Cloaked in an ocean of darkness and faint chorus of crickets, the vast realm laid still fast asleep. Amid the colossal mountain ranges, the silhouettes of trees and bushes faintly rustled under the cool evening drafts of autumn. Gold leaves lined up against the edges of the spiraling dirt roads that lead up to a high, rocky elevation.

Then, came a flitting stream of vermilion maple leaves. Twirling in the cool wind, the red blades soared alongside of the rough, jagged rows of high peaks, dark clouds, and crisp atmosphere. The cluster gradually glided over crystal rivers that flowed from snow-covered summits and through lush greenery. They danced across the air and up again past the tall, jasper bamboo stalks that seemingly appeared out of place. The leaves fluttered in and around the dense forest. Slowly, they drifted and piled against the earth, all collected gently together.

Suddenly, the ground shook. It scattered the fresh and unblemished gift from faraway. Silver veins of lightning flashed. A bright light gradually shone upon the disarray of maple leaves.

In an instant, a shimmering red beam ripped through the skies, appearing closer and closer to the towering bamboo shoots. The glow was faint before completely flooding the entire forest and its surroundings in a blinding beam. Just as quickly, the light zipped past and away with a low shrill.

Somewhere in the Mortal realm below, the crying of an infant softly echoed throughout the night. A child has been born.

Oh, how the wood-paneled room shined from the glimmering gold aura that pulsated from the wailing baby! Her ghost-paled parents did not know how else to hide the warm light that surrounded their child. Carefully, the trembling midwife went to wrap the little girl in a clean, dry batik towel. The earth beneath their home rocked back and forth as if lulling the baby to sleep.

Still, the infant cried and cried.

However, from outside of their oiled-paper window, a red streak flashed amid the darkness and twinkling stars. Slowly, the child opened her eyes, revealing the dark honey hues, filled with autumn and sweetness. A burst of laughter trickled from her lips—much to the shock and horror of those around her.

Immediately, the elder opened her eyes. Warm beads of sweat slipped down the side of her face and the deep folds of her wrinkles. She shook her head from the vision.

The small, old woman stood by her wooden-paneled window. She wore a black outer robe and red sash around her stocky waist. The shaman, having long watched the dazzling red beam split through the Heaven, sighed. Though she wanted to believe that the mysterious and powerful presence was due to the flaming spears from overhead—the old woman knew better. The spiritual energy belonged to the new life that had been brought upon her world.

She picked up a chain of silver bells and the tall headdress from the wooden table next to her. Shaman Xia then went downstairs, preparing herself for the inevitable. There was a lot of work to be done.

❁❁❁

“Wh-What’s that?!” a quavering voice called out.

One by one, hundreds of windows from behind the bamboo stalks lit up, revealing an entire village. As each silk lantern and candle re-ignited itself, the outspread of multi-storied wooden houses began to hum in whispers. Others could see again the high red pillars, large opened balconies, dark clay tiled rooftops, and skinny bridges leading from one place to another.

Little by little, the overcrowded Cheng Xiu Village buzzed louder within lofty dwellings that seemed to stack on top of, behind, or in front of other similarly built ones. All were packed against the mountain slopes. Each was about the same shape and size, only stacked in higher or lower elevations of rock which changed the scaled appearance.

Though the self-contained community seemed well-entrenched in the rural location, it occasionally uproots itself with magic and float to and from a different unoccupied area. It would drift high among the white clouds and brilliant blue airspace. Every once in a long while, the settlement would circle back to a former location or rarely land outside of a metropolis.

But tonight, no one had foreseen the mystifying event. Hence, the sky-sailing Cheng Xiu Village had been asleep until now.

Hundreds of people opened their oiled-paper windows and poked their heads outside.

Donned in their dark outer robes, tunics, long batik skirts, or pants—many families all watched the Heaven in curiosity. Depending on which floor of the tall, far-reaching houses they lived in—they soon looked up, down, or across at their seven siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. They stared again at the massive void of darkness, quietude, and faint bone-white stars. It was another moonless night.

Dead silence hung in the air, suspended by a faint thread of apprehension. The villagers’ hearts drummed faintly. Their breathes became almost still. The earth’s groans and trembles had stopped. The people waited; yet nothing came.

Unexpectedly, the Song clan members saw one more glowing light shoot across the night skies. A long piercing cry whizzed over their homes.

It was swift—but it was a blood spark that manifested in the night.

Next came another red beam that sailed through the dark Heaven. Quickly, it was joined by several others.

Bearing witness to the strange phenomenon happening all around them, the people’s eyes widened in complete, utter shock. Some began to run down the stairs and out of their screen-paneled front doors. One child raced out and stopped short at the dirt road. His black top-knot bun was messy from sleep. The mother caught up and grabbed hold of their tiny honey-beige hand.

Slowly, the woman followed the direction of her son’s eyes. Paleness crept over her face.

It was a disturbance that no one would have thought to see ever again after a hundred years.

“Th-The Red Omen is back!” screamed the mother. She frantically carried the child into her arms and ran up the road, her long indigo batik skirt sailing in the wind. “THE RED OMEN IS BACK!”

“Red Omen?!” asked another villager.

“The omen of our demise has returned!” A man cried out, running back into his home. “The demon king has come for his revenge!”

Before the people knew it, an expansive stretch of raining fire flew into their settlement’s direction. As each burning rock loomed closer, it was soon trailed by a hundred more. From the depths of darkness, crimson spears showered upon the desolate village and its thousands of sky-high bamboo stalks.

Blazing red flames hissed. Many families scattered out of their homes. They screamed and ran. Some tripped and fell. A few crouched down to the side, their legs paralyzed by fear. A couple of the villagers even stayed inside their homes, embracing what they thought to be inevitable death. They all prayed to the ancestors for a merciful end or an escape from their dire situation.

