Sun Collector

Short Story

Sun, the immortal mountain spirit born from a magical stone, roamed freely between heaven and earth until one day, when the cries of a group of pandas caught his attention. It was from them that he learned the existence of death. While confused by this sudden revelation, he was mistaken by the pandas for the deity of the mountain. In particular, a small panda named Li Li became infatuated with Sun and devoted his days to picking peaches for the Monkey King. But when a flash flood struck the panda village one day, Li Li was lost to the torrents while looking for peaches. Sun arrived too late, and despite the pleas of the other pandas, he did not have the ability to bring his friend back from the dead. It was then that Sun experienced loss for the first time. Unable to comprehend his grief, he fell into a deep slumber. Millennia passed, and many more would have passed by had Sun not been awakened by a battle between dragons. After slaying the Black Dragon and unknowingly saving the Cadia Riverlands, he asked the Silver Dragon about immortality and finding one's purpose. Instead of the answer he sought, the dragon gave him the name Sun and the task of being the guardian of the land. But what does that entail? Sun was once again lost in though