A Spark in Ash

Whispers danced on the winds of eternity, carrying tales woven from the fabric of existence itself. Legends spoke of a being born of chaos, a force of creation and destruction so potent it threatened to unravel the very threads of reality. His name, once etched upon the heavens, had been stricken from all but the most ancient scrolls, a taboo whispered only in hushed tones. His story was a void, a mystery shrouded in cosmic dread.

But even the most absolute darkness could not extinguish a spark destined to ignite.

***

The storm had been fierce, a tempestuous fury that shook the very foundations of their humble village. When it finally broke, leaving behind a sky washed clean and the air thick with the smell of damp earth, Lao, the village woodcutter, stumbled upon something impossible nestled amongst the roots of an ancient, gnarled willow.

It was a baby, barely a breath old, swaddled in silks finer than any earthly king had ever touched. The child slept soundly, untouched by the mud and rain, a serenity emanating from him that belied the violence of the storm. But it was the faint glow emanating from within the swaddling, a light that pulsed like a nascent sun, that stole the woodcutter's breath away.

This was no ordinary child.

Lao, a man of simple faith and even simpler means, scooped the babe into his arms. The child stirred, eyes fluttering open for a moment, revealing pools of the deepest jade, ancient and full of knowing. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of eons, the babe drifted back to sleep.

The village elders, huddled around Lao's meager hearth fire, debated long and hard. No woman had claimed the child, and such a storm in the middle of summer was unheard of. The babe, they decided, was a gift, a mystery placed at their doorstep by forces beyond comprehension. They named him Jade, for the color of his extraordinary eyes, and vowed to raise him as one of their own, praying that whatever destiny had brought him to them would be a kind one.

But even as Jade grew, learning to walk on sturdy legs, his laughter echoing through the fields, a shadow lingered at the edge of their joy. There was something different about the boy, a hidden depth in his gaze, a spark of power that flickered beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed.