Chapter 3: The Hidden Path
The air in Clearwater Hollow was still thick with the weight of yesterday's events. Baifeng awoke early, his body sore and stiff from the brutal fight with the Zhao family's tax collectors. The ache in his muscles felt like it had settled deep into his bones, and every movement sent waves of pain through him. His ribs throbbed where the leader's sword had struck, and the gash on his forehead stung, though he had no means to tend to it.
Xiaomei, ever perceptive, noticed his discomfort as he limped to the door. "Brother Baifeng," she said, her voice soft, "are you alright?"
Baifeng managed a weak smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine, Xiaomei. Don't worry about me." He forced himself to straighten, wincing as he did. Despite his pain, he couldn't afford to let her see how much it hurt. They had no money for medicine, and their situation only seemed to worsen with each passing day.
The villagers had already started their morning routines, the sound of clanging pots and murmured conversations filling the air. Auntie Zhou was outside tending to the small garden, her back bent as she worked in the early morning light. She looked up when Baifeng appeared, her face softening when she saw his bruises.
"You should rest," she said, concern lacing her words. "You took a heavy beating last night."
Baifeng shook his head. "There's work to be done. The hut needs fixing, and Xiaomei can't do it alone."
Auntie Zhou frowned, but said nothing more. She knew well that Baifeng would push through his pain if it meant protecting them. "Very well. But take it slow."
They spent the next few hours working in silence. Baifeng focused on repairing the broken furniture, using the limited tools they had. His hands were shaking from the strain, but he ignored it, driven by the desire to restore some semblance of normalcy to their home. The walls, cracked from the impact of his fall during the fight, needed mending. The roof, partially torn from the chaos, had to be patched before the rain came.
Xiaomei worked beside him, her small hands surprisingly deft as she helped organize the scattered belongings. Despite the hardships they faced, she never complained. Her presence was a comfort, a reminder of the simple things that still brought light to their lives.
As the sun reached its peak, Baifeng paused to wipe the sweat from his brow. His body screamed for rest, but there was no time to stop. There was no money for medicine, no way to seek proper care. He would have to rely on what little strength he had left, just as he always had.
That night, after they had finished their work, Baifeng lay down in his small cot. His body ached, his muscles stiff and sore from the day's labor. The weight of the previous day's events pressed down on him, and sleep came reluctantly, a strange sense of restlessness lingering beneath the exhaustion.
His dreams, however, were anything but peaceful.
In the depths of his sleep, Baifeng found himself drifting through a void, a vast expanse of nothingness. It was cold, suffocating, and his heartbeat echoed through the emptiness. The sensation was unfamiliar—like he was being pulled in all directions, yet unable to move.
Suddenly, the void shifted, and Baifeng found himself standing on an immense battlefield, stretched out across an endless expanse of starry sky. The ground beneath his feet was not earth, but something more alien—dark, crystalline, and ever-changing. Jagged, ethereal formations rose up in the distance, casting twisted shadows across the battlefield. There was no sun, no moon, but the stars themselves burned brighter than anything he had ever seen.
In the distance, he saw them—the Celestials.
They were beings of unimaginable beauty and power, their forms shifting and changing like liquid light. They glowed with an energy that made the stars seem pale by comparison. Their faces were obscured, but their presence was overwhelming, a force of sheer majesty that made Baifeng feel both insignificant and awestruck. Each movement they made sent ripples through the very fabric of reality itself.
But they were not alone.
Opposite them stood an unknown being, dark and menacing, its form a stark contrast to the Celestials' radiance. It was an enormous entity, its shape fluid and ever-shifting, like a storm of shadow and flame. Its eyes, burning with a crimson light, locked onto the Celestials, filled with an intensity that made Baifeng's heart race in fear.
The battle began without warning.
The Celestials moved with impossible grace, their bodies flowing like water as they summoned the power of the stars. Baifeng could feel their energy, like waves crashing against him, overwhelming in its magnitude. Their hands raised, and from the depths of the starry sky, bolts of raw cosmic power shot forward. Each strike was a burst of celestial fire, burning through the void like a supernova.
But the unknown being was no less formidable.
With a flick of its hand, it deflected the cosmic blasts, sending them spiraling off into the abyss. Its movements were chaotic, unpredictable, as it summoned waves of dark energy that twisted the fabric of space itself. Each swing of its arm sent ripples through the stars, distorting the very space around it, as if reality itself were unraveling. The battle was a dance of light and darkness, cosmic forces clashing in a violent, unrelenting storm.
Baifeng's heart raced as he watched, unable to move, unable to look away. The battle raged on, the Celestials and the dark being locked in an eternal struggle. Every clash of their powers sent shockwaves through the battlefield, distorting the very stars that illuminated the sky. The ground cracked and shattered, splitting open as the two forces collided, tearing apart everything in their path.
At the center of the chaos, one Celestial—its form more brilliant than the others—faced the dark being, eyes filled with resolve. With a mighty cry, the Celestial gathered the energy of the stars, the power of an entire galaxy coursing through its veins. It released a final, blinding burst of light, a beam of pure celestial energy that seemed to engulf the entire battlefield.
For a moment, everything went silent.
The dark being, battered and broken, seemed to falter. But then, with a roar that shook the very stars, it retaliated, sending out a wave of pure destructive force that shattered the Celestial's beam and enveloped everything in its path.
Baifeng's breath caught in his throat as the vision began to blur, the image of the battlefield dissolving into nothingness.
He awoke with a jolt, gasping for breath. His chest heaved, his heart pounding in his ears. The darkness of the dream still lingered in his mind, the remnants of the cosmic battle swirling in his thoughts. He could still feel the power of the Celestials, the raw force of their clash with the dark being.
The sensation was overwhelming, like a wave of energy had washed over him.
For a moment, Baifeng lay there, his mind racing. What was that? What had he just seen? The dream had felt so real, so vivid—like he had been a part of it, standing on that battlefield with the Celestials. He had felt the raw energy, the power beyond comprehension.
But it was just a dream... right?
Baifeng shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. He could not afford to get lost in visions, not now. There was still too much to do. His family depended on him.
Still, a part of him couldn't shake the feeling that the dream held some deeper meaning, something he had yet to understand. The connection to the Celestials, the battle... it was more than just a vision. It was a warning.
But what was it warning him about?
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End of Chapter 3.