The morning sun crept lazily over Windcloud Village, casting soft light upon wooden rooftops and dirt paths.
Farmers were already at work, merchants shouting half-heartedly, and children laughing—unaware that something ancient and dangerous had awakened nearby.
And yet, amid the calm hum of daily life, a strange pressure fell upon the village.
Birds stopped singing. Dogs whimpered.
It was as though Heaven itself held its breath.
At the village gate, a young man walked slowly through the drifting fog. His red eyes gleamed faintly beneath his messy dark hair. His once ragged clothes were torn but carried a mysterious aura, each thread faintly glowing gold.
It was Xiao Wang.
He looked the same—yet completely different.
The villagers who had once sneered at him now froze mid-step. Even the air felt thicker as he passed.
"That… is that Xiao Wang?"
"Impossible! He entered the Forbidden Forest three days ago! No one returns from there alive!"
"He was supposed to be dead!"
The whispers swelled, but Xiao Wang didn't respond. His eyes were calm—too calm.
He simply walked forward, the faint sound of his boots pressing against the dirt echoing louder than the crowd's murmurs.
Home
He reached a small, broken cottage near the edge of the village. The door creaked as he pushed it open.
"Mother," he whispered softly.
Inside, a frail woman lay on a thin mat. Her once-lively eyes had dimmed, her breathing shallow.
Beside her, a little girl—barely eight years old—was feeding her spoonfuls of herbal soup. Her tiny hands trembled.
When the girl saw him, she dropped the bowl. "Brother!"
Her eyes sparkled as she ran and hugged him tightly. "Brother! You're alive! They said the beasts ate you!"
Xiao Wang smiled faintly, ruffling her hair. "I told you I'd come back, didn't I, Xiao Yun?"
Her lips quivered. "I prayed every night!"
He looked at his mother. "Mother… I've returned."
Tears rolled down her thin cheeks. "Wang'er… thank the heavens you're safe…"
Her voice cracked, but he only smiled—softly, but there was something deeper in his gaze now. A quiet storm.
"Rest, Mother. Soon, you won't have to worry about food or medicine ever again."
The Fiancée Who Betrayed
But peace in Windcloud Village never lasted long.
As word spread of Xiao Wang's return, Liu Feiyan, the daughter of the village chief—and once his fiancée—appeared with her entourage.
Her red dress shimmered under the sunlight, her beauty sharp as a blade.
Once, Xiao Wang had believed her smile could brighten the world.
Now, that smile looked venomous.
"Well, well," she said mockingly, folding her arms. "The dead waste lives. How… unexpected."
The surrounding villagers murmured.
"Feiyan, I heard you broke the engagement."
She smirked. "Of course. Who would marry trash?"
Xiao Yun, furious, stepped forward. "You take that back! My brother—!"
"Yun!" Xiao Wang placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. His eyes, however, glowed faintly red.
Liu Feiyan's smirk faltered for a split second. His aura—though suppressed—felt heavy, oppressive, unfamiliar.
"Why are you back, Wang?" she asked, her tone suddenly uneasy. "Don't tell me you still think—"
"I came back," Xiao Wang interrupted quietly, "to bury something."
She frowned. "Bury what?"
He looked her straight in the eye.
"The last pieces of my past."
A gust of wind howled across the square. Dust swirled. Somewhere far above, a faint rumble of thunder rolled even though the skies were clear.
Feiyan tried to speak again, but when his gaze met hers, she felt a chill down her spine.
His eyes were no longer those of the weak boy she had mocked.
They were the eyes of someone who had looked into the abyss—and come back with the abyss inside him.
The Spark of Vengeance
That night, under a sky painted crimson by the rising Blood Moon, Xiao Wang stood alone on a hill overlooking the village.
Behind him, Mei Ruo appeared silently, her ethereal form glowing faintly silver.
"So," she said, "you didn't kill her."
He didn't answer.
"She humiliated you. Betrayed you. And yet you let her live?"
Xiao Wang smiled faintly, watching the moon. "Why destroy the ants before they've built their nest? When I return for vengeance… I want them to have something to lose."
Mei Ruo tilted her head, a smirk touching her lips. "How cruel. I like it."
He looked at his palm, where the black orb pulsed faintly with hunger. "I'll need strength. More than I've ever known."
"And how far," she asked softly, "will you go to obtain it?"
He looked up. The crimson moonlight reflected in his eyes like twin blades of flame.
"As far as it takes to make Heaven tremble."