Yinlan Village – Morning Mist
The mist rolled in thick over the mountaintops, weaving between the crooked wooden roofs of Yinlan Village like a serpent refusing to be seen. Chickens clucked. Dogs barked. But the village—tucked deep within a forgotten valley—remained peaceful, still untouched by the wars and waves of the spirit world beyond.
Within a small hut at the eastern edge of the village, Long Yushen sat quietly on a short stool, his back to the door. A bowl of cold porridge rested untouched in his hands.
He wasn't nervous. He didn't even feel excited.
Today was Spirit Awakening Day, the moment every six-year-old in the village waited for. Yet to him, it was... distant. Like a scene out of a play he already knew the ending to.
He closed his eyes, fingers tightening slightly around the bowl.
'This world… it's not like Earth. But the weight in the air... it's the same.'
The door creaked open behind him.
"Shen'er," his grandfather called softly. "It's time. The Spirit Hall master has arrived."
Yushen stood, not hurriedly. Not slowly. Just enough to not seem strange. His white linen shirt was a bit too thin for the morning air, but he didn't mind. The chill helped him think.
Outside, the village square was already filled with people. Parents holding their children's shoulders. Kids rubbing sleep from their eyes. In the center stood a tall man in silver robes, his back straight, his hands behind him.
The crest of Spirit Hall shimmered faintly on his chest.
Yushen recognized him.
"Su Yunato," he murmured. "...Right on schedule."
---
Yinlan Village – Village Square
The villagers gathered in hushed anticipation as Su Yuntao, a Spirit Hall official, surveyed the group of children lined up before him. His traveling robes were simple, but the Spirit Hall emblem on his shoulder made even the village elder bow with respect.
"Children," he spoke firmly, his voice neither warm nor harsh, "stand still and do not panic. I will now begin the Spirit Awakening Ceremony."
With a practiced gesture, Su Yuntao spread his arms.
"Lone Wolf!" he called out.
Boom.
A flash of silvery-white light burst from his body. Beside him, the phantom of a white-furred wolf materialized—eyes fierce, stance proud.
Two spirit rings emerged beneath his feet and began to circle slowly—one white, the other yellow.
Gasps rippled through the villagers.
"A beast-type spirit…" someone whispered.
Yushen, standing at the back, watched the display with an unreadable expression. He had read about Spirit Masters—dozens of them—in stories from Earth. But seeing one with his own eyes was… different.
"Don't be afraid," Su Yuntao instructed the children. "These six orbs will detect your spirit."
He extended his hand. Six glowing spheres rose from the wooden platform, surrounding the first child.
"Focus your mind. Let your spirit emerge."
A tense moment passed.
Then—a shimmer of light.
A stalk of wild grass sprouted from the child's palm.
Su Yuntao sighed, not unkindly. "Plant-type spirit. No combat potential. Spirit power—level 1."
The child's face fell, but the villagers clapped encouragingly.
"Next," he called.
One after another, children stepped forward. A hoe. A kitchen spoon. A mushroom. One awakened a small bird—not bad, but not impressive either.
Then came the final name.
"Long Yushen."
The boy with midnight-black hair stepped forward, quiet as ever. The crowd stilled, feeling an odd… tension in the air.
Su Yuntao's eyes narrowed. There was something strange about this boy's presence. Not intimidating. Just—ancient.
"Begin," he said cautiously.
The six orbs floated up again. For a moment, they flickered—then stabilized.
Then, everything changed.
---
The six spirit-testing orbs hovered around Yushen, gently pulsing with light.
Then—crack.
One of the orbs shattered.
A hush fell over the crowd.
Su Yuntao's brows furrowed sharply. That's never happened before…
The other orbs flickered, dimming like candles in a storm. The spirit platform itself trembled faintly under Yushen's feet. The boy's eyes widened—not from fear, but from an instinctive understanding.
It's waking up.
From the center of his chest, a surge of pitch-black mist erupted. It wasn't spirit energy—not like anything Su Yuntao had ever felt. It was cold. Not freezing, but absolute—like the final silence after death.
