted his trembling face and looked at him. To grasp his hand, the boy reached out. But he could not reach it. No, he was not allowed to. At that moment, Night opened his eyes. Seeing the familiar scenery, he calmed his pounding heart. The floor was covered with scattered hay, and a bundle of hay was used as a pillow. In front of him, gray brick walls filled his vision. Above, a barred window revealed the vast sea beyond. This was Ironclad, the prison closest to the world¡¯s edge, located at the easternmost point of the Io Empire. A prison made of iron, its name meant ¡°protected by iron.¡± This was where the Io Empire confined the hostages taken during their invasion of Edios. Night thought of the last photograph his mother had shown him before she was taken away. The warrior bathed in sunlight from his dreams was in that picture. The man who had been called the brightest hope of the kingdom had never come. Night had dreamed countless times of that warrior coming to save the village. Every time, he dismissed it as a nightmare and stretched his body. He lifted his bangs and tied his long hair at the back with a strand of straw. Just as he rubbed his eyes, the prison warden rang the bell to wake the prisoners. ¡°Get up, get up, you lazy worms!¡± The prisoners sluggishly got up and stood in front of their iron bars. The warden opened the cells and led them out. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout Ironclad. Aside from the quiet sound of steps, there was nothing but silence. When some prisoners began grumbling, the warden snapped. ¡°If anyone has complaints, speak up like a man!¡± At those words, all the prisoners fell silent. Night, already used to this scene, paid it no mind. Taken at the age of ten, Night had spent six years in this prison and was now sixteen. He was not released even though the war had ended long ago¡ªnot because the war continued, but because he had been abandoned. The war had actually ended in its fourth year. Night had learned this from new prisoners who were brought in. Yet, his homeland had never come for him. He had been sacrificed for peace. Night was angry and bitter but did not resent Edios. He still held admiration for the knight in silver armor. Thus, his goal was to earn the trust of the Io Empire and escape back to Edios. ¡°All right, since we have new inmates today, I¡¯ll go over Ironclad¡¯s rules.¡± The warden continued. ¡°After roll call, you¡¯ll have breakfast. Then, you¡¯ll begin work. Your assigned work varies¡ªlaundry, mining, crafting, and so on. You¡¯ll read about the details over there. After work, you¡¯ll have lunch. After lunch, you¡¯ll get thirty minutes of free time. Don¡¯t expect any outside contact. Once free time is over, you¡¯ll resume work. After that, you¡¯ll eat dinner, work again, and then lights out.¡± Night spoke up. ¡°You forgot one thing.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± The warden smirked. ¡°There¡¯s a special rule here. Some of you are imprisoned indefinitely. For you, the higher-ups have given a special opportunity. If you become proficient in mana and a skilled sword user, you may get a chance to participate in monster subjugation. If you do well, you might even join the knights. Of course, Ironclad has existed for a hundred years, and in all that time, only one knight has ever come from here. So don¡¯t get your hopes up. But if you work hard, you might at least become an errand boy for the knights.¡± This was Night¡¯s target. Unless Edios came to rescue him, he had no way to escape. After all, his crime was ¡°treason.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Yet, unlike most traitors, Night had not been sentenced to death. He had been taken as a hostage. Night spent all his time outside of work training. Every night before lights out, he sat cross-legged and practiced mana circulation. Mana control required continuous breathing techniques¡ªmana cultivation. Unlike those from noble families who inherited methods from their ancestors, Night had no guide. But he never gave up. All because of the silver-armored knight. That knight had mastered mana cultivation on his own and had risen to become the captain of the knights. Night wanted to follow in his footsteps. He could feel mana slowly gathering in his heart. On the right side of his chest, a mana core was forming. Everyone had a mana core, but it existed only as a dormant organ. To use mana, one had to awaken and develop it. The core grew by accumulating and condensing mana, increasing its overall capacity. Six years of relentless training had paid off. Night could now sense mana. He could feel the flow of mana, though he couldn¡¯t see it yet. When he closed his eyes, a world of mana unfolded before him. Night was overjoyed. His efforts had not been in vain. The mere possibility that he could achieve something meant the world to him. