As he said, Quinn woke his sister up very early the following morning and they began their journey.
They left the town, and after walking for hours, they finally left Snow Peak City. It was almost noon when they arrived at the outskirts of a wasteland.
They looked around and found someone to rest.
"Brother, are we going to stay here?" Zi asked her brother as she looked around.
"No, take some rest while I go around and find something that you will eat," he replied.
"But brother," Zi said, looking around. "This place is dry, what could possibly grow here?"
Quinn smiled faintly and patted her on the head. "Don't worry, I'll find some wild fruits for us. Just don't wander around, wait here for me, okay?"
Zi smiled. "Yes, brother."
Quinn turned and left. He wandered deeper into the dry wilderness, every step crunching against cracked earth. The wasteland stretched endlessly, with only the wind to accompany him. It was barren, but not lifeless, thorny shrubs clung stubbornly to the ground, and after some searching, Quinn found a cluster of tough, red-skinned fruits hidden among them. They were bitter, but edible. He plucked what he could and tucked them into his small satchel.
His lips curved faintly. "Zi will be happy. At least she won't go hungry today."
But before he could take another step back, a piercing cry shattered the silence.
"Brother!" Zi's scream.
The fruits slipped from his hands, scattering across the dust. His heart clenched. Without a second thought, Quinn sprinted back, his legs moving faster than his mind could keep up with.
When he reached the place where he had left his sister, his blood froze.
A wild beast, its fur bristling and eyes glowing with savage hunger, loomed over Zi. Its body was the size of a calf, with claws sharp enough to tear flesh and a mouth dripping with venom. Zi stumbled backward, her small hands raised as if they could ward off the monster.
"Zi!" Quinn roared.
He had no cultivation, no techniques, no power that could rival the beast. But fear for his sister's life burned hotter than any weakness in his veins.
In one desperate motion, he pulled out the short knife tied to his waist and dashed forward. The beast snarled and lunged. Quinn met it head-on, the blade flashing in his trembling hand.
The beast's claws raked across his shoulder, sending pain lancing through his body. Blood sprayed, and his knees almost buckled. But Quinn gritted his teeth, forced himself to stay upright, and drove the knife deep into the creature's neck.
The beast howled, thrashing violently, but Quinn held on with everything he had. With one final push, he twisted the blade and tore it free. The beast collapsed, lifeless, its body twitching before going still.
Breathing heavily, Quinn fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding wound. His vision blurred from the pain, yet a faint smile tugged at his lips.
Zi rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face. "Brother! You're hurt!"
Quinn raised a trembling hand and brushed her cheek. "It's fine… I'm glad… you're safe."
Tears fell onto his bloodied hands as Zi held onto him tightly, trembling. For a moment, despite the pain, Quinn felt a strange warmth inside. He had nothing — no strength, no honor, no glory. But he had his sister, and that was enough.
"Zi, I am sorry. I threw the fruits away when I heard you scream," he said to her.
"No, brother... I don't want the fruits again, it's you that I want. I don't want you to leave me again," she cried.
Quinn felt sad seeing her cry. He clenched his fists, If only he was strong.
"Zi, let's leave this place. It's not safe," he said and managed to stand. The wound was eating him deep but he knew better that it wasn't time to think about himself. They had to leave that environment before a larger beast appears and attacks them.
"Where do we go, brother?" Zi asked him.
"I know a place," he replied, staring into the far East. 'It is a place no one dares to visit but...'
Let's go, brother," Zi said and took he brother's hand.
Quinn smiled faintly at his sister. "Yes, let's go."
-----
It took the Mu siblings days before they finally arrived at a land shrouded in unease.
The air here was heavy, as if soaked with blood that had never dried. Blackened earth stretched endlessly, scarred with cracks that oozed faint wisps of mist. Broken weapons jutted out of the ground like tombstones, and shattered bones lay half-buried in the dirt, untouched by time.
This place was known as the Abyssal Battlefield.
Legends claimed it was where mortals once dared to clash with demons, where countless cultivators were slaughtered in a single night, their resentment staining the soil forever. No sect claimed this land, no clan ventured near — even beasts avoided it. It was said that those who lingered too long here would hear the screams of the fallen and lose their sanity.
Quinn stood at the edge, supporting his injured body while Zi clutched his arm tightly. Her small frame trembled, yet her eyes searched his face.
"Brother… this place feels wrong," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Quinn's gaze swept over the field of ruins. His wound throbbed, and exhaustion weighed him down, but his eyes flickered with resolve.
"Wrong… maybe. But it's the one place no one dares to follow us," he replied. "Here, we'll be safe… at least for now."
The siblings stepped into the land, the air was a mixture of blood, decay, and rust, forming a foul smell, the stench was so thick that Zi pinched her nose, her eyes watering.
"Brother… I don't like this place," she whispered, clinging tighter to his arm.
"I don't either," Quinn admitted. His shoulder still bled beneath the torn fabric, but he gritted his teeth and pressed forward. "But we need shelter before night falls. The battlefield may be abandoned, but the dead don't rest easily here."
They searched among the jagged stones and twisted remnants of war until Zi pointed ahead. "Brother, look!"
Half-hidden behind a cluster of broken spears and collapsed armor was a cleft in the stone wall. It yawned like the mouth of some forgotten beast, shadows stretching deep within.
Quinn narrowed his eyes. "A cave…"
Dragging his weary body forward, he approached first, testing the ground with his knife in hand. Inside, the air was damp and cooler, carrying the faint scent of mildew instead of blood. The passage sloped downward only slightly, leading into a hollow large enough for the two of them to rest.
"Brother, it's dark…" Zi whispered, her voice trembling.
Quinn placed the knife back at his side and crouched to ruffle her hair, forcing a faint smile despite his exhaustion. "Darkness can hide us, Zi. That's better than being out in the open."
He gathered some dry fragments of wood and bone littered near the cave mouth, managing to spark a weak flame. The firelight pushed back the shadows, though not entirely. Faint cracks marred the stone walls, as though the cave itself had been carved apart by old battles.
Zi curled up close beside him, resting her head against his chest. "Brother… will we always keep running like this?"
Quinn's heart tightened. He didn't answer immediately, staring into the wavering flame. His wound throbbed, his body trembled from exhaustion, and yet, when he looked down at Zi's fragile form, he whispered firmly, "No. One day, we won't have to run anymore. I'll make sure of it."