Light.
A beautiful, shining radiance illuminated the sky.
Yuan's breath hitched as his vision was swallowed by the dazzling glow. His mind dazed, his body motionless, he lay there for a moment, unable to comprehend what was happening.
The brilliance was overwhelming, yet… strangely comforting.
For a full minute, he did nothing but stare, lost in the mesmerizing sight.
Then, as if a fog had been lifted from his thoughts, his awareness returned.
A deep breath escaped his lips.
His fingers curled slightly against the cold, hard ground beneath him.
He struggled to piece together the moments before his collapse.
Two weeks ago.
That was when it all began.
That was the day his only family, his grandfather, passed away.
His last words still echoed in Yuan's mind, as clear as if they had just been spoken.
In a modest wooden house, just large enough to accommodate four people, an old man lay on a simple bed.
His once thick gray hair had thinned with age. His dark eyes, once sharp and full of wisdom, had dulled over the years, their luster fading like a candle in its final moments.
And yet, even in his last days, there was a lingering handsomeness to his features,a trace of the strong man he had once been.
Beside the bed stood a young boy.
His black hair and dark, gleaming eyes bore a striking resemblance to the elder, yet they still carried the untouched light of youth,unmarred by time and loss.
But in that moment, there was no joy in the boy's eyes.
No carefree laughter befitting his age.
Only tears, endless and silent, streaming down his face as he clutched his grandfather's frail hand.
Yuan's vision blurred as fresh tears welled in his eyes.
His grandfather's hand, once strong and steady, now trembled weakly in his grasp.
"Grandpa... you can't go away!"
Yuan's voice shook, filled with desperation."What am I supposed to do without you? Why can't you stay with me longer? Please… just don't go. Please don't die… Please!"
A weak chuckle escaped the old man's lips.
"Hehe… little Yuan," his grandfather whispered, his voice hoarse and frail, "you know I can't stay much longer… and neither can you."
His heart pounded in his chest, a silent scream trapped in his throat.
"You are smart, my boy," his grandfather continued, each word a struggle."You must already know that your time is running out as well. Your headaches… they're getting worse. Soon, life itself will become unbearable for you. And yet… I have failed you. I am a useless grandfather...I don't even know how to save you."
"No, Grandpa!"
Yuan's head shook frantically, his small hands gripping tightly onto the old man's frail fingers."Don't say that! Don't worry about my headaches,they're nothing! Just stay with me! We can find a cure together!"
The old man smiled weakly, his cloudy eyes filled with deep sorrow.
"Yuan, my boy... your father died before you were even born. Your mother followed soon after, leaving you when you were only three.And now… seven years later, you will lose me too."
He paused, his shallow breaths barely audible.
"A cruel fate for such a young and bright child. The heavens must truly have cursed you."
His expression darkened, his gaze distant as if peering into a past long lost.
"If only you had been born in the outside world like our ancestors," he murmured.
"You could have become a great scholar… or even a legendary town chief, like the ones I once dreamed of becoming."
His voice grew fainter, like a flickering candle on the verge of being extinguished.
"But I… was a coward."
"I never even tried to leave this tiny village."
His wrinkled hand squeezed Yuan's with the last of his remaining strength.
"But the past is the past… and now is now."
"None of that matters anymore. I only hope that somehow… you will defy your fate."
His voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible
"Just like the myths say."
Yuan listened in silence, his heart pounding.
"My grandfather once told me something that I never forgot," the old man said, his voice barely a whisper now.
"There are people,mythical people,who can erase an entire village with a mere wave of their hand.They are the ones who defied their destiny, who refused to bow to the heavens… and rose from nothing to challenge the very will of the Heavens themselves."
His breath grew weaker.
"Do you remember the story of the Mansion of Countless Tombs in the Ghost Forest?"He chuckled faintly, though it was laced with pain.
"Some say… one of those heaven defying people built it. Or perhaps… the heavens themselves placed it there.Who knows? I'm just a foolish old man who knows nothing… but if you truly wish to escape your fate… perhaps that mansion holds the answer you seek."
