Chapter 3 - ON THE BRINK OF DEATH

While I dragged my body across the forest, I spotted a tree that looked quite ancient, its gnarled roots twisting into the earth like frozen serpents. Its trunk was hollow, a dark maw just wide enough to fit a human. My chest burned with every step, the rabbit's flames leaving a raw, stinging wound that pulsed in time with my racing heart. I had no time to waste. The Dark Forest was alive with threats, and I was in no shape to face another beast like that pink-furred monster, its fur flaring red with mana sparks. I stumbled toward the tree, my legs trembling. The hollow trunk promised shelter, a chance to catch my breath and hide from whatever stalked these woods. I gripped the rough bark, my fingers scraping against moss as I tried to climb. Pain shot through my chest, and my arms shook, weak from the fight. "Come on, Haoran", I growled to myself. "You can't die here. Not after Grandpa's sacrifice". With a grunt, I hauled myself into the hole, curling into the cramped space. The wood smelled of damp earth and decay and some termites began crawling on me, but it was a fortress compared to the open forest. Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying distant howls and the rustle of leaves. My breath hitched, shallow and ragged. The burn on my chest throbbed, and I pressed a hand to it, wincing. I had nothing to treat it, no herbs, no salves, just my tattered clothes and a stubborn will to live. I closed my eyes, trying to calm my mind. Grandpa's voice echoed in my head: "Balance the inner and outer, Haoran. Your path is yours alone." What did that even mean? My veins were trash, leaking qi like a broken jug. I'd tried channeling qi during the rabbit fight, and for a moment, my fist had felt stronger, warmer, like something deeper stirred within me. But it faded fast, leaving me burned and battered. If I couldn't even handle a Mana Awakening beast, how could I avenge Grandpa against that redhaired witch and her monsters? A low growl snapped me out of my thoughts. My eyes flew open, peering through a crack in the trunk. A shadow moved in the darkness, swift and bloodthirsty. My heart pounded. It was a forest wolf, its fur a mottled gray, eyes glinting with hunger. It sniffed the air, pacing closer to my tree. "Not now", I begged silently. "Please, not now". I held my breath, pressing deeper into the hollow. My hand brushed something cold and smooth inside the trunk, a small, carved stone, half-buried in the wood. It hummed faintly, like a pulse of qi, and my fingers tingled as I gripped it. A talisman? A cultivator's relic? I didn't know, but it felt important, like a whisper of hope in this cursed forest. The wolf's growl grew louder, its claws scraping the tree's roots. I clutched the stone, my mind racing. I couldn't fight, not like this. But running wasn't an option either. I tried to channel qi, desperate for any strength, and something strange happened. My veins burned, not with the usual leak, but with a dual warmth, qi and mana, mingling for a fleeting second. My vision sharpened, and my body felt lighter, like I could leap from the tree and outrun the wolf. But the sensation vanished, my veins leaking again, leaving me dizzy. "What was that"? I gasped, clutching the stone tighter. Had I imagined it? No, it felt real, like my veins had woken up, just for a moment. But I couldn't make it happen again. The wolf's snout pressed against the trunk's opening, its breath hot and foul. I had to move, or I'd be its next meal. With no other choice, I shoved the stone into my pocket and scrambled higher into the hollow, finding a narrow split in the trunk above. I squeezed through, scraping my burned chest, and dropped to the forest floor on the other side. The wolf howled, circling the tree, but I was already running, pain and fear driving me deeper into the Dark Forest. I didn't know where I was going. All I knew was I had to survive, for Grandpa, for the Jin Clan, for the answers buried in my veins. That stone, that strange warmth… they meant something. I just had to live long enough to find out what. I had to survive. As I ran, I looked back and it seemed that the wolf didn't notice that I had already begun running because it wasn't tailing me. That made me a bit happy at least. While running, I began thinking of that sensation, what was really that stone, what was that mysterious relic that I saw in the tree trunk. My mind was thinking fast but I couldn't come up with anything. While looking for another place to stay and rest a little I came across a sea of herbs but I was already too tired to pick any, my mind was already hazy and the stinging sensation on my chest only got worse. I steeled my will to be conscious just a bit longer and ran faster. It was already daybreak and I could see the sun rise, the rays of sunlight peering through my eyes from the horizon. I had to find a place to stay before I get attacked by beasts again but my body was already spent the only thing keeping me was the determination to avenge my grandpa and end the lives of that red haired lady and those men that were watching on in silence while our clan was being decimated and while my grandpa fought for his life, My heart raced thinking about it and I couldn't help but clench my fits tightly.