Crawling through the endless darkness of the tunnel, Lican was covered in dirt and wounds, each breath filling his lungs with dusty air. When he finally reached the end of the seemingly endless passage, he pushed against the heavy metal door.
Clunk.
He stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air, closing his eyes for a moment before reminding himself that he wasn't safe yet. "Now is not the time to wait."
Lican crawled out completely and scanned his surroundings. Tall trees stretched toward the sky, forming a vast forest filled with giant trunks and thick branches, while beyond the forest stood a range of mountains whose peaks disappeared into the cloudy distance. Resolute, he dashed toward the mountains without a second thought, knowing there was no turning back.
It seemed as if even the heavens had cursed him. A deafening roar of thunder echoed across the mountain range, making Lican pale as he looked toward the darkened sky. He sighed, and then the rain came.
Water poured from the heavens, striking his wounded body with relentless force. He hastened his steps, the chain still locked around one of his wrists, and wrapped it around his arm to keep it from dragging behind him. Even so, its added weight made every movement more difficult, but he didn't have the luxury of complaining. He dashed between the trees as the rain continued to fall, desperately searching for somewhere to spend the night while his tiny body began to shiver.
Fortunately, he spotted a cave along the side of the mountain and hurried toward it without thinking twice. Once inside, Lican collapsed against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief. For the first time since escaping, his shoulders relaxed, and a faint sound escaped his throat. It wasn't quite a laugh, but something closer to a broken chuckle, the kind that came when you were too exhausted to know whether you should laugh or cry.
Lican was deep in thought when he heard a faint sound beneath the roaring rain. At first, he wanted to ignore it, but then he felt a strange, overwhelming sense of danger crawling down his spine, and his entire body tensed. He quickly spun around and stared toward the far end of the cave, where two red, rage-filled slit eyes stared back at him like those of a predator watching its prey.
Hissss!
The sound echoed through the cave as the eyes shifted. Something moved in the darkness, and slowly, the creature entered the faint light flickering inside the cave.
Lican froze.
It was a snake, a massive one nearly ten meters long. Its enormous body coiled through the cave, its scales glistening beneath the dim light as a savage Qi radiated from its body, crushing the air around them. Lican's face turned pale, his legs trembling beneath him. The pressure was so terrifying that he nearly peed his pants.
The snake slowly raised its head, its cold, crimson eyes remaining fixed on him before it began moving closer. Lican's heart pounded violently against his chest as he stumbled backward.
"Shit!"
The snake continued advancing, and Lican felt panic rising within him.
"Shit! Shit!"
"Move!" he screamed at himself. "Move, damn it!"
The snake lunged at him, and at the last possible moment, Lican gathered what little strength remained in his body and threw himself to the side. The creature's fangs snapped shut inches from him, but he barely had time to recover before it attacked again.
Lican scrambled to his feet, his breathing ragged as he stared at the beast. Its scales glittered beneath the faint light of the cave, a mixture of deep purple and black that made it look even more sinister. The snake lunged again, this time moving with alarming speed, and before Lican could react, its massive tail whipped across the cave.
Bang!
The blow swept his legs from beneath him, sending his tiny body crashing onto the stone floor. Lican hissed as pain shot through his body, but he barely had time to recover before the snake surged forward again, its jaws stretching wide as rows of extremely sharp fangs flashed toward him.
Lican's pupils contracted. There was no time to think, and his body moved on instinct as he shoved his chained arm in front of himself.
Clang!
The snake's fangs scraped violently against the iron chain wrapped around his arm, and Lican's heart nearly stopped. The beast's jaws remained locked around the chain, giving him a brief opportunity to fight back. With everything he had, he grabbed the snake's head and slammed it against the hard stone floor.
BANG!
The snake's body thrashed violently, but Lican's eyes hardened as he struck again, this time with even greater force.
BANG!
Hissssss!
The snake writhed desperately, trying to free its jaws from the chain, but Lican refused to let go. He pressed its skull against the stone with a strength he didn't know he possessed, holding it there long enough to believe he might have gained the upper hand.
Then the snake changed its approach.
Its enormous body suddenly twisted, and before Lican could react, it coiled around him. Once, then twice, its scaly body wrapped tightly around his small frame until he could barely move. Lican's eyes widened as the coils tightened, his ribs screaming under the pressure while he struggled to breathe. The snake squeezed harder, crushing the air from his lungs.
"Ghk—!"
His vision began to blur as he desperately searched for a way out. Then, without thinking, he drove his free hand into his tied-up locs, where his fingers closed around something hidden within them.
The jade pin flickered in the faint light as Lican drove it into the snake's eye.
Blop!
Blood and some unknown liquid burst from the impact, and the snake convulsed violently. Lican's breathing was ragged, and almost all the strength had left his body, but he forced his fingers to move. He pulled the jade hairpin free and, with what little strength remained, stabbed it into the snake's skull.
Thud!
To his surprise, the jade pin penetrated.
Hissssss!
The snake shrieked in pain, its grip around Lican immediately loosening. Lican didn't hesitate. He tore himself free and scrambled backward, putting as much distance between himself and the beast as he could before collapsing onto the stone floor, gasping for air with his eyes fixed on the snake.
Its enormous body writhed violently across the cave floor, blood pouring from its wounded eye as it struggled desperately. Lican tightened his grip around the jade pin, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
He was terrified, but he was still alive.