"Ouch!"
Shen Chefung jolted awake as something sharp struck his arm.
"What was that ?!" he shouted, scrambling up. "Someone wants to kill me ?!"
A vulture flapped away from the cave entrance.
"So it was you…" he hissed, clutching his arm. The pain burned, but it also reminded him how long he had slept.
He stood up, brushed the dust from his clothes, and ate some dried food, washing it down with water. When his strength returned, his gaze drifted toward the depths of the cave.
Something was calling him.
Though he was only twelve small, tired, and alone an unseen force urged him forward.
Sword in hand, Shen Chefung followed the narrow path deeper into the cave. After a long walk, he stopped abruptly.
A staircase.
It spiraled downward into darkness.
His heart pounded as he descended, each step echoing loudly. At the bottom, a vast chamber opened before him wide, silent, and ancient.
He raised his torch.
On the wall was a carving of a colossal wolf, its eyes blazing like fire. Shen Chefung froze.
I've seen this before…
In one of his textbooks.
Yet this felt different.
Alive.
To the side of the chamber stood a crystal covered doorway, shimmering with strange light. Mesmerized, he stepped inside.
At the center of the room floated a massive crystal, glowing brilliantly.
Drawn by instinct, Shen Chefung reached out and touched it.
Instantly, cold air exploded outward. Moss spread across the ground as the crystal began to rotate slowly at first, then violently.
"What's happening?!" he gasped.
A blinding light burst forth.
Power surged into his body like a raging flood, tearing through his veins. His heart thundered. His senses sharpened too sharp.
He could hear distant echoes.
Smell the faintest scents.
Fear and exhilaration collided inside him.
"W-who's there?" he whispered, his voice shaking.
Suddenly, silence.
He stumbled back and rushed outside the chamber.
Then he froze.
In the pool of water by the cave wall, his reflection stared back at him.
Golden eyes.
Glowing markings etched across his skin.
Standing tall commanding.
"I… I'm an Alpha," he whispered in disbelief.
The ground trembled.
Cracks split the floor as a hidden passage opened beneath him.
Before he could react, Shen Chefung fell.
Into darkness.