Near the Green Village lay three large, flowing streams, named for their endless waters that coursed across the Akrix Continent. Despite its proximity to the Green Village, the Three Streams had stood undisturbed for generations.
For countless years, people journeyed to the Three Streams, believing the waters held the power to grant wishes. It was the look of the endless flow of the streams seemed like a blessing or…a gift from the gods themselves.
Within the Green Village, the villagers, who lived simple lives under the scorching heat of the summer. Villagers Don clothing of brown, white, black, aged and faded by time.
Despite their worn clothing and modest means, the villagers found joy in their community, their laughter often echoing through the fields and dirt paths.
Among them was a 13-year-old boy with sun-kissed skin from days spent under the open sky. His grey eyes made him appear emotionless to others, still inside, he was happy to spend his life with his family.
He walked the familiar dirt path through the village, his short black hair that landed right on his shoulder tousled in the wind.
…Mother and Father should already be out in the fields.
The boy's face lit up as he spotted a man and a woman crouched in the village garden, their ragged clothing stained of dirt. Father rolled-up brown pants revealed calloused ankles. They worked together, their hands gently picking at an array of plants, nurturing the soil with care.
"Mom! Dad!"
"Tian Mo!"
Hei Yun, Tian Mo father , bore the marks of age and hardship. Though the years had begun to take their toll, though his muscular frame remained imposing. His black eyes carried a weary, almost dazed look, while his messy hair and short beard gave him a rugged look.
Tian Xian, on the other hand, seemed untouched by the same burden. Her rare white eyes glimmered with vitality, and her beauty, even in her forties, seemed unaffected by the daily struggles of their life.
"Mo'er, come help me here," Hei Yun called out.
Tian Mo smiled, rolling up his pants he joined his father. Together, they began planting seeds. This is their life simple, humble, and yet filled with meaning. The garden provided not only sustenance but also a small income from herbs sold in nearby towns.
It was their way of investing in the village's future, giving there children a chance to dream beyond the confines of their small village.
Facing the warm evening breeze carried the scent of earth and the soft murmur of the Three Streams. He felt at peace.
"Mo'er," Hei Yun murmured after a pause, "Ever think about leaving the village?"
Tian Mo paused, his hands buried in the soil. He looked up. "I like it here, Father. The streams never stop, and the village is peaceful. Why would I want to leave?…We don't have much, but we have enough."
Unlike the other children, Tian Mo had a knack for understanding things quickly. He'd often notice when the plants needed extra care or when his parents were too tired to ask for help.
Hei Yun looked at Tian Mo with a glint of pride and concern. He thought of himself, from decades ago a young prideful and needy teen. Once, he had been, driven by ambition and blinded by the allure of strength and status.
'Was I truly so different then…?' he pondered, his chest tightening. No, perhaps I was even worse. Reckless. Selfish. Ignorant of the cost.
"It changed me for the better," he murmured under his breath. He had a faint smile, though his heart ached with the weight of memories.
I'm glad I didn't choose that life leading…death.
His gaze softened looking at Tian Mo. 'Would Tian Mo even exist if I had followed that reckless path?'
"I know you're happy now, but one day, you might want more. I just wish I could offer you a better future. Something beyond this..." He gestured at the fields around them.
Tian Mo pulled at a stubborn weed, thinking for a moment before replying. "I don't know, Father. I just... I've seen the way others look when their children leave. I don't want you and Mother to feel that way. As long as we're together, isn't that enough?"
His mind lingered on his father's words, unease creeping into his heart. Why would Father suddenly bring this up? Is something happening?
The village had always been his sanctuary, a place untouched by the chaos of the outside world. So, it was strange to him that his father would suddenly bring up the idea of leaving.
That said there are normal conflicts like all the village had scare food and the usual arrogant people who come for a wish at the three streams.
While, he couldn't ignore the stories the travelers and looks of weary and scarred outsiders.
Even the arrogant outsiders who came to make wishes at the streams seemed burdened by lives he couldn't imagine.
In the end he even thought of that question before.
Will I ever leave…
Hei Yun chuckled softly. "You're too much like your mother. She always believed that contentment is enough. The world can be a harsh place… The streams may grant wishes, but they don't fix everything."
I know I shouldn't force he to study the leaving of the village but one day the village…
Tian Mo felt like an empty mantra, as he looked toward the distant Three Streams."The streams might grant wishes, but they can't solve every problem."
Even he knew of the fabled Three Streams of Wishes, and despite his doubts, he believed in their legend. Why, though? Why cling to a belief in something whose truth could not be confirmed?
While, all those who journeyed to the streams came only once. None returned a second time. Although, it seemed their wishe had been fulfilled, leaving no need for more visits. This absence of return spoke louder than words to the villagers.
For perhaps true fulfillment wasn't found in the act of asking Yet, in the quiet acceptance of what had already been given. The streams never granted their desires in the way they imagined they simply revealed what they had possessed all along, hidden within themselves…
Tian Xian, overhearing their conversation, looked up with a gentle smile. "Your father worries too much. In the end, it's not about what we have, it's what we do with what we have. This life is simple, but it's ours."
