Chapter 3: Ancestral Legacy
That morning, the village of Azure Hollow was shrouded in a thin mist, exuding a sense of calm while concealing unseen mysteries. Fen Tian sat by a small stream flowing behind his village. The clear water reflected his pensive face, his mind consumed by the encounter with the hooded man the night before.
"An enemy is coming, and the Primordial Bone is the key to everything," Fen Tian muttered, repeating the mysterious man's words. He didn't fully understand their meaning, but his instincts told him this was the beginning of something significant.
His grandfather, Fen Lao, approached him. The old man carried a worn wooden staff, but his aged eyes still shone with wisdom. "You look troubled, Tian. What's weighing on your mind?" he asked gently.
Fen Tian hesitated for a moment before recounting his encounter with the hooded figure. Fen Lao listened quietly, his face growing more serious with each word.
"Did he mention the Primordial Bone?" Fen Lao asked, his tone deeper now.
Fen Tian nodded. "Yes, he said it's the key to everything. Grandfather, what is it exactly?"
Fen Lao remained silent for a moment before sitting beside Fen Tian. "It seems the time has come. I didn't want to burden you too soon, but you're old enough to know," he said.
Fen Lao began recounting the glory days of the Fen Clan, when they were one of the nine ancient clans entrusted with fragments of the Primordial Bone. That bone, he explained, was a source of immense power granted by the founders of the world. Each clan that possessed it became a guardian of the world's balance.
However, due to battles thousands of years ago, the Fen Clan lost their strength. Their greatest ancestor died while trying to use their fragment of the Primordial Bone to protect the clan from an invading enemy. Since then, the Fen Clan lived in obscurity, hiding in this small village.
Fen Tian listened intently, his heart swelling with both pride and anger. How could his clan, once so powerful, have fallen so far?
"Tian," Fen Lao said, his gaze firm as he looked at his grandson. "The Fen Clan's fragment of the Primordial Bone is here, hidden somewhere in this village. But it's also the reason enemies will come for us. You must protect it, even if it costs you your life."
Those words ignited Fen Tian's spirit. He knew the weight of responsibility now rested on his shoulders. But before he could say more, a distant cry from the village interrupted them.
Fen Tian and Fen Lao rushed back to the village to find the villagers gathered around a young man who was gravely injured. "Outsiders… they're attacking the border villages!" the man cried out before collapsing unconscious.
Fen Tian clenched his fists. This was no longer a question of the future. The threat had already arrived.