In the Gods' Realm, peace was like breathing. It was just... normal. No one thought about it much. The gods lived together like one big family. They fought sometimes, sure. Argued over dumb things. But they cared. They laughed, and they lived.
Then one day… the sky just went dark.
No warning. No signs at all.
Thunder rumbled through the clouds, low and angry, like it was the final judgment that about to happen. Then the sky ripped open, like someone had torn it with their bare hands.
A fireball—huge, glowing like a second sun. It came crashing down toward their land.
The gods didn't waste time. The elders came together fast. Their faces were tight, eyes sharp. They joined their powers, wove them into a shield—a glowing barrier full of hope. You could feel it. Their trust. Their desperation.
But it wasn't enough.
The fireball hit The shield and shattered like glass.
And then everything went to hell.
Flames roared. Smoke choked the skies. Temples collapsed. Homes blew apart like paper in the wind. Some gods tried to run. Some stayed to fight. But most… didn't make it.
Ash covered the land.
In the palace, King Wei Chen stood at the window. His hands were shaking, his mouth tight. Beside him, Queen Li Na held her swollen belly, eyes full of pain—not from labor, but from what she was seeing.
The child was born that day.
A small boy, quiet and eyes wide open, like he was already trying to understand the world he'd just arrived in.
But their joy didn't last. The land was broken. The skies never rained again. Crops died. Water dried up. Hunger spread Slowly, and silently.
Even gods can starve.
Hundreds died over the years. One by one, they faded.
And just when they thought it couldn't get worse… the shadows came.
Dark spirits. Monsters from the Demon Realm. They didn't want the land. They didn't want the palace.
They wanted the Bai Hu—the Divine Beast. The protector and the symbol of power.
The beast was weak now. So were the gods. No one could stop what came next.
They were hunted. One by one. Torn apart by claws and shadow blades. Screams echoed across the mountains.
Wei Chen and Li Na knew it wouldn't be long before their son was found.
So they did the only thing they could.
They built a portal. A doorway to the human world.
They wrapped their son in a shell, shaped like an egg. It glowed with their power, warm and strong. Before sealing it, Li Na reached down and drew a symbol on his forehead, and hid the Bai Hu's essence within him.
A mark, and also a promise.
"If we survive… we'll find you."
They closed the shell.
And it vanished into the gate.
Not long after, the dark spirits reached the palace. They found only the king and queen.
The demons didn't rush. They walked in slow, with cruel smiles and heavy steps. Their swords rested on their shoulders.
One of them grinned. "Wei Chen. We're being nice today. Hand over the Bai Hu. We let you live."
Wei Chen didn't blink or panick, and also didn't back down either.
He just stepped forward and said one word—sharp and angry.
"No."
That was it.
One demon lunged, Fast and Brutal.
In one move, he drove a clawed hand through Wei Chen's chest and the other through Li Na's head.
Blood sprayed.
The king and queen fell.
But even as he bled out, Wei Chen moved. His fingers drew a weak line across the floor. A portal—small and flickering.
His voice was weak but struggle to say something . "Xiao… find my son…"
Then… he died.
Xiao—Wei Chen's younger brother—ran in seconds too late.
He fell beside them, tears streaking down his face.
He didn't cry long.
He stood, Took one last look and then jumped into the portal.
Behind him, the palace was burning. The gods were all gone. None of them survived.
And silence took the realm.
---
A thousand years passed.
In the human world, life moved on.
China changed. Machines filled homes. Cities grew fast. People were too busy for each other. Even parents didn't have time for their kids.
But far to the north, in a small mountain village, time still moved slow.
No cars. No towers. Just wooden homes, old roads, and cold wind.
People were poor, but they survived. They hunted, fished and sold whatever they could.
One of them was Li Shen.
A quiet man, Worn down. Thin from hard years. He lived in a small hut with his wife and two kids.
That day, he'd been walking for hours in the cold, snow crunching under his boots.
He looked up at the sky and muttered, "Please… just let me find something. Anything. My family's hungry…"
He walked deeper into the mountains. The trees thinned and the wind howled.
Eventually, he found a cave.
And inside… a strange blue light glow.
His steps slowed.
"The hell…?"
He moved closer and Careful. One step at a time.
And then he saw an egg. Huge and Frozen in ice.
Blue light pulsed from deep inside.
He knelt. Reached out and His hand touched the shell.
It was warm.
"Who left this here?" he whispered.
He tried to break it. Hit it with his axe. Again and Again but Nothing. It didn't even crack.
Then—suddenly, it lifted up on it own, shaking as the light exploded.
A wave of energy slammed him into the wall. He groaned and quickly sat up.
And saw a baby, right in the middle of the broken egg.
A boy and also live.
Glowing.
A strange mark on his forehead. Like lightning, but alive. Moving.
Li Shen didn't know what to say.
"…What are you?"
He slowly walked over. Picked the baby up.
He was warm. Breathing and Calm.
Outside, snow had started falling.
Li Shen stripped off his coat and wrapped the child tight. No hesitation.
He stepped out into the storm.
Kept walking.
He had no answers. Only instincts.
He walked until he spotted movement—three rats, running across the snow.
He didn't think. Just grabbed an arrow and took the shot.
One shot killed all the three.
'Dinner.'
He grinned, just a little. "We eat tonight…"
He scooped up the rats and disappeared into the white haze.
---
Back in the Demon Realm…
A dark hall. Cold and Silent.
A man knelt before a shadow.
"Mr. Tai… I'm ready. I'll go get the Divine Beast."
"Haha… go. But listen, if you fail, that child will be the death of us all."
The man bowed. Then vanished into mist.
Mr. Tai stayed behind.
Murmuring.
"A thousand years… and now he wakes. Hmph. Let's see what you've become…"
---------------
Human Realm.
Li Shen reached home. A small wooden house, hidden in the hills.
His kids ran out, yelling.
"Baba!"
"Papa's back!"
He smiled. Kneeling to hug them both.
Then Meiyun—his wife—stepped outside.
"What's that?" she asked, seeing the bundled coat.
He handed the rats to their daughter. "Xinyi, cook fast. We've got food."
Then he unwrapped the coat.
The baby's glow had faded, but the mark was still there—shimmering faintly.
Meiyun gasped.
"Li… no. That mark. That's not human."
"I know," he said quietly. "But I couldn't leave him out there."
"What if he's a demon?" she asked, stepping back.
"I don't know. But he's alive. And he's a baby. He needs us."
Their son, Xun, crossed his arms. "I don't want a brother!"
Li Shen crouched and looked him in the eyes.
"Sometimes… family chooses us. And we protect them."
Right then, the mark sparked.
Lightning flickered in the room.
A single crackle, Then silence.