A ripple in the river of time. A subtle, incomprehensible distortion, and then — Qin Wuye opened his eyes.
The world around him was both foreign and hauntingly familiar, like a dream caught between waking and slumber. The village, with its humble homes and the low murmur of life, felt distant from the chaos and fury of the world he once commanded. The air, thick with the scent of earth and wood, filled his lungs with a strange, bittersweet peace — peace born from weakness. And that, he knew, was something he could never accept.
He glanced down at his hands, small and fragile, soft as clay. Once, these hands had crushed the will of kingdoms, bent entire realms to his design. Now, they were nothing more than the hollow echoes of a former power. A child again. His body, an impermanent shell, was a mockery of the strength he once wielded.
But though his body betrayed him, his mind remained unshaken. Sharp. Unyielding. His thoughts were the same as they had always been — a burning flame of ambition, unbowed by time's cruel jest. This was no mere child. He was the same Qin Wuye who had clawed his way from nothing, who had mastered the art of survival and dominance. His mind, untouched by age or frailty, knew that he would rise again, stronger than before.
The sound of a distant laugh interrupted his thoughts, light and carefree, like birdsong in the morning. His younger siblings — two brothers and a sister — played in the dirt yard, their voices filled with the simple joy of innocence, unscarred by the world's harshness. They were untouched, still living in a world where dreams could be made of fleeting moments. But Qin Wuye knew that innocence was fragile, like glass waiting to shatter. And he would be the one to show them just how fragile it truly was.