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the haystack. It wasn¡¯t that he had overexerted himself, but having just formed his mana core, his energy was limited. The next morning, it was not birdsong that woke the prisoners but a single ray of light beyond the iron bars. Yet, Night rose with a sense of satisfaction. As usual, the warden began roll call. Then, during the morning¡¯s work session¡ª ¡°Why the hell should I do this?!¡± A prisoner threw a fit. Assigned to mining, he angrily tossed his pickaxe aside. He was a muscular man, likely someone of considerable renown before imprisonment. Night sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had another one of these.¡± Shaking his head, Night picked up his pickaxe and moved to work. The unruly prisoner glared at him. Whether he had overheard Night¡¯s mutterings or simply found him an easy target, he stormed toward him with an unsettling expression. With a smirk, the prisoner clenched his fists and threw his pickaxe to the ground. His bare fists alone looked threatening enough. The warden noticed and shouted. ¡°Hey, you there!¡± Just before the prisoner¡¯s fist could slam into Night¡¯s stomach¡ª Night caught it. The entire prison went silent. Even the warden was stunned. They had all seen Night for six years and never thought much of him. He was a mere boy who had grown slightly taller. But now, the boy had changed. Here is the English translation of your text while preserving the original spacing and formatting. The protagonist¡¯s name is translated as ¡°Night,¡± and ¡°Nightbane¡± remains unchanged. Chapter 1: A Truthful World Close to a Nightmare The boy was sitting inside the house. Black fire swept through everything, and his village was burning. The sound of burning trees enveloped the boy¡¯s ears, mixed with the screams of people and the frantic footsteps of those running. The boy covered his ears, closed his eyes, and lowered his head. This situation was too terrifying for him. It was the invasion of the Io Empire. The boy¡¯s village, located at the easternmost end of Edios near the Lu River, was an ideal target for frequent plundering by the Io Empire. Yet, no one left the village. The central government had issued an official notice claiming that the Lu River was too wide for the Io Empire to invade. But the result was this. The boy, following his mother¡¯s orders, never stepped outside the house. Even in the extreme fear induced by the screams, he did not move an inch. His eyes were already filled with tears, but they did not fall due to the pressure of terror and the guilt of his own helplessness. The boy knew. He knew that his parents had already been brutally killed by the soldiers of the Io Empire or had been taken as prisoners¡­ At that moment, a crimson and powerful light, like the sun, appeared before him. A man clad in silver armor extended his hand toward him. His face was obscured by the brilliance, but at the center of his silver armor was the symbol of Edios¡ªa lion with a mane like the sun. The boy lifted his trembling face and looked at him. To grasp his hand, the boy reached out. But he could not reach it. No, he was not allowed to. At that moment, Night opened his eyes. Seeing the familiar scenery, he calmed his pounding heart. The floor was covered with scattered hay, and a bundle of hay was used as a pillow. In front of him, gray brick walls filled his vision. Above, a barred window revealed the vast sea beyond. This was Ironclad, the prison closest to the world¡¯s edge, located at the easternmost point of the Io Empire. A prison made of iron, its name meant ¡°protected by iron.¡± This was where the Io Empire confined the hostages taken during their invasion of Edios. Night thought of the last photograph his mother had shown him before she was taken away. The warrior bathed in sunlight from his dreams was in that picture. The man who had been called the brightest hope of the kingdom had never come. Night had dreamed countless times of that warrior coming to save the village. Every time, he dismissed it as a nightmare and stretched his body. He lifted his bangs and tied his long hair at the back with a strand of straw. Just as he rubbed his eyes, the prison warden rang the bell to wake the prisoners. ¡°Get up, get up, you lazy worms!¡± The prisoners sluggishly got up and stood in front of their iron bars. The warden opened the cells and led them out. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout Ironclad. Aside from the quiet sound of steps, there was nothing but silence. When some prisoners began grumbling, the warden snapped. ¡°If anyone has complaints, speak up like a man!