The city of Lunaris glittered beneath the night sky.
Towering buildings reflected countless lights, while streams of people filled the streets after a long day. Cars moved along busy roads, music drifted from nearby shops, and everything seemed perfectly ordinary.
Li Tianyang stood at a bus stop, his long black hair tied loosely behind his back.
At eighteen years old, he looked different from most boys his age. His hair reached his waist, and although many people found it unusual, he never cared much about what others thought.
He glanced at his phone.
8:37 PM.
His foster father had already sent him three messages asking when he would be home.
Tianyang smiled softly.
"He's probably worried again."
Putting away his phone, he began walking toward home.
The night air was cool.
Above him, the moon shone brightly.
For some reason, Tianyang found himself staring at it.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
It was familiar.
As though he had seen this exact moon somewhere before.
As though he had been waiting for something.
He shook his head.
"I'm overthinking again."
Suddenly,
The streetlights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then everything went dark.
People stopped walking.
Confused murmurs spread through the street.
"What happened?"
"Power outage?"
"My phone signal is gone!"
Tianyang frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The air itself seemed heavier.
Then a scream pierced the darkness.
A woman pointed toward the sky.
Everyone looked up.
The moon was disappearing.
A black shadow was slowly swallowing it.
The city fell silent.
Fear spread like wildfire.
Before anyone could react,
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the ground.
The road cracked.
Several cars overturned.
People began running in every direction.
Panic erupted instantly.
Tianyang nearly lost his balance.
"What was that?!"
Another explosion echoed.
Then he saw it.
A creature emerged from the darkness between two buildings.
It was enormous.
Twisted black limbs dragged across the ground.
Its body looked as though it had been made from living shadows.
Two crimson eyes glowed in the darkness.
The creature released a horrifying roar.
Windows shattered instantly.
People screamed.
The monster charged forward.
Everything in its path was destroyed.
"T-That thing is real?!"
"Run!"
"RUN!"
The crowd scattered.
Fear consumed the street.
Tianyang's heart pounded violently.
Every instinct told him to flee.
Yet his feet refused to move.
The monster swung one of its massive arms.
A nearby bus was thrown across the road.
Chaos erupted.
Then Tianyang heard a cry.
A child.
His head snapped toward the sound.
Near the intersection, a little boy had fallen to the ground.
He couldn't have been older than six.
The child looked terrified.
His mother was desperately trying to reach him, but the terrified crowd kept pushing her back.
"No!"
The woman struggled against the crowd.
"My son!"
The monster turned.
Its glowing eyes landed on the child.
Everything seemed to freeze.
The boy started crying.
The creature slowly raised one of its claws.
Tianyang's breathing stopped.
Run.
That was what he should do.
Anyone would run.
No normal person could fight something like that.
But when he looked at the child
His body moved before his mind could think.
"Tianyang, stop!"
Someone shouted.
He ignored them.
He ran.
Straight toward the monster.
Straight toward danger.
The distance closed rapidly.
The child looked up with tear-filled eyes.
"M-Mom..."
Tianyang reached him.
Without hesitation, he pulled the boy into his arms and shielded him with his body.
The monster's claw descended.
The ground trembled.
Death was only a second away.
The child buried his face against Tianyang's chest.
Tianyang closed his eyes.
"Don't be afraid."
The claw struck.
But before it could touch them
A brilliant light exploded from Tianyang's body.
BOOOOOM!
Golden radiance flooded the entire street.
The darkness shattered.
People screamed in shock.
The monster was blasted backward as though struck by an invisible force.
Tianyang's eyes widened.
What...?
A strange warmth spread throughout his body.
Above his head, particles of golden light danced through the air.
The moon reappeared.
The stars seemed brighter.
And for a brief moment
A symbol appeared behind him.
A radiant sun.
A silver moon.
Countless shining stars.
Nobody understood what they were seeing.
Least of all Tianyang.
The monster roared angrily and tried to stand.
Yet something seemed different now.
It looked afraid.
Its crimson eyes were fixed on Tianyang.
Almost as if it recognized him.
As if it remembered something ancient.
Something forgotten.
The creature took a step backward.
Then another.
And another.
Tianyang stared in confusion.
"What... am I?"
Before anyone could answer
A powerful wave of energy swept across the city.
The air itself seemed to glow.
High above the streets, a circle of white light appeared.
Everyone looked up.
A figure slowly descended from within it.
An elderly man wearing flowing white robes.
His silver hair moved gently despite the absence of wind.
His eyes shone like stars.
The moment he appeared, the monster froze.
The old man's gaze landed on Tianyang.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
His expression was unreadable.
Shock.
Relief.
Disbelief.
All of them flashed across his face.
Thousands of miles away, he had sensed the awakening.
Yet seeing it with his own eyes was different.
After a thousand years...
The First Light had finally returned.
The old man raised a hand.
Chains of pure light erupted from the ground.
The monster screamed.
The chains wrapped around its body instantly.
Within moments, it was completely restrained.
The creature struggled violently.
Then its gaze shifted toward Tianyang one final time.
And it spoke.
Its voice sounded like countless whispers overlapping each other.
"The Eight Lights..."
The city fell silent.
"The Eight Lights have begun to awaken..."
The monster's body dissolved into black smoke.
Gone.
Just like that.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Fear and confusion filled the air.
Tianyang stood frozen.
The little boy was still clutching his shirt.
Then the old man walked forward.
Step by step.
Until he stood directly before him.
Their eyes met.
The old man smiled faintly.
A smile filled with sadness and hope.
Finally, he spoke.
"The power awakened because you chose another life over your own."
Tianyang stared.
"What are you talking about?"
The old man's eyes softened.
"Just like before."
Before?
What did that mean?
Tianyang had never met this man.
Yet for some reason...
Those words felt familiar.
As though they belonged to a memory he had forgotten long ago.
The old man extended his hand.
And beneath the moonlit sky, he spoke the words that would change Tianyang's life forever.
"Li Tianyang."
"You must come with me."
"Because the shadows have found you."
Tianyang opened his mouth to ask another question.
But before he could speak—
A second pillar of light erupted somewhere beyond the city.
The old man's expression changed instantly.
For the first time...
He looked afraid.
"No..."
"They found the Dragon first."