Yue-Liang trudged slowly through the forest, his trusty old bow clutched in his hands and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back, fashioned from sewn-together pieces of weathered leather. Though not the most impressive gear, it served its purpose.

His attire was humble, consisting of a shirt patched together from salvaged sailcloth and matching pants that required a makeshift sash to prevent them from sliding off his slender frame. The boy's jet-black hair had recently been trimmed by his mother, and his equally dark eyes glimmered with determination. His sharp facial features hinted at the promise of future handsomeness, and his sun-kissed skin bore the marks of toiling in the fields.

Growing up without a father had forced Yue-Liang to shoulder responsibilities at a young age, and the worsening circumstances compelled him to venture into the woods in search of sustenance. Usually, he would hunt squirrels or rabbits, but this time he needed something larger.

Scouring the forest floor for tracks, he noticed signs of animal presence in several places. The earth was disturbed, bearing fresh marks, which hinted at by the dampness of the soil, indicating recent activity. Over time, the wind and sun would dry the ground, but in the dense forest, it would take longer so he wasn’t entirely sure how fresh the marks were.

This meant that boars were certainly nearby, although the tracks could be hours or even days old.

"Curse you," he muttered under his breath, pushing forward once more.

As he ventured deeper, the terrain grew increasingly treacherous, hinting at the proximity of Gu-shan, the lonely mountain. It earned its name due to its separation from the longer chain of rock formations to the north called Longya Mountain Range. The land to the south of that chain offered everything needed for human habitation—expansive lakes, flowing streams sourced from the mountains, and fertile soil.

Yue-Liang tilted his head back, attempting to locate the sun's position, but the dense canopy of the three crowns made it difficult to discern anything. After a moment's struggle, he found it, the shining point surrounded by green leaves.

"What?" he questioned aloud, perplexed.

The location indicated that barely any time had passed since he left his house, which was simply not true. Squinting his eyes, he peered again, and to his astonishment, the position of the spot beaming with light had changed.

"It can't be real," he murmured, his eyes fixed on the shimmering dot as it traversed the sky.

Dropping his bow and quiver, he sprinted towards the nearest towering tree and began scaling it. It was a tedious climb, with the branches situated high above, but he persevered until he emerged among the leaves, perched atop the lofty height.

From this vantage point, it became evident that the celestial object he had been observing was not the sun, which still sat further west.

"A shooting star?" he questioned, watching the brilliant streak glide through the clear, blue expanse.

Against the vivid backdrop, the object was unmistakable, and it became clear to him that it would crash deeper into the forest. Determined, he decided to observe its trajectory before venturing toward it.

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‘If I can find it and sell it, I won't have to worry about food or my mother's medicine for a while,’ he contemplated, fixated on the falling star.

With a soft impact, it landed upon the steep slope of the mountain, in close proximity to the forest's lake and the cascading waterfall. Though devoid of a shockwave, the boy had not anticipated one, unaware of the nature of meteors. Swiftly descending the tree, he retrieved his bow and arrows, then dashed deeper into the woods.

As the terrain grew increasingly challenging, he soon had to pause, his lungs ablaze. Pushing through the exhaustion, he continued, occasionally climbing to higher ground as the landscape ascended towards Gu-shan. The land ahead of him became rockier and more uneven.

After a considerable time, he emerged from the underbrush, standing near the edge of the crystalline lake. Its pristine waters revealed a myriad of colorful fish swimming within. The thundering murmur of the waterfall resonated, drowning out the sounds of forest creatures and insects.

Casting his gaze upwards, he beheld a towering grey rock face, almost flat in nature, with a prominent crack in the center from which water gushed forth. It was a majestic rock shelf, with a deep crevice at its apex, where a stream descended from the snowy peak of the mountain and flowed through the crack. Nestled nearby it was a stone that glimmered with intense radiance, casting prismatic rainbows around it.

Without hesitation, the boy abandoned his bow and quiver, unburdening himself. He quickened his pace, traversing the circumference of the lake, pushing aside dense foliage, startling frogs, and displacing snails in his relentless pursuit.

A few indignant birds narrowly escaped a dreadful fate as they found themselves in his path, squawking vehemently as they took flight. Oblivious to their protests, the boy remained undeterred, his focus fixated solely on his goal.

Finally, he arrived at the precipitous rock wall and commenced a meticulous examination of its surface. ‘I can climb this,’ he concluded, a surge of determination coursing through him.

That thought served as a catalyst for action. To his surprise, the ascent proved less arduous than anticipated. The few sturdy handholds scattered throughout the rock face provided ample support. Occasionally, he paused to survey his surroundings, but otherwise, he ascended with remarkable swiftness.

As he drew nearer, the soft murmur of the waterfall transformed into a deafening roar. The sound became overpowering as he approached the embedded stone, nestled within the mountain's facade. It was a thing of beauty, its nearly transparent form gleaming in the sunlight, its size comparable to that of his clenched fist. Eagerly, he seized it, attempting to pry it loose, but it remained stubbornly fixed.

"Damn you!" he cursed, his determination undiminished. ‘If only I had some tools...’ he mused, fully aware that he had left everything behind in the bushes.

Undeterred by his lack of equipment, he resorted to striking the crystal with his palm, hoping to dislodge it before he ran out of stamina and was forced to climb his way back.

His sweaty fingers were tightly holding onto the piece of rock. His legs were in a better position, as he found enough room to decently place his both feet on firm protrusions of the stone wall. This gifted him a brief window to keep toiling with the stone, In a moment of hope, the crystal budged ever so slightly, eliciting a triumphant smile from the boy. Without hesitation, he clutched it and tugged, but a sudden and searing pain erupted from the palm of his hand. The torment raced through his arm like lightning, engulfing his entire torso before piercing his brain. The excruciating sensation overwhelmed him, causing him to involuntarily release his grip on the precarious handholds, but the fingers wrapped around the stone kept it firmly in his grasp.

He gasped loudly, then groaned out of pain.

Plummeting through the air, he became engulfed in a maelstrom of agony which rendered him completely silent. His vision was obliterated by a blinding, all-encompassing white light. As his body crashed into the lake's surface, water erupted in a violent explosion, scattering droplets in every direction. Submerged beneath the tumultuous waves, thick plumes of steam immediately began to rise from the surging and hissing waters, shrouding the scene in an ethereal haze.