In a dimly lit medical room, a dying teenager lay still on a hospital bed. Lan Hao Tian was a kindhearted youngster whose life was being cut short by a deadly illness.
His body was colorless and lifeless, and his dull eyes gazed blankly at the ceiling. He reflected, "My vision is deteriorating... Am I truly going to die? If only... If only I could live one more day. I have a lot of regrets in this life of mine."
He once had aspirations of working hard in school, succeeding, and making a significant contribution to society and his nation.
But reality had been cruel. His frail body kept him from achieving anything. And now, at the very end of his life, all he could do was cling to that dream in silent sorrow.
His heart stopped beating.
His limp hand fell from the side of the bed.
Just like that, he passed away.
...
Suddenly, he felt something strange—an unfamiliar sensation, unlike anything he had experienced before.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw two unfamiliar faces. They looked poor, their clothes patched and worn.
A man gently picked him up and smiled warmly.
"My son is finally awake."
Lan Hao Tian's spirit trembled. He noticed that his body was much smaller now—and this unfamiliar man had just called him "son." He thought:
"Could it be... have I really been given a second chance? And here, my name is also Lan Hao Tian? What a coincidence…"
He grinned, tears of happiness streaming down his cheeks. There had been too many regrets in his former existence. He promised to live life to the fullest in this one.
When he saw him crying, the man grew frightened.
"Oh—please, don't cry right now."
His mother smiled softly and said, "Are you blind? He's smiling. Not sad tears, but joyous ones."
The man laughed, "Oh, right... I'm such a fool."
Thus, surrounded by his parents' love, Lan Hao Tian started a new life. They were impoverished, yet they never allowed him to suffer. He was overflowing with joy and appreciation for this priceless start.
It wasn't until he turned four that Lan Hao Tian realized just how cruel this world truly was.
On this island, there was a mine used to extract something called Will Crystals. He didn't know what they were used for—only that they were transparent, incredibly hard crystals.
Not only his parents, but nearly everyone living on the island was forced to toil in that mine.
They were paid mere scraps, received almost no medical care, and many had already died from overwork.
And the ones who supervised this forced labor with cold indifference... were none other than the Imperial Navy of the Eastern Empire—the very people who proclaimed themselves as champions of justice and righteousness across the lands.
At home, Lan Hao Tian clenched his teeth as he thought about everything he had come to understand.
"The place I came from... it was wonderful compared to this. There was no open, brutal exploitation like this. Because of those bastards, innocent people are living in endless suffering. I must change this. I will start a revolution to overthrow this unjust world!"
From that moment on, the seed of revolution began to grow in his soul.
He was still a powerless child—but who could predict what the future held?
...
One day, both his father and mother rushed into the house in a panic. They didn't say a word. Instead, they began digging frantically into the ground, creating a deep hole beneath their home.
Lan Hao Tian watched in confusion and asked,
"Dad, Mom, what are you doing?"
His father didn't stop digging but managed a faint smile as he said,
"In a moment, you must stay down here. No matter what happens, do not come out. If you do, I'll be angry, you hear me?"
Lan Hao Tian didn't respond. Deep down, he knew—whatever was about to happen, it was definitely not good.
"Damn it... Why am I so useless?" He cursed himself silently.
Right now, he was weak and small. He had no strength, and the knowledge he carried from his past life was of no use here.
He was utterly... powerless.
He was filled with unwillingness.
He wanted to become someone useful to this world.
He wanted to save its people from this cruel life of forced labor.
After digging a hole just deep enough for a child to hide in, his parents turned to look at him. Tears streamed down their faces, as if they were preparing for a final farewell.
They held him tightly and said,
"Stay here, alright? No matter what happens, don't be afraid."
Then, without hesitation, they gently lowered him into the hole. They covered it with the sturdiest things they could find and camouflaged it so well that no one would suspect a child was hidden beneath.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shattered the silence of the island.
The ground quaked. The sky roared.
The first shell turned unfortunate villagers into ash upon impact—and that was only the beginning.
The artillery fire rained down relentlessly, tearing the island apart. Thick black smoke curled into the air, glowing crimson from the fires below like tendrils from hell.
The bombardment from warships offshore came like merciless death sentences, falling upon the helpless villagers one after another.
Screams, sobs, and desperate cries echoed across the land:
"Why?! Why are you doing this to us?! We just wanted to live!"
"Bastards! You call this justice?"
"I don't want to die! I really don't want to die!"
"I refuse to accept this!"
…
But the shelling didn't stop.
No matter how loud the people screamed, the cannons showed no mercy.
Aboard one of the imperial warships, a navy officer scoffed:
"Hmph, just some island scum who dared to claim the Will Crystals for themselves. They deserve death. Let them serve as a warning—anyone who defies the Empire pays with their life."
Such cold, ruthless words—from someone meant to uphold justice—were enough to send chills down any spine.
By now, the island was soaked in blood.
Bodies lay scattered across the ruined earth.
It looked no different from hell itself.
And among the fallen were Lan Hao Tian's parents—
The two people who had loved him more than anything in this world…
Gone.
Taken by the merciless storm of cannon fire.