Time passed slowly and mostly peacefully as Tian grew into a teenager under the care of Su Yan.
Su Yan himself was just a herbalist and a part time scholar, an occupation for common folk in New Moon City. Living on the outskirts of the city due to the Martial Clans taking up the habitable spots on the inside, the two of them lived an ignoble life, not held down by any grand destiny or fate.
Standing on the cliff side close to their little house, a young man could be seen staring into the distance at the massive New Moon City. He wore plain black robes, stood at an above average height and was fairly muscular.
The strangest thing about him was his waist length flowing black hair and his light purple eyes filled with concentric circles. While not particularly handsome, his soft smile and flowing hair always gave the impression that he was an angel that had descended from heaven.
This young man was 16 year old Tian.
"New Moon City…dad said if I wanted to go there and live comfortably, I would have to learn martial arts. But…"
An uneasy expression appeared on his face as he remembered the terrifying one eyed creature that showed itself to him every time he closed his eyes. Sometimes it would even speak to him, its words brief but direct.
[Do not be afraid. Accept me. Stop pushing away the power you were meant to have.]
Tian could feel the creature inside of his body as if it was a natural part of him. But its presence was too terrifying for the boy who, for his whole life never even harmed a fly. Whenever they had to hunt for food, Su Yan would do it.
Although the man would try to teach Tian, the boy seemed to be inept at wielding weapons. To be more precise, he just didn't want to. He hated fighting. Hated conflict. Having grown up sheltered by Su Yan, there wasn't a violent or aggressive bone in his body.
Taking a deep breath, Tian tried to forget about the fear he felt and looked at his palms, still confused about what the symbols in them meant.
In his left palm was a dark colored seal in the form of a crescent moon. In his right, was a light colored sun-like seal.
He couldn't make heads or tails of why they were there or what they could be used for. He was born with it, but even now, he didn't know what they did.
The same went for his eyes. It was hard for him to make friends with the surrounding children because they avoided him for his appearance. Even now, that stigma hadn't changed.
"Sigh. Why couldn't I just be a normal person?"
"Tian'er! Come! Let's go to the market!"
An older man walked out of the house, smiling as he adjusted his plain brown robes. He had short black hair with streaks of gray in it and his body was starting to show signs of decay, as his back started to become hunched.
The man was Su Yan, and he was now 56 years old. The years had been kind to him and now he was preparing to retire from being a scholar, turning to his herbalist business full time.
Tian quickly rushed over to Su Yan and smiled at the man, nodding his head as he said, "Father, let me take your bag, you've been carrying it all these years, now its my turn."
Handing the leather bag over to Tian as they walked, Su Yan laughed heartily.
'Seems that all these years weren't in vain. He has become one kind boy. Miss Yue Xiao, your wish about him just living a normal life might be the one that comes through.'
The two went to the market and stood behind a medium sized wooden stall. Tian gently laid the herbs down on the table and put up a sign with the letters [Open] on it.
This was their daily life. Selling herbs and using the gold to supply their needs. More rare herbs would be purchased with purple profound coins, which were a higher tier currency compared to gold, but Su Yan rarely had that level of herb in stock.
It was early in the morning when the pair opened shop, so by the time noon came, the market was filled with people. Even though it was a market on the outskirts of the city, it was fairly popular as Su Yan and other herbalists were known for their reasonable prices and quality.
"Elder Su, greetings!"
"Brother Yan, let's get a drink later!"
"Hey! Is that Brother Tian? Come join us to go herb hunting later! It's the middle of the year so it's prime time for finding treasures!"
The pair were fairly popular around the area as Tian's appearance would draw lots of eyes and Su Yan's good reputation caused both of them to have lots of acquaintances.
Tian just gave respectful salutes to everyone and smiled, calmly declining their invitations for now. After all, he never went places without his father.
Hours passed and the pair made a fair bit of profit, while business went on as usual. That was when a small commotion occurred.
"Look, are those Xiao Sect disciples? What are they doing way out here?"
"Xiao Sect? That behemoth? Something must of caught their eyes if those disciples are in this lowly place."
Two disciples wearing green robes with silver eagle patterns embroidered onto their shoulders walked through the market, scanning each stall as they moved. Their presence caused fear among the common populace because any random move by the martial artists could kill several people at once.
No one dared to offend them.
As Tian looked at them, shock entered his eyes. Being that it was his first time laying eyes on any martial artist, what his vision showed him made him understand why they were different from ordinary people.
Tian's special eyes were called the Rinnegan. They had special powers, but Tian was repulsed by his own appearance and power that he never even wondered what they could do.
One aspect of them that he couldn't turn off though, was the ability to see energy and its flow within the body of a person or creature. This allowed him to see exactly how much more energy martial artists carry compared to a common person, and well, the difference was enormous.
A common person had one drop of energy, and that was rare, while martial artists looked like they stored entire oceans of power within their bodies. No wonder people feared them so much.
When the Xiao Sect members got to the pairs' stall, one of them, who seemed to carry a higher rank than the one behind him, stopped, and laid eyes on a specific herb.
Glancing over to Tian, he said coldly, "You. How much for this Demon Skull Vine?"
The Demon Skull Vine contained an acute poison, but if used right, could intensely stimulate the body. It had great uses for martial artists.
Tian quickly saluted and responded, "2000 purple profound coins, sir. Being that it is a rare herb, we-"
Waving his hand, the young man interjected and said, "I only have 20 purple profound coins on me. We really need this herb. What do you say?"
20 Purple profound coins? He might as well give the herb away for free at that point. These martial artists clearly didn't take them seriously.
Su Yan interjected and calmly said with a deep bow, "Young master, please. How can we stay in business if we give you such a discount? Please, understand us."
