Chapter 11: Awakening
Darkness.
A profound darkness.
Within this darkness, the young man's consciousness gradually awakened.
"Where is this?"
The young man's consciousness became increasingly clear, and he began to explore his surroundings.
Endless darkness enveloped him, and the silence was so utterly terrifying that it was unsettling.
"Am I dead? Where is this place? Is anyone here?"
Uchiha Uranium waited for a moment, and when no response came, he continued to ask the empty darkness.
Silence, a long silence.
He began to recall his last encounter: the sudden attack, the terrifying force, and the Exploding Owlbear slowly approaching him.
"Am I dead?"
There was no answer.
With a soft sigh, Uchiha Uranium finally relaxed a little, his vigilance and fear slowly letting go. Since he was already dead, there was nothing to fear.
"So I'm already dead."
After muttering to himself, Uchiha Uranium glanced around and fell silent.
He knew without even looking: he had probably been torn apart and chewed by the spirit beast. He knew death was inevitable, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon.
Yesterday, he'd been lamenting that he shouldn't have faced the Soul Beast Forest head-on, that he wasn't proficient enough in using his soul power, and that even with the protective amulet of nuclear radiation, he should have lived a good life.
Today, a soul beast attack had left him as food.
Uchiha Uranium knew that during the two weeks of journeying from his clan to the Great Star Dou Forest, he had been absolutely escorted. He felt safe, or perhaps, that no one would bother a young man like him.
But he also knew that once he actually entered the forest, the escort would instantly disappear. These ostensibly protective individuals were more like prison guards, monitoring and ensuring the prisoners' safe passage to the prison.
No one would be watching over him, ensuring his safety.
But since he'd chosen this path, he had to forge ahead, even if it meant death.
He had no regrets.
Before leaving, he'd muttered to himself that he wanted to see his younger brother born, and that they shouldn't pin their hopes on him anymore. With his condition, he should just give up and have another brother, something like that, so his parents would give up on him.
Even now, there were still many things he couldn't wrap his head around: why he'd been attacked, why there were bodies grievously dead in the tree hollow, why this spirit beast seemed to ignore the warnings of nuclear radiation emanating from its veins, and why it had been able to attack him so silently.
There were so many whys, so many questions he wanted to know. If he hadn't set up traps and gone out at full strength, using his spirit power to increase his speed, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
If he hadn't stopped to rest, but continued running, the outcome might have been different.
Self-blame and reflection swirled in his mind. Whether it was underestimating the forest, exploring without spirit power, or simply wanting to join in the fun at the slightest opportunity, leading him to leave his immediate area, or whatever, if these factors led to his future failure, then that was acceptable.
But all these factors combined to lead to his death in this spirit beast forest, where he hadn't even been there for a few days.
Just thinking about it made Uchiha Uranium want to slap himself several times. How could anyone be so foolish?
Another brief silence.
He spent an undetermined amount of time in this dark and vast space. He began to feel a little anxious. It felt like something was watching him in the darkness, giving him a sense of extreme panic and urgency.
He knew it was all an illusion. Spending too long in darkness can easily lead to such emotions, and even the exact duration, or even the duration itself, remains uncertain.
"How long will I stay here? When can I leave? Am I dead or not?" the boy grew impatient, and naturally, he began to want to break free, to leave. If this dead, deserted darkness truly was the afterlife, he would go mad.
No, death was supposed to be the end of consciousness. If he could still feel anxious about his surroundings, did that mean,
"Am I still alive?"
"Hey! Am I still alive? Is anyone here?"
As if in response to the boy's confusion, a flicker of light began to appear in the darkness.
It was a blazing white glow, very faint.
Even such a faint and inconspicuous light, in this environment of nothingness and darkness, still captured the boy's full attention.
After the first ray of light appeared, the surroundings gradually shifted, a distortion, like a shift from black and white to gray, like the image in an old camera. With the shifting colors, the darkness was no longer dark, and more light streamed in, casting a shadow over him.
The darkness receded.
"Ugh!"
The blinding light shone directly on Uchiha Uranium, who had just opened his eyes. Tears streamed down his face, and he couldn't help but shield his eyes from the sun.
A pale arm came into view, its fair skin now dusty. Dark red, clotted blood clung to its forearm. The fingers were covered in gashes, especially around the base of the palm, where blood was stained. The entire hand exuded a sense of terror and strangeness.
"Hiss!"
As his body moved, the sensation of ripping flesh instantly spread throughout his body. The sudden, sharp pain made him tremble. Now he had only one feeling:
Pain!
The relentless pain, like waves, continued to wash over him. Uchiha Uranium felt like a small dinghy, vulnerable to being shattered by the wind and waves at any moment.
Beyond the pain, there was also the unbearable nausea and retching brought on by the overdrawn spirit power. His head was like a ringing bell.
His torso, arms, and internal organs all ached, and the piercing pain of nerves everywhere made him tremble uncontrollably. He stopped trying to move, remaining slumped on the ground, like a pile of mud, hoping to get a little familiar with the pain.
Half an hour later, fighting the pain, Uchiha Uranium struggled to stand up, half leaning against the boulder behind him, breathing lightly. The slightest movement had nearly caused him to faint, which gave him a clear understanding of his current condition.
Even a heavy breath could kill him.
What had happened? He actually survived! It was unbelievable. After that frenzied beating, he should have died. Had the bear finally let him go? Impossible.
Confused, Uchiha Uranium slowly turned his neck, observing his surroundings, trying to find a reason.
The surroundings were simply unsettling. Even though the young man had experienced life-or-death crises and was mentally prepared for anything, his stomach began to churn, and he felt a urge to vomit.
Black, foul blood flowed everywhere, carrying a strong stench of decay. All the surrounding vegetation had turned gray and decayed, devoid of any vitality. The ground, strewn with fallen leaves, looked like the filth of a swamp to him, emitting an unpleasant, nauseating feeling.
And the source of this foul blood was a large, long-dead body lying on the ground.
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(End of Chapter)