Hello guys, this time I got a bit darker stuff for you and not only that, this is going to be my first multichaptered work. Hope you like it and review it. Critique is asked for!
Moonlight was one way to hide in the shadows. Carefully a man sat one foot in front of the other, sliding his feet over the floor his feet so he would not make a single sound. He was careful, trying to avoid the noisy tiles in the parquet. Years of training had perfected his sneaking, and since he was on familiar ground he was basically undetectable. Zed was confident in his abilities, nobody could sense him now.
Slowly, he slid open a bamboo door and sneaked through another corridor until he stood in front of a large metal door, leading to the library of his clan. It had not been too hard to figure out where his master hid the keys. Not that it mattered; after all he knew he had to acquire knowledge, Shen had no clue of. Akali had given him the tip; she was the first to hear there were forbidden techniques inside of the library… she said it was just a rumor, but Zed believed it to be true… it had to be true. How else could he finally defeat his rival?
The metal of the key was warmed by his hand as he stood there motionlessly for a few moments. As he realized his short slack he quietly inserted the key in the slit before he heard a silent click, just enough to make it obvious that the door was unlocked. As quickly as possible he slipped into the library, closing the door behind him, but not without pulling the key off. He didn't want to be discovered after all.
His feet barely moved as he felt the thrill of adrenaline filling his blood. Yes, he was doing something forbidden, but for some reason it made him feel excited. He snapped back to reality when he realized he was not allowed to waste any time. He carefully sat one foot in front of the other, going farther and farther back into rows of books and scrolls with more and more advanced techniques… but he was not aiming for those. He was aiming higher!
The ninja in training scurried up to a small pedestal that he had observed before. The small box on it, ornate with several ancient looking figures, was the object of Zed's desire. All he wanted was in this box. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he guessed it was going to teach him how to finally beat Shen and make his master proud.
He tilted his head, going into a squat to get a different angle on the pedestal. Yes, from this point of view it was obvious where the traps were. Several small strings and two pressure tiles that were meant to be activate and alarm everybody as soon as he triggered even one of them. But since he knew about them now… well they wouldn't stop him now.
He memorized the traps as best as possible as he began to slither forward, carefully stepping over the first string. Before he set his foot onto the floor he made a little spin to the side not to land on the pressure plate, while also ducking under the second string. He was nearly there. Moving forward, he dodged the other tree pressure tiles and got over all the other traps they had prepared to protect what was hidden in the box on the pedestal.
The moment had come. Licking his lips in anticipation, he put his hand on the lid of the casket. It wasn't even locked to his surprise… well they probably thought that it was enough to have it behind so many traps. Zed chuckled as he took a look inside looking at the scroll that featured a faceless mask and red glowing eyes staring at him from the silver ornament.
Suddenly he felt a cold rush inside of him, as if somebody had switched out his beating heart with an ice block. It was a miraculous yet unsettling feeling. He knew, that something bad was about to happen, however he reminded himself to stay strong and determined. Since he was a child, he learned that danger was always a friend on his way to experience. However, as hard as he tried to stay strong he still felt icy in his chest and could swear he even heard a deep, sinister laughter in the back of his mind. And with that, a flash bleached his mind white for a moment as knowledge he didn't know existed streamed into his head, filling up with a new art. The Art of the Shadows.
His supernatural experience got interrupted when he heard a noise behind him; somebody was coming! He laid down the casket, carefully closing the lid, before he used his newfound knowledge, shifting into the shadows of the library. And as the door opened, Zed was no longer in there and his master stood inside of the empty room, murmuring: "I feel like something bad is about to happen."