Rivan didn't move for a long time after the beast fell.
The forest felt quieter now, but not safe. His chest rose and fell hard as he tried to understand what had just happened.
He had killed before — chickens, a goat once — but this was different. That creature had intelligence in its eyes. Anger. Hunger.
And when it died… something had flowed into him.
He could still feel it.
A warmth circling inside his body, following paths he had never known existed. When he focused, his breathing naturally slowed. The warmth moved with it, like water guided through invisible channels.
He didn't know why, but he sat cross-legged on the forest floor.
Leaves rustled around him. Distant cries echoed through the trees. Yet as he followed that inner flow, the sounds seemed farther away.
The energy inside him grew calmer.
Less wild.
More… his.
Time passed.
When he finally stood, his body felt lighter. Stronger. The cut on his arm had already stopped bleeding.
He stared at his hands.
"I just needed medicine…" he muttered.
But now he knew something else — this forest was full of the same energy as the beast. And he could use it.
He walked deeper.
Not long after, he spotted the herb.
It grew near a fallen tree, leaves pale blue, faint mist curling from it. Just like the healer had described.
Relief washed over him.
Then the ground shook.
A thick, scaled shape slid from behind the trunk — a snake-like demon beast, longer than a cart, yellow eyes fixed on him.
This time, Rivan didn't freeze.
Fear was still there.
But now he understood one thing: those glowing flows inside the creature were its strength.
The snake struck fast.
He jumped aside, barely avoiding fangs that snapped shut where his leg had been.
He reached again — that strange inner pull.
He grabbed the bright flow inside the beast.
It resisted this time.
Pain shot through his head.
But he held on.
The beast's movements slowed just slightly — enough.
He drove the knife into its eye.
It thrashed wildly, smashing trees before finally collapsing.
Rivan fell back, gasping.
A larger surge of energy poured into him than before.
Too much.
His vision swam.
He forced himself to breathe the same way as earlier, guiding the energy through his body instead of letting it rampage.
Slowly… it settled.
When he opened his eyes, the forest looked clearer than ever before. The glowing flows in everything stood out sharply.
His body felt like it had crossed a line.
He didn't know cultivation stages, names, or systems.
But he knew this:
He wasn't weak anymore.
He carefully dug out the herb and wrapped it in cloth.
Before leaving, he looked back at the fallen beasts.
He felt no joy.
Only understanding.
This strength… came from life itself.
And he would need more of it.
Not for himself.
For Lira.
Rivan turned and began the walk home, unaware that this quiet step into the forest had already changed the direction of his life forever.