Chapter Nine: Too Late?
The forest stretched endlessly before him, its thick canopy filtering the sunlight into scattered rays that danced across the ground as Li Shen pushed forward with unsteady determination, his body still not fully recovered yet.
It was driven by something far stronger than physical strength, he followed the faint paths carved out by wandering travelers over the years, he kept his direction fixed toward the city, as his mind locked onto a single thought that refused to fade no matter how exhausted he became.
Hunger gnawed at him constantly which was not something he could ignore.
Several times, he was forced to stop, scanning the area carefully before gathering whatever wild fruits he could find, his movements cautious and slow as he picked them, eating just enough to keep himself from collapsing, though the taste was bland and unsatisfying, doing little to restore the energy he had lost, yet he had no choice, survival demanded compromise.
The forest was not kind, it never was.
More than once, he encountered wild beasts lurking within the shadows, their low growls sending chills down his spine as he hides in places or turned and ran without hesitation, his heart pounding violently in his chest as he fled from creatures far stronger than him, their presence alone enough to remind him of how weak he truly was, and though he always managed to escape, each encounter slowed him down, draining both his stamina and his spirit as the journey dragged on longer than it should have.
Within his mind, Dao watched everything.
And with each passing moment, its irritation grew.
"Look at you," Dao's voice echoed, filled with clear disdain, "running from beasts that are barely worth mentioning, how exactly do you plan to save that girl of yours if this is all you can do?"
Li Shen didn't stop walking, he didn't slow down.
"I'll figure it out," he replied calmly, his voice lacking the panic or frustration Dao seemed to expect, his focus unwavering despite the criticism thrown at him.
Dao scoffed.
"You'll figure it out?" it repeated mockingly, "at this rate, you'll get us both killed before you even reach the city."
Li Shen remained silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone steady, almost casual despite the seriousness of his situation, "Then tell me how to get stronger while I make my way there, I don't have time to waste."
There was a brief pause.
Then, a hint of smugness crept into Dao's voice.
"Our strength comes from devouring," it said, as if revealing something obvious, something that should have been understood from the beginning.
"Devouring?" Li Shen repeated, his brows furrowing slightly as he processed the word, "that sounds… simple enough, how do we do it?"
"It is simple," Dao replied, its tone almost amused now, "you activate it by saying 'devour,' and I handle the rest, though it works best on dead or weakened creatures, that way they don't resist, or you can use it on something far weaker than you, if you ever find such a thing."
Li Shen nodded slightly, considering the information as he continued walking, "That's it?" he asked, "but I haven't seen any dead beasts since I started this journey, and I'm not strong enough to kill one yet." he continued.
"That's because you're a fool," Dao snapped, its patience clearly thinning, "every time you hear a beast, you run in the opposite direction, how exactly do you expect to find anything worth devouring if you keep avoiding everything?"
Li Shen let out a quiet breath but said nothing in response, his eyes fixed ahead as he continued moving, his steps steady despite the exhaustion building within him.
Time passed.
The forest gradually began to thin as the air shifted.
And before long, the outline of the city appeared in the distance.
Relief washed over him instantly.
A faint smile formed on his lips as energy surged through his tired body, pushing him forward with renewed determination as he quickened his pace, his heart beating faster not from fear this time, but from anticipation.
He was very close.
"See?" he said lightly, almost teasing, "we made it."
Dao did not respond.
Li Shen frowned slightly but dismissed it, his focus returning to the sight ahead as he continued moving forward, his steps turning into a light run as the city walls grew larger and clearer with each passing moment.
As he approached, something caught his attention.
Shapes hanging from the walls.
His gaze lingered on them briefly, but he did not slow down, his expression unchanged as he continued forward, his mind brushing it off easily, criminals were often displayed like that, a warning to others, something he had seen before, something he did not need to think about.
He kept moving closer and closer.
The city gates came into full view, towering before him, marking the end of his journey and the beginning of what came next, and as he slowed his pace slightly, catching his breath, a small smile appeared on his face once more.
"Don't worry," he said, his voice filled with quiet confidence, "after I rescue Beth, I'll train as hard as you want."
Silence answered him.
No response.
His smile faltered slightly.
"Dao?" he called out, a hint of confusion creeping into his tone.
Still... nothing.
A strange unease settled within him.
"Dao… are you there?" he asked again, his voice softer now and uncertain.
And then his eyes shifted, just slightly toward the hanging bodies.
Something felt wrong.
His slowed his step as he looked, then suddenly his breath caught.
His gaze locked onto one of the figures and in that moment the world stopped.
It was her.
Beth.
Her body hung among the others, lifeless, unmoving, her once fragile frame now nothing more than a silent figure swaying gently in the wind, her face pale, her hair falling loosely around her, and her eyes was still open.
Frozen as if even in death, she had been searching for him.
Li Shen's mind went completely blank as his body refused to move, refused to breathe everything inside him shattered at once.
The distance he had run, the hope he had held onto, the promise he had made.
All of it was now meaningless.
He was too late too late to save her.
Too late to keep his word.
Too late to do anything.
His lips parted slightly, but no sound came out, his entire being frozen as he stared at her, unable to look away, unable to accept what he was seeing, as if denying it would somehow change reality itself.
The wind blew softly as her body swayed slowly and her empty eyes, seemed to look straight at him.