Darkness swallowed the room whole.
Not the quiet, comforting darkness of night—but a suffocating one, thick and heavy, born from a violent storm raging outside. The power had long gone out, leaving the entire hall drowned in shadows. Only the sky remained alive.
CRAAAACK—!
A jagged streak of electric blue lightning tore across the heavens, its glow bleeding through the tall windows and illuminating the room for a split second.
And in that fleeting flash… everything was revealed.
Two wooden caskets.
They stood side by side like silent, towering monoliths, their presence oppressive and unyielding. With every flicker of lightning, their shadows stretched unnaturally across the polished floor—long, twisted, and haunting, as though they were alive.
Rumble… rumble…
Thunder followed, low and growling, as if the sky itself mourned.
Around the room stood people dressed entirely in black.
Strangers.
People Tianzun had never seen before.
Some covered their mouths as tears streamed uncontrollably down their cheeks. Others clasped their hands together tightly, whispering desperate prayers under their breath. A few leaned on one another, unable to stand on their own, their grief too heavy to bear alone.
The air felt… wrong.
Heavy.
Unfamiliar.
Little Tianzun stood among them, his small figure almost swallowed by the sea of black. His innocent eyes wandered from face to face, carefully observing everything.
He could hear it.
The soft hum of mourning.
The quiet sobs.
The broken breaths.
Even without understanding, one thing was clear to him—
Something was terribly wrong.
But he couldn't stop now.
He had to find them.
His mom.
His dad.
With that thought in mind, Tianzun lifted his gaze and turned toward the person he trusted most.
His caretaker.
She stood beside him, her hand gently holding his.
She was a beautiful woman in her twenties, her long black hair cascading down her back like a flowing river of silk. Her golden-brown eyes, usually warm and lively, were now dimmed, hidden beneath a layer of sorrow. She wore a black gown that clung to her figure, making her look even more elegant than usual… yet, somehow, more fragile.
She had been with Tianzun since he was a baby.
To him, she was someone he could always rely on.
So naturally, he looked up to her for answers.
Tianzun tightened his small hand around hers and squeezed it—once… twice.
A silent signal.
"Pay attention to me."
But…
No response.
She didn't react at all.
Her gaze remained fixed ahead, distant, as if she were lost in another world.
Tianzun puffed his cheeks in frustration, his expression turning into that of a cute little minx. He side-eyed her, clearly annoyed, before letting go of her hand.
"Hmph…"
That didn't work.
So this time, he tried something new.
He reached out and tugged lightly at her clothes.
That did it.
She jolted slightly, as if waking from a deep dream.
Her eyes blinked, regaining focus, before finally settling on him. A soft smile formed on her lips as she gently rubbed his head.
That familiar warmth…
It made Tianzun feel a little better.
A little safer.
But before he could ask what was bothering him—
She turned her gaze forward again.
Following her line of sight, Tianzun looked ahead.
The altar.
Her eyes were red.
Painfully red.
And just like that… he got annoyed again.
This time, he stepped right in front of her, blocking her view.
She looked down at him, surprised.
Tianzun didn't say a word.
He simply pointed at the floor.
She understood.
Slowly, she bent down to his height.
Now face to face, Tianzun looked straight into her eyes and asked in a small, innocent voice—
"Are you okay?"
For a moment, she froze.
Then she smiled.
"I am fine."
Her smile was gentle… beautiful.
So beautiful that Tianzun's cheeks flushed instantly, turning red like a ripe tomato.
But then—
He remembered.
His parents.
The reason he had been searching all this time.
His expression changed.
The innocence remained, but now it carried a hint of urgency.
"Where is my mom and dad?"
Silence.
She didn't reply.
Even though she was looking right at him…
No words came out.
Instead—
Tears.
They fell quietly from her eyes, trailing down her cheeks one after another.
Drip…
Drop…
Tianzun froze.
He was taken aback.
Her beautiful eyes… had lost their luster the moment he asked that question.
A strange feeling crept into his chest.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
The room suddenly felt colder than before.
The storm outside roared louder.
BOOOOOM—!
Thunder exploded across the sky, shaking the windows.
And within Tianzun—
Something began to break.
His breathing grew uneven.
Ragged.
His heart started pounding violently against his chest.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Faster.
Faster.
He couldn't breathe.
"I… can't…"
He clutched his chest tightly with his small hands, his fingers trembling as if trying to hold something together that was falling apart inside him.
Tears began to fall from his eyes.
The answer he received…
Was silence.
And tears.
Nothing else.
He looked at her again.
Still, she said nothing.
That was when—
He moved.
Step—!
No.
Not a step.
A lunge.
Like a coiled spring released in desperation, Tianzun shot forward, his small body pushing through the crowd without hesitation.
His destination—
The altar.
People gasped softly as he passed, but no one stopped him.
And then…
He saw it.
The truth.
The people inside the caskets…
Were his parents.
Everything went silent.
Tianzun stood there, frozen, staring.
Their eyes were closed, as if they were simply asleep.
But their faces…
Too pale.
Too still.
Whiter than he had ever seen before.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Slowly, he walked closer.
Step by step.
His tiny feet echoed faintly against the floor.
Tap… tap… tap…
He reached out slightly.
"M… Mom…?"
No response.
"Dad…?"
Silence.
He frowned.
Confused.
"Wake up…"
Nothing.
His voice trembled.
"Wake up… please…"
Still nothing.
Then—
He screamed.
"MOM!!! DAD!!!"
But…
No answer came.
Not even a whisper.
Not even a movement.
Nothing.
His world cracked.
He turned around abruptly, looking at his caretaker, his eyes filled with confusion and fear.
"Why is mom and dad not answering me?"
His voice shook.
"Why are they… acting like my toys…?"
No answer.
Only—
A hug.
She pulled him tightly into her arms, holding him as if he would disappear if she let go.
Tianzun froze in her embrace.
And deep within his heart…
A child's instinct whispered the truth.
After today…
He would never see them again.
Ever.
His body trembled.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the crowd.
His tear-filled eyes searched for anyone—anyone who could answer him.
"Why…?"
His voice cracked.
"Why is my parent not answering me?!"
Silence.
No one spoke.
No one dared to.
That was when—
Everything shattered.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO—!!!"
His scream pierced through the hall, raw and filled with unimaginable pain.
And then—
Darkness.
His body went limp.
He fainted.
Chaos erupted immediately.
"Quick! Catch him!"
"Call for help!"
"Move—move!"
Voices overlapped as people rushed toward him.
The storm outside continued to rage.
CRAAAACK—!
Lightning flashed again.
But this time—
Tianzun saw nothing.
He was gone.
He was immediately sent to the hospital for rehabilitation.