The moon hung high above Azure Peak, casting a silver glow over the sect's sprawling courtyards and ancient temples. Tian Rui sat at the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley below, the wind biting at his skin. His mind was a whirl of thoughts, his body still trembling from the encounter earlier that night. He had never felt power like that before—the raw force that surged through him when his emotions flared.
He had killed them. Not just struck them down, but killed them.
His chest tightened as the weight of his actions pressed down on him. He had acted without thinking, without restraint. It wasn't like him. It wasn't what he had been taught. The lessons of obedience, humility, and submission—the values drilled into him as a servant—had been shattered in a single moment.
But the power within him didn't care about the rules.
Tian Rui could feel it now, stirring in his core, the remnants of the relic's energy pulsing in time with his heartbeat. It had awakened something in him—something that could never be undone.
A soft rustle behind him broke his reverie. Tian Rui turned, eyes sharp.
A figure stepped from the shadows, cloaked in a robe of midnight black. His face was hidden, but there was no mistaking the presence of the man standing before him. It was Master Bai, the sect's enigmatic elder. His gaze, hidden beneath the hood, seemed to pierce straight into Tian Rui's soul.
"You've changed," Master Bai's voice was low, his words carrying an unsettling calm. "I felt it."
Tian Rui's heart skipped a beat. His first instinct was to bow, to submit as he had been trained to do. But the power within him, that force that had awakened in the Hall of Ancients, refused to let him. Instead, he stood tall, fists clenched at his sides.
"I don't know what you mean, Master Bai," Tian Rui said, his voice steady, though the uncertainty lingered beneath his words.
Master Bai stepped closer, his robes swirling around him like dark smoke. "The relic's awakening... it chose you. But you don't fully understand what that means, do you?"
Tian Rui's breath hitched. "What do you want from me?"
The elder's gaze softened, just for a moment. "I want you to understand that your journey has just begun. What you felt tonight—the power you unleashed—it is only the beginning. You are not a broken boy anymore. But that power comes with a price. And there are forces at work, forces that will seek to control or destroy you, for what you have become."
Tian Rui swallowed hard. "Who... who are they?"
Master Bai's smile was enigmatic, his expression unreadable. "They are the ones who guard the ancient secrets of the Pathless Dao. They will come for you. But you don't have to face them alone."
Tian Rui shook his head, confusion swirling in his mind. "I don't understand. I... I'm not strong. I'm just a servant."
Master Bai's smile grew wider, almost as though he found amusement in Tian Rui's confusion. "You have no idea what you're capable of. But soon, you will. The first step of your true journey is to survive. And survive, you will. If you accept the path that lies ahead."
Before Tian Rui could speak again, Master Bai turned and began to walk away, his figure slowly vanishing into the shadows.
"Wait!" Tian Rui called after him, his voice filled with both desperation and uncertainty. "What path? What do I do now?"
The elder's voice drifted back to him, barely a whisper on the wind.
"Find the others. They are waiting for you."
Tian Rui's heart pounded in his chest, but the elder was already gone. He had been left with more questions than answers.
---
The days that followed were a blur. Tian Rui spent hours in meditation, attempting to control the power within him. The energy that had once felt like an uncontrollable storm now seemed to settle beneath the surface, but only just. At times, it surged unexpectedly, and he found himself accidentally shattering stones with the mere thought of it.
But even in those moments, he felt something shift inside him. The more he trained, the more he embraced the energy, the more he could feel its influence wrapping around him, strengthening him. There was no going back now. The relic's curse—or blessing, depending on how one looked at it—had sealed his fate.
But there was still something that didn't sit right with him. Something in Master Bai's words. The others he had mentioned. Tian Rui couldn't shake the feeling that his destiny was tied to more than just the relic. There was a greater game being played, one that had been set in motion long before his birth.
---
As Tian Rui stood in the center of the training courtyard, his body trembling from exertion, a distant cry echoed in the wind. A battle cry, filled with rage.
He turned, his eyes narrowing. Something was happening. And it was happening now.