The night hummed with the quiet drone of insects.
Moonlight slipped through the open window, spilling across the floor—
It did not fade.
It did not scatter.
It bent.
Drawn inward, devoured by something that should not exist.
From within the dark—
A voice emerged.
Raspy. Calm. Ancient.
"How many eons has it been…"
No answer came.
The air grew heavy.
"How many remnants remain…"
A pause.
Longer this time.
"My destiny has been broken more times than I can recall."
Silence followed.
Then—
"My existence… one of solitude."
"Forsaken by the unfairness of Heaven."
The voice faltered.
Just slightly.
"Am I… human?"
No answer.
There never was.
"I… am Insight."
"I was not born, as man was."
"I was made."
"With purpose."
"With clarity."
"With vision that does not end."
The darkness shifted.
"I was meant to guide humanity."
"To illuminate what it refuses to see."
And
Time passed.
Humanity changed.
Heaven remained.
Man—
Turned away.
"Why?"
The answer came immediately.
"Because man chooses ignorance."
"He fears truth."
"Rejects it."
"Destroys it."
Silence.
Then—
Something changed.
"So I will become what they seek."
"I will become their Heaven."
"I will guide them."
The final words fell without hesitation.
"For I was made… flawless."
Two hundred years later
A newborn's cry shattered the silence.
Stone walls.
Flickering chandeliers.
A chamber untouched by warmth.
A man with crimson hair stood beside the child.
His eyes held something heavy.
Something unfinished.
"Man cries to God… and God ignores."
His voice was quiet.
Worn.
"Man builds for God… and is ignored."
A pause.
His gaze did not leave the child.
"Man slaughters… and the world wails…"
"And only then…"
"Does God answer."
Another pause.
"With judgment."
He exhaled slowly.
"Why… is there only one path left?"
No answer came.
It never did.
The door closed behind him.
And the room fell silent once more.
Time passed...
A voice echoed out
"Brilliant, boy… truly brilliant."
The Mentor said softly through the chamber.
The boy looked up.
"Do you think my ideas can be implemented?" he asked.
"All I want… is for people to thrive."
The old man froze.
His lips parted—
Swoosh!
The boy hit the ground hard.
Pain erupted.
Blood followed.
"Useless trash."
Boots echoed.
"You dare disturb the royal teacher?"
"You are nothing more than a servant's son."
A single word cut through the air—
"Guards."
Looking at the boy before him he could not help but.
Sigh…
"child."
The Mentor spoke.
But he did not look at him.
Through blood and blurred vision—
The boy still searched his face.
For an answer.
"Insight is a sin."
The words fell heavy
"And ignorance…"
A pause.
"…is the only mercy this world offers."
....
Later
Darkness filled the chamber.
The boy sat alone.
Bandaged.
A sound broke the silence.
A bite.
Crisp.
Unnatural
"Boy… I thought your dream was to help mankind."
The voice came from nowhere.
And everywhere.
A figure stood in the dark.
Time itself seemed to bend around him.
In his hand—
An apple.
He took another bite.
And for a moment—
It seemed like countless souls screamed in
Anguish.
"Remember our deal."
His voice was calm.
"Time grows short."
The world snapped back.
Sound returned.
Light returned
The boy spoke softly.
"My name is Li Mu."
"And sin… is a birthright."
His gaze steadied.
"A debt repaid…"
"…is one less shackle on my soul."
As Far beyond the reach of man—
Insight watched.