— THE CULTIVATOR DESCENDS
The night over Willowmist Village was heavy with unease. Even the wind seemed hesitant, brushing softly across rooftops, carrying an unnatural chill. From the forest's edge, a faint glow pulsed between the trees, illuminating the thick mist in erratic flashes.
Li Wei clutched his blanket, pressed against the wall of his small room. The distant howl of the Silverflame Dire Wolf had not ceased since twilight. Each roar seemed to shake the very air, filling his chest with a fear he had never known.
His father, Li Shan, had stationed himself near the window, bow in hand, eyes scanning the tree line like a hunter tracking prey. His mother, Mei Lan, hovered nearby, holding a lantern that trembled in her grip. Even his grandfather, Li Rong, had left his seat to stand quietly, spear in hand, silent and tense.
---
The Arrival
A sudden gust of wind tore through the village, carrying the scent of ozone and something far older than the forest. Then, from the sky above the distant mountains, a streak of golden light descended like a falling star.
Villagers shrieked, stumbling back into the safety of their homes. Horses reared, dogs barked frantically, and even the river seemed to ripple with panic.
Li Wei's eyes widened as the light struck the village square. Dust and leaves spiraled into the air, stirred by a shockwave of immense power. And there, standing at the center of it all, was a figure unlike any he had ever seen.
A cultivator.
Clad in a white robe embroidered with gold, the figure radiated authority and an almost tangible weight. Even the air around them seemed to bend slightly, a subtle pressure that made breathing feel heavier.
Li Wei pressed himself against the wall. His chest raced—not from fear, exactly, but from a strange, inexplicable sense that something beyond understanding was watching him.
He did not yet know why.
---
A Mystery Revealed… Not
The cultivator, Feng Xian of the Azure Rain Sect, surveyed the village carefully. Their eyes were sharp, glowing faintly in the moonlight, as though capable of seeing through walls and roofs.
The Silverflame Dire Wolf, which had been pacing at the edge of the forest, froze. Its molten-blue eyes fixed on the cultivator. Yet it did not attack. It tilted its head, growled, and in a series of measured steps, approached the village square—but not any closer than necessary.
Feng Xian's brow furrowed slightly.
"This creature… it behaves unusually. Drawn here… but why? I cannot sense its target."
Li Wei shivered. He had no idea that the wolf's inexplicable fixation was on him—or more accurately, on the fragment buried deep and forgotten, far beyond mortal detection. Even Feng Xian could not perceive it.
The wolf circled, sniffed the air, growled low and threatening—but then, as if deciding it had no choice, it retreated slowly back toward the forest, leaving the village unsettled but unharmed.
---
Villagers' Panic
Elder Yun emerged from the crowd, staff tapping against the cobblestones, his face pale under the lantern light.
"Everyone! Do not provoke it! Stay inside! Tonight… the forest stirs with more than just animals!"
Li Shan grabbed Li Wei and pulled him back from the window.
"Stay behind me, Wei'er. Do not go out there," he commanded, voice low but tense.
Li Wei obeyed, though his eyes never left the wolf's fading glow. He had a strange, unexplainable feeling that the wolf's retreat was not the end—it was only the beginning.
Around him, the villagers whispered rumors, their fear thick and palpable. Some claimed to have seen glowing eyes deeper in the forest. Others said the ground had trembled under the creature's steps.
Li Wei's grandfather muttered from his corner, spear resting against his shoulder:
"Even the strongest hunters cannot explain such behavior. The creature is drawn here… but not by anything we can sense."
---
Feng Xian's Observation
The cultivator's gaze finally fell on Li Wei, and the boy instinctively shrank back. But Feng Xian did not move closer or strike—there was no threat that they could discern. Still, a subtle unease flickered in their expression.
"This village… something is unusual here," Feng Xian murmured, almost to themselves. "Yet… I cannot sense its source. Strange. Untraceable. It should not exist here."
Li Wei tilted his head, confused. "Unusual? What do you mean?"
Feng Xian's eyes narrowed. They did not answer him. The cultivator's attention returned to the direction the wolf had come from, scanning for signs, but found nothing beyond the ordinary forest and distant mountain peaks.
The wolf's retreat, the cultivator's unease—it all felt like a storm forming quietly, unseen, beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans.
---
Aftermath
The cultivator remained only a few minutes longer before turning to leave. Their robe fluttered in the wind, leaving a faint trail of golden light that slowly faded into the night sky.
"Watch carefully," Feng Xian said, voice carrying to the nearest homes. "This is only the beginning. Forces you cannot yet understand have begun to stir. Stay alert."
Then they vanished into the darkness, leaving the villagers shaken, awed, and frightened.
Li Wei stayed at the window long after, staring at the stars. His mind swirled with questions:
Why had the wolf appeared?
Why had the cultivator been so uneasy?
What had drawn them both here?
He did not know the truth: that the fragment of Riyam, ancient and hidden beyond mortal sight, had stirred faintly. It had remained completely undetectable to the wolf, the cultivator, and anyone else. Its purpose was yet unknown—even to him.
All Li Wei sensed was that something far greater than himself had been touched tonight. And the world had changed, quietly, irreversibly.
---
A Child's Unease
Li Wei climbed into bed, hugging his knees. Even as his parents and grandfather reassured him, he felt a strange tension coil inside him, like a rope tightening in the depths of his chest.
He could not name it. He could not explain it. And he did not dare speak of it.
For now, he was just a boy in Willowmist Village, surrounded by people who loved him, unaware of the force already nudging his fate forward.
Yet somewhere beyond mortal eyes, the Silverflame Dire Wolf had not forgotten. It would return. The forest held more secrets, and the night had only hinted at what was to come.
And far above, where stars flickered cold and indifferent, the first threads of destiny began weaving themselves around Li Wei—a destiny that would one day shake the heavens, yet tonight remained a mystery, hidden and silent.