Three years passed.
The seasons came and went.
Snow covered the mountains.
Spring brought flowers back to the valley.
Summer warmed the rivers.
Autumn painted the forests gold.
And through it all, Leo grew.
Yet there was something strange about him.
Something the villagers could never explain.
The boy rarely cried.
Rarely complained.
Rarely feared anything.
Even as a toddler, he would sit quietly for hours watching the mountains beyond the village.
Sometimes the villagers joked that he was an old man trapped inside a child's body.
Other times they whispered darker things.
The Blood Moon Child.
The cursed child.
The abandoned child.
Leo heard those whispers.
Even at his young age.
Children often understand more than adults realize.
One afternoon, several village boys blocked his path.
Leo had been carrying a basket home from the market.
The oldest boy stepped forward.
"You're the Blood Moon kid."
Leo remained silent.
The other boys laughed.
"My father says you're cursed."
"My mother says monsters brought you here."
"My grandfather says you'll bring disaster."
The boys waited for a reaction.
Leo simply stared at them.
That only annoyed them more.
"Say something!"
Still nothing.
The oldest boy shoved him.
The basket fell.
Fruit rolled across the dirt road.
The boys laughed.
Leo looked down at the scattered fruit.
Then slowly knelt and began picking it up.
No anger.
No tears.
No complaints.
Just silence.
The laughter slowly stopped.
For some reason, his calmness felt heavier than any insult.
The boys exchanged uncomfortable looks.
Eventually they left.
Leo gathered the final apple and stood.
A large hand suddenly landed on his head.
"That's one way to handle it."
Leo looked up.
Fang stood behind him.
Smiling.
As usual.
"They were being mean."
"They were."
"You heard them?"
"I did."
Leo looked back toward the road.
"They called me cursed."
Fang was quiet for a moment.
Then he sat beside the road.
"Come sit."
Leo obeyed.
The mountain breeze drifted across the valley.
For a while neither spoke.
Then Fang pointed toward the distant peaks.
"What do you see?"
"Mountains."
"What else?"
Leo squinted.
"Trees."
"Anything else?"
The boy looked harder.
After several moments he noticed tiny black dots moving near the mountains.
"Birds."
Fang nodded.
"Good."
Then he smiled.
"Now tell me."
"What do the mountains think about the birds?"
Leo frowned.
"What?"
"The mountains."
"What do they think?"
The boy looked confused.
"They don't think."
"Exactly."
Fang laughed.
"The mountains stay mountains."
"The birds fly."
"The wind blows."
"They don't care what anyone says about them."
Leo remained silent.
Slowly thinking.
Fang stood.
"So why should you?"
The answer lingered in Leo's mind all the way home.
That evening he sat outside watching the sunset.
For the first time, the whispers felt smaller.
Far away.
Unimportant.
And that made him smile.
A little.
Only a little.
But Fang noticed.
He always noticed.
Several weeks later, trouble arrived.
The village was holding its annual festival.
Merchants traveled from distant towns.
Musicians filled the streets with music.
Food stalls lined the roads.
Children ran everywhere.
The entire village felt alive.
Leo walked through the crowd carrying a skewer of grilled meat.
His eyes wandered from stall to stall.
Everything seemed exciting.
Everything seemed new.
Then suddenly—
A scream.
The crowd froze.
Another scream followed.
This one louder.
Fear spread instantly.
People began running.
Shouting.
Panic erupted.
Leo turned toward the source.
Several horses had broken free from their carriage.
Terrified by the noise of the festival.
The animals charged through the crowd.
People jumped aside.
Stalls collapsed.
Children cried.
One little girl stumbled and fell directly in the horses' path.
The crowd gasped.
Her mother screamed.
The horses were too close.
Too fast.
No one could reach her.
No one except—
A blur.
Leo moved.
Without thinking.
Without hesitation.
His small body sprinted across the street.
The crowd watched in disbelief.
The horses thundered forward.
The girl remained frozen.
Terrified.
Leo reached her first.
He pushed her away.
The horses crashed past.
The crowd erupted.
The little girl burst into tears.
Her mother rushed forward.
Grabbing her daughter.
Holding her tightly.
Meanwhile Leo stood quietly.
Dust covered his clothes.
His arm hurt.
But he didn't care.
The girl was safe.
The villagers stared.
Many of them were the same people who whispered about him.
The same people who feared him.
Now they looked uncertain.
Confused.
A man stepped forward.
"You saved her."
Leo shrugged.
"I guess."
The villagers exchanged looks.
Something had changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
The Blood Moon Child.
The cursed child.
Had just risked himself to save another.
The whispers began to weaken.
For the first time.
That night Fang and Leo sat outside their home.
The stars glittered overhead.
The river flowed quietly nearby.
Fang handed Leo a bowl of soup.
"You were brave today."
Leo sipped quietly.
"I just helped."
"Most people freeze."
Leo looked down.
"I didn't think."
"Exactly."
Fang smiled.
"The best heroes don't."
Leo frowned.
"I'm not a hero."
Fang laughed loudly.
"No?"
"No."
"What are you then?"
The boy thought.
For a long moment.
Then answered honestly.
"I don't know."
The smile on Fang's face softened.
"That's fine."
"What?"
"You don't need all the answers today."
Leo looked at him.
Fang stared toward the stars.
"When I was your age, I thought strength was everything."
"And now?"
The legendary warrior chuckled.
"Now I know there are things much more important."
"Like what?"
Fang looked at the boy beside him.
Without hesitation, he answered.
"People."
The wind gently moved through the trees.
Neither spoke for a while.
The moment felt peaceful.
Safe.
Neither realized how precious that peace truly was.
Because far beyond the mountains…
Far beyond the kingdoms…
Someone had begun asking questions.
Questions about a child.
A child discovered beneath a Blood Moon.
A child raised by a Legend.
And for the first time in years…
Eyes were turning toward the village.
Watching.
Waiting.
Interested.
The calm days would not last forever.
And somewhere in the darkness…
Fate had already begun moving.