Heaven’s Shadow:The Path of Ruin

Zhao Rui returned to Blackstone Village as the first rays of dawn pierced the sky. The village was quiet, the meager homes of cracked stone and warped wood bathed in pale morning light. But his steps were no longer hesitant, his eyes no longer downcast.

He had spent the night wandering the forest, testing the power coursing through his veins. The Abyssal Seed whispered secrets to him, teaching him how to harness the energy it had infused into his body. He could feel life force—weak flickers in the plants and animals around him. With a thought, he could draw it in, feeding the Abyssal Seed.

As he approached the village square, memories of humiliation clawed at his mind. The jeering faces, the stones thrown at him, the beatings. He remembered Elder Han, the village chief, calling him a curse on their land and decreeing he should be cast out.

His fists clenched. Today would be different.

The villagers began to stir, emerging from their homes. They froze when they saw him, their expressions shifting from confusion to fear.

"You… you're back," a man stammered, his voice tinged with disbelief. "Elder Han said—"

"Elder Han was wrong," Zhao Rui interrupted, his voice cold and steady.

The man's eyes darted to Zhao Rui's face, and he stepped back. The boy he once knew—the weak, starving orphan—was gone. In his place stood someone different. His posture was straight, his eyes glowed faintly crimson, and a chilling aura radiated from him.

"Zhao Rui!"

Elder Han's voice boomed as he emerged from his home, flanked by two burly men armed with crude spears. The elder's face twisted in anger. "I told you never to return! You've brought enough misfortune upon us already!"

Zhao Rui tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Misfortune? No, Elder Han. I'm here to repay the kindness this village has shown me."

Elder Han scoffed. "Kindness? You're deluded, boy. Leave now, before I have my men drive you out again."

The two guards stepped forward, gripping their spears. Zhao Rui didn't flinch. Instead, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to tremble. One of the guards suddenly dropped his spear, clutching his chest. His face twisted in pain as his life force drained from him, the faint glow of energy spiraling into Zhao Rui's outstretched hand. The man collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The villagers screamed, backing away in terror.

"What… what have you done?" Elder Han shouted, his voice shaking.

Zhao Rui looked down at his hand, watching the faint tendrils of energy dissipate into his body. The Abyssal Seed pulsed with satisfaction.

"I've taken what I needed," he said, his voice calm. "He was weak. His life force was wasted on him."

"You… monster!" Elder Han roared, pointing at him. "Kill him!"

The remaining guard hesitated, his hands trembling as he raised his spear. Zhao Rui's eyes locked onto him, crimson light flaring.

"You don't want to do that," Zhao Rui said softly, his voice carrying an unnatural weight.

The guard froze, his grip faltering. For a moment, his body was his own, but then his movements became sluggish, his eyes glazing over. He dropped the spear and turned it on himself, plunging it into his chest with a sickening crunch.

The villagers screamed again, scattering in all directions.

Elder Han staggered back, his face pale. "W-what are you?"

Zhao Rui stepped closer, each footfall deliberate. "You called me cursed. A bringer of misfortune. You weren't wrong." He stopped a few feet from the elder, his gaze cold. "But you should have killed me when you had the chance."

"Please…" Elder Han fell to his knees, trembling. "We only did what we had to. The village… we were scared. You—"

"Silence." Zhao Rui raised his hand, and the elder's words caught in his throat as an invisible force gripped him.

The Abyssal Seed spoke in Zhao Rui's mind.

"Take his life. Feed me. Show the world your resolve."

For a moment, Zhao Rui hesitated. The man before him was broken, helpless. But then the memories surged back—the stones, the jeers, the years of suffering.

He tightened his fist.

Elder Han's body convulsed as his life force was ripped from him, flowing into Zhao Rui in crimson tendrils. The elder collapsed, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing.

The village square was silent.

Zhao Rui turned, his crimson gaze sweeping over the terrified faces peeking from behind doors and windows.

"From this day forward," he said, his voice echoing through the square, "Blackstone Village serves me. You will provide me with resources—food, shelter, and anything I demand. Refuse, and you will meet the same fate as your elder."

No one dared to respond.

Zhao Rui smirked faintly, the Abyssal Seed pulsing with approval. He walked away, leaving the villagers to their fear and despair.

As he left the square, the voice whispered in his mind again.

"Well done. But this is only the beginning. To reshape the heavens, you must first conquer the earth. Are you ready for what lies ahead?"

Zhao Rui didn't answer. His path was clear, his resolve unshakable. The boy who had once been weak and scorned was gone. In his place stood the beginning of a calamity.

The Abyssal Path had begun.