As the sun rose, casting its refreshing glow over the entire Green Wind province, the people of Black scale village have already risen up to start their daily routines. A village located at the very southern end of the green wind province is where the house of the three ruling clan of the Black-scale village, the Wu family, the Zhou family and the Li family.
According to history the Li family ancestors were the ones who built the southern Li village, and later on they invited the Wu and zhou family to reside in their village for defense against bandits and the rampaging beast boarding the green wind province and the black Moore jungle.
Within the Wu family residence, the children of the Wu clan above 5 years old have arrived at the various martial art training centers and some of the older children are having a friendly sparring contest at their respective clans arena.
Currently at the arena an open courtyard used for sparring purposes, two young men of about the same age were facing off with each other, with other family members surrounding the arena to watch the fight. Even though the two boys were about the same age there is a huge difference in their body build.
"Bam!!" the wooden blade of one of the boy struck the other's body as they both landed on the ground on either side of each other
"Cao Yaun!!" the boy with the wooden sword shouted furiously at his companion.
"Will you people please take this seriously, every-time we come for practice you are always spacing out"
"or should I just stop using the training weapon so we can all go hand to hand" shouted the boy with the wooden blade looking at his companion who stood about 170 cm tall and was a giant among his peers. Dai Yaun was 15 years old and unusually tall for his age giving him a huge build and frame that set him apart from his peers.
"brother Mo, am sorry for that" Cao Yaun replied as he shook his head.
Almost all the you in the WU clan uses variant of blade weapon only dai Yaun among his clan pears doesn't use a training weapon, due to his big body dai Yaun preferred to use blunt weapons like hammers, axe or halberds but, the Wu clan was specialized in blade technique, with no other alternatives available he normally went to the training grounds empty handed and always used his fist during practice sparring.
"you don't need to do that, I can still go on" said Cao Yaun as he charge towards Wu zhangmo who was holding the training blade with both hands, his legs wide apart and steady as he awaited the oncoming charge of Dai Yaun, as the distance between them narrowed, the grip on the wooden blade became firm as beads of sweat dotted his forehead.
One would have expected that with his huge body, Cao Yaun would be slower than his peers but as it turned out his big body gave him agility and speed not to mention power.
However, despite all the advantages bestowed upon him by his body build Dai Yaun was always the underdog at the training grounds, one, because his foster grandfather always had him held back his power when ever they are sparring, and secondly, Dai Yaun wasn't very good at concentrating during training exercises due to the strange memories and dreams that haunted him daily.
"Ahh" a scream escaped from Cao Yauns lips as he withdrew his fist that was about to clash with the striking pose of Zhangmo's blade
"thud" day Yaun landed on the arena floor, stagerring backward as he brought his hands to his head, a trail of vain and arthres pulsating furiously all over his forehead as he tighten his face in agony from the sudden burst of pains striking his skull from what ever was going on inside the head of his.
"Not again…"
"why cant he just stop coming to the training and wasting people's time
"Every week it's the same! Maybe he's possessed."
"Or cursed. Grandpa Mo should have left him to die on the streets."
The watching disciples murmured.
"damn you bastard!" zhangmo cursed as he took a step back in fright from the sudden scream of dai Yaun.
"what the fuck! I told you to give up but you refuse, watch how I am going to put you where you belong" dropping his wooden blade zhangmo cracked his knuckles as he walked towards the struggling Cao Yaun on the floor.
"Enough!" someone barked from the sidelines. An elderly man with long black silky hair and white-bearded but weary-eyed, stepped forward. His expression held no sympathy at the you on the floor only exhaustion. "Drag him back to his quarters. He's disturbing the training ground."
Two servants hesitated but obeyed, lifting Cao Yuan's limp body. As they carried him away, Zhoumo called out, "Next time, don't waste everyone's time coming to the training ground, Freek!"
His curse echoed through the courtyard long after Cao Yaun was gone.
The duo dumped him unceremoniously on a simple straw cot in a small courtyard, the courtyard contains nothing say for the wooden bed and table located at the right corner of the room where an incense stick still burns driving away the blood hungry predators of the night.
The pain had begun to subside, leaving a heavy throb and ache behind his eye. Dai Yaun lay still on his bed for a long time, while constantly taking in deep and shallow breath as he regulate his already exhausted body breathing in the stale scent of the old incense thick in the air.
Struggling to his feet, he went to the table to put away the still burning incense while rising the torn cloth covering the entrance to his little courtyard.
His courtyard is located at the foot of a mountain in the distance part of the Wu clan residence, few other courtyard dotted the mountain, giving it a deserted atmosphere.
These mountain is one of the numerous mountain used by the external member of the Wu clan, due to how large the Wu clan area is, almost every citizen of the Wu clan has their living environment. Dai Yaun was initially not living in this region of the clan quarters, having been living in the inner region where the direct descendant use to live and dine.
But a month after the disappearance of Grandpa Mo, Cao Yaun's courtyard in the inner region was sized and given to another clan member, while he was chased out of the inner region and into the outer and deserted area.
Looking back into his dilapidated courtyard, apart from those two furnitures full of cracks, The old man's presence lingered everywhere, carved wooden talismans hanging from the beams, a cracked cauldron used for concoctions, the faint aroma of herbs. Grandpa Mo… where did you go?
Cao Yaun sat down slowly. Looking down at the bustling area outside the clan residence. People coming and going as the days activity begin to mature. Outside, laughter and the sound of training filled the air once more. He could hear his peers, cousins, and other members of the clan engaged in the training section, this situation becoming a daily norm now as he envisioned the memories etched into his brain.
The memories which begin appearing 6 months ago still churned within him - like molten fragments of someone else life seared into his soul. Every vision came with an ache, but also a strange familiarity, as if they belonged to him before he was even born.
He clenched his fists, in disappointment and anguish as he recall all the struggles which he has passed through during this one year after the disappearance of his godfather in the clan, although grandpa Mo was not a clan member with the Wu blood.
But due to his friendship with the old Wu ancestor and his formidable strength, he was given respect and adoration within the clan, and with him around no one dears to mess with Dai Yuan, but without his presence in the clan and seeming to have disappeared from the face of earth.
Dai Yaun who has been subject to the clan members envy and jealousy suddenly become the scorn of everyone, and it become worst after the spirit awakening ceremony during which the clan discovered his lack of spirit root.
When Grandpa Mo had found him years ago, he'd said he was born under a "shattered star." He never explained what that meant, only that Dai Yaun's fate was not meant to be ordinary.
As the day goes by and the glaring sun rays deepened. The compound fell silent bringing in peace and tranquility from the departure of the clan members to their various responsibility.
Dai Yaun stepped outside, bare feet meeting the burning stone of the courtyard. The Sun hung burning harshly from above, its ray frying the entire province.
He walked toward the training ground. The air still carried the faint scent of scorched qi from the morning fights. Beneath the sunlight, the arena tiles gleamed like glass.
He stopped at the place where he had collapsed earlier, as he stand under the hot sun staring at the floor and recalling what had occurred earlier and the memories from before the wind stirred. And memories from what occurred earlier flashed back into his mind.
"what is this?" murmuring silently as he stood up and stare at the sun from above.
Back in his room, Yaun lay down but could not sleep. Each time his eyes closed, he saw flashes of the visions again - the sealed demons, the roaring beasts, the whisper of devouring stars.