Then… it appeared.
A colossal serpent's head, formed entirely of black-violet shadows, coiled behind Yushen. Its eyes—slitted, ancient, intelligent—opened with a slow inevitability, staring down at the world like it was already bored of existence.
Gasps erupted. Several villagers stumbled backward, falling to the ground. One old woman fainted.
This… this spirit…
Su Yuntao took a half-step back, eyes wide. His white and yellow spirit rings began trembling slightly—as if instinctively fearing what stood before them.
"What… is that?" he whispered.
The massive serpent let out no roar. It didn't need to. Its presence was declaration enough.
A voice—calm, quiet—echoed in Yushen's mind.
"I am the abyss, child of stars. You are my vessel."
And then it vanished, retracting into Yushen's body like smoke folding into a void.
Silence lingered.
Yushen stood calmly, eyes distant, as though nothing had changed. But something had.
Something deep.
Something irreversible.
Su Yuntao recovered slowly, swallowing hard. "S-Spirit… awakened," he managed. "Type… unknown. Possibly a beast spirit. Possibly… something else."
He hesitated, then placed his hand on the spirit power testing orb—a crystalline sphere that began to glow upon contact with spirit energy.
The moment Yushen touched it—
Crack!
The sphere shattered into glittering shards.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Yushen turned and walked back to the crowd, silently.
Behind him, the wind whispered.
Even the air seemed afraid.
---
For the first time in all his years as a Spirit Hall appointee, Su Yuntao was speechless.
He stared at the shattered testing orb, then at the dark-haired boy whose expression remained… unreadable.
A broken orb meant only one thing—innate spirit power that exceeded testing capacity. In theory, it shouldn't be possible in such remote regions. It shouldn't be possible at all, unless...
...unless the child wasn't meant to be born here.
"Y-young man," Su Yuntao said slowly, his voice slightly trembling, "did you… feel anything when the spirit awakened?"
Yushen turned towards him, his gaze calm and controlled, betraying nothing of his inner thoughts. "No. It felt cold for a moment. But… quiet." He let the silence linger between them, allowing Su Yuntao to think it was a simple reaction to an unfamiliar awakening.
'I cannot let him know,' Yushen thought, his mind racing. 'Not yet. If Spirit Hall finds out… they'll come for me.'
Su Yuntao eyed him closely, then the broken orb. The tension in the air was palpable. Yushen could see the gears turning in Su Yuntao's mind. He needed to act fast before the man grew too suspicious.
"Could it be a beast-type spirit?" Yushen suggested, his tone casual, trying to redirect the conversation. "Something like a snake?"
Su Yuntao blinked, his suspicion momentarily veiled by the suggestion. "Yes, a beast-type spirit could have that effect. But this… is no ordinary case. Your spirit power—"
Before Su Yuntao could finish his sentence, Yushen's lips curled into a slight, confident smile. "Perhaps it's best to just leave it at that, Master Su. If you're going to start making assumptions about me, I'd prefer you make them after a real test. Who knows? Maybe it's something else entirely."
His tone was calm, but the words carried the weight of quiet authority, as if he was gently reminding Su Yuntao that there were boundaries in the conversation. The hint of a smile suggested that, while Yushen didn't mind Su Yuntao's presence, he wasn't about to let the official dig too deeply.
Su Yuntao paused, his gaze flickering between the boy and the shattered orb. There was a moment of hesitation. Yushen's composure was not that of a child. He was sharp, calm—and that unsettled Su Yuntao more than the boy's spirit.
The Spirit Hall appointee slowly exhaled, clearly reconsidering his next words. "You're right. It's too soon to judge. But… be careful, young man. Spirits like yours often attract unwanted attention."
Yushen nodded, his expression still unreadable. "I understand."
Just before Su Yuntao could turn away, Yushen added, "However, Master Su, I do not want my… awakening recorded in your reports. You see, my family is rather private, and the last thing we need is unnecessary interference."
