EPISODE V
I opened my eyes to an absolute, smothering darkness. The air was thick, damp, and smelled of pine needles, turned earth, and something metallic—the faint scent of blood. Before the sharp, jagged realization of my broken wrist could fully register, the horrific memories crashed down upon my mind like a collapsing wall. The screams, the fire, the sickening thud of bodies—they all replayed in a relentless, silent loop behind my eyelids.
A guttural sound escaped me as I bent double, retching violently into the undergrowth. The unbearable shock of the massacre emptied my stomach, leaving me shuddering uncontrollably. I wept—a silent, desperate cry—wishing selfishly that I had died there, beside them. Though I impossibly escaped the chaos, I was hollowed out, with no will left to continue drawing breath in this brutal world.
Minutes stretched into a desperate eternity, filled with panic and despair. I was spiraling in a waking nightmare. Forcing myself to focus, I registered the deep, frigid night. The moon was blocked by the dense canopy. I must have been unconscious for hours.
Going back was not an option; it was a scorched graveyard. Contacting my people would only expose them to the danger that destroyed my home, making them a target for the enemy hunting me. I had to accept the brutal truth: I was completely and utterly alone, probably forever.
My isolation was absolute. The Yokujon's perfect hiding spot meant there was no light or sign of human life. The nearest civilization, a trading village or lumber outpost, was at least fifty kilometers away.
Trapped in a vast, unforgiving forest, my only desperate choice was survival. I had to stay hidden, rationing my meager energy, until I either found a village or was miraculously found by someone untouched by the spreading darkness. Survival was now my only prayer and burden.
The dead-quiet forest offered only the sickening crunch of dead leaves. Each terrified step was a battle. My heart pounded with every sound. What if he caught me? That thought froze me, but survival always spurred me to run again.
My mind raced, trying to make sense of the nightmare I was living. Who was that man even and why did he want me? What could he possibly want with me? I had no answers, only a terrifying vacuum of knowledge. The lack of context made the threat vast and shapeless, multiplying the terror. I had to find answers, not just for safety, but for my sanity.
My situation was seriously grim—a textbook case of 'everything that could go wrong did.' I had zero food, zero water, a seriously messed-up, throbbing broken wrist, and the biggest problem of all: my Aspect was totally gone. My power source was bone-dry. The Something inside me was quiet, almost entertained by my suffering. I could hear his laughter.
I was basically a soldier walking into a fight with an empty gun and a broken arm. My chances of making it out alive weren't just low; they were practically non-existent.
From total weakness, something tough emerged. Complete exhaustion had long destroyed all hope, leaving a raw core of anger and solid determination. A deep, icy darkness brewed inside me—not mere rage, but a fundamental change. The urge to flee vanished, replaced by cold, clear resolve.
I sought strength—absolute power—not just escape. I vowed to hunt down this maniac and make him pay, pursuing him relentlessly until I seize control.
Dead inside, I'm now an emotionless killer and survivor. This chilling detachment assures me I can eliminate any obstacle to my revenge and survival.
This is where I thought I'd be walking for miles, fighting for my life, only to run into an old guy casually cutting bamboo a measly half-mile from where I started.
We locked eyes, and the horror on his face was probably exactly how I looked: a gruesome sight with an open wound where you could see the bone, clothes shredded, hair caked in mud, and my face smeared with someone else's blood. We stared at each other for a good twenty seconds before he let out a pathetic squeak and bolted, leaving his bamboo right there.
"This is just great," I spat out, utterly annoyed and frustrated. "There goes my best chance for making it out of this hellhole. Wait up! Oi! Old dude! There is no need to run damn it!"
I took off after him which was, needless to say, incredibly difficult at the state I was in.
-Wow this guy is insanely fast. - I muttered, panting, completely shocked and totally out of breath.
After about half a hectare of bamboo, I finally got enough energy to yank a log in front of him. He tripped, hit the dirt, and that gave me just enough time to catch him and collapse next to him on the ground. He was about to spring up and bolt again, but I managed to fling one arm from the ground, gasping for air:
"Wait!" I choked out.
The old man froze. Then his panic switched to 'what the heck?' since I just lay there and didn't say anything else. I was completely gassed; that was literally all I had.
He probably figured out I wasn't some psycho killer.
He looked at me with the most confused expression I'd ever seen and practically shrieked:
"Who the 'ell are you and what have you been chasing down the whole bamboo forest for?!"
"-I….-said still looking down trying to catch my breath- I need help. I'm lost and need a place to crash. Wolves attacked me, and I fell down a rock. I'm seriously hurt; I need a doctor."
I looked at him, my eyes barely open, but I tried to sound as honest as possible.
His expression somewhat softened, he probably felt pity for me by that point.
-Oh my! Look at you, you are gravely injured, you need a doctor! - he yelled in the sock of recognition.
I stared at him, feeling annoyed and completely disbelieving.
Seriously? I literally just said that a moment ago..
-Come, I'll take you to my village, someone there should be able to patch you up.
I barely heard the end of his sentence as he was already walking away while finishing it, leaving me behind to get up and follow him completely oblivious to my situation.
"Is he delusional?" I wondered, pulling myself up.
I followed him, cradling my broken arm and trying not to stumble.
"Hey, old man! Wait up! Ugh, this is pointless. I guess I'll just have to keep pace if I want to get out of this."
I slowly dragged myself behind him as he was walking with weird casualty and carelessness in front of me like he had no idea I was following or that any of this had even gone down.
Then after about 2 miles of pure agony, we finally got to this little village with a strange tower-like building in the middle.
-Wow, I never knew this place even existed. - " I mumbled, surprised and completely wiped out.