The small village was a pocket of serenity nestled deep within the mountain ranges. Perhaps forty souls called this place home, finding a hard-won peace despite their constant struggle. Life was defined by toil; even children barely out of toddlerhood could be seen straining their young bodies, carrying heavy bundles for pay.
Minor squabbles were a fact of life, a stolen coin here, a sharp word there but the villagers always restored their fragile harmony quickly.
"Aaggh!"
"This weight is impossible!"
Lei Ze, a boy of seven with deep black hair and a tattered tunic, had a strip of nicely designed cloth tied across his forehead to catch the sweat. He strained under a massive sack of packaged goods, hauling it from the market toward the purchaser. This arduous work was his only source of income, all of it dedicated to buying medicine for his sick mother, Lán.
"What exactly is inside this bag?" he muttered under his breath, eyes fixed on the man who had hired him.
The man walked ahead without a glance back, utterly indifferent to the child's struggle.
"I seriously wonder what kind of contents warrant this much weight."
Finally, they arrived at the destination. The man, with unexpected calmness, helped lift the overwhelming sack off Lei Ze's back.
"Thank you, son," he said, and counted out a few copper notes. Lei Ze wasn't prone to greed; he was genuinely satisfied with the small amount he had earned.
"I appreciate it, Elder. If you ever need help again, I'm usually in the market. I'll make sure to prioritize your work."
The man nodded, offering Lei Ze a pleasant, if distant, smile and a wave.
As night approached, Lei Ze gathered his small carrying tools and started his walk home, counting the day's earnings as he went.
"One... two... five... eight... fifteen..."
He tallied his income, focused only on the numbers, when four older boys stepped into his path. These were the regular tormentors, the ones who ensured no day passed without misery.
"Well, well, look what the little beggar has in his hand," one of them sneered, taking a slow step forward.
Lei Ze quickly shoved the notes into his pocket and instinctively backed up a step.
He hadn't expected them here, and he desperately needed to rush home to his mother.
"Mo Hán, please, not today," Lei Ze pleaded, his tone not fearful, but urgent. "My mother is very sick. I have to look after her."
The leader, Mo Hán, threw his head back and laughed, followed by his cronies.
"Seriously? You think I care about your sick mother?"
Lei Ze swallowed, unable to think of a response. Any move he made could easily lead to a thrashing.
"Just let me pass. I promise I'll give you some money later, after I've bought her medicine."
Mo Hán and his friends exchanged mocking glances, their laughter turning harsh. "Aww, the poor little waste," Mo Hán mocked.
"Your worthless mother doesn't even deserve to live, so why bother worrying?"
The moment the word 'worthless' left Mo Hán's mouth, Lei Ze's eyes narrowed, the last shred of caution snapping. His hands clenched into tight fists, all fear replaced by scorching rage. He sprinted forward, launching himself at Mo Hán, slamming his fist into the older boy's nose.
Lei Ze didn't stop there. He tackled Mo Hán to the ground and kept punching his face with blind fury. Mo Hán's friends scrambled to grab Lei Ze from behind, but the boy shook himself free, continuing to rain blows down.
"Never call my mother worthless!" Lei Ze screamed, his voice raw. "You can say whatever you want about me, but leave my mother out of it!"
Mo Hán's eyes widened, genuine fear finally showing as he stared straight into Lei Ze's enraged, tear-streaked face.
Lei Ze was finally dragged away by the boys, who threw him violently onto the dry sand.
Mo Hán slowly stood up, wiping the blood streaming from his nose. His expression was a mixture of stunned shock and cold fury, his teeth gritted.
"You absolute son of a snake. How dare you touch me!"
Mo Hán charged. Lei Ze braced himself, fists still clenched, preparing for the inevitable.
The blow struck his nose harder than anything he had felt before, dropping him instantly to the ground.
"See how that feels?" Mo Hán spat, pointing down at the reeling boy. "I swear, you aren't leaving here without being properly scarred."
Lei Ze tried to crawl backward as the pack closed in on him.
He was beaten savagely, left injured exactly as Mo Hán had promised. He struggled painfully to walk, but eventually staggered to his house, where his mother, Lán, was standing worriedly in the doorway.
