— WHISPERS OF THE UNKNOWN
The sun rose over Willowmist Village like a timid guest, brushing the rooftops with pale light. Birds chirped nervously, their songs short and uncertain. Though the wolf had retreated and the golden cultivator had vanished, the night's events had left a heavy silence in the village.
Li Wei awoke before dawn. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glanced around his modest room. Everything appeared ordinary—the wooden beams, the small mat, the fading oil lamp from the previous night. Yet, inside him, a strange unease lingered.
Something isn't right…
He shook his head, trying to dismiss it. After all, he was just a boy. Nothing in Willowmist suggested danger should touch him.
But then, as he stretched his arms, a faint warmth brushed against his palms. It was subtle, almost like a phantom, and vanished the moment he blinked.
---
A Village on Edge
Outside, the village stirred with whispers. Farmers murmured about the wolf's retreat and the strange golden cultivator.
"Did anyone see it?" an old woman asked, wringing her hands. "I've heard tales of cultivators, but… one descending like that? It's impossible."
"Impossible or not, the forest is no longer safe," said a young hunter. "That wolf… it wasn't ordinary. It was looking for something… and it didn't leave because it was hungry."
Li Wei, listening from the window, felt a shiver creep down his spine. He wanted to ask what they meant, but instinctively, he remained silent.
Even Elder Yun had not spoken beyond his warnings, leaving villagers with a lingering sense of dread. Something unseen had stirred in Willowmist, and the adults were only beginning to realize it.
---
The First Signs
By midday, Li Wei noticed small anomalies—strange tremors beneath the earth, sudden gusts of wind that swirled around him even in the calmest corners, and whispers in the rustling leaves that no one else seemed to hear.
He hesitated at first, thinking it was his imagination. But when he reached for a cup of water, it quivered slightly in his hand, as if reacting to his heartbeat.
Li Wei frowned. "What… is happening to me?"
He did not understand, of course. These were only faint echoes of the ancient fragment sleeping deep within him, invisible and unknowable. It had not awakened, yet its presence subtly brushed against the world, leaving traces that only he could feel.
Not yet…
A soft intuition whispered inside him, a feeling without words: something was watching, waiting.
---
Unexpected Visitors
Late in the afternoon, Feng Xian appeared again—though this time, only briefly. The cultivator's golden light shimmered at the edge of the village, casting long shadows over the rooftops.
Li Wei spotted them first. His heart raced, but this time, the cultivator did not descend fully. They hovered, observing, as though testing the waters before committing to action.
Feng Xian's expression was unreadable. They did not seem hostile, yet something about their gaze suggested profound curiosity. Even they could sense the disturbance—the wolf's odd behavior, the subtle tremors—but the source remained hidden, invisible, and untraceable.
Li Wei's stomach tightened. He did not understand why the cultivator had returned, but instinctively, he felt that his life was no longer ordinary.
This is only the beginning…
---
An Evening of Unease
As dusk fell, Li Wei wandered to the edge of the village near the river. The forest beyond seemed darker, denser, more alive than ever before. Shadows twisted among the trees, moving as if they had their own will.
He froze when he heard a low growl, faint but unmistakable. The Silverflame Dire Wolf had returned, but it did not step into the village. Instead, it lingered at the forest's edge, eyes glowing faintly, watching, waiting.
Li Wei's chest tightened. He had no fear, but a strange curiosity bubbled inside him. He wanted to see, to understand—but instinctively, he knew not to approach.
The wolf tilted its head, then disappeared into the dense forest, leaving only the echo of its presence behind.
Why does it come…? Li Wei wondered. But the answer eluded him. Even the villagers, brave as they might be, could not see beyond the forest's shadow.
---
A Subtle Change
Returning home, Li Wei noticed subtle changes in himself. He was faster, almost imperceptibly so. He felt his senses sharper, as though he could hear the slightest movement of leaves or the flutter of a bird's wings in the distance.
He tried to dismiss it as imagination, but a small part of him—an intuition—whispered that he was not imagining at all. Something ancient and powerful was stirring in the world… and in him.
Yet he did not understand. And he was far too young to grasp the full truth.
---
The Night's Whisper
That night, Li Wei lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. The village slept uneasily. The forest beyond Willowmist seemed alive, whispering secrets to no one and everyone at once.
A faint rustle came from the corner of his room. He tensed, expecting an intruder. Nothing appeared. Only the sensation—soft, intangible—of something ancient brushing against his awareness.
He shivered.
Somewhere, deep and forgotten, the fragment of Riyam pulsed faintly—but invisibly. Neither the wolf, nor Feng Xian, nor Li Wei himself could comprehend it. Its existence was a secret, hidden from the world, waiting patiently for the day it would awaken.
For now, Li Wei was just a boy. Just a child of Willowmist Village.
But even a child's life could change forever in a single night.
The wolf had returned, the forest stirred, and the unseen currents of fate were beginning to flow around him.