The challenger of Destiny

Between Rain and Memories

The storm in Yang Xin village has passed, leaving an indelible mark of destruction. Jihan and Han Yi limped away from the rubble of the village, carrying only the few supplies they had managed to salvage. Their bare feet tread the rocky ground, piercing through the morning mist that still hangs low.

‘Dad, rest for a while,’ Jihan said when she saw her father's increasingly heavy breathing. They had been walking for three days without stopping, avoiding settlements in favour of lonely forest paths.

Han Yi shook his head weakly, his pale lips trembling as he spoke. ‘We have to keep going, Jihan. This place is... not safe.’

Jihan looked at her father with worry. Han Yi's normally warm face now looked deathly pale. The dry cough that had haunted him since they left Yang Xin's village was getting worse. Jihan's hands clenched tightly as he recalled the villagers' frightened stares, the hateful whispers accusing him of being the bringer of doom.

‘At least have a drink, Father,’ Jihan offered the remaining water bag. Han Yi gulped the water down slowly, and Jihan could see how her father's hands trembled violently.

The sun was beginning to set when they came across a small cave at the foot of the hill. A cold wind began to blow, carrying the scent of impending rain. Han Yi coughed loudly, his body shaking violently.

‘We'll spend the night here, Father,’ Jihan said as she carried her father into the cave. ‘Tomorrow morning we'll search the nearest village for a healer.’ Han Yi only nodded weakly. 

Jihan gathered some dry twigs and lit a small bonfire. The firelight danced on the cave walls, creating shadows that moved like ghosts.

‘Jihan,’ Han Yi called suddenly, his voice almost a whisper. ‘Come here.’

Jihan hurried over. Han Yi lay down on a bed of dried leaves that Jihan had managed to gather, his body shivering despite the cold sweat beading his forehead.

‘I have something to tell you,’ Han Yi coughed again, louder this time. Dots of blood stained his thin hands. ‘About your mother... about who you really are.’

‘Dad, don't talk yet. I need to rest.’

Han Yi shook his head softly. ‘There's no more time, Jihan. Listen...’ He took a deep breath, as if gathering what was left of his strength. ‘Your mother... she was no ordinary woman. She had powers that no one else had. The power to control nature.’

Jihan was stunned. Images of the events in Feng Li and Yang Xin's village flashed through her mind-storms that appeared suddenly, tornadoes that destroyed everything, the strange blue light that sometimes appeared in her eyes.

‘When you were born,’ Han Yi continued, his voice growing weaker, ’your mother knew that you had inherited her powers. She... she used the remnants of her power to seal the power within you, so that you could grow up normally like other children. But that seal... that seal began to weaken.’

‘Father...’ Jihan grasped her father's cold hand. ‘I don't understand.’

‘You will understand, son. One day.’ Han Yi smiled weakly. ‘I'm sorry... I can't protect you any longer. But always remember... the power you have... is not a curse. It's your mother's legacy, a part of you.’

‘No, Daddy,’ Jihan shook her head firmly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. ‘I'll be fine. Tomorrow we'll find a healer. You just need to survive tonight.’

Han Yi lifted his trembling hand, running it through Jihan's hair one last time. ‘You're a strong child, Jihan. Much stronger than you realise. Whatever happens... whatever you face... don't ever let this world change your heart.’

‘Dad...’ Jihan sobbed, hugging her father's increasingly cold body.

‘Your mother... your mother would be proud to see you grow up to be such a strong child.’ Han Yi's voice was barely audible. ‘I'm sorry... I can't... be with you more...’

Han Yi's hand clasping Jihan's fingers slowly drooped. His eyes close peacefully, a faint smile still remaining on his pale lips.

‘Father?’ Jihan shook her father's body. ‘Father! Wake up, Father! Don't leave me!’

Outside the cave, it began to rain. Jihan hugged her father's stiff body, her cries breaking the silence of the night. A strange blue flash appeared in her eyes again, but this time it was different. The light spread throughout her body, glowing in the darkness.

Unbearable pain suddenly attacked every cell in his body. His bones seemed to melt and grow back. Her muscles pulled and tightened, her skin burned. Jihan groaned in pain, her body convulsing violently as the blue light grew brighter.