"Oh, my son! What happened?" she cried, immediately helping him inside and laying him gently on the small wooden couch.
Lán fetched a basin of warm water and a clean, white cloth. As she meticulously cleaned the scrapes and bruises covering his small body, Lei Ze remained still.
"Son, I know you do all this hard work just for me, and I appreciate it more than you know,"
Lán said softly. "It hurts me that you toil so much. I'm sorry." She sighed, then continued, "Ever since your father left us, things have been so hard, but you've stood up for us, even taking care of me. It brings me shame that you have to do so much."
Lei Ze was quiet, staring up at the ceiling. He placed a hand over his own heart. "Mom, please. Shhh. I'm doing this for both of us. I won't ever leave you. I promised."
She nodded calmly, pressing her lips gently to his forehead. "You were born of lightning, my love. I hope one day you find your true self." She whispered the words, then quietly left the house to get some fresh air.
That night, a cold rain began to fall. Perched atop one of the highest local peaks, a mass of purple smoke manifested. Inside the swirling vapor, three distinct skull-like shapes whispered and churned as the entity descended from the mountains and drifted toward the sleeping village.
The demonic smoke slithered through the tiny community, whispering its way into every structure. It entered house after house, killing everyone inside and dragging the cooling corpses out into the rain-slicked dirt.
Blood began to pool across the village. Only Lei Ze remained standing or rather, kneeling beside his dead mother, sobbing his heart out.
Suddenly, Lei Ze's eyes snapped open in terror, wide and panicked after the nightmare vanished.
"What is it, Lei?" Lán asked, her voice instantly laced with concern.
Lei Ze's eyes were huge, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
"Mom... Mom, we have to leave right now!"
His mother frowned, completely bewildered by his sudden terror. "Leave? Why should we leave?"
"I don't know, Mom, I just had a terrible dream. I saw everyone in the village dead, and... you too. I can't lose you!"
A horrifying scream abruptly cut through the quiet night outside. Lei Ze instantly panicked. He darted to the wooden door, sliding the bolt shut, then frantically shoving every heavy item he could find against it.
"Lei, what are you doing?"
Lei Ze shivered uncontrollably as he glanced back at his mother. "It's happening."
"What is happening?"
"The shadow. The devil. It's slaughtering the people outside!"
"You're hysterical, darling. There's nothing out there! It's just a bad dream."
A loud, shattering explosion echoed nearby, followed by someone screaming in a desperate voice, "Fire! Fire!"
Lei Ze's eyes narrowed with cold dread.
"Why... why now!"
Lán rushed toward the door, determined to clear the heavy goods blocking it to see what was truly happening outside. "They need our help!"
"No!" Lei Ze grabbed her cloth sleeve, pulling her back with all his might.
She angrily knocked his hand away, glancing back at him with a look of exasperation. "We can't just hide!"
She flung the door open. What she met was not the night air, but instant death.
Lei Ze watched in silent, shattering horror as his mother froze. A dark, impossibly clean hole had appeared straight through her abdomen, blood blooming instantly across her nightclothes. Lei Ze could see through the gaping wound.
"No..." he whispered, his eyes shaking rapidly from profound sadness and sheer terror. He couldn't hold the tears back a moment longer.
"Mom!"
He scrambled quickly toward her, catching her as she collapsed to the ground, her breathing shallow and fading fast.
"Stay with me... Mom!"
He was beside himself, holding her hand, trembling violently as the life left her body.
The devil shadow continued its massacre outside; screams filled the rainy, chaotic air.
Lei Ze could only kneel beside his dead mother, letting the grief consume him.
"Oh, don't leave me here alone."
"What am I supposed to do without you?"
"I need you!"
The rain intensified, thunder cracked, and lightning briefly illuminated the gruesome scene. The water mixing with his tears, Lei Ze looked up at the stormy sky.
The devil shadow completed its work. Every soul in the village was extinguished, save for the boy kneeling next to the corpse of his mother.
The shadow turned, sensing the one last spark of life. The malevolent whispers returned as the floating mass drifted slowly toward Lei Ze, intent on claiming the final, tiny soul.