¡± At those words, all the prisoners fell silent. Night, already used to this scene, paid it no mind. Taken at the age of ten, Night had spent six years in this prison and was now sixteen. He was not released even though the war had ended long ago¡ªnot because the war continued, but because he had been abandoned. The war had actually ended in its fourth year. Night had learned this from new prisoners who were brought in. Yet, his homeland had never come for him. He had been sacrificed for peace. Night was angry and bitter but did not resent Edios. He still held admiration for the knight in silver armor. Thus, his goal was to earn the trust of the Io Empire and escape back to Edios. ¡°All right, since we have new inmates today, I¡¯ll go over Ironclad¡¯s rules.¡± The warden continued. ¡°After roll call, you¡¯ll have breakfast. Then, you¡¯ll begin work. Your assigned work varies¡ªlaundry, mining, crafting, and so on. You¡¯ll read about the details over there. After work, you¡¯ll have lunch. After lunch, you¡¯ll get thirty minutes of free time. Don¡¯t expect any outside contact. Once free time is over, you¡¯ll resume work. After that, you¡¯ll eat dinner, work again, and then lights out.¡± Night spoke up. ¡°You forgot one thing.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± The warden smirked. ¡°There¡¯s a special rule here. Some of you are imprisoned indefinitely. For you, the higher-ups have given a special opportunity. If you become proficient in mana and a skilled sword user, you may get a chance to participate in monster subjugation. If you do well, you might even join the knights. Of course, Ironclad has existed for a hundred years, and in all that time, only one knight has ever come from here. So don¡¯t get your hopes up. But if you work hard, you might at least become an errand boy for the knights.¡± This was Night¡¯s target. Unless Edios came to rescue him, he had no way to escape. After all, his crime was ¡°treason.¡± Yet, unlike most traitors, Night had not been sentenced to death. He had been taken as a hostage. Night spent all his time outside of work training. Every night before lights out, he sat cross-legged and practiced mana circulation. Mana control required continuous breathing techniques¡ªmana cultivation. Unlike those from noble families who inherited methods from their ancestors, Night had no guide. But he never gave up. All because of the silver-armored knight. That knight had mastered mana cultivation on his own and had risen to become the captain of the knights. Night wanted to follow in his footsteps. He could feel mana slowly gathering in his heart. On the right side of his chest, a mana core was forming. Everyone had a mana core, but it existed only as a dormant organ. To use mana, one had to awaken and develop it. The core grew by accumulating and condensing mana, increasing its overall capacity. Six years of relentless training had paid off. Night could now sense mana. He could feel the flow of mana, though he couldn¡¯t see it yet. When he closed his eyes, a world of mana unfolded before him. Night was overjoyed. His efforts had not been in vain. The mere possibility that he could achieve something meant the world to him. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the haystack. It wasn¡¯t that he had overexerted himself, but having just formed his mana core, his energy was limited. The next morning, it was not birdsong that woke the prisoners but a single ray of light beyond the iron bars. Yet, Night rose with a sense of satisfaction. As usual, the warden began roll call. Then, during the morning¡¯s work session¡ª ¡°Why the hell should I do this?!¡± A prisoner threw a fit. Assigned to mining, he angrily tossed his pickaxe aside. He was a muscular man, likely someone of considerable renown before imprisonment. Night sighed. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we had another one of these.¡± Shaking his head, Night picked up his pickaxe and moved to work. The unruly prisoner glared at him. Whether he had overheard Night¡¯s mutterings or simply found him an easy target, he stormed toward him with an unsettling expression. With a smirk, the prisoner clenched his fists and threw his pickaxe to the ground. His bare fists alone looked threatening enough. The warden noticed and shouted. ¡°Hey, you there!¡± Just before the prisoner¡¯s fist could slam into Night¡¯s stomach¡ª Night caught it. The entire prison went silent. Even the warden was stunned. They had all seen Night for six years and never thought much of him. He was a mere boy who had grown slightly taller. But now, the boy had changed.