His fingers trembled as he reached for Yuan's hand one last time.
"But before I leave, Yuan… promise me one thing."
His small fists clenched, his entire body trembling.
"Anything, Grandpa!" he sobbed.
"I'll promise you anything! Just say it!"
The old man's lips curled into the faintest of smiles.
"Live a life you don't regret," he murmured.
"I remember when you were little… you once told me you wanted to fly through the sky… to see the world beyond this village… just like in the stories of The Adventure of the East."
His breathing slowed.
His eyelids fluttered.
"And that Saja girl," he added weakly, "I saw how she looked at you… with feelings beyond friendship..."
His voice faded.
Then, with the last of his strength, he whispered:
"I loved the time we spent together, Yuan."
And with that… he was gone.
Yuan knew…
The moment his grandfather's hand went limp in his own.
Death had taken him.
The pain that followed was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
The grief. The loneliness.
The weight of knowing that from now on, he had no one left.
But through the haze of sorrow, one truth stood out.
His grandfather's last words.
"You don't have much time left either."
Even though it was painful to hear, Yuan understood.
His grandfather had said it with a heavy heart, but he had meant well.
And so, without hesitation… without looking back…
He made his decision.
That very night, he had left the village, slipping away unnoticed.
And he ran.
He ran toward the Ghost Forest.
And now here he was,lying on a cold floor, gazing at the shining lights above him.
Somehow, these lights brought back memories of why he had come here in the first place.
He wanted to defy his fate.
Something no ten year old should even think about.
Something no ordinary person would dare to consider.
After all, defying the heavens would bring their wrath upon him…
Just like the mythical figures his grandfather once spoke of.
With a deep sigh, Yuan's vision cleared.
No longer was the world a blurry haze.
Instead, everything became sharp and vivid.
A big smile formed on his face as clarity filled his mind, stronger than ever before.
"Defying the heavens… have I already taken my first step?"
He let out a chuckle,one that soon turned into laughter.
A loud, heartfelt laugh, as if he had just realized something utterly absurd yet liberating.
"Dying now or in five years… does it really make a difference?The heavens already want me dead, so why should I care if they're angry?"
As he spoke, his laughter grew bolder, filled with unshaken determination.
Then, as he stared at the shining lights above, he declared:
"Yes! I, Yuan, shall face the heavens' wrath!So what if the heavens want me dead? I refuse to obey!Why should I?I shall defy the will of the heavens! I will challenge the heavens themselves and rebel with all my might!"
A few moments passed before realization struck him,he had spoken those words out loud.
His face turned crimson.
Blushing heavily, he let out an awkward chuckle.
"Thank the damn heavens no one heard that... hehe."
With one last deep breath, he slowly stood up, stretching his aching body.
However, as he surveyed his surroundings, he realized something strange
He was no longer standing before the massive stone gate.
Instead… he was in a room.
The walls were made of the same black and yellow stone as the gate, but unlike the engravings he had seen before, these walls were plain and unadorned.
They looked almost… normal.
Yet, the room wasn't empty.
There were decorations.
At the center stood a grand table, massive in size, each chair placed at least a meter apart, with enough space for eleven people to sit comfortably.
The craftsmanship was unlike anything Yuan had ever seen in his village.
Countless intricate patterns were engraved onto its surface, making it seem almost… otherworldly.
Yuan's gaze fell upon one particular pattern,a symbol unlike any he had ever encountered.
It resembled a square, though slightly twisted, with one edge pointing downward.
In the center of this twisted square was a wavy line, drawn as if flowing like water.
Was this some kind of insignia? A crest?
Yuan couldn't tell.
Each chair was placed precisely at the location of these symbols.
The chairs themselves were made of a strange material,something he couldn't quite identify.
It looked like white wood… or perhaps a rare kind of polished stone.
Whatever it was, it was unlike anything he had ever seen.
And just like the table, the chairs, too, bore the same strange square symbols, one on each side of the handles.
Every inch of the furniture was covered in countless intricate patterns.
After studying the table and chairs for some time, Yuan turned his attention to the decorations atop the table.
