Dragon Vein Awakening

The Ordinary Student Lin Tian

Morning sunlight filtered weakly through the dusty windows of East Dawn High School, casting long rectangular shapes across the empty corridor. The day was just beginning, but the muted chill of winter still clung to the air. Students streamed in with sleepy faces and messy bed hair, laughing, shouting, complaining about homework.

And among them walked a boy who barely drew attention—

Lin Tian.

His steps were calm, almost too quiet compared to the noisy surroundings. His hair, a soft shade of midnight black, swayed slightly as he walked. His face was neither striking nor ugly—just plain, the kind of face people forgot five seconds after glancing at it. But what stood out most was the book he held tightly to his chest, as if it were a shield.

As Lin Tian crossed the courtyard, a group of boys lounging near the steps noticed him and immediately smirked.

“Look who’s here—Bookworm Emperor!”

“Hey Lin Tian! Planning to marry your textbooks?”

Someone snorted loudly, and the group burst into laughter.

Lin Tian lowered his head slightly. He didn’t stop walking, nor did he respond. He had heard the same taunts so many times that the words no longer carried sting—only weight.

From behind the group stepped out Hao Jin, a boy built like a mini truck—broad shoulders, cocky smile, dyed golden-brown hair that looked like it had been dipped in sunlight and bad decisions.

He blocked Lin Tian’s path with a casual, mocking grin.

“Well, well… If it isn’t the legendary weakling. Tell me something, Lin—when are you planning to grow a spine? Or at least a muscle?”

The boys behind him burst into loud laughter again.

Lin Tian remained silent. He didn’t even look at Hao Jin.

Instead, he gently shifted sideways and walked around him.

Hao Jin scoffed. “Tch. Boring as always.”

Before he could say more, another voice cut in sharply.

“Back off, Hao Jin.”

It was Yu Chen, Lin Tian’s only real friend. A boy with round glasses and a gentle face, standing just a bit too bravely for his own good.

Hao Jin rolled his eyes.

“Oh look, the sidekick speaks.”

Yu Chen sighed. “Can’t you bother someone else today?”

But Hao Jin only laughed and walked away with his gang.

“Relax. It’s not like your buddy’s brave enough to fight back anyway.”

When they left, Yu Chen turned to Lin Tian with a helpless expression.

“You okay?”

Lin Tian nodded quietly. “Yeah. I’m used to it.”

“That’s the problem,” Yu Chen muttered. “You shouldn’t have to be.”

They walked together down the corridor.

To anyone watching, the contrast between them felt almost symbolic—

Yu Chen, lively and talkative even in annoyance;

Lin Tian, quiet, thoughtful, almost too calm for his age.

As they reached their classroom door, Yu Chen lowered his voice.

“You know… sometimes I feel like there’s something different about you, Tian.”

Lin Tian blinked. “Different? Me?”

“Yeah,” Yu Chen said with a mysterious tone. “Like you’re meant for something bigger. You just… don’t realize it yet.”

Lin Tian laughed softly. “You watch too many fantasy dramas.”

Yu Chen grinned. “Maybe. But mark my words—one day, something big is going to happen in your life.”

Lin Tian didn’t argue further, but inside, he felt a strange flutter.

A faint sense that Yu Chen’s words were more than just a joke.

---

The day went on normally—classes, homework scoldings, lunch in the corner of the cafeteria, and avoiding Hao Jin’s gang whenever possible.

To everyone else, Lin Tian was predictable, forgettable, nearly invisible.

But deep inside, he was carrying something he didn’t yet understand—

an unanswered call echoing faintly within him.

When the final bell rang and students began rushing home, Lin Tian packed his bag slowly. His body felt unusually heavy today, as if something was moving beneath his skin—like a sleeping creature stretching.

That night, he lay in his small bedroom, staring at the cracked ceiling.

His mind replayed the same thought again and again—

Why do I feel… strange today? Hot… heavy… restless?

Wind brushed against the windowpane.

The room felt colder than usual.

He closed his eyes.

And then—

Darkness dissolved into crimson light.

Suddenly he was standing in a vast valley covered in burning mist.

Flames danced like spirits drifting through the air.

The sky was torn open by red lightning.

A tremor shook the ground beneath his feet.