But instead of blasting into the settlement—the rain of falling fire crumbled against the cosmic surface area of an iridescent dome, surrounding the entire Cheng Xiu Village. Again and again, the shooting lights burst upon impact on the invisible barricade that protected the vicinity. For each hit, a prismatic wave washed over the magical hemisphere. In the people’s eyes, the rainbow hues were warm and gentle like a mother protecting her children with her outstretched arms.

People began to calm down, remembering that their village was shielded by the magic spells of their fellow cultivators—people who are trained in magic, exorcism, and martial arts. They slowed their sprints. Some stopped to look, too distracted by the great wonders of the barrier. Just as they were about to smile from relief, cold horror took a toll.

The transparent ceiling had cracked.

“SHAMAN XIA!” They all screamed, calling out their most powerful and all-knowing elder’s name. “Help us! Shaman Xia!”

Rather abruptly, a loud, high-pitched melody sailed throughout the air. Hearing its message, the Song clan members gradually quieted. Even their crying children stopped to sniffle, with warm tears rolling down their faces. Such distinct musical notes could only be played by blowing on a curled and sturdy leaf.

Instantly, about fifty young men blitzed down before the people, all balanced on the flat blade of their flying swords. The cool evening wind picked up speed, billowing past their clean, crisp uniforms. Every one of them wore the same sky-blue outer robes and silver jewelry, with wrists covered by silver braces and exquisite engraved designs as well.

Moreover, their high ponytails were decorated with shining silver hairpins. Around their necks, hoops of silver glimmered eerily against the red glow of shooting flames from overhead. Each necklace donned unique engraved designs of swirls, exotic birds, dragons, and butterflies. Along the top of their collars were colorful and vibrant embroideries of geometric patterns.

“This is not Shaman Xia’s job!”

A man dropped down in front his many disciples, tossing away the green folded leaf. He too was standing on the flat side of the floating sword’s blade. Like an ethereal being, the cultivator’s soft features were pleasing to many. But the wintry glacier of his stern expression said otherwise of his personality.

Instead of moving, the villagers stared. They were too stunned at the icy aura of someone who has been entrusted to protect them.

The man continued to berate his dumbfounded clan members—“Go to the Chieftain’s mansion now!”

With a flick of his hand, the fifty disciples behind him vanished to start their rescue, leaving behind their shifu.

“K-Kong!” Some of the people protested. “But is the village really going to…?”

The leader’s eyes burned in silver, outraged by the crowd’s lack of common sense. Surrounding his fingertips were bright blue spiritual energy—the magical force of his powers as a master of cultivation. A chilly draft brushed over his long, dark hair and the blue ribbon that wrapped around his forehead.

“Stop crying—and just obey the Chieftain’s order!” Kong growled. “Do you all not have ears?! What good are you to stay here while we repair the barrier?! Shaman Xia is at the estate right now with your other relatives!”

With this abrasive reasoning, a few staggered from the intimidating man. They did not argue any further and began to run up the dirt road, picking up their children or taking the hand of their beloved. Some of the older relatives grumbled bitterly underneath their breaths about the lack of respect.

“Shifu!” A young disciple swoop in, with one villager in each arm. Their weight was nothing to him. He was still able to stay afloat on his flying sword, looking poised on the flat side of the shining blade. “Is there something wrong?”

“What’s wrong is that they’re all so eager to see the ancestors!” snapped the master, creasing his eyebrows together. The people’s senses have really dulled over the last hundred years! “Don’t worry about this old man. Just take those relatives to the Chieftain’s estate right now. Make sure that every single person is there!”

“And what about you?” There was hesitance in the young man’s tone.

Kong massaged his temple with one hand. He sighed. “I will regroup with you all later. Some of the shifus and their students are already casting spells on the shield. They’ll need all the help they can get.”

The student’s eyes gleamed over in awe of his noble teacher. Then, he nodded and streaked off into the far distance, carrying the two elders in his arms.

Without a moment to lose, the man also sped away on his flying sword. Blue silk floated back like sea waves leading to a storm. His silver eyes reflected the bright flares cutting across the night.

❁❁❁

Fate.

Some may argue that it describes a person’s predetermined path for life, in which no matter what choice they make, it has already been foreseen and carved by Heaven. Each person has been marked by it whether it is for the best or worst. As such, many people are bound together by fate through love or hate, however deep these feelings may run throughout their blood and their hearts.

However, on what ground…does it justify whether one is marked by miracles or curses?

Why, one may ask the gods, and if they are willing to…and can, they may confront these Immortals themselves.

“Thank you, Shaman Xia.”

Draped in a black outer robe, a man knelt on the floor of the Chieftain’s enormous inner hall, a general space reserved for greeting guests and hosting family ceremonies. While seeking shelter from the chaos happening outside, he and his wife brought their newborn child to Cheng Xiu Village’s most powerful and reputable shaman. He bowed his head to show respect toward the old woman. Gold light from the lanterns shrouded his kowtowing silhouette. He thanked her again.

The baby was a girl, born during the ominous storm of raining fire. It had to be a sign from the ancestors! The father’s heart shivered. Every child was crying—but his did not.

Instead, the infant had laughed. She dared to laugh at the raging earth and falling flames that threatened to devour them all! Now, everyone knows about the ominous conditions surrounding his daughter’s birth! The man wanted to prove the innocence of his child and did not wish for misfortune.

Still, the father could not shake the feeling that everything was not a mere coincidence. After the baby was born, there was a rather frightening gold energy that flowed from her. Why, the midwife, his beloved, and him all nearly fainted from that sight! Quickly, the couple made the other swear to secrecy!