The sky was too clear that morning… like it didn't know what was coming.
The Elders stood at the top of the white-stone platform, their long robes catching in the wind. Behind them, the Heaven's Path Sect banners snapped sharply, gold against the pale blue sky. Everyone in the village had gathered. Some stood, some sat on crates or woven mats, and a few balanced on rooftops to get a better view. Even Elder Mo had come, and he never left his house anymore.
It was the day of spiritual testing. The day we all waited for. The day Heaven would choose.
Twelve of us had turned fifteen this year. All of us stood barefoot in a line on the open platform, the sun warming our shoulders. I stood near the middle, heartbeat steady but slow… trying not to hope too hard.
When you place your hand on the stone, it glows if you have a spiritual root. That glow tells them what kind of path you can follow. Fire. Water. Wind. Earth. The brighter the glow, the more powerful your potential. Some kids even awakened rare roots like Shadow or Lightning.
If you glow… you belong.
If you don't…
I swallowed hard and kept my eyes forward.
The first girl stepped up. Leina. Tall, red hair braided tightly, and always walking like the ground owed her something. She placed her hand on the round testing stone. It flared orange, then deepened into crimson.
The crowd clapped. Some even cheered.
"Root of Flame," one of the Elders announced, his voice sharp and confident. "High potential."
Leina turned and gave the crowd a small smile. She walked toward the golden gate behind the platform, where the sect disciples waited. One of them handed her a robe.
Another boy followed. Then a girl with a quiet smile. One by one, they stepped up… and one by one, the stone glowed for them. Each time, the Elders gave the same nod. Each time, the crowd clapped politely or cheered louder, depending on the color and brightness of the glow.
Then it was my turn.
I stepped forward when called, bare feet against warm stone.
"Name?" the Elder holding the stone asked.
"…Jin," I said.
He barely looked at me. "Place your hand."
I pressed my palm to the smooth surface. It felt warm at first… then cold. I waited for the glow. Waited for something. Anything.
Nothing came.
I felt the silence stretch. The crowd behind me had gone quiet.
The Elder shifted slightly, then looked up at the others and shook his head.
"No root."
He didn't even sound surprised.
"No spiritual connection detected," another Elder confirmed, flipping something on a scroll. "Next."
I blinked.
That was it?
"But… there must be a mistake," I said quietly.
The Elder frowned. "There is no mistake. You were tested like the others."
"But I've trained. I can feel qi sometimes. Just a little. Maybe the stone is—"
"Enough," the Elder cut in. "You are not compatible with the Path of Heaven. Step aside."
The words burned worse than fire.
I turned to look back at the crowd… but no one met my eyes. Some looked away. Some whispered. I caught the word "useless" more than once.
Someone chuckled. "Guess he's just an outer world rat after all."
I turned and walked down the steps.
I kept my back straight, my jaw clenched… but each step felt heavier than the last.
---
The celebration started by dusk.
Lanterns floated from rooftops. Tables were dragged into the village square. Wine poured freely, and the chosen ones... now wearing the Heaven's Path robes... stood tall beside their proud families.
I sat alone on the hill outside the village, knees pulled to my chest.
The stars above me blinked quietly, like they had better things to do. Like they didn't care either.
The sect wouldn't take me. I couldn't train. No one would hire a rootless boy. I would live and die here. Maybe herding spirit cows. Maybe cleaning latrines. Maybe nothing at all.
I dug my fingers into the dirt.
All those years of practice… for nothing.
A warm breeze rustled the grass. In the distance, laughter echoed up the hill. I heard Leina's voice... loud and smug, bragging about the way the flame root made her feel. How the qi moved in her veins. How she felt chosen.
I shut my eyes.
My fingers curled tighter around the grass. I didn't even realize I was shaking.
Then… I heard something else.
Not laughter. Not wind.
A hum. Deep. Slow. Almost like… breathing.
I opened my eyes.
The forest behind me was still. The trees cast long shadows in the moonlight, tall and silent. But something pulled at me. A feeling. A whisper just out of reach.
I stood.
The villagers always said to stay away from the old woods. That it was cursed. That strange beasts and broken paths waited inside. That people who entered didn't come out the same.
But I wasn't the same either, was I?
I stepped past the last stone of the village road… and walked into the trees.
---
The forest was colder than I expected.
Even in summer, the air inside felt sharp. The grass underfoot grew taller. Branches stretched like arms, heavy with dark leaves. I followed the hum. It wasn't loud, but it was steady… and I could feel it more than hear it.
It led me to the side of the mountain. Or what used to be one.
There, half-covered by moss and vines, sat a stone door built into the rock. It wasn't tall. Just high enough for one person to enter. The surface was smooth except for the center... where an old symbol was carved in dark purple lines.
It pulsed faintly.
There were no guards. No traps. No warnings.
Just a single line etched beneath the symbol, in characters so old I almost didn't understand them.
> "Those abandoned by Heaven may knock only once."
I stared at the mark.
The air around it felt heavy. Not evil. Just… deep. Like standing at the edge of a well that never ends.
I lifted my hand before I realized what I was doing.
And I knocked.
The stone shook beneath my fingers.
Wind rushed past my ears, even though the trees didn't move. The hum grew louder. My heartbeat skipped.
Then… a voice spoke.
Not through the air… but inside me. A whisper, soft and slow. Like something dreaming in the dark.
> "Do you accept?"
My mouth went dry.
"What are you?" I asked.
No answer.
Only the same words.
> "Do you accept?"
I should have run.
Every story I'd ever heard said to turn away from voices in the dark. To reject power not given by the heavens. To fear anything that speaks from shadows.
But those stories were told by people who had choices.
I had none.
"…Yes," I whispered.
The mark on the stone flared bright.
And the door opened.
---
I barely had time to breathe before the cold hit me.
Not just cold… emptiness. A hollow feeling, like something was missing inside me. Like my thoughts were being stretched too thin. I dropped to one knee, gasping for breath.
Then came the heat.
Not outside… but inside. My chest burned. My spine twisted. It felt like my blood was boiling. I screamed, but the sound barely reached my own ears. My fingers scraped against the stone as I tried to hold on.
A single word echoed in my mind.
> "Bound."
Light burst behind my eyes. My vision blurred.
Then… silence.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on my back in front of the door. The mark had faded. The stone was cool again.
But I was different.
I could feel it.
Something inside me was awake. Not a spirit. Not a beast. But a presence. Like an old echo buried in my soul.
I sat up slowly.
My body didn't hurt anymore. My breath came easy. And when I closed my eyes... I could feel something else. A warmth just beyond reach. Like a second skin wrapped around my bones.
No glow. No celebration. No light in the sky.
But I wasn't empty anymore.
I wasn't nothing.