‘ARRGGHHHHH!’ Jihan's scream echoed off the cave walls, mingling with the sound of thunder booming outside. His body was lifted into the air, enveloped in dazzling blue light. 

In an instant, the fourteen-year-old's figure vanished, replaced by the body of a tall, burly adult man.

When dawn broke, Jihan woke up confused. Her head throbbed, and her whole body ached. Her clothes felt cramped and uncomfortable. She blinked, looking at her hands, which were now bigger and more muscular. His jet-black hair now reached his shoulders.

Beside her, Han Yi's body lay stiff. Reality hit Jihan like a thousand icy needles. Her father was gone, leaving her alone in this hostile world.

With her bare hands, Jihan began to dig the ground in front of the cave. Tears flowed silently down her now harder, more mature cheeks. She dug and dug, letting the pain in her hands distract from the gaping wound in her heart.

After burying her father and marking the grave with a pile of stones, Jihan sat pensively watching the sun slowly rise. Her new body felt strange, like she was wearing clothes that didn't fit. She stared at her reflection in the puddle-the face of a young man she didn't recognise, with a firm jawline and eyes that held an unspoken sadness.

Her stomach twisted with hunger, reminding her that she needed to find food immediately. She replaced her small clothes with a cloth she found hanging in an empty hut. With heavy steps, she began to walk, letting her feet take her wherever fate led.

After walking for several days, Jihan arrived at a small village. Simple houses lined up in neat rows, smoke billowing from kitchen chimneys. For a moment, she imagined the warmth of a home, where she could rest and fill her empty stomach.

But that hope was soon shattered as she stepped into the village. People began to whisper, looking at him suspiciously. Some mothers quickly pulled their children into the house.

‘Look at his eyes,’ they whispered. ‘There's something strange about that man. Like a monster.’

‘Get out of our village!’ shouted a large man, brandishing a hoe at him. ‘We don't need suspicious strangers!’

Others soon followed, pelting Jihan with stones and chasing her away with harsh shouts. Jihan didn't fight back. She just walked away quietly, though her heart was heavy. A strange force within her was stirring, but she held it back with all her might. No more villages would be destroyed because of her.

Day after day passed. Jihan kept walking, sleeping wherever she could find shelter-sometimes in caves, sometimes under large trees. She ate what she could find in the forest, or the scraps of food that people sometimes left by the roadside.

One afternoon, as the sun began to lean to the west, Jihan arrived at the bank of a river. The clear water flowed calmly, reflecting a golden light. There, she saw an old man fishing.

Unlike the other people she met, the old man smiled when she saw him approach. There was no fear or suspicion in his shady eyes.

‘Sit down, young man,’ the old man said kindly. ‘You look tired. Would you like to try some fish soup with me?’

Jihan hesitated for a moment, but the delicious aroma emanating from the small pot on the campfire made her unable to refuse. She sat down next to the old man, who casually poured the soup into a wooden bowl and offered it to Jihan.

‘My name is Wei Zhang,’ the old man said, stirring his own soup. ‘And you seem to carry a very heavy burden on your shoulders.’

Jihan was silent, staring at the bowl of soup in his hands. For the first time since his father's death, he felt a speck of warmth in his frozen heart.

‘Strength is not a curse, young man,’ Wei Zhang said suddenly, making Jihan flinch. ‘But neither is it a blessing. It's how you use it that counts.’

Jihan raised his face, staring at Wei Zhang in surprise. The old man smiled mysteriously, his wise eyes radiating deep understanding.

‘How do you...’

‘There are many things in this world that cannot be explained in words,’ Wei Zhang cut Jihan off. ‘What matters is, are you ready to learn to control them?’

The afternoon breeze blew gently, carrying the warm scent of autumn. By the quietly flowing river, Jihan felt his destiny begin to move in a new direction. Perhaps this was what her father meant-that one day she would understand.

‘Yes,’ Jihan replied firmly. ‘I'm ready to learn.’

Wei Zhang nodded in satisfaction. ‘Then finish your soup first. We have a lot to talk about.’.