The Day Everything Shattered
In the tranquil hills of the Azure Wind Province, a young cultivator named Hesheero dreamed of becoming the strongest under the heavens.
He wasn't born into a powerful clan. His father was a retired soldier, his two sisters helped in the fields, and his mother… had passed away two years ago. Her absence left a silence in their small wooden home — a silence Hesheero filled with determination.
Every morning, before dawn, he trained alone behind the house — his fists cracking against the air, his breath forming mist in the cold.
"I'll become strong enough to protect what's left of us," he whispered to himself.
That morning, the day of the Moriem Academy entrance exam, he woke before the sun. It was the only path where commoners could rise to greatness. Thousands dreamed of it, but only a handful ever passed.
"Bring glory to our name, son," his father said, resting a rough hand on Hesheero's shoulder.
His sisters smiled and waved from the doorway.
"You better not come back a failure, brother!" one teased.
He grinned. "Failure isn't in my blood."
But fate… had other plans.
---
The academy's Examiner Hall was massive — filled with hundreds of hopeful youths. Each was to test their cultivation stage by placing their palm upon a glowing orb. When Hesheero's turn came, the crowd went silent.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
Light flickered—
Then dimmed.
"Cultivation Stage: 1-1," the examiner announced coldly.
The murmurs began instantly.
"A mere beginner?"
"He's weaker than a child!"
Hesheero's chest tightened. He clenched his fists, trying to hold back tears.
"I'll come back stronger," he whispered.
He walked home that night beneath a crimson sunset, unaware that his destiny was already shifting.
---
When he reached the small wooden house, something was wrong. The air reeked of blood. The door was broken.
Inside—
He froze.
His father lay motionless on the floor, and his two sisters… lifeless beside him.
His legs gave out. The world blurred. He crawled toward them, shaking, whispering their names.
"Father… Sana… Liri…"
No response.
Tears streamed down his face. For two days, he didn't move from their graves. He sat there, rain pouring over him, as if the heavens themselves mourned.
His fists dug into the mud.
"I'll find who did this… I swear it."
---
The next night, on his lonely walk back home, a figure appeared — tall, cloaked in academy robes.
"Name's Hiku Taka," the stranger said with a faint grin. "You must be the boy who failed the exam."
Hesheero turned, cautious. "What do you want?"
"Your core," Hiku Taka replied, eyes glinting.
Before Hesheero could react, a palm slammed into his chest. Pain surged through his body. His vision blurred as his spiritual core — the very heart of his cultivation — was torn from him.
His body collapsed onto the dirt, trembling.
Hiku Taka laughed softly. "Don't worry. Your power won't go to waste."
As darkness swallowed Hesheero's vision, a single thought echoed through his mind—
I couldn't protect them… but next time, I will.
---
End of Chapter 1: "The Day Everything Shattered"