The challenger of Destiny

“True courage lies in the ability to conquer one's inner fears, not in fighting a visible enemy.”

The sun was just peeking over the mountains when Jihan swung her axe into the hard log. Sweat ran down her forehead, soaking her jet-black hair. At only fourteen years old, her hands were already covered in calluses - signs of tireless hard work.

“Father, I'm done with this one,” she said, wiping away the sweat. Han Yi, whose father was chopping wood next to him, nodded slowly. The lines of fatigue were clearly etched on his thin face, but his eyes still radiated warmth whenever he looked at his only son.

“Rest a while, Jihan. You've been working since dawn,” Han Yi said as he lowered his axe. Jihan shook his head, his hands already preparing to lift a new piece of wood.

“It's okay, Father. I'm still strong.”

Han Yi gazed deeply at his only son. He suddenly remembered the night Jihan was born. For him, it was a night he would never forget. Jihan's birth, as well as the departure of the woman he loved so much.

From then on, their life in Feng Li village was never easy. As a wood cutter with a meager income, Han Yi struggled to feed his son. They often had to sleep on half-empty stomachs, but not once did Han Yi complain. For him, Jihan's smile was the strength that kept him going.

“Jihan!” A mocking voice broke the morning silence. “Still busy chopping wood like a slave, eh?”

Jihan clenched his hands tightly as he saw Wei Long, the village chief's son, walking over with a mocking grin on his face. Behind him, two other children followed like shadows.

“Go away, Wei Long,” Jihan said quietly, trying to contain the anger that was beginning to stir in her chest. “We're working.”

Wei Long laughed mockingly. “Working? You mean like a slave chopping wood to survive? Oh, or are you trying to follow in the footsteps of your weak mother? Who couldn't even survive after giving birth to you?”

Something inside Jihan seemed to explode. A cold wind suddenly picked up, violently shaking the trees around them. Unconsciously, Jihan stepped forward, her eyes flashing dangerously.

“Take back your words,” she hissed.

Wei Long grinned wider. “Why, isn't that the truth? You and your father are just the scum of this village. Your mother was even too weak to...”

Jihan's fist landed on Wei Long's face before he could finish his sentence. A loud noise rang out as Wei Long's body slammed into the ground. In an instant, the previously clear sky turned dark. Thunder boomed, and raindrops began to fall heavily.

“Jihan!” Han Yi shouted, trying to pull his son back. But Jihan seemed not to hear. His normally brown eyes now flashed with a strange blue light, while the wind blew harder and harder around him.

Wei Long and his friends retreated in fear. The rain fell harder, and the ground began to tremble under their feet. From afar, there was a terrible rumbling sound.

“Avalanche!” Someone shouted from the direction of the village. “Avalanche from the mountain!”

Within seconds, chaos broke out. Mud and rocks began to flow down from the mountainside, destroying anything in their path. Jihan felt her father pulling her frantically, trying to escape the fury of nature that seemed to be fueled by his own anger.

They ran with all their might, through the rain and wind, while behind them the village of Feng Li slowly sank into mud and destruction. Screams of fear filled the air, mixed with the rumbling sound of the ground collapsing.

Who knows how long they ran. When they finally stopped, their breathing was ragged, and their bodies were soaked. From where they stood, they could see their village, now nothing more than a pile of mud and rubble.

“Father...” Jihan whispered, her voice trembling. “I... what happened?”

Han Yi hugged his son tightly, his body trembling-whether from cold or fear. “It's okay, Jihan. It's okay...”

But they both knew that nothing was okay. Something had risen within Jihan-something powerful and dangerous, something even he didn't understand.

With wounds in their hearts and exhausted bodies, they walked aimlessly until they came to a remote village called Yang Xin. The villagers who saw their miserable condition initially came to their aid, offering food and shelter.

However, the hospitality didn't last long. Whispers began to be heard among the villagers. They talked about Feng Li's mysteriously destroyed village, and about the boy with eyes that sometimes flashed blue.

“That boy is dangerous,” they whispered. “He brings bad luck.”

Jihan tried to ignore the unfriendly stares directed at her. But one day, a group of villagers came to the small hut where she and her father lived.

“You must leave here,” their leader said harshly. “We don't want our village to suffer the same fate as Feng Li.”

Anger stirred within Jihan again. She could feel the power rising again-the same power that had destroyed her village. The wind began to pick up, and dark clouds gathered in the sky.

A storm raged in Yang Xin village that night. Tornadoes destroyed houses and blew away livestock. The villagers ran in terror, while Jihan stood in the middle of the chaos, her eyes flashing bright blue, her body enveloped in an energy she didn't understand.

The storm came with ferocity, tearing at the sky and tearing at the ground. The village that was once filled with life and laughter was now a pile of shattered rubble. The houses that once stood tall in memory are now ruins, and the streets once filled with footsteps are now lonely, empty, like a world that has lost itself.

The wind swirled around, carrying the remnants of destruction, and amidst it all, there was only one sign that remained-a footprint on the wet ground, a footprint that emitted a faint blue light, as if leaving a mark of energy that could not be lost. Around the footprint, the grass blackened and dried up, forming a mysterious spiral pattern.

When the storm finally subsided, Yang Xin village had been reduced to rubble. The survivors whispered about the flash of blue light they saw in the storm, and about the mysterious figure that seemed to control the wind and rain. 

But no one dares to reveal what really happened that night-a tragedy that will probably remain a mystery forever, unsolved, and that no one can and dares to unravel.