Earth Metaverse Year 10, January 3, 2031 AD.
A flash of white light streaked across the sky.
A low, distant rumble followed, vibrating through the air.
The desk lamp flickered—once, twice—before steadying again.
Shawn Wen's chest tightened. He sprang to his feet and rushed to the window. The white light had vanished, leaving behind an eerie, crimson glow that stretched across the sky.
What was happening? Was this a sign of good fortune—or impending doom?
Suppressing the unease creeping up his spine, Shawn Wen turned away and sat back at his cluttered desk, strewn with revision materials and test papers. The looming college entrance exam weighed heavily on him.
Almost instinctively, he reached for the middle drawer, pulling out an old, yellowed piece of paper. He had kept it for more than a decade. On it was a cryptic aphorism and a strange, intricate symbol. Whenever he felt anxious or unsettled, he would stare at the pattern, as if searching for meaning in its lines.
And then—it hit him.
The flash of white light in the sky… it bore a striking resemblance to the symbol on the paper. A circle with the letter 'Λ' inside.
A chill ran through him.
His grip tightened as he noticed something else—something he had never seen before. In the faded background of the design, a shadowy figure had appeared. The faint outline of a dragon. It shimmered as though it were alive.
"An illusion? Or... something else?"
Shawn Wen sucked in a sharp breath, but it did little to steady his pounding heart. He clutched the paper tighter, his mind racing with questions he wasn't sure he wanted answered.
That piece of paper had come from his grandfather.
Shawn Wen had been raised by his grandfather, having lived with him since he was three years old.
A respected headmaster at the local school, his grandfather was also a devoted scholar of traditional Chinese culture. Under his careful guidance, Shawn Wen had grasped the basics of the I Ching at an age when most children were still learning to read. By four, he could already distinguish between a Yang line '-' and a Yin line '--'.
When he turned six, his grandfather had handed him an old piece of paper, its edges slightly yellowed with time. On it was a aphorism, accompanied by a peculiar symbol. That day, his grandfather had made him recite the aphorism over and over:
"From primordial chaos, a single breath emerges, cycling without end.
Yin and Yang entwine, forging the first reality.
The Five Elements weave, birthing and fading in turn.
The Eight Trigrams shift, revealing boundless paths.
In stillness and motion, balance is found—Meta-Origin is divine."
Not long after, his grandfather introduced him to a second aphorism. But this one had no written form—only spoken words, passed down like a secret.
All things strive and contend—success brings fortune, failure invites doom.
The mediocre remain among the masses; few break beyond the Mortal Realm.
Greed and delusion lead to downfall, trapping souls within the Phantom Realm.
Through cultivation, one ascends—the Soul Realm reaches the vast expanse.
True enlightenment unites heaven and man—only in the Meta-Origin is the divine self found."
Young Shawn Wen had no idea what the words meant, but he had memorized them with pride.
No other child his age could recite such aphorisms, and even the adults marveled at him. "Incredible! A boy so young, yet already grasping such knowledge!" they would say, their voices filled with admiration.
As for the pattern beside the aphorism—a circle with the symbol 'Λ' inside—Shawn Wen had never given it much thought as a child. To him, it was just another drawing, nothing more.
But as he grew older, the influence of the traditional culture he had absorbed since childhood began to surface. By the time he reached junior high, his talent for classical literature became undeniable.
No matter the era, he could grasp the essence of a text with just a single reading. He also understood that the Yang and Yin lines were the fundamental symbols of the Eight Trigrams and could recite all their names: Qián, Duì, Lí, Zhèn, Kǎn, Xùn, Gèn, Kūn—along with the forces they represented: Qián for Heaven, Kūn for Earth, Kǎn for Water, Lí for Fire, Zhèn for Danner, Xùn for Wind, Gèn for Mountain, and Duì for Zephyr.
Rather than fading with time, his fascination with the two mysterious aphorisms only deepened. He often pondered their meaning, drawing insights that felt both profound and elusive.
"Grandpa, where did these aphorisms come from?" He had asked the question countless times, hoping for a clear answer.
