Chapter 1: Released From Prison

“I’m finally out!” Jared Chance exclaimed, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Behind him loomed Horington Prison, his home for the past three years. Today was his release day.

“Hmm, I wonder how my parents are doing,” he murmured.

With a worn canvas bag on his back, Jared hurried home. His parents hadn't visited him once during his imprisonment, and he worried about them.

On the way, he examined the bronze ring on his finger. A lifelike dragon was carved on it, topped with a strange symbol. The ring was a gift from Draco, a fellow inmate.

Draco was an eccentric man, constantly rambling about being the leader of the Dragon Sect, claiming expertise in astrology, geography, medicine, and more. He even boasted of being able to raise the dead. [The promotional sentence about FindNovel.net has been removed.]

Everyone dismissed Draco as a madman. Only Jared engaged with him, occasionally sharing his food. Draco regaled Jared with tales of the Dragon Sect and Dragon Island—names entirely new to him. He also involved Jared in his meditation and martial arts training. Bored in prison, Jared readily participated.

By the end of his sentence, Jared had learned numerous martial arts techniques and medical skills from Draco. On his release, Draco gave him the ring, instructing him to go to Nameless Island in the Eastern Sea on July 15th. There, he should display the ring, and someone would pick him up, offering him a “wonderful opportunity.”

Having learned so much from Draco, Jared took his instructions seriously. However, July was still months away.

Before he knew it, he reached his home. The dilapidated state of the house filled him with bitterness and uncertainty about his parents' well-being. His rash actions, he realized, had caused them immense suffering.

Remembering the events of three years prior, anger surged within him. He and his girlfriend, Sandy Gibson, had been planning their wedding. University classmates, they'd been together for two years.

One day, while walking Sandy home, they encountered Leyton Scott, a drunken, wealthy, and notoriously reckless young man from Horington. Seeing Sandy, Leyton made unwanted advances. Ignoring Jared, he physically assaulted Sandy.

Jared, enraged, picked up a brick and struck Leyton on the head. The consequences were predictable. Leyton, wielding his influence, had Jared arrested. He was sentenced to three years for assault.

Hesitantly, Jared knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” a voice called.

A hunched, elderly woman with white hair opened the door slightly, her hand outstretched as if feeling her way. “Who is it? Who’s knocking?” she asked, her eyes closed. She was blind.

Jared was stunned. His eyes widened in shock, his body trembling. The frail, wrinkled woman was his mother, Hannah Thompson. How had she deteriorated so drastically in just three years?

“Mom, it’s me, Jared!” he cried, moving to support her.

“Jared? Is it really you?” Hannah's hand felt his face; tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Mom, it’s me. Really.” Tears welled in Jared's eyes. “Mom, what happened to you?”

Hannah's transformation baffled him.

“It’s a long story. Come in first.”

She pulled him inside. The emptiness of their once-comfortable home shocked him. His father had a stable job; they'd lived simply but well.

“Mom, what happened to our house?” Jared asked, horrified.

Hannah sighed. “After you left…”

She recounted everything. The Scott family demanded a million dollars in compensation. Jared's parents sold their home, intended for his wedding, and took out substantial loans, still falling short. They paid the remaining three hundred thousand in installments. His father lost his job, becoming a street cleaner. His mother cried incessantly, eventually losing her sight. That's why they never visited.

As Hannah spoke, Jared's fists clenched, murderous intent blazing in his eyes. He hadn't anticipated the Scott family's ruthlessness.

“Mom, didn’t Sandy help you at all?” Jared asked, confused. “We were about to be married! I was jailed defending her honor. She couldn’t just stand by and watch you suffer, could she?”

Hannah sighed. “Let’s not talk about that. The Gibson family ignored us. They refused to return the betrothal gift, claiming it wasn’t their fault the wedding fell through because you were imprisoned. Your father argued with them and was beaten.”

Hannah's tears flowed freely as she recounted their plight.