Heavy night air clung, shadows flickering ominously around Bai Cheng as torches sputtered and dimmed. The words of the village council still echoed in the boy's ears while that once familiar landscape had felt foreign and menacing. He stood alone, his fragile body shaking; even his innocence could feel the weight of betrayal and fear crushing him down.
Bai Cheng was racing as everything around him became less definable with shapes and a cacophony, while each voice pointed to one thing only being alone. Villagers would reject him while their terror fused into a cruel decision and was banished away. Still, the darkest shadow looms larger, threatening his fate of being chased away now.
Mother? His voice, just a whisper, broke the silence of the night. He stretched for her, but the space next to him felt like an icy void swallowing his little hopes whole. ( He can't speak yet so it's his inner voice)
A sudden rustle behind him caught his attention. "Mother!" he called again, his heart pounding louder than the distant echoes of the villagers retreating into their homes. But there was no answer, only the whisper of the wind weaving through the trees, taunting him.
The memory of her warm embrace flooded his mind, and the night grew colder. She had promised him they would face everything together, that he would never be alone. Yet, now, a terrifying thought struck him: What if she had vanished? What if she has abandoned me?
The terror that wrapped around Bai Cheng seemed to suffocate him, his breath speeding as he turned to look out across the forest, but these familiar paths had twisted into something unfamiliar, depth after endless depth. Even the village itself seemed like a cruel cage, its shadows confining him in some ways.
"Mother!" he screamed again, his voice hoarse this time, the desperation clawing at his throat. He had no response. The leaves seemed to whisper secrets he couldn't catch, and the shadows danced just beyond the weak torchlight, as in that instant, he felt the night itself was plotting against him.
He stumbled forward, staring wildly as if he could understand what was happening. They had feared him; that much he knew, but did they want him dead? Or was it the mother they wished to protect? Was this boy the curse they felt he was, or a child forced into a world of darkness?
A soft rustling of wings drew his gaze upward. The moon broke through the clouds; the clearing was bathed in silvery light. For a moment, he hoped. Maybe if he screamed loud enough, his mother would hear him. Maybe she had just wandered away to get out of this night's turmoil.
"Please!" he cried, his voice trembling with fear and grief. "Mama, come back!" As he cannot speak yet so all he can do is cry! His were were full of tears!
But the wind had only howled back, closing around him like a cloak of despair. He stumbled on into the night, his mind fastened to the hope that somewhere his mother too was looking for him.
Though he wandered, he began to see strange earth etchings, markings that seemed to pulse with a faint glow. His small fingers traced the lines, and for a moment, he felt a warmth surge through him. The markings spoke of magic, of a connection to unseen forces swirling around him. They whispered of a bond between the light and the dark, of power untapped.
Bai Cheng stopped and caught his breath. He wasn't alone, maybe; the shadows held answers only if he could dig out the truth. The dark was intimidating, but something was stirring within him, flickering in the pit of his stomach, like some spark of resolve.
Suddenly, the air thickened, and a low growl echoed from the trees. The shadows shifted, forming into shapes that writhed and pulsed, and he felt a presence lurking just out of sight. Bai Cheng's heart was racing again, but this time, it wasn't just fear he felt—it was curiosity, a need to understand what lurked beyond the veil of darkness.
Show yourself!" he murmured in his mind, surprising himself at the strength in his voice. He was but a child, yet something ancient and fierce lay within him, a spark waiting to be ignited. Yet a newborn child!
The growl deepened, resonating with the thrum of his heart. Shadows coalesced, taking on the form of a creature with gleaming eyes that shone like stars against the night. Bai Cheng stared back, unmoving, as the creature shifted closer.
Why did you summon me, little one? It rumbled, its voice chilling yet curiously soothing.
" The creature came closer and circled around him like he was inspecting the body of little Bai Cheng" The Creature Could sense his breath and fear as he could also tell what Bai Cheng was thinking in his little head. He laughed!
The conviction in his heart flickered to life. "I'm looking for my mother. Have you seen her?" The creature's eyes narrowed and he watched him intensely enough to make Bai Cheng shiver. "You tread a path filled with shadows, child. Your heart calls to both light and darkness. To find what you seek, you must first confront the truth that lies within."
Bai Cheng felt a chill run down his backbone, but he was lying on the ground and stopped crying as He was thinking "I will find her! I will prove I'm not what they think!" With that resolve, he took a step forward. The marks in the dirt pulsed beneath him to guide him further into the night. The creature eased back into the shadows, but the voice was left like a whisper of hope and a Black dog came forward out of nowhere"Then step boldly into the shadows, Bai Cheng.
For the journey ahead will reveal not only your strength but the bonds that tie you to those you love." As he could not walk yet so he took a few steps crawling ahead on his Knees, Bai Cheng knew that he was no longer that lost boy in the dark. He was a flame, waiting to be kindled into the fire, prepared to meet whatever came ahead. Lonely but not abandoned, he was going into the darkness for his mother, and while searching for her, might discover some light in himself. Suddenly an unknown fellow came through. Who was the fellow? A foe? An aid? Yet to know.