The stranger wasted no time. He lunged forward, his hand crackling with dark energy, slicing through the air toward Li Ming. Instinctively, Li Ming ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack as the force of it tore through a nearby tree, splitting it clean in half.
"What is this guy?!" Li Ming thought, his heart racing.
The shard in his pocket pulsed wildly, and with each beat, a faint glow enveloped his body. His hands trembled, but not with fear—it was something deeper, a sensation like electricity coursing through his veins, as if his very blood had awakened.
"You don't even know what you've stumbled upon, do you?" the stranger sneered, his voice low and menacing. "That Echo doesn't belong to you, boy. Hand it over, and I might let you live."
Li Ming clenched his fists, stepping back instinctively. The memories from the shard flashed again in his mind: a warrior standing tall, unwavering against impossible odds. A name echoed once more—Li Zhang.
"I don't know who you are or why this thing chose me," Li Ming said, his voice firm despite the terror twisting in his gut, "but I'm not handing it over."
The stranger let out a cold laugh. "Bold words for someone so inexperienced."
He raised his hand, summoning a sphere of dark energy that pulsed ominously. Before he could release it, Li Ming's body moved on its own, a sudden surge of energy propelling him forward.
Time seemed to slow. The stranger's movements became sluggish, the sphere of energy hovering midair as if caught in a viscous flow. Li Ming's mind raced.
"What... is this? Am I... controlling time?"
Without fully understanding how, Li Ming twisted his body, delivering a clean strike to the stranger's chest. The impact sent the man stumbling backward, the sphere of energy dissipating into harmless sparks.
The stranger's expression shifted from smug confidence to surprise. "You... you're awakening already? Impossible!"
Li Ming stood his ground, his hands glowing faintly with golden energy. Whatever this power was, it felt both foreign and familiar, like a muscle he hadn't flexed in years.
"I don't know what's happening," Li Ming admitted, his voice steady, "but if you're trying to hurt me or take this Echo, I won't let you."
The stranger growled, brushing dirt off his robes. "You've been marked, boy. Others will come for you now. Warriors far stronger than me."
Before Li Ming could respond, the stranger vanished, his form dissolving into a wisp of shadow. The forest fell silent again, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Li Ming's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, his breathing heavy.
"Marked? What does that mean?" he muttered, staring at the shard in his hand. Its glow had dimmed, but its presence felt stronger, as if it had fused with something deep inside him.
"Li Ming!" a voice called out.
He turned to see Xiao-Lei rushing toward him, his usual calm demeanor replaced with urgency. "Are you hurt?"
Li Ming shook his head, though his body felt drained. "I'm fine... I think. But what was that? Who was that guy?"
Xiao-Lei knelt beside him, his gaze narrowing as he examined the shard. "So it's true. The Echo has chosen you."
"You knew about this?" Li Ming asked, his voice rising.
"There's no time to explain here," Xiao-Lei said, his tone firm. "We need to leave the village. Now. If that man found you, others will too."
Li Ming hesitated, glancing back toward the village. The people he knew, the life he had—would he have to abandon it all?
Xiao-Lei placed a hand on his shoulder. "This is bigger than you, Li Ming. The world is in danger, and whether you like it or not, you've been thrust into the center of it."
Li Ming swallowed hard, the weight of Xiao-Lei's words sinking in. "Then tell me what I need to do."
Xiao-Lei nodded. "Good. The first step is mastering the power within you. And for that... we need to find someone who can help."
As they rose to leave, the shard pulsed one last time, its light flickering like a heartbeat. Li Ming tightened his grip on it, knowing that his life had irrevocably changed.
The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear—this was only the beginning.