— WHISPERS OF POWER
Morning sunlight spilled gently over Willowmist Village, turning the mist above the river into faint golden threads. The distant mountains rose like ancient guardians, silent and unmoving, their peaks hidden behind drifting fog. Life here followed a steady rhythm—quiet, simple, peaceful.
For most people.
But not for Li Wei.
At the age of ten, he was already sharper than children twice his age. His senses were quick, his reactions crisp, and his intuition unsettlingly accurate. None of this was normal, yet nobody questioned it. They simply said:
"Ah, Wei'er is a gifted child."
If only they knew the truth sleeping inside him.
---
A Strange Morning
Li Wei walked along the small dirt path leading toward the river, a basket in hand. The village men were already out fishing; their shouts echoed lightly through the morning air.
Up ahead, his grandfather Li Rong stood by the riverbank, holding a bamboo rod carved with talisman-like patterns. The old man's posture was relaxed, but his eyes—sharp and aged—were scanning the forest beyond.
Li Wei slowed.
"Grandfather? Why are you looking there?"
Li Rong sighed.
"There were… footsteps last night. Heavy ones. Not human."
Li Wei stiffened.
"A beast?"
"Possibly," the old man whispered. "But not one that belongs near our village."
For a moment, the mist thickened, curling around their feet. Li Wei felt a faint trembling beneath his ribs—a whisper in the deepest part of his consciousness.
A slumbering presence shifted.
It vanished as quickly as it came.
Li Wei blinked, shaken.
He had felt this once before, years ago, when he almost fell into the ravine near the northern cliffs. A warmth had wrapped around him then, pulling him back from death.
He never told anyone.
Even now, he didn't understand it.
---
Rumors in the Village Square
By noon, Willowmist's heart—the open square near the old willow tree—was buzzing with uneasy conversation. Traders from a nearby town had arrived, bringing cloth, dried herbs, and information.
Information that frightened people.
"There's movement in the mountains," a trader whispered loudly. "Powerful cultivators, hunting a beast."
"A what!?" a villager gasped.
"Cultivators," the trader repeated. "From the Azure Rain Sect."
Li Wei's ears immediately sharpened.
Cultivators…
He had heard stories—men and women who could command wind, fire, lightning… who walked the skies and shattered mountains.
But those were stories told by drunk elders around winter fires.
Right?
Another trader leaned in, voice even lower:
"Some say the beast they're chasing escaped from the deeper ranges. Its aura was strong enough to shake trees from miles away."
A wave of fear rippled through the crowd.
Li Wei stood quietly behind the villagers, listening.
His heart beat faster.
A beast strong enough to scare cultivators…?
Was that the same presence his grandfather sensed today?
His mother, Mei Lan, placed her hand on Li Wei's shoulder, pulling him close.
"Stay away from the forest these days. Your father is worried."
Li Wei nodded obediently.
But deep inside, a voice whispered:
The danger approaches.
He didn't recognize the voice, nor did he understand how it echoed inside his mind like a distant rumble.
He didn't know it belonged to Riyam, still dormant, still watching.
---
Evening Shadows
That night, the wind was strangely cold.
Li Shan, his father, returned from the outer fields looking tense.
He slid the door shut, locking it—a rare thing in peaceful Willowmist.
"Shan?" Mei Lan asked softly. "What happened?"
Li Shan exhaled heavily.
"There are claw marks on the trees near the south ridge. Deep ones. Something big passed through."
Li Rong set down his pipe.
"Was the bark burned?"
Li Shan slowly nodded.
Li Wei froze.
Burned bark…
A beast with heat aura?
Or…
A high-level spiritual beast?
His grandfather muttered, "That's no common creature. It's drawn by something. A scent. A presence."
Then, his eyes drifted toward Li Wei.
Just for a moment.
Li Wei felt a chill down his spine. His chest warmed slightly—as if something inside him pulsed in response.
He quickly looked away.
Riyam's fragment stirred faintly, sensing something in the world beginning to shift.
---
A Night of Whispers
The moon hung heavy and silver, its light washing the rooftops of Willowmist.
Li Wei couldn't sleep.
He sat up in his small room, listening.
Crickets… wind… water flowing from the nearby stream…
And then—
A distant roar.
So faint that ordinary ears might miss it.
But Li Wei heard it clearly, like a muffled thunderclap rolling across the mountains.
He rushed to the window.
At the edge of the forest, deep in the distance, the treetops trembled. Birds flew into the sky, scattering wildly.
Another roar followed.
Closer.
Deeper.
Stronger.
Li Wei's breath caught.
He felt warmth radiating from his chest again—soft but protective.
His heart raced.
"What… what is happening…?"
Behind him, a faint glow flickered inside his body.
Unseen. Quiet. Ancient.
Riyam's fragment awakened slightly, like an eye opening just a crack.
Not yet… but soon…
A whisper echoed through Li Wei's mind, soft as wind:
"…danger approaches, child…"
He gasped.
"Who—who said that!?"
No response came.
The glow faded.
The presence returned to sleep.
Li Wei stood trembling, clutching his shirt where his heart beat wildly.
He didn't know whether to be frightened or relieved.
---
Morning Comes Too Fast
By dawn, the entire village was buzzing again. Hunters reported seeing scorch marks in the grass. A trader claimed he saw a silver-furred beast sprinting through the night.
The adults were panicking.
But Li Wei was thinking differently.
"Why is it coming here…?" he whispered.
Hadn't his grandfather said—
It's drawn by something?
The idea struck him suddenly:
Is the beast coming because of me?
He shook his head violently.
"No… that's impossible. I'm just a villager…"
Yet the unease in his chest didn't go away.
---
The Elder's Warning
Later that day, village elder Old Yun summoned Li Wei's family.
The elder's hut smelled of herbs and old wood. Charms hung from the ceiling, gently swaying.
Old Yun stared at Li Wei with cloudy but piercing eyes.
"This boy…" the elder murmured. "He carries something unusual."
Li Wei's throat went dry.
Li Shan stepped forward.
"What do you mean, Elder?"
The old man leaned on his staff, trembling.
"The forest spirits whispered to me last night. They sensed… a pulse. Ancient. Dormant. Hidden."
He pointed a shaky finger at Li Wei.
"It came from him."
Li Wei's mother gasped.
Li Wei froze.
The elder continued:
"And because of that… something else has begun to move. Something powerful, searching…"
He looked toward the mountains with dread.
"You must keep the boy inside the village at all costs."
Li Wei opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Inside him, the fragment of Riyam pulsed once—like a heartbeat of an ancient god.
Change was coming.
The peaceful life of Willowmist Village would not last much longer.