Yushen's voice remained soft, but there was a dangerous edge to it now. "I'm sure you understand how easily a misreported detail can lead to unwanted consequences."
Su Yuntao hesitated. It was rare for someone to speak so frankly, but the threat was implicit—and Su Yuntao was not foolish enough to ignore it. He had heard rumors of powerful families in the remote villages, and while he was an official of Spirit Hall, there were still dangers in angering the wrong person.
After a long moment, Su Yuntao gave a slow nod. "Very well," he said, his voice measured. "Your secret will remain safe with me… for now."
Yushen gave a polite bow, the exchange over, but his mind was already calculating the next step. He would leave this village, and he would never allow his power to be revealed again. Not here. Not in this small place. Not until he was ready.
"Thank you, Master Su," he said quietly.
---
Su Yuntao glanced back toward Yushen, a lingering thought clouding his mind. His gaze softened, trying to make sense of the strange events that had unfolded today. The boy had exceeded all his expectations—far too much for a village of this size, and far too much to be brushed aside. He had nearly seen something beyond his comprehension.
"I trust we're done here?" Yushen asked, his tone still polite, but now sharper.
"Yes, of course," Su Yuntao replied, his voice growing more distant. He had never expected to witness such a spirit awakening. The boy's innate power couldn't be measured by the traditional means. Something about the entire process gnawed at him. It felt unnatural, like the balance of nature had been disturbed.
But as the appointee began to leave, he found himself trailing behind Yushen for a moment. The boy's power was... alien. He couldn't just walk away from it, not when there were so many questions left unanswered.
Suddenly, without warning, Yushen's figure shifted, almost like he had anticipated the hesitation. The shadows of the village had grown longer with the setting sun. The light was dimming, the air becoming thick with quiet tension. The silence between them was palpable, suffocating.
"Master Su," Yushen said, his voice like a whisper, though it cut through the air with a weight that made Su Yuntao stop in his tracks. He turned to find the boy standing a few paces away, watching him with a calm, yet unnerving gaze.
"I told you to keep this quiet," Yushen continued, his tone casual yet filled with something darker. "The wrong report could cause… unpleasant consequences. For both you and me."
Su Yuntao stiffened. There was something dangerous in the air now, something more than just the words Yushen spoke. It was in his eyes—those eyes that seemed too ancient, too cold for a mere child. But that wasn't the part that made Su Yuntao nervous. It was the soft, barely perceptible gesture that followed.
With a flick of his wrist, a thin thread of black energy wrapped itself around Su Yuntao's wrist—so thin and delicate that he hadn't even noticed it until the pressure began to mount.
"Your silence," Yushen continued, his voice barely audible now, "will be more than just a request. It will be a necessity."
Su Yuntao's breath caught in his throat. His spirit power flared for a moment instinctively, but it wasn't enough to break free from the energy now wrapped around his wrist. The black tendril tightened with a gentle, almost serpentine motion, as though alive. It was cold. Unnaturally cold.
A subtle hum echoed in Su Yuntao's mind. It was as though the abyss itself was whispering, warning him of the consequences. He felt the pressure grow, gnawing at him, and his thoughts swirled with confusion and unease. His gaze snapped to Yushen, who was still standing with a quiet calm, as though the entire exchange meant nothing to him.
"I think you understand now," Yushen said, his lips curling into a faint smile. "A false report will be written. You will tell Spirit Hall that my spirit was only an ordinary one. A beast spirit. No greater than rank 10."
The energy around Su Yuntao's wrist pulsed once more, and he felt a wave of dizziness sweep over him. His vision blurred for a moment, but he fought to remain focused.
"Tell them," Yushen continued, his voice like a serpent's hiss in Su Yuntao's ear, "that the awakening was a fluke. That the boy's spirit is weak, harmless."
Su Yuntao's head spun. He struggled to gather his thoughts, but the feeling of helplessness was suffocating. His spirit power had always been his greatest strength, but now it seemed utterly useless. The pressure from Yushen's energy was overwhelming. He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came.
"Any attempt to go against this... will be met with consequences." Yushen's eyes glinted with a silent promise.
