The morning sun rose over Ember Root Village, casting long golden streaks across rows of wooden huts and dirt paths worn smooth by countless footsteps.
Smoke drifted lazily from cooking fires. Chickens clucked. Farmers shouted. Life continued as it always had—simple, repetitive… and uneventful.
For most people, this was home.
For Lin Aiden, it was a cage.
---
Aiden stood at the edge of the village well, staring into the faint reflection on the water's surface.
A thin face.
Messy black hair.
Eyes that seemed too calm for his age.
"…Still nothing."
He clenched his fist slightly.
Behind him, two village boys walked past, their voices loud enough to be heard clearly.
"Hey, isn't that the kid with no spirit root?"
"Yeah. Already sixteen and still can't cultivate."
"Pathetic. Even the beasts ignore him."
They laughed as they passed.
Aiden didn't turn around.
He had heard worse.
---
In this world, everyone awakened a spirit root at a young age.
It determined one's ability to cultivate, to grow stronger, to rise above mortality.
But Aiden…
He had none.
Not only that—he had been tested three times.
Three times, the result was the same.
"No resonance."
No elemental affinity.
No spiritual response.
No future.
---
He lowered his gaze and turned away from the well.
"Doesn't matter," he muttered softly.
But even as he said it, his chest felt warm.
Not painfully so… just… strange.
A faint heat that never went away.
Ever since he could remember, his body had always carried this subtle warmth, as if something inside him was quietly burning.
No one else seemed to notice.
No doctor could explain it.
And Aiden had long since stopped asking.
---
"Oi! Aiden!"
A loud voice interrupted his thoughts.
He turned slightly.
Old Man Luo, one of the village hunters, was waving at him from afar.
"Come here! We need extra hands!"
Aiden walked over.
"What is it?"
Luo grinned. "Forest patrol. Some beasts have been acting strange lately. You've got good endurance—you'll help carry supplies."
Aiden nodded.
He didn't refuse.
Work was work.
Even if it meant being around people who looked down on him.
---
As they prepared to leave, another hunter muttered under his breath:
"Why bring him? He can't even sense beasts."
Luo shrugged.
"He's useful. Doesn't complain. Doesn't run."
That was the only praise Aiden ever received.
---
The group entered the forest beyond the village.
Tall trees stretched endlessly upward, their branches thick like ancient arms.
This forest marked the edge of Ember Root Village's territory—and beyond it lay the forbidden mountain range.
No villagers were allowed to go there.
Not because of rules…
…but because people who entered rarely returned.
---
As they moved deeper, something subtle changed.
The air grew warmer.
Not naturally.
It was faint… but noticeable.
Aiden paused for a moment, placing a hand on a tree trunk.
"…Do you feel that?"
One of the hunters frowned. "Feel what?"
Aiden hesitated.
"…Nothing."
He shook his head and continued walking.
But inside, the heat in his chest seemed to pulse once.
---
Hours passed.
The patrol continued without incident.
No beasts.
No disturbances.
Too quiet.
---
"Strange…" Luo muttered. "There should be at least some low-tier beasts around here."
Another hunter nodded. "Yeah. It's like they're avoiding this area."
Aiden didn't speak.
But he felt it too.
Something was wrong.
Not dangerous in the usual sense…
…but unnatural.
---
Suddenly—
A distant sound echoed through the air.
Not loud.
But deep.
A low rumble… like something cracking open in the sky itself.
Everyone froze.
"What was that?" one hunter asked.
Before anyone could answer—
The ground trembled.
Aiden's eyes widened slightly.
"…The mountain."
---
Far beyond the trees, past the forest line, stood the forbidden mountain.
It was usually shrouded in mist.
Silent.
Unchanging.
But now—
A faint glow appeared above it.
At first, it looked like a star.
Then it grew brighter.
And brighter.
---
Luo's expression changed instantly.
"…No way."
The glow streaked downward.
Faster.
Hotter.
A trail of fire tore across the sky like a descending blade.
---
Aiden's chest tightened.
The strange heat within him surged in response.
For the first time…
…it reacted.
His breathing slowed.
His instincts sharpened.
His gaze locked onto the falling light.
---
"Everyone—RUN!!" Luo shouted.
But it was already too late to move.
The object struck the forbidden mountain.
---
BOOOOOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion shook the entire region.
The earth cracked.
Trees swayed violently.
Birds erupted into the sky in panic.
A shockwave swept across the forest, knocking several hunters off their feet.
---
Aiden stumbled back, barely keeping his balance.
His heart pounded.
His ears rang.
But his eyes—
Remained fixed on the distant mountain.
---
Where a pillar of fire now rose into the sky.
Burning.
Alive.
---
"…A meteor?" one hunter gasped.
"No… that wasn't normal…" Luo said, his voice low and shaken.
"That heat… it felt wrong."
---
Aiden didn't move.
The warmth inside his body had intensified.
Not painfully.
But… resonantly.
As if something deep within him had awakened in response to the impact.
His fingers trembled slightly.
"…Why…?"
He didn't understand what he was feeling.
But one thing was certain.
---
That moment—
Changed everything.
---
Far away, at the center of the burning impact site…
Something began to crack open.
---
And inside the flames…
A faint pulse echoed.
As if something had been waiting.
---
Chapter 1 – End