Yet every time, his grandfather would pause, furrowing his brow as if weighing his words. Then, he would only say, "These aphorisms... they hold boundless wisdom. One day, you'll understand."
And when Shawn Wen pressed further, his grandfather would simply wave him off. "Go look it up yourself!"
Fueled by curiosity, Shawn Wen scoured the school library, searching through every book related to the I Ching. But no matter how hard he looked, he could find no trace of those aphorisms. The lack of answers only sharpened his obsession.
The cryptic pattern beside the aphorisms began to intrigue him as well. Where had it come from? What did it mean?
Determined to uncover the truth, he took the aged paper to relatives, teachers, even staff at the local cultural center. But no one recognized the aphorisms or the symbol.
"Was Grandpa telling the truth? Or was he unsure himself? Or... was he hiding something?"
A restless desire burned within him—a need to know.
These questions echoed endlessly in Shawn Wen's mind. Every now and then, he would take out the aged piece of paper, running his fingers over its surface, searching for the faintest clue.
"But tonight… why did the pattern suddenly glow?" he muttered, tracing the mysterious symbol once more.
Outside the window, the world seemed to dim, yet Shawn Wen's thoughts remained restless. The flash of white light that had streaked across the sky wasn't blinding, but it carried an inexplicable allure—an invisible force, as if something beyond this world was calling.
His fingertips brushed the yellowed paper again. This time, a whisper—subtle, distant, almost otherworldly—seemed to seep through the fabric of reality:
"This pattern is your key to saving the world."
Save the world?
Shawn Wen's heart pounded. That had been his childhood dream.
But he shook his head, scoffing at the absurdity of it. Another hallucination... He had entertained such fantasies before, only to dismiss them as childish daydreams.
With a bitter chuckle, he set the paper aside and idly reached for his phone. His screen was flooded with news about the strange celestial event.
"Oh my god, the whole city lit up like daytime when the white light passed!"
"This is insane! After the flash, the sky turned blood-red—this has to be an omen of the apocalypse!"
"Is it an alien invasion? A prelude to world war?"
"There could be a massive earthquake! These are classic precursors!"
"No, it's an alien ship—it's here to evacuate us before Earth is destroyed!"
...
" The AGI-ST Program is showing its power. It will lead humanity to a better future!"
That last message came from Donner.
Shawn Wen frowned. It reminded him of the conversation he had with Donner and Jolie earlier that day.
"Shawn Wen, have you signed yet?"
Donner nudged him from behind, his voice confident—too confident, as if the decision had already been made for him.
"Not yet… No." Shawn Wen turned slightly, lowering his gaze.
Donner's frown deepened. He set his pen down with an impatient sigh. "What's there to hesitate about? Opportunities like this don't come twice—miss it, and it's gone!"
Jolie leaned in, her tone more cautious but just as persuasive. "Shawn Wen, I heard this program isn't just about training talent. It might be tied to the fate of humanity itself. If something big is about to happen..."
Danner's words rang in his mind:
"The AGI-ST Program is the only hope for humanity's future. Look at its slogan—'Transcend Limits, Create the Future.' Do you really want to be left behind? We were lucky to be chosen!"
Donner and Jolie were the two people Shawn Wen trusted most. They had been urging him for days to sign up.
And yet, despite their insistence, a vague unease lingered in his chest.
Just then, his phone buzzed on the desk, shattering the silence of his room. Caller: Danner.
Shawn Wen sighed. Speak of the devil…
"Shawn Wen!" Danner's urgent voice came through the speaker. "Did you see that white light? What are you still waiting for? Sign up now—our fate is about to change!"
Shawn Wen exhaled slowly, forcing indifference into his tone. "We'll see." Then he ended the call, his heart still weighed down by uncertainty.
He pushed his chair back and walked to the window.
The city lay beneath a sky still tinged with an eerie afterglow. His tall, lean frame—just over six feet—cast a shadow against the glass. His sharp features, though youthful, held a quiet intensity, his deep-set eyes betraying a maturity beyond his eighteen years.
That flash of white light. The cryptic pattern. The AGI-ST Program.
Could there really be a connection between them?
Above, the vast expanse of the night sky shimmered with countless stars.
How many secrets were hidden there?