The moon hung low and full over Shrek Academy, pale pressure against the dark sky. Rain from earlier had slicked the stone pathways, turning them into silvery mirrors that reflected the dormitory windows' dim glow. Only the soft rustle of leaves stirred the night air—until a single, measured footstep broke the hush.
Li Wei sat up in his bed, senses sharpening. No wind, no voices… and yet, a presence called to him from the courtyard. Pulling on a dark robe over his sleepwear, he slipped outside, bare feet whispering against cool stone. His heart beat quietly, a steady rhythm that matched the hush of the academy at rest.
Beneath the ancient gingko tree by the far wall, a figure waited: broad shoulders wrapped in a moss-green cloak, eyes glinting in the moonlight like polished amber. The great Crocodile Douluo—Li Wei's grandfather—stood silent and serene, scales faintly tracing patterns across his skin.
"Grandfather. How? Why did you came here?"
Li Wei's voice was softer than a breeze, also containing a trace of confusion as the promised time could be said to be farther in the future.
The Crocodile Douluo inclined his head once, the cloak slipping to reveal an angular face, weathered yet kind.
"I knew you'd come," he rumbled in a voice that whispered of swamps and storm clouds. "I have watched over you every night since you arrived at this strange academy."
Li Wei's chest tightened. He'd sensed protection—fleeting sparks of spirit hall energy—but never known its source.
"Why… why hide?" he asked, stepping forward.
The elder's gaze softened.
"I saw a child without family. Both parents gone too soon, leaving only memories and loneliness."
He paused, eyes drifting up to the rippling gingko leaves.
"I vowed to shield you—from the cruelty of the world, from those who would exploit or harm you. My role is to protect the defenseless, and you were alone. Not to mention, you're my only grandson. Do you think that I will let you goes alone to this academy?"
Li Wei felt warmth bloom in his chest, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Memories flashed: a kind laugh from his mother, a sturdy hand on his shoulder from his father, both voices now distant echoes. He had never known a guardian's love so plainly.
"I… I'm sorry," he whispered, voice cracking. "I never asked, but… thank you."
The Crocodile Douluo's shoulders relaxed.
"You need not apologize. My pride is this: you stand strong because you know you are not truly alone."
Under the silver moon, Li Wei's memories welled—his father carrying him on his shoulders to see fireflies dance, his mother humming lullabies that soothed his dreams.
"I… I remember bits," he admitted, voice catching. "But most of it felt… hollow. Like I was watching someone else's life."
His grandfather's lips curved with gentle sorrow.
"Those memories shaped you. Even when you felt isolated, you learned courage and compassion. I have always been there, too—an unseen sentinel. I regretted not revealing myself sooner, but I feared imposing upon your path."
Li Wei closed his eyes, breath trembling.
"You weren't imposing. You were… my family.
He placed a hand over his heart.
"I needed this more than I realized."
The Crocodile Douluo reached out, his palm rest o Li Wei shoulder. The touch was firm, comforting, like a shield against the night.
"Family is not only by blood. It is the bond of those who choose to protect and cherish one another."
In that silent embrace, Li Wei felt a wellspring of resolve. He would honor that protection by becoming worthy of it—by defending others just as his grandfather had defended him.
"I have seen what you do to this academy, how you help them? You use every gold coin that I have given you for the journey and you use everything to help them. It really confuse your grandpa when you do something like that."
"Well, there some underlying reason that I do it grandpa."
His grandpa even knew something about that, it really made him sweat a little.
"There no need for you to tell me, seeing the condition of the academy and the student in it. Look like your help really is good. If you can rope them into our spirit hall, it is already enough. Most of them can be said to be a genius."
Crocodile Douluo then held out his palm to stop Li Wei from saying more. He did not want to impose and intrude in his grandson's plan.
He needed to learn about success and failure while he was still young. A younger person would be able to rise from failure more easily than an older person. A young person would always look toward the future while an older person would always have the past dragging them.
Even if something wrong happened, he was here.
They would know that he—Crocodile Douluo—was not soft persimmons.
Then the elder's brow darkened a little.
"Yet my purpose tonight is twofold. I have learned of a spirit beast that has taken a human form within these walls. When the beast came here, your grandpa's sense was able to capture it—and it is my duty to capture it. When you have become stronger, we can use its spirit ring."