A blue clear sky, no clouds in sight for miles, let the yellow sun wash over the grassy glade filled with life. Rabbits with horns like unicorns, muscular deers, and other animals enjoyed the beautiful day, grazing in the grass. 

The breeze carried the beautiful songs of birds out of the forest into the opening where small and big animals together peacefully lived. However, among them, one stood out. A silver tiger was sleeping, yet the other animals were not threatened at all, in spite of the beast’s ferocious appearance.

The tiger’s iron fangs protruded 15 inches out of its maw. Its back was covered with the same silvery metal, extending to its sides, like armor. Even its head had patches of iron, under the jaw, over the forehead, but a lot less to still allow mobility. Only the tail and underbelly were completely exposed.

Everything was serene when all of a sudden, the tiger’s ears twitched. The dears and rabbits behind it tensed out too and stood to attention with their ears tense. A pressure appeared in the air and soon became turbulent.

The deers ran away in fright towards the protection of the forest, the rabbits behind them, and so did the other animals, while the tiger leisurely opened its yellow eyes. The wind intensified and the tiger looked around for the threat. He growled.

Iron claws came out from the tiger’s huge paw as its predatory eyes looked around for the threat but found nothing. There was something amiss in the air, the tiger could feel it.

Suddenly, the tiger’s eyes widened and jumped. 

BOOM!

Lightning came down. Fumes came from where the tiger had been and the ground was now charcoaled black as the air was filled with a burned smell. The silhouette of someone could be seen among the smoke. As the air was cleared by the strong wind, a man came into view. 

He was kneeling with feet under him and arms on his legs. He looked at his palms, his gaze was lost, unfocused and his back was hunched. Everything about him screamed defeated. However, he was unharmed. There were no signs on his body, no injury at all. Even his clothes were unblemished.

The tiger slowly approached him, eying him with its predatory eyes and showing its fangs. This man just invaded its territory.

BOOM!

Another lightning hit the ground right in front of the tiger, cracking the sky in two and frightening the beast into running away, yet the man didn’t even flinch. He didn’t even blink. If not for the slow movement of the chest, you could have sworn he was dead.

Dark clouds gathered. Droplets of rain fell, one by one until it was pouring. The entire sun was hidden behind the dark clouds, darkening the day, and it only took seconds. The only source of light was the thundering bolts of lightning.

The man still didn’t move. He was drenched but didn’t care. Maybe he didn’t even notice it. His eyes were just lost, his gaze dead on his palms. Maybe he looked at his palms, maybe he looked between them, or maybe he just looked at nothing.

Minutes passed. The rain didn’t stop, it intensified. But he just stood there, unmoving, unflinching, just looking into nothingness.

“No…” he said, barely a whisper. “No…” A bit louder. “No, no, no…” He shook his head with each word. His voice was filled with sadness.

“No, no, no, no, no…” He brought his fists to his eyes and repeated again and again, like a madman, his voice breaking down with every single word.

“No, no, no… this isn’t true. NOOOOO!” 

Bang!

He punched the ground with all his strength and a crack appeared, yet he didn’t stop.

Bang! Bang!

He punched the ground again and again, as more cracks formed and extended with each strike. The ground even sank a little under the constant barrage.

“No, no, no, no, no. It’s not true. No. It’s a lie.” His voice was filled with both sadness and anger.

He then brought his hands to his chest, one over the other, above his heart, and looked up in the sky with sorrowful eyes. A powerful scream escaped him, “Aghhh!” 

The anger was no longer, instead replaced by a miserable look. And despite the raindrops trailing down his face, you could see he was crying.

“How can you be so cruel?” he shouted at the sky. “How? How can you? HOW? AHHHH!” he shouted with all his might, yet his voice carried no power.

He fell forward, hitting the hard ground with his forehead and still grabbing his chest. 

“Ahhh!” he bawled. His cry was miserable. A wave of pure sorrow filled the air around him. He scratched at his chest, ripped apart the clothes, and kept going as if he was trying to dig into his chest to grab out his heart.

“I don’t understand! Why?” He shouted, his forehead still on the hard cold ground. And his chest was scratched crimson.

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning, louder and brighter than any before, cracked the sky in two one last time before the clouds parted and vanished as fast as they had appeared. The clear sunny sky returned and the clouds were nowhere to be seen. No one could tell it had rained just moments ago. The fresh wet grass and puddles of water were the only evidence of it.

Now with the storm gone, the man’s weeping was evident. He no longer shouted but sobbed with short grasps of breaths, snorts, and painful moans as he continued to claw at his chest. He cried like that for minutes as the air around him got heavier with sorrow.

He looked at the sky once again, defeated and hands bloody. The deep wounds on his chest crimsoned his clothes. His eyes were filled with heavy emotion, betraying his heart.

“You were always so clumsy,” he said with a smile, but his eyes screamed misery. “You even failed to rob me of my cultivation.”

Unbeknownst to the man, a huge blue wolf prowled towards him from behind as he had been crying. Now, the beast was only 10 feet from him and ready to jump, yet he still didn’t notice it.