At that moment, Su Yuntao understood. He couldn't resist, not while Yushen had this power over him. The boy had sealed him into silence, bound him in a way that wasn't physical but far more dangerous. It wasn't just power—no, it was something more insidious. Yushen wasn't just controlling his body. He was controlling his will.
"You will submit the report tomorrow," Yushen finished softly. "That is the only report that will exist. A simple, ordinary awakening. Nothing more."
Su Yuntao nodded mechanically, his mind fighting the fog that clouded his thoughts. He couldn't defy the boy, no matter how much he wanted to. He could already feel the weight of the falsehood pressing down on him. He would go to Spirit Hall, submit the report, and bury the truth. Yushen's spirit was an enigma, an unfathomable force.
As Yushen released him, Su Yuntao staggered back, rubbing his wrist where the cold tendrils had once been. The chill still lingered in his body, but there was no pain. Just the eerie aftereffect of something he couldn't quite grasp.
Yushen turned away without a second glance, his steps deliberate. "Goodnight, Master Su. We won't meet again."
And as Yushen disappeared into the dimming twilight, Su Yuntao stood frozen, caught between the weight of the false report and the suffocating knowledge of the abyss that had just touched his soul.
---
The oppressive silence left by Su Yuntao's departure lingered in the air like fading smoke. Yushen stood still under the crooked tree at the edge of the square, his fingers brushing along its bark. For a brief moment, he let himself relax. The shadow was gone. The binding was done. For now, the mask of normalcy would hold.
"Yushen!"
He turned slowly, his expression softening by a hair as a lanky boy came rushing up the dirt path from the village's gathering hall.
"You missed most of it! We already had six kids awaken—Mei got a cat, and Lin got some weird mushroom thing."
"I figured," Yushen said with a small nod. "I'm only here to watch the end."
The boy—Daozi, a friend in name only—grinned. "Figures. You always like the dramatic part."
They walked together to the crowd where the remaining children had gathered. Parents whispered among themselves, shooting glances at the podium where Su Yuntao had conducted the awakenings. The official looked drained, as if he'd aged five years in the last twenty minutes. He barely reacted when a child stumbled off the stage, tears in their eyes after awakening a worthless Tool Spirit.
Yushen crossed his arms, observing.
The crowd still buzzed with excitement and anxiety. The next child stepped forward. A boy with wide eyes and bruised knees.
"Release your spirit," Su Yuntao said in a hollow voice.
A thin vine appeared in the boy's hands—barely tangible, flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Spirit Power: Zero," the assistant muttered.
The boy's face crumpled. His parents rushed to comfort him.
Yushen watched with an unreadable expression. He had seen this exact event play out hundreds of times—both here and in his old life. It was always the same. Some were chosen. Most were forgotten.
He leaned in slightly as the next girl stepped forward. This time, a glimmer of spirit energy rippled outward—delicate, but stronger than the rest.
A jade-colored butterfly shimmered into the air above her palms.
Su Yuntao blinked and glanced down at the crystal orb. "Innate Spirit Power… level three."
Gasps broke out. Not impressive by any true standard, but for a village child, this was rare.
Yushen gave a faint nod. Good enough to earn the envy of the weak, not enough to be noticed by the strong. She'll live a long life, if she keeps her head low.
Daozi elbowed him. "You think they'll recruit her to the city academy?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Daozi laughed. "Spirits are dumb. I want a sword like yours. Something cool. Not a bird or a plant."
Yushen tilted his head. "Maybe you'll awaken a rock. That'd suit you."
"Hey!"
They laughed—one forced, the other only pretending to remember how laughter felt.
"Last one!" Su Yuntao called out, trying to summon some enthusiasm. "Daozi, step forward."
Daozi's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Wish me luck," he said, puffing up his chest.
"Break a leg," Yushen replied dryly.
As Daozi bounded up the steps, Yushen turned slightly away. He already knew what Daozi would get. A weak, harmless Tool Spirit. Possibly a variant stone or digging implement. Nothing threatening.
