Chapter 6: The Lone Celebration
His birthday.
Nine years old.
There was no one to celebrate with. No one to acknowledge it. But that was fine. He had long stopped expecting anything from others.
As night fell, Wu Tian slipped out of the orphanage, making his way to the riverbank where it had all begun. The air was crisp, the stars stretching endlessly above him. He sat on his usual rock, pulling the golden stone from his pocket.
It gleamed faintly under the moonlight, as if whispering secrets only he could hear.
"Happy birthday, Wu Tian," he murmured to himself.
He traced his fingers over the stone, feeling its familiar warmth. It had been a year since he had found it, a year since his fate had started to shift. The book in his dreams remained sealed, but each night, the whispers grew clearer, guiding him toward something greater.
He thought back to his past birthdays—how he had spent them alone even before he was abandoned. In his past life, birthdays had been painful reminders of his insignificance. Here, they were milestones of survival. Proof that he was still fighting.
Tonight, he allowed himself a rare moment of peace. He lay back on the cool grass, watching the stars. He imagined a future where he was strong, where he no longer had to bow his head. Where he could carve his own path.
But for now, he would wait. He would grow. And he would endure.