8 Years Later – A Bright Afternoon]
(The once-tiny Mochen is now eight years old, standing under the scorching sun with a basket full of harvested vegetables. Beside him, his childhood friend, Zhang Wei, also eight, wipes his forehead dramatically.)
[Zhang Wei] (groaning)
"Why do we have to work every day? Why can't food just… appear on our plates?"
[Mochen] (smirking)
"Because you eat too much. Even the heavens can't keep up with your stomach."
[Zhang Wei] (offended)
"Hey! That's not true!"
(The boys wrestle playfully, their laughter blending with the rustling of the wheat fields. Nearby, their fathers watch, shaking their heads.)
[Neighbor] (chuckling)
"Look at them. So full of life… I hope they never lose that."
[Mochen's Father] (softly, watching Mochen)
"They will have to grow up one day. The world is not always kind."
(His voice carries a hint of sadness, a foreboding that neither he nor the neighbor fully understands. The winds shift, as if whispering of an approaching storm.)
---
[Later That Day – Mochen Leaves for the Village]
(Mochen tightens a small pouch of coins in his hands. His father kneels in front of him, handing him a simple list of food to buy.)
[Mochen's Father] (firmly)
"Listen to me, son. Go straight to the market and come back quickly. No wandering, no talking to strangers."
[Mochen] (grinning)
"I know, I know! I'll be back before you know it!"
(Zhang Wei waves as Mochen jogs toward the village. The sun begins to set, painting the sky with golden hues. It should have been a normal evening. But it wasn't.)
---
[In the Village – The Darkness Descends]
(Mochen walks through the marketplace, picking up food as instructed. The village is bustling—children running, merchants shouting. But suddenly… everything changes.)
(The air shifts. The warm glow of sunset is swallowed by an unnatural darkness. The wind dies. A suffocating silence blankets the village.)
(Then… footsteps. Heavy, deliberate. Five figures, cloaked in black, emerge from the shadows. Their presence is unnatural—like the very world bends around them.)
[Merchant] (trembling)
"N-not them… Why are they here?"
(The villagers freeze in terror. Mochen clutches his bag tightly, his heartbeat loud in his ears. He doesn't understand, but something inside him screams—Run.)
(He turns, feet pounding against the dirt road. He doesn't stop. He must get home.)
---
[Back at the House – A Nightmare Unfolds]
(Mochen arrives, gasping for breath. His home looks wrong. The front door hangs open. The lantern by the entrance has fallen, flickering weakly. The air is thick… with something metallic. Something cold.)
(He steps inside. The table is overturned. The floor is stained red. His father's ring lies in the center of it all.)
[Mochen] (whispering, voice shaking)
"F-Father…?"
(No answer. The house is eerily quiet. Too quiet. He rushes to Zhang Wei's home next door. Empty. The same eerie silence. His friend… gone.)
(His breath comes in shallow gasps. His hands tremble as he picks up the ring. He clutches it so tightly his knuckles turn white. His father is gone. His best friend's family is gone. The world that once felt warm is now unbearably cold.)
(He collapses onto the wooden floor, tears streaming down his face. His small frame shakes with silent sobs. He is only eight. He doesn't understand. He doesn't know why this is happening. All he knows… is that he is alone.)
(But then… something inside him snaps.)
(He wipes his tears. His small hands tighten into fists. His eyes, once filled with innocence, now hold something else. Resolve.)
[Mochen] (voice barely above a whisper, yet filled with an unshakable promise)
"I will find you… I will find them. No matter what it takes."
(With that, Mochen runs. Away from the only home he has ever known. Away from the warmth that was stolen from him. Into the unknown… into his destiny.)