The days moved by like the gentle clouds across the skies. In the mountain valley where Ren and his family resided, Ren Tianyu had grown. Now about six or seven years old, his previously tiny frame becane bigger, still belonging to a child, but bigger and healthier than usual.
A result of that was evident in his firm steps and demeanor. His gaze still retained the same sharpness as before. His hair had grown a little longer.
"Hey, don't cheating this time!!" A young girl's voice rang out, Mei lin, who had also grown from competing with Ren almost daily.
"You say that as if I cheated before!" Ren retorted back, hopping over a tree branch as he dashed through the thick forest.
"And who was it that used a stick to trip me?"
"That's not cheating, that's utilizing what you have using your brains. Oh sorry, I forgot you hardly had one." Ren shot back, earning a fierce glare from Mei.
Their mornings had become a routine almost. After having their breakfast they usually go for a race through the forest, sometimes for fun, other times because one of them had declared an impromptu challenge of sorts. Today was the latter, having been accused of eating the last steamed bun. (He did of course, but he had no regrets, that's a steamed bun after all.)
Wu, the wiser one, stood quietly by a tree as usual, slipping tea calmly while observing them. These days, whenever they challenged each other, he was there, wheather climbing, diving, running, he was there to watch over them quietly, sometimes even giving pieces of advice.
"You know" Wu commented while focusing on his tea, " to balance is to achieve harmony between your movement and your stillness."
"Balance us useless if Mei trips you with a log." Ren muttered while dodging her charge.
"I beg to diffe---" before Wu could say anything, Mei cut him off to retort Ren.
"Maybe don't gloat mid run next time." She huffed, sticking her tongue out.
Despite their usual banters and useless arguing, they both had grown closer. Ren had grown used to her energetic presence, her mocking smirks that were always accompanied by a random challenge for no reason, was fun.
And the same could be said for Mei, she had also grown used to him and his presence, finding it fun and fulfilling too.
To her, Ren seemed different, he was weirdly calm, too observant, and always two steps ahead somehow. Unlike what she thought a boy his age would act towards her when he found out she's his attendant, he didn't treat her like one at all, he treated he like a friend, and equal, wellll almost equal.
That night, the stars were particularly clear as Ren sat in his usual observing position, cross legged outside with the cool grass underneath and the gentle wind around him. His breath calm, eyes closed, a sign of inner peace and concentration.
Because he could feel it, that weird energy again, he would feel it whenever he was like that. Not sure what it was, not yet at least, he kept trying, deeming it to be important.
*Ding*
His peace didn't last long as a sound interrupted his thoughts, that same sound that directly came from his mind, not ears.
[System initializing.....]
His eyes opened, once again seeing the bright white screen visible only to him.
[Error.... energy insufficient..... recalibrating parameters... please continue growth.
Expected reboot: unknown.....]
And just as quickly as it came, it disappeared once again, but not in vain this time, because it made Ren realize something.
Looking at the stars again, his mind wandered...
It was real.
It was real, it truly was and I wasn't hallucinating.
He had almost dismissed it thinking it was just his imagination from what he experienced before being reborn, but now he was sure, it was something real and he was improving.
He determined that because the first time it appeared was when he started sensing that weird energy, and now that he can almost see it, it appeared again, an evidence of his growth.
'Looks like I need to keep growing...' Ren's mind wandered again into the stars, not registering the creature observing him.
Far beyond the valley they resided, a place where light barely reached, a creature stirred. It's form was vague, hidden behind the deep darkness, it's eyes flickering while observing the young boy sitting absent mindedly.
It had woken up by that weird energy, it remembered it, but not knowing what or why. It just stayed there, observing while awakening from it's deep slumber.
With the energy gone again, the creature turned, vanishing into the shadows once again...
Back in the valley, Ren got up and started heading inside, but not before feeling a chill on his spine that made him pause and look around him.
"Must've been the wind." Ren dismissed the feeling for now, thinking he stayed for too long in the cool wind this time.
But the feeling never disappeared from his mind, nestled in the back of his mind.....