The forest was alive with whispers. Leaves rustled above as shafts of fading sunlight pierced through the canopy, glinting off the edge of a crude wooden bow.
Beneath the whispering pines, a young boy crouched low, steadying his breath. His bowstring trembled lightly between slender fingers, his gaze fixed on a white-furred rabbit grazing in the underbrush.
Though still in the uncertain age between boy and youth, his movements carried a steadiness uncommon for one so young. His frame was lean from climbing cliffs and running mountain paths, his skin pale beneath the mountain's cold light. A few strands of jet-black hair fell over his brow, half-hiding a pair of gray eyes — deep, watchful, and far older than they should have been.
He shifted slightly, calm as the forest itself, drawing the string back until it sang in silence.
The arrow flew, slicing through the still air. The rabbit fell without a sound.
He rose, dusting pine needles from his tunic, the faintest flicker of pride lighting his eyes. The boy's name was Li Tianlan, an orphan raised by two sisters in the hidden valley of Cloudveil Village — a place untouched by the world's chaos.
Tianlan exhaled slowly, rising to his feet. He looked barely past his early teens — tall for his age, yet his eyes carried a calm maturity rare among villagers. He slung the small kill over his shoulder, brushing pine needles from his tunic.
A faint smile touched his lips. "Let's see what you say now, Sister Mei."
He thought of his sisters — gentle Li Yun, who always scolded him for hunting too deep into the forest, and playful Li Mei, who laughed at his clumsy arrows.
His heart warmed. I'll get back before sunset, he thought. They'll be proud this time.
Home.
For him, peace was all he'd ever known.
At least, until that evening.
But as he turned toward the trail leading home, the forest shivered.
The wind shifted — and the forest fell silent.
He frowned. The birds that had been chattering moments ago vanished into uneasy quiet. Even the hum of insects seemed to fade. A faint tremor passed through the ground beneath his feet — subtle but unnatural, faint at first, then deep, rumbling like a growl from the mountain itself. Birds erupted from the canopy, crying in panic.
Then, in the distance — a sound.
A low, distant boom, followed by another.
Tianlan froze.
Smoke rose on the horizon, thick and black.
From the direction of the village.
His blood ran cold.
"No…" he whispered.
He ran.
Branches lashed at his arms and face as he tore through the undergrowth, heart pounding in his ears. The rabbit slipped from his grasp, forgotten. Roots snagged his boots, stones cut his palms — he didn't stop.
Every step down the slope felt heavier, as if the mountain itself resisted his descent.
When he reached the ridge, the world below had turned to ruin.
Cloudveil Village — his home — was burning.
Houses were nothing but charred skeletons. Smoke and ash blanketed the once-lively streets. The herb fields his sisters tended were scorched black. The river that had sparkled under the sun now ran dark, reflecting firelight.
Tianlan stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat.
Then he ran again.
He searched frantically, calling names until his voice broke. "Yun-jie! Mei-jie! Anyone!"
But no answer came.
The village was silent — hauntingly silent, save for the hiss of dying flames.
Bodies lay scattered across the paths — neighbors, friends, people he had known all his life. Some were burned beyond recognition, others lifeless where they had fallen.
And then, near the old well, he found her.
Lin Xue.
Her hair, once the color of chestnut, was matted with soot. Her small frame was broken, her hand still clutching the charm she had given him years ago — a red string with a tiny carved feather.
Tianlan's knees buckled. He fell beside her, trembling.
"Xue… no… please wake up…"
He touched her cheek — cold, unyielding. The world blurred. His chest tightened until he couldn't breathe. The boy who once smiled under the sun now stared at a world that had turned to ash.
The night fell, and the fires dimmed. The once-bustling village was now nothing more than ghosts and smoke. Yet… he could not find his sisters.
No bodies. No traces. As if they had vanished into thin air.
Exhausted, he stumbled back to the ruins of his home — a small cottage by the stream. Half of it had collapsed, yet something strange caught his eye.
Amid the rubble, faint light shimmered.
It wasn't fire. It was soft, pale — like moonlight trapped within glass.
He hesitated, then brushed away the debris.
There, half-buried in the ash, lay a sphere — about the size of his fist, smooth as jade, glowing faintly with silver radiance. Ancient patterns swirled across its surface, too intricate to be carved by human hands.
"What… is this?" he whispered.
The moment his fingers brushed the orb, a pulse of warmth surged through him. The light flared — bright enough to paint the night white.
Tianlan gasped as the orb lifted from his palm, floating before him. Inside its glow, shadows moved — faint outlines of three feminine figures, their forms ethereal, like remnants of starlight.
They looked down upon him — silent, sorrowful, ageless.
Then one of them — a woman with long hair that shimmered like mist — raised her hand. Her expression was gentle yet filled with unbearable grief.
"So… it has come to this."
Her voice was soft, echoing directly in his mind. He tried to move, to speak, but his body refused to respond.
The woman looked toward the lifeless form of Lin Xue, lying not far behind him. Her expression softened further.
"This soul… still clings to him. Perhaps… that will be enough."
With her last strength, the luminous figure extended her hand. Threads of golden light flowed from her fingertips, wrapping around Lin Xue's body. Her soul — faint, flickering like a dying flame — was drawn gently into the orb.
"Live…"
The woman smiled faintly. Her body began to dissolve, scattering like petals in the wind. The other two figures bowed their heads, their forms fading into the light.
The orb pulsed once — twice — and then shot forward, merging into Li Tianlan's chest.
Pain erupted through him — sharp, searing, like fire and lightning tearing through every vein.
He screamed.
Symbols of light burned across his skin, ancient and unfamiliar. His vision flickered between reality and dreams — mountains collapsing, oceans burning, a thousand stars turning black.
Somewhere within that chaos, he heard a heartbeat — not his own, but something vast and eternal.
When the pain finally subsided, he collapsed to the ground, gasping. The glow beneath his chest dimmed until only a faint warmth remained, like a second heartbeat under his ribs.
"What… happened to me…?" he muttered weakly.
He could still feel it — the orb, now fused inside him, pulsing softly in rhythm with his breath. And faintly, so faintly, he thought he heard a voice whisper from deep within his soul:
"Do not fear, Tianlan… she sleeps… and so do we."
The moon had risen high when Li Tianlan finally fell asleep among the ruins.
His dreams were fragmented — images of his sisters smiling, his village laughing, the white rabbit he'd caught. Then, flashes of fire, screams, and the orb's radiant glow swallowing everything.
When dawn came, he still slept, his face pale but calm.
The wind whispered across the ashes, carrying away the scent of smoke. The ruins of Cloudveil Village stood silent, but deep within the earth, the faint hum of energy pulsed — awakening something ancient.
Above him, the morning sun broke through the mist, painting the sky in gold.
And on the highest peak of the Silent Mountain, unseen eyes opened — glowing faintly with silver light, watching… before vanishing, as if they had never been there at all.
Who… or what were those eyes that watched from the mountain's peak?
Why was Cloudveil Village destroyed, and what secrets lie within that ancient orb?
What were those ethereal beings, and what destiny now awaits Li Tianlan?
How will he face the unknown path ahead… and what will he become?
Are you curious to find out? Then please look forward to Chapter 2!
I truly hope everyone enjoyed reading Chapter 1: The Silent Mountain.
If you have any thoughts, theories, or suggestions, feel free to share them — your feedback means a lot.
Thank you for reading, and may your day begin and end with light and peace. 🌙