Luo Wei originally thought that he would sleep for a few days, at most half a month, but reality proved far beyond his expectations.
Months passed, and he remained quietly sealed within the blood-colored amber. The crimson glow continued to linger within the gemstone, casting a faint red radiance throughout the room like an eternal sunset.
It resembled the Frozen Throne—no, it was more apt to call it the Blood Throne.
Luo Wei was unaware of the passage of time as he slumbered, his consciousness submerged and insulated from the world. But for the little stone creature, Shilut, the wait was anything but peaceful.
At first, Shilut didn't care much. He maintained his daily routine of eating stones and gazing at the starry sky at night, content in his simplistic life.
But as the days turned into weeks and then months, with Luo Wei remaining motionless in the crimson amber, unease began to grow within the young creature's heart.
"Buzzing…" Little Shilut sat in front of the amber every day, bowing his head repeatedly as though offering prayers or calls of concern.
Luo Wei remained still, his body suspended like a statue inside the blood-colored amber, his eyes closed. Crimson streamers of light swirled and wrapped around him, occasionally threading into his body, subtly refining something within him.
"Om…" Shilut, face full of frustration, would lay on the ground and stare at the ceiling of the cavernous room for hours on end, unmoving.
Eventually, in a desperate attempt to shake off his rising anxiety, he'd begin rolling around on the floor. It was his way of trying to dispel the sadness, though it did little good.
In the end, Shilut sought solace the only way he knew—through eating. He left the stone house and returned to gnawing on rocks.
Surprisingly, the primal act of feeding brought him comfort. As he chewed and crunched, the frown on his rocky face would ease, and the burden weighing on his heart would slowly lift. Food, it seemed, was a remedy for his soul.
Time continued to pass. Soon, nearly a year had gone by.
The amber encasing Luo Wei had thinned considerably. No longer as thick as it once was, it now resembled a translucent layer of ice. The densest portions were only a couple of centimeters thick, and the once-vivid internal light had dimmed, as though its energy had been largely absorbed.
Every day, Shilut would come to the amber and let out his usual low hums before heading out to eat. The ritual had become ingrained in him.
After a year of this repetitive behavior, Shilut had consumed so many rocks from the nearby cliffs that he had altered the terrain. What used to be a rugged, protruding platform halfway up a mountain had evolved into a distinctive stone hill—an odd peak that now stood like a monument in the Luolei Mountain Range.
"Crack… clap…"
On yet another day of chewing stone, the area around Shilut was littered with rubble, like shattered bone fragments from some ancient beast.
As he munched away, two figures approached from the distance—two Kronans, one stocky and one lean, traversing the mountain path with measured steps. They came down from the higher cliffs and soon found themselves beneath the peak.
"Crash…"
A sudden tumble of rubble fell from the cliff above, pelting the two Kronans with bits of rock and debris.
"What the—?" they exclaimed, stepping back and shielding themselves as they looked upward.
Shilut, sensing the disturbance, paused and looked down. He froze in place.
The two Kronans were equally stunned upon seeing him.
The rotund Kronan blinked and asked aloud, "Whose child is this? What's a kid doing in a place like this?"
Although Kronans and Shilut had different origins and biological traits, they bore significant physical resemblance—stone-skinned beings shaped from mineral and earth. To the two strangers, Shilut appeared as nothing more than a child of their own kind.
Shilut, wide-eyed, stared back in awe. He had never seen beings who looked so much like himself.
The fat Kronan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up the cliff, "Hey, kid! What's your name? Where are your parents?"
"Buzz?" Shilut tilted his head, not understanding the words but clearly unsettled by the sudden attention.
"We should go up and take a closer look," the leaner Kronan said.
"But we're supposed to deliver that message—"
"This could be a new settlement! If we're the first to make contact, it's a huge deal. Let's check it out."
The two Kronans began climbing the slope.
Originally, the stone house where Luo Wei slumbered had been well-hidden within the mountainside. But Shilut's year-long excavation and constant stone consumption had transformed the terrain and exposed it entirely.
As a result, the Kronans ascended with relative ease, and soon enough, they spotted the humble stone dwelling nestled against the cliff.
"Your parents live there?" the lean Kronan asked, pointing at the house with mild disbelief.
"Buzz!" Shilut grunted, stepping in front of the house as though to guard it.
"You're not a baby. Can't you speak?" the lean Kronan frowned, puzzled.
The fat Kronan approached the entrance. "Is anyone home?"
"Om!" Shilut's expression changed. Misunderstanding the movement as an attempt to intrude, he grew furious. With a growl, he hurled the half-eaten stone in his hand, hitting the fat Kronan square in the chest.
"Ugh!" the Kronan staggered back, clutching his side. "This kid's got some strength!"
"Buzz!" Shilut growled again, assuming a defensive posture like a stone soldier ready for war.
"Alright, that's it. I'm teaching this brat a lesson," the fat Kronan snapped, grabbing the large stone cudgel strapped to his back.
Just as he stepped forward, Shilut opened his mouth and let out a powerful rumble: "Waaah!"
A torrent of liquid rock erupted from his jaws, forming a mudslide of semi-molten earth. The thick substance struck the fat Kronan like a tidal wave and rapidly hardened into solid stone, trapping half of his body.
Shocked, both Kronans froze.
"This… this ability…" The lean Kronan's eyes widened with disbelief. "That's the signature of the Primordial Kronan!"
The fat Kronan blinked. "You mean… those old legends? They're real?"
"I can't say for sure if he's a direct descendant, but there's no doubt—this kid is no ordinary Kronan."
Breaking free with a swing of his club, the fat Kronan said, "Looks like the house is empty. Whoever lived here isn't home. Let's bring the kid back with us."
"Agreed."
The two Kronans advanced.
Seeing them come closer, Shilut's face turned fierce. He clenched one stone fist so tightly that grinding noises echoed from his joints.
Then, in a swift move, he launched his fist outward like a projectile. The rock flew like a cannonball and struck the lean Kronan right in the forehead.
"Boom!"
The force of impact shattered the Kronan's head instantly. His rocky body collapsed into rubble, scattering across the mountain path.
The fat Kronan, seeing his companion obliterated in one blow, turned pale. Fear overtook him, and he turned tail and fled without hesitation.
Shilut didn't chase him. Once the threat was gone, he sat back down and returned to eating his stones—his simple comfort in an unpredictable world.
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