Tian Mo lips tugged. "I know, Mom. I'm happy here. And maybe one day, I'll do something bigger. But for now, I'll keep planting seeds, just like you."
Hei Yun laughed. "Then keep planting, my son. Keep planting, and maybe, one day, those seeds will grow into something greater than we ever imagined."
Tian Xian spent most her life very kindhearted, gentle that even a sense of humor, which she transferred over to Hei Yun and wanting to do the same for Tian Mo.
Tian Xian had never considered sending Tian Mo away. A option she had entertained before. The thought of him out there, alone, in a world so much darker than the one she'd tried to keep him in, unsettled her deeply.
Yet, if the danger was too great, would she have a choice? The very idea made her stomach twist, still Mei Tian had always known.
Some choices were forced upon you.
Then there her past felt like a distant echo, a place Tian Xian had carefully locked away in the deepest parts of her heart. The memories of Hei Yun, of the way their family had almost shattered under the weight of old secrets, haunted her.
Tian Mo still paused for a moment his hand still in the soil. Because of his father conversation he had new thoughts.
Am I truly content here? he wondered.
A place where everything made sense. He had always believed he was happy. There was comfort in the familiar, in the steady flow of life that seemed as unchanging as the streams themselves. His family, the garden, the village all of it was enough. Wasn't it?
Yet, something lingered at the edge of his mind, an echo from the travelers who had passed through. Outsiders with their strange clothes, eyes hardened by experiences far beyond what the village had ever known.
They spoke of places he had never seen, of lands he had never walked. Their lives seemed filled with purpose, with struggle, and even though he couldn't fully understand it, there was something about them that called to him.
He had seen it in their eyes the same weariness, the same hunger for something more. A small part of him wondered… What is it like out there?
Tian Mo moved those thought to the back of his mind for now…
…
An hour later, after finishing his gardening, Tian Mo and his parents were about to carry the fresh herbs into the village storage.
Thats when walking him and his mother and father were laughing.
A deafening explosion shattered the village tranquility. The ground trembled, and a blinding silver glow streaked through the air, tearing across the garden. The shockwave hurled Tian Mo backward.
Though flying back looking at his mother and father in the same position as him his mind was racing.
What just happened? A explosion?
His air ripped from his lungs as he crashed, into the dirt his vision blurring. As he slowly regained his senses, the sight before him shattered the illusion of safety he had once held.
The village his home was in ruins. Houses crumbled, smoke rising into the sky. The peacefulness of the village was shattered, replaced by destruction and confusion in all.
Tian Mo's heart pounded loudly in his chest of frustration over the shouts of Mo Tian and Mei Tian.
'My house the village…why is this happening the village has never angry anyone to be attacked' Tian Mo thought, a pain in his heart he had just talked about how he loved his village and now this…
His hand trembled, as he fought back tears.
Out his view, shouts of Hei Yun and Tian Xian pierced the air. Yet, Tian Mo couldn't focus on them his mind was locked on the sight above him. That only awoken him when he heard a loud shout that vibrated throught his body.
Above him, two figures floated in the sky, their presence radiating power. One was a stern-looking man clad in resplendent armor, his sword gleaming with an otherworldly light. The other, a menacing figure shrouded in dark energy, sneered defiantly.
"Demon King Kang Xuegang!" the resplendent man above, his voice echoing across the village ruins. "Hand over the Xen Bead, and I will spare your life!"
The Demon King sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Lei Tao, you'll have to kill me first. This bead will never be yours!"
Before Tian Mo could process there words, the armored man swung his glowing sword. The sky erupted with Blinding arcs of energy split the heavens, their clash painting the sky with fire and shadow at its target. The sheer pressure of their clash made his knees buckle.
"Mo'er, wake up!" Tian Xian voice snapped him out of the pressure. She was shaking him her face calm.
"M-mom, what's going on?" he stammered, still disoriented.
Hei Yun crouched beside him, his sharp eyes fixed on the battle above. With a swift motion, he produced two glowing orbs one white, one red. Their radiant energy crackled in the air.
"Mo'er, we wanted to wait until you were ready, but we don't have that luxury now." Hei Yun said He was sad because he knew what was about to happen.
"What do you mean?, what are these" Tian Mo was confused, yeah he might have seen thing like this before no one in the village ever did it only outsiders.
Especially he didn't think his parent could do it as they always seemed normal.
Is there more they hiding? He had a hint of doubt.
While, Tian Mo was distraced the glowing light flew into his body, it woke him up now feeling different. He saw his parents standing up looking at him behind them he saw large energy coming toward him.
As he was about to warn then until he heard his mother and father voice in his head saying take care some, please survive at the same time he saw that everything was getting dark around him, that when noticed he was falling down.
"Mother! Father!"
Tian Mo kept calling as he fell deeper down into what was a hole, his body started glowing as he mind cleared, he didn't realized what just happened. At this moment his eyes slowly changed from grey to red.
"Gods and demons of this wretched world! You, who reduce lives to dust with your endless war, heed my words, You took my family, my peace now I take everything from you! I will not bow to your divinity or fear your wrath. I will become the reckoning neither heaven nor hell can escape. From the ashes of my family, your blood will stain my path to vengeance!"