He didn't watch. He didn't need to.
Behind him, Daozi shouted in frustration. "A hoe? Are you serious?!"
Yushen smirked. Called it.
As the crowd dispersed, the sun dipped lower, casting long golden rays over the village rooftops. Yushen took one final glance toward the direction Su Yuntao had gone—now just a blur down the forest road.
He'll report what I told him. And if he doesn't… the shadow will remind him.
His fingers brushed his side lightly. The warmth of his hidden spirit still pulsed faintly beneath the surface—contained, for now. Unseen. Unknown.
He turned and walked home with the rest of the crowd, a quiet boy among many.
But the wind whispered his name in the leaves—Yushen… Yushen…—like the world already knew that something in him didn't belong.
---
That night, the village of Qinghe settled into its usual peace. Lanterns swayed softly in the wind, their light casting muted gold across packed dirt and weathered stone. Crickets sang in the distance, and the murmur of hushed conversations faded as families returned to their homes.
Inside a modest house near the edge of the village, Yushen sat by the window, chin resting on his hand as he watched moonlight spill across the forest canopy.
Behind him, the small fire in the clay stove hissed as it died down. The scent of steamed rice lingered in the air, untouched.
He hadn't eaten.
'Innate full spirit power,' he thought. 'But not just full—overflowing.'
He held out his right hand, flexing his fingers. A dull flicker of energy shimmered faintly under his skin, as if something ancient stirred beneath his veins.
The Basilisk.
It slumbered again now, content to bide its time. When he'd first awakened it, the feeling hadn't been joy. It hadn't even been awe.
It had been recognition.
He had known this serpent before he had a name. It wasn't a spirit granted—it was a truth uncovered.
A piece of the universe that had chosen to remember him.
There was a knock at the door. Three quick taps, followed by a pause.
Yushen stood and opened it.
His uncle—by title, not blood—stood there with a crooked grin and a sack of firewood over one shoulder. "Didn't see you come back from the square, brat."
"I was watching the rest of the ceremony," Yushen replied.
"Hah. You? Watching?" The old man snorted and stepped inside, dumping the wood near the stove. "You hate crowds more than you hate my cooking."
Yushen didn't deny it.
His uncle glanced at him from the side. "So? What did you get?"
Yushen hesitated only a moment. Then he smiled, soft and harmless. "A snake."
"Snake, eh? As long as it bites harder than it hisses."
"Something like that."
His uncle grunted and began stoking the embers. "The hall official left fast. Didn't even drink the farewell wine."
Yushen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Really?"
"Ran off just before sunset. Looked like his pants were on fire."
'Good,' Yushen thought. 'The shadow worked. He won't say anything.'
The two sat in silence for a while, broken only by the occasional crack of firewood and the distant howl of wind over the hills.
Then his uncle said, "You'll be heading to Nuoding Academy soon, right? They always send someone when a village turns up kids with talent."
Yushen nodded. "That's the plan."
"Learn what you can. Don't trust anyone who offers something too easily. And if someone asks you about your spirit—"
"I'll say it's a Black Iron Serpent," Yushen interrupted smoothly. "Low-ranked Beast Spirit. Unremarkable. I even practiced a fake spirit form for it."
His uncle raised an eyebrow. "You planned that already?"
"I read," Yushen said. "A lot."
He didn't mention what he read. Or that he wasn't from here. Or that, in another world, he had watched this land from above—an outsider with knowledge no child should hold.
His uncle reached into his coat and pulled out a small bag. It clinked faintly. "Your travel money. Don't spend it on books unless they teach you how to stay alive."
Yushen accepted it with a small bow. "Thank you."
"Bah. Just come back smarter than when you left."
"I'll try."
As the old man returned to tending the fire, Yushen looked out the window again.
The moon had risen higher now, casting cold light on the hills beyond the village. Somewhere beyond those mountains, the city of Nuoding waited.
And in it—Tang San.
The gears of fate had started turning.
But fate didn't know it had a crack.
One that slithered beneath reality, hungering in silence.
---
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