Chapter 1: The Deal in Silver Hollow

The day I found Crescent Hollow in Silver Hollow Woods, Old Man Bodhi told me a story—the one about Eve patching the sky.

I remember the hush in those woods—the way sunlight filtered through the leaves, turning everything dusty gold—and Old Man Bodhi’s voice, raspy but gentle, carrying the weight of old legends. He said that before Eve mended the heavens, every living thing in the world had the potential to awaken and become something more—something divine.

He spoke as if he’d seen it himself. Eyes distant. Hands tracing shapes in the air. That hole in the sky was the source of all the magic and wonder that flowed between earth and the stars.

So when it was sealed, humans lost their shot at immortality—and even the gods started to fade, one by one. His words hung in the air like a warning. Or maybe a promise.

It was my first night after leaving St. Michael’s Abbey. That’s when Percy Boone found me.

It was the kind of cold that sinks into your bones. The moonlight fell through the pines, and I was sure I was alone until Percy’s voice—always a little too cheerful, a little too sly—cut through the dark. He called out, “How about Old Percy makes you a deal?”

I was stunned for a second. My voice cracked. I tried to sell it with a smirk, just like Sam used to, doing my best to mimic Sam Hawkins’s cocky tone: “You lunkhead, what kind of mess are you stirring up now?”

“Quit the act. You’re not fooling anybody,” Percy said, shaking his head with a crooked grin. He flicked a twig off his jacket—casual, but his eyes were sharp as flint.

Sam’s a free spirit—bold and brash. But you? Always scheming. Sam would leap into a fight without thinking, but you... you’re always looking over your shoulder.

At first, Old Percy wasn’t sure. But after what happened at St. Michael’s...

As Percy spoke, he laughed. “Come to think of it, your powers are just like Sam’s. Honestly, you shouldn’t have ended up so pathetic... until the Western Bishop stepped in.” He paused. “Then Old Percy finally got it: what you’re really afraid of is the man backing that Blond-Browed Kid.”

Percy’s words were sharp, full of mockery. He grinned, but there was no kindness in it. Just that glint in his eye, like he knew something I didn’t.

There was nothing left to argue. Anger welled up inside me, sharp and nameless. My fists clenched tight enough to make my knuckles ache, but I kept my voice low.

I held it in, my face hot. All I could do was mumble, “What kind of deal do you want, Percy?”

Hearing that, Percy slumped down on the grass like a popped balloon. His act dropped away. Suddenly he looked older, tired in the moonlight.

After a long pause, he rolled up his sleeve and wiped away a tear. “Do you really think this trip is just about escorting Reverend Thomas?”

“Huh?” I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his tone.

Percy sneered. “They call it an escort, but it’s more like a prison transfer.”

His words threw me. I felt the prickle of unease crawl up my spine.

But instead of answering, he hit me with another question:

He leaned closer. “Do you know the story of Eve patching the sky?”

Percy went on:

“They say back in the earliest days, a world-ending disaster struck the Three Realms.

Luckily, Mother Eve used her power to forge five-colored stones and patch the heavens. She cut the legs off the Great Leviathan to hold up the four corners, calmed the floods, slew the monsters, balanced light and dark, and drove out evil, so all living things could survive...

But ‘living things’ in this story only means mortals.

Because the disaster of the sky falling and the earth cracking wasn’t enough to kill the gods.

On the contrary, when the sky broke, a strange energy from beyond the stars poured in.

This energy would kill mortals on contact, but the gods could absorb it and gain endless life..."

Percy looked up at the sky, talking more to himself than to me.

“Now that millions of years have passed, how much longer do you think those gods—cut off from that energy—can survive?”

Percy’s words stunned me. Suddenly, the world felt bigger, older, and way more dangerous than I’d ever let myself believe.

But I knew he wasn’t just making it up. Not this time.

Deep down, I knew—even if you reach the highest heights, life isn’t truly endless.

Still, I didn’t get it. What did any of this have to do with ‘escorting’ Reverend Thomas west?

Percy pulled himself together, like he could sense my confusion.

He kept going:

“Because before Mother Eve patched the sky for good, a golden cicada slipped through the crack from beyond the world.

After Eve gave her last, that golden cicada wandered a long time and finally ended up with someone in the Western Sanctuary...

After getting the golden cicada, the Western Priests soon discovered it contained the secret of immortality—

Literally, the real deal...”

Percy snorted.

“The Western Bishop took the golden cicada as his disciple, hoping to unlock the secret. But after millions of years, he’s never cracked it.”

Percy looked at me and explained, “So this time, he invited all the beings of the Three Realms to ‘share immortality’—but really, he ordered us to escort Reverend Thomas west—basically forcing everyone to help crack the secret.”

Percy’s words hit me like a lightning strike. My mind spun as the truth slammed into place.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

No wonder there are rumors that eating a piece of Reverend Thomas’s flesh grants immortality. Turns out, it’s not just a story. Not this time.

No wonder most of the monsters we ran into came from the heavens.

No wonder those monsters always went after Thomas, but never really hurt him...