— WILLOWMIST VILLAGE
The morning mist drifted lazily across the rooftops of Willowmist Village, wrapping the small settlement in a gentle white veil. Old willow trees swayed softly beside narrow dirt paths, their drooping branches brushing the ground like sleepy curtains.
Far from the great sects and the bustling cities, Willowmist was peaceful—so peaceful that even the heavens rarely bothered to look down.
Inside a modest wooden house at the village edge, a young boy slowly opened his eyes.
His name was Li Wei.
Age: 6.
A quiet boy, small and frail-looking… yet with eyes that carried an unexplainable depth.
Li Wei sat up from his straw bed as sunlight filtered through the cracks in the wooden wall. Dust sparkled in the light. He stretched, yawned, and blinked several times before stepping out of his room.
His mother's warm voice floated from the small kitchen.
"Wei'er! Breakfast is ready. And don't forget to greet your father before he leaves!"
Li Wei nodded and walked to the large wooden table in the next room. His father, Li Shan, already sat there—broad-shouldered, sun-tanned, and smelling faintly of soil and sweat. Years of farming had shaped him into a pillar of strength, but his smile remained gentle.
"Morning, Wei'er," Li Shan said, ruffling his son's hair. "Dreaming again?"
Li Wei hesitated.
"…Maybe."
He dreamt every night.
Flashes of crimson skies, cosmic storms, and a deep, ancient voice echoing endlessly.
A voice that felt familiar and foreign at the same time.
But he never spoke of it.
His mother, Mei Lan, placed a bowl of steaming porridge before him.
"Eat well," she said, smiling softly. "After breakfast, help your grandfather gather herbs. But don't wander too far, understood?"
"Yes, Mother," Li Wei replied.
Though in truth… something within him always felt like wandering.
As if the world outside was calling him.
---
Later That Morning
The forest surrounding Willowmist Village was dense and filled with life. Birds chirped from high branches, insects buzzed, and sunlight pierced through gaps in the canopy.
Li Wei followed his grandfather, Li Rong, along a narrow path. The old man carried a small basket and a wooden cane, though he rarely used it.
"These herbs," Li Rong explained, crouching beside a cluster of plants, "are called Windroot. Used for cough and fever. Only pick the ones with silver stripes."
Li Wei nodded, carefully selecting the correct ones.
Everything was normal… until the ground suddenly trembled.
Thump.
A soft vibration.
Like a heartbeat beneath the earth.
Li Wei froze.
"Grandpa… did you feel that?"
Li Rong straightened his back and squinted.
"Hm? Probably a wild boar somewhere nearby. Keep picking."
But Li Wei frowned.
It wasn't a beast.
It wasn't natural.
The pulse came again—
Thump…
This time, Li Wei felt it inside his chest.
Like something was calling to him.
Before he realized it, his feet were already moving.
"Li Wei! Where are you going?!" his grandfather shouted behind him.
"I'll be right back!"
He pushed through overgrown bushes and emerged into a small clearing. There, half-buried in the soil, was something glowing faintly.
A crimson shard.
Small.
Beautiful.
Alive.
Li Wei crouched beside it, mesmerized.
The shard pulsed gently—
matching the beat in his chest.
He reached out and touched it.
The world went silent.
BOOM—
A burst of crimson light exploded outward, flooding his vision. His mind roared, his heart trembled, and a warm current surged through his entire body.
A voice echoed in his soul—
deep, ancient, immeasurably distant.
"Fragment of RIYAM… vessel located… awakening sequence initiated…"
Li Wei gasped and stumbled backward.
The shard vanished.
The clearing fell quiet.
Only the warmth remained—settling deep into his chest like an ember waiting to ignite.
His grandfather burst through the bushes, breathless.
"Li Wei! Are you hurt?!"
Li Wei shook his head quickly.
"No… I'm fine."
He didn't mention the shard.
Or the voice.
Some instinct—older than memory—told him to keep it hidden.
---
That Night
Li Wei lay in bed, staring at the wooden ceiling illuminated by moonlight.
The warmth in his chest pulsed softly.
Steady.
Alive.
He pressed a small hand to his heart.
"…What was that…?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
But deep in that silence… he felt something awakening.
A seed of power.
Of destiny.
Of something far beyond mortal comprehension.
And while Willowmist Village slept peacefully under the moonlight…
Li Wei's journey had quietly begun.