In front of martial artists, scenes such as this were commonplace. Even Tian followed suit and gave a deep bow, sacrificing whatever pride he had to ensure the safety of their lives.
The young man scoffed and left with a cold glint flashing through his eyes, with his attendant in tow.
Seeing this, Su Yan's face lost all color as his gaze dropped to he ground.
"Father, what's wrong?"
Straining a smile, Su Yan replied, "N-nothing, son. Let's just pack it up and call it a day here. I'm feeling a bit sick today."
Worried about Su Yan, Tian followed through and packed up, ending the business day early.
Even when they got back to their little home, Su Yan sat on the bed with his head in his hands, his expression grave.
Tian sat across from him, worried and confused about what caused this change in his father today. This scene continued for hours until night struck.
Then…
"Tian'er. Would you like to know the truth about your birth?"
These words struck Tian like lightning. What did he mean truth about his birth?
"Father? Didn't you say mom died when I was born and you raised me since then? What else is there?"
Tian sat up and stared at Su Yan, wondering what else he could say. He couldn't understand why Su Yan would hide anything from him.
Taking a good long look at Tian, Su Yan got up and walked to a certain spot behind his bed, lifting up the floor boards to reveal a wooden box. Putting the box on the bed, Su Yan took a deep breath, opened it and drew out a certain letter.
"Tian'er, we've offended someone of great standing. Those men from the Xiao Sect…the way they looked at us when they left. I'm sure tonight is going to be our last."
Again, Su Yan's words hit Tian like a flood, causing his breath to become haggard.
Seeing his pathetic condition, Su Yan sighed inwardly, saying, 'The boy is scared of death. I wanted him to live a normal life so badly that I coddled him like a baby. Now, if I send him on his way without me, he'll be like a chicken sent to the slaughter. He'll be prey for all types of wild beasts.'
Su Yan began to regret his own decisions but now, it wasn't the time to harp on that.
Handing the letter over to Tian, Su Yan hardened his gaze and said, "Son, this letter was from your real mother. This is what she went through as she died."
Tian took the letter with shaking hands and opened it, his eyes slowly taking in each word.
Seeing his face go through many different expressions, Su Yan could tell what the boy was thinking. At least that's what he thought.
"Sigh, don't blame yourself boy. You were just a b-"
Tian suddenly stood up, his hands firm on the letter as he read it over and over, burning every word into his mind.
His flowing black hair seemed to grow a shade darker and his expression became increasingly cold as he continued let the emotions his mother wanted to express permeate his being.
"Son?"
Su Yan had never seen such a dark expression on Tian's face in his life. He was always smiling, even when they got in trouble with local bandits or thieves. This expression of pure…hatred even made Su Yan feel shivers throughout his bones.
Looking at Tian's face now, his strange eyes seemed to glow with an ethereal light.
"What have I been doing all my life? Sixteen years of wasted time. For sixteen years, this man has roamed free, parading and galavanting around as if he didn't murder my mother in cold blood. In his mind, I'm probably dead too. How could someone be so evil?"
Su Yan unconsciously stepped back as he started to feel a sudden change in Tian's nature. He felt as if he just saw this boy for the first time.
It was then that a sudden thought erupted within his mind.
'That confidence his mother had in him destroying the Imperial Family…is this what she felt? This boy, what dark destiny does he have waiting for him?'
Unbeknownst to Su Yan, when Tian read the letter, memories of what happened over those days where his mother was chased relentlessly across the land resurfaced within his mind.
He had mentally pushed it back subconsciously in fear of severe trauma, but now that he read the letter, everything came back. Even though he was a newborn, his eyes captured everything. Every little detail of those dark days his mother spent in hiding, under endless humiliation and contempt from those who should have kept her safe.
"If my mother was powerful, nothing could have harmed her. If her backing was extraordinary, my real father would've 'loved' me. If we were powerful, how could those Xiao Sect cultivators threaten us over some minor herbs? Power. Power is the true currency of the world. Everything else can only amount to so much."
Su Yan clenched his fist as he heard Tian come to his realization himself. It was hard to accept for common folk like them, but the rules applied to everyone, regardless of one's feelings.
"So, son, now that you know the truth, what do you choose? To die as a common man, or to live on as the-"
"What a touching conversation."
Suddenly, a third voice appeared in the room as a shadowy figure erupted from nowhere, shocking the pair to their cores.
Pushing Tian towards the front door, Su Yan shouted, "Tian'er! Run!"
But, they were facing true martial artists. Where could they go?
In a flash, the man cut off Su Yan's arms and legs, kicking him into a nearby wall as he turned to Tian.
"Father!!!!!"
Tian, his heart broken by the scene, rushed at the man filled with nothing but pure rage clouding his mind.
"Tch. Fool."
With a swipe of his blade, the man blinded Tian, slashed him three times across the chest and cut off his arms. Grabbing his crumbling victim by the hair, the man threw Tian into the same wall he threw Su Yan, causing it break from the impact.
The man searched the house, found the leather bags which Su Yan used to store his herbs and walked up to the dying pair, his eyes cold.
"All you had to do was say yes to the young master. Now look where your foolishness has gotten you. In your next life, learn not to offend those better than you."
Looking over at the nearby cliff, the man grabbed Tian and Su Yan by their hair and dragged them over.
"W-why are you so e-evil? W-we have never done anything to you…"
Hearing Tian's words, the man laughed and held both of them over the edge with one hand each as if they were feathers.
"Might makes right. That's just the way of the world. Remember that in your next life."
The man simply dropped them off the cliff and turned around, his expression calm as if what he had done was nothing. As if this was just another day to him.
From this day forward, Su Yan and Tian were forever erased from existence, their deaths unceremonious and tragic. No one remembered them. No one cared.
Until one day…