Far away from where the mountain valley is, in a chamber carved deep within a hidden cliffside, man cloaked in robes sat before a flickering candle. Humming the same tune Ren heard in the forest.
He opened a book from besides him, it's age evident from how it's tattered, he dipped his quill in ink before writing.
"The stars remember, so must he."
And then, as if sensing something, he looked up to nowhere, his gaze staring at something further away into the distance, beyond the ceiling, beyond the forest, beyond even the stars.
"It's happening sooner than expected..." Before closing the book.
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That night, while the Lianhua residents slept beneath the starry sky, Ren Tianyu had a dream.....
He stood in a place where time held no meaning, emptiness so still it seemed to swallow his breath.
In front of him stood a flame, a single flickering flame, tiny and trembling, but shining impossibly bright in this endless darkness.
It swayed gently, as if about to go out any second with each beat of his heart.
Then he saw shadows, slithering from the edges of the darkness, formless, silent and moving with purpose, like memories that have been erased but still remembered by the body.
Ren instinctively stepped forward, moving in pace with the shadows creeping towards the fire. He didn't know why, but he felt that he should protect the flame. It was like it was connected, like a part of him.
The shadows reached out, Ren did the same, his fists clenched.
Just as he was about to reach, a voice echoed through the void.
It wasn't loud, nor soft, it was absolute.
It was similar to his own voice, but older, wiser. It was also filled with power and .....pain.
"When the stars forget, I shall remember.
When the world forgets, I shall return."
The words rippled through the void like waves, the shadows froze, the flame surged, burning brighter than it ever was.
For the heartbeat it took, the darkness cracked and Ren saw them.
Stars. Constellations. Shattered constellations. A broken sky.
And behind all that was something vast.... watching it all.
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Ren jolted awake, gasping for breath, sweating profusely. His tiny hands, also slick with sweat, clutched the blanket.
The room was quiet, lit only by the moonlight coming from the window and the small candle buring in the corner. It's flame resembling the one in his dream. Small, fragile, but still bright.
He got up, his breath still uneven.
In his pocket, the folded message still laid, this time it felt heavier than it should. The message stayed the same, he still didn't understand it, but now he felt it wasn't some sort of joke, he felt it, deep down, something had been stirred.
Something was watching.
Something was waiting....
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The next morning, Ren sat outside staring at the sun casting it's golden light on the valley. The world still looked the same.
He didn't mention the dream to Mei nor his parents. He didn't know what to explain or say, he wasnted to hold on to it a bit longer untill he understands more.
But they noticed, his parents noticed something was wrong, but they didn't confront him about it, silently agreeing that it was related to what he showed them last time.
Mei was the one who asked him about it, in a roundabout way of course.
"Look at you, sleeping for one night and now you look like you're older than me by 10 years." She said, handing him a sandwich.
"Maybe I already am," taking a bite he continued "maybe I've always been the older one, I just wanted to act like it today."
"Yeah yeah, whatever you say oh wise and mysterious man~" seeing that he was in the mood to joke around, she didn't press any further.
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Inside the house, in a secluded chamber lit by a soft candle, Mu Qinglan sat in silence, her face full of contemplation.
Across from her, Ren's father frowned, showing the same look as his wife.
"That paper....still couldn't find anything?" He asked.
"No," her voice was tense and low. " I only felt something, something that isn't supposed to be here in this world, this world can't accommodate it."
Her fingers drummed against the table.
"Do you think...its hostile?"
"No....." She shook her head in denial, "it didn't feel like so, but that doesn't ease my worries."
"Could it be someone from-------"
"I don't know" before he could finish, Mu Qinglan cut him off directly before standing and staring at the flickering candlelight.
"Either way, we need to hurry up, we're becoming a danger to him if that's the case."
Her husband nodded in agreement.
"Yes, we should speed up his preparations."