STEP. STEP. STEP.
RUSTLE.
The sound of feet stepping hard on the ground, followed by leaves being pushed aside, echoed through the forest as a figure burst out from the trees, racing into the distance.
Lucian had no idea how long he had been running—only that he needed to keep moving.
He had heard the thunderous explosions that sent powerful shockwaves rippling through the air, almost knocking him off his feet.
He had heard the screams and agony of his fellow sect members. Yet, he dared not look back.
He could only run.
The path ahead seemed like an upward slope, making it harder for him to keep going.
But he forced himself, continuing onward.
With him were the two ultimate treasures of his sect.
He knew well it was only a matter of time before the supreme sects scoured the area, searching for any survivors like him.
They would surely do that to prevent any future chances of revenge from survivors of the sect.
That's why Lucian couldn't afford to stop, not even for a second.
His feet were already bloody, and his body bore cuts and bruises from the branches and leaves he had forcefully broken through.
His clothes were stained with blood and sweat and his eyes were weary due to his tiredness and deep hunger.
But he had a goal.
He remembered that every time he was sent here to harvest herbs, there was a high vantage point nearby where one could see the entire sect.
Though the chance of his sect's survival was close to zero, he still held onto a faint hope—maybe there had been some divine intervention, some miracle.
Maybe they had managed to survive in the end.
That small flicker of hope fueled him, pushing him to climb the slope even though he was already at his limit.
By the time Lucian reached the top, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the land.
From this vantage point, he could see everything.
And slowly, his knees gave out as tears spilled from his eyes.
The sect, once proudly visible from this spot, was now nothing but a large pile of ash.
The sect grounds had been reduced to a massive crater, its depths obscured by the lingering shadows of destruction.
Deep sword scars marred the earth, some so vast that Lucian couldn't even see their bottom.
The large army that formerly covered everything had left, and all that remained was devastation.
The memories of how the sect once looked from this very spot were still fresh in his mind, clashing painfully with the sight before him.
But it was the truth.
He had lost everything.
His sect, his master, his brothers and sisters, his home—his only sense of security.
Everything had been razed to the ground.
All because of one thing.
With hateful eyes, Lucian looked at the stone hanging from the necklace around his neck.
It was dim and dull, utterly unremarkable.
Yet, it was the reason his world had been destroyed.
He wanted nothing more than to throw it away, right now, into the forest.
But no matter how hard he tried, he found himself unable to make that final shoulder swing.
It was the last remnant of his sect—the final gift given to him by the Patriarch and the only testaments of his sect history.
How could he throw it away?
It might have been the reason why his sect faced its destruction but it was also undoubtable that it also now held the meaning to his sect existence.
Teeth grinding together, Lucian's memories of the good days replayed in his mind, over and over.
His fingers dug into his palms, and his teeth clenched in anger. Tears of blood spilled out as intense agony wreaked his mind wanting to break him apart.
His demons came to his mind, pointing his fingers at him, and whispering to him he was the one who brought the sect's downfall.
Perhaps if he had remained and fought, he might have just been the last piece that was needed to win the battle.
But there was also an other side that tells him he will rise, and this was nothing but a minor blockade on his path to greatness.
The sun slowly disappeared fully beneath the horizon, plunging the world into pitch darkness, and slowly, the full Moon appeared, a source of light through the deep darkness.
From his place at the top of the mountain, the wind howled loudly in his ears, its deep coldness embracing everything around him.
Lucian knelt there, head bowed and his short blue hair flapping wildly in the wind.
Blood-red lines could be seen on his cheeks with their tears having dried.
Slowly, he tore his gaze away from the ruins of his sect and lifted his eyes to the night sky, where the twinkling stars above shine their lights on his figure.
He had always found them to be incredibly beautiful and looked upon them in amazement.
But not now.
Nothing was beautiful anymore. Not even the sweet memories in his head.
Now it all was nothing but a deep nightmare that would haunt him till the end of time.
Lucian slowly opened his clenched fist, eyeing the dark stone placed on the necklace for a long while before eventually he wore it back on his neck hiding it under his shirt.
"I'll find the stones, Master," he whispered.
"I'll find them... and avenge you all."
"I'll bring absolute ruin to the three supreme sects for what they've done to our home."
"I promise." he whispered with the wind being the only one to offer testimony to his promise and it lifted it away, adding it to a collection of its array of promises made to none's hearing.
With eyes brimming with resolve and undying conviction, Lucian rose to his feet and disappeared from the mountaintop.
---------
That night, a terrifying anomaly was born.
One whose rise would shake not just the Dmitrive region but the entire world at large!