At its center stood five candles,one in the very middle, with the others positioned at the cardinal directions: east, west, north, and south.
The spacing between them was wide enough that Yuan's entire hand could fit between each one.
But what truly caught his attention…
Were the flames.
They burned not with an ordinary yellow glow, but with a deep purple hue.
The outer edges of the flames glowed a brighter shade of violet, while the center grew darker—almost black.
And yet…
These flames did not burn as normal fire should.
There was no smoke.
No flickering embers.
The flames swayed gently, yet not a single wisp of mist rose from them.
It was unnatural.
Other than the candles, there were two vases on the table, each holding flowers.
Like the flames, the petals of these flowers were a deep purple, fading to a brighter hue at the edges while darkening toward the center.
A strange, eerie beauty surrounded them.
Aside from these decorations, the table held nothing else.
Yuan, having taken in the sight of the table, finally turned his attention to the walls.
There, on each side of the table, Yuan saw two paintings.
One of them depicted something he immediately recognized
A dense forest shrouded in thick mist.
"This… this is the Ghost Forest!"
Yuan was certain of it.
He had seen this very sight before, but as he stared at the painting longer, something strange caught his attention.
The mist… was moving.
At first, he thought it was a trick of his eyes.
But the more he looked, the more he realized,the mist within the painting was shifting, swirling as if carried by an invisible breeze.
Curious, Yuan stepped closer, wanting to examine it more clearly.
It was no illusion.
The mist within the painting was alive, flowing like real fog trapped inside the frame.
Shocked, Yuan reached out his hand, instinctively wanting to touch this bizarre painting.
But just as his fingers were about to make contact
Only a centimeter away from the surface, an invisible force prevented him from moving forward.
No matter how much strength he mustered, he couldn't push through.
It was as if an unseen barrier was blocking his hand.
Yuan furrowed his brows.
"What kind of sorcery is this…?"
Since he couldn't interact with this painting, he turned his attention to the other one.
As he stepped closer to the second painting, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him.
He had seen something like this before.
The painting depicted a grand pavilion built from gray and yellow stone.Before the pavilion lay a vast garden filled with towering trees, lush bushes, and even a small lake.Scattered throughout the garden were several statues, though Yuan couldn't make out their details from where he stood.
But something was… off.
Amidst the breathtaking scenery, there stood another structure,a small tower.
Unlike the majestic pavilion or the beautifully designed garden, this tower looked utterly plain.It didn't fit with the rest of the landscape at all.
It was nothing more than a round block of stone with a simple wooden door.
It seemed out of place… yet it was there, included in the painting for a reason.
Yuan glanced back and forth between the two paintings.
Just like the Ghost Forest painting, he found that he couldn't touch the pavilion painting either.
A feeling of unease settled over him.
He was trapped.
A large dining table, two mysterious paintings, an eerie silence.
That was all that surrounded him.
Fear began to creep into his heart.
"What is this place? Why am I here? And… how do I escape?"
For the first time since waking up, Yuan felt true despair.
Minutes passed ten, maybe more.
He wasn't sure.
He had tried everything he could think of. Yet nothing changed.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, he gave up thinking and simply began pacing in circles around the table.
Maybe moving around would help him find something?
After several rounds, his frustration only grew.
His gaze fell upon the flickering purple flames and the strange purple flowers.
He sighed once more.
And then, on impulse, he pulled one of the chairs from the table.
To his surprise… it moved.
Unlike the paintings, he could actually touch the chair!
For the first time since waking up in this strange room, a faint smile appeared on Yuan's face.
"At least I can interact with something…"
With nothing else to do, he decided to sit down and rest for a moment.
But the moment he settled into the chair
The countless patterns engraved into it began to glow.
A brilliant light flooded the room, illuminating every corner with an intense radiance.
Before Yuan could even react, the light engulfed him completely.
And then
It shot straight into the painting of the pavilion.
The room, once filled with beautiful golden light, began to fade.
Darkness crept in.
The glowing ceiling dimmed…
Until finally, the room was swallowed by eternal darkness.