The night was ablaze with chaos.
Villagers writhed on the ground, clutching their chests as their soul threads quivered like broken strings. Those who once spat venom at Luo Tian now screamed in terror, their fates unraveling in ways they could not understand.
Some lost the glow of their qi, their cultivation drained into nothingness. Others coughed blood as illness suddenly claimed them. A few simply collapsed, unconscious, their futures torn to pieces in an instant.
And amidst this storm of calamity stood a boy of twelve, face bloodied, eyes crimson, and threads of broken fate swirling around him like a crown of fire.
"Monster…" a villager gasped, pointing a trembling finger at him.
"He's not human… he's the calamity itself!"
Fear quickly replaced their rage. Men who once dared to raise stones now cowered, dragging their families away from the square. Mothers clutched their children, terrified that a single glance from Luo Tian would sever their destinies.
Only silence followed.
The storm above slowly receded, the black lightning fading back into the heavens. But the scarlet moon remained, casting its bloody glow upon Luo Tian as if marking him—the cursed child who defied Heaven.
He breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling like a beast unchained. His gaze drifted to his trembling hands, still faintly glowing with broken crimson light.
I… did this.
The realization crashed into him. His heart pounded in equal parts terror and exhilaration. He had touched fate itself, pulled its strings, and bent it to his will.
But deep inside, a whisper echoed.
Heaven does not forgive. Heaven does not forget.
---
By dawn, the decision was made.
The village elder, still pale from having half his thread severed, stood before the people. "Luo Tian can no longer remain among us. His presence invites Heaven's wrath. From this day forth, he is banished."
His mother fell to her knees, clutching at the elder's robe. "Please… he is still a child. He has no one but me!"
But her pleas fell on deaf ears.
The villagers, bound by fear, shouted as one:
"Exile him!"
"Cast the cursed one away!"
"Better one child than all our lives!"
Tears streamed down her face as she clung to her son. "Tian'er… forgive me… forgive your useless mother…"
Luo Tian gently wiped her tears, forcing a small smile. His voice, though trembling, carried defiance.
"Don't cry, Mother. The world abandoned me long ago. But one day, I will return—not as the cursed child you see now, but as someone all under Heaven will kneel before."
He embraced her one last time. The warmth of her frail body seared itself into his memory. Then, without another word, he turned and walked into the wilderness.
---
The mountains loomed like silent titans as he wandered deeper into the forest. Branches tore at his skin, thorns pierced his feet, but he pressed forward. Hunger gnawed at his belly, thirst burned his throat, yet still he moved.
Every step was a fight for survival.
The nights were the worst. Wolves prowled, their golden eyes gleaming in the dark. Once, a boar nearly gored him, and only by instinctively severing its thread of ferocity did he escape death.
Each time, he felt his strange gift drain his very life. His broken threads dimmed, his body weakened, and his vision blurred. But he learned. He adapted.
By cutting the thread of hunger, he could endure days without food. By weaving strands of luck, he stumbled upon wild berries and hidden springs.
His body grew lean, his eyes sharper, his will hardened.
So this is cultivation… not sitting in a sect's hall, chanting scriptures. For me, cultivation is survival.
---
Weeks bled into months.
One night, as he meditated by a stream, he saw them again—the glowing threads that connected the stars. They shimmered faintly, stretching across the heavens like a vast loom. Some threads pulsed with golden light, others dimmed with decay.
And in that endless tapestry, he glimpsed something terrifying.
A colossal hand, woven entirely of silver threads, reaching across the stars. It touched the loom, pulling and weaving destinies of countless beings. And in its shadow, a voice echoed:
"Mortal who dares cut fate… your thread has already been marked."
Luo Tian's eyes snapped open, drenched in sweat. His chest throbbed, the broken crimson lines glowing faintly as though mocking Heaven's warning.
But instead of fear, fire blazed in his eyes.
"So even the stars have their threads… then one day, I'll sever yours too."
---
It was during one such night that fate brought him to her.
A soft cry echoed through the forest. Luo Tian stilled, his gaze snapping toward the sound. Carefully, he followed, pushing through thick undergrowth until he reached a clearing.
There, under the moonlight, lay a girl about his age, her robes torn and bloodied. Her pale skin glowed faintly, and from her chest emanated threads unlike any he had ever seen—threads of pure green light, vibrant and alive, intertwining like vines.
Her breathing was shallow, her body trembling from wounds that no normal child could have survived. Yet her threads burned brightly, struggling to heal her even as they frayed.
Luo Tian's breath caught. Such threads… she's not ordinary.
He knelt beside her, hesitant. For years, no one had trusted him, no one had wanted his touch. But now, he reached out and brushed her glowing threads.
Warmth surged through him, soothing his broken soul. For the first time in his life, his frayed crimson lines stopped trembling.
The girl stirred weakly, her eyes fluttering open. Emerald irises met his crimson gaze.
"You… who are you…?" her voice was soft, fragile, yet filled with life.
"I'm Luo Tian," he answered simply. "And you're bleeding to death."
A faint smile curved her lips, even as blood trickled down her chin. "Then… are you here to save me…?"
He hesitated. He had no herbs, no knowledge of healing. But as he stared at her glowing threads, he realized something.
If he could cut fate… then perhaps he could also weave it.
Closing his eyes, he grasped the broken ends of her threads. Carefully, painfully, he pulled at his own frayed crimson lines, weaving them together with hers.
Agony lanced through his chest. It felt as though his very soul was being torn apart. But slowly, her green threads stabilized, intertwining with his crimson ones. Her breathing eased, her wounds closing.
The girl gasped, her eyes widening as life returned to her cheeks. "You… what did you do…?"
Luo Tian opened his eyes, pale from exhaustion. He forced a weak smile.
"I rewove your fate."
Her gaze softened, her lips trembling as though she wanted to speak, but darkness claimed her and she fainted into his arms.
Luo Tian held her close, his chest burning from the cost of what he had done. Yet for the first time in his life, he did not feel cursed.
For the first time… he had saved someone.
---
Above, the scarlet moon dimmed slightly, and the heavens grew silent.
But somewhere, unseen, a golden thread quivered violently—as though a higher will had taken notice of the boy who dared to weave against destiny.