Chapter Ten: A Vow Written in Blood
Li Shen fell to his knees the moment his body gave in, his fingers digging into the dirt beneath him as his chest tightened violently, refusing to draw in air no matter how hard he tried, and though his mouth was wide open, gasping desperately, it felt as though the world itself had denied him the right to breathe.
His lungs burning, his vision blurring as panic consumed him entirely, drowning out everything else, even the reality of what he had just seen.
There were sounds around him.
Faint and distant.
More like echoes from another world.
Someone was screaming loudly and the cry was broken and desperate.
But it didn't matter.
None of it mattered.
All that mattered was the suffocating emptiness in his chest, the unbearable pressure that made every second feel like an eternity.
He clawed weakly at the ground, his fingernails tearing against the rough surface, splitting open as blood began to seep out, yet he felt none of it, his entire being focused on a single, desperate need.
Air.
He needed to breathe.
People passing by slowed their steps, their gazes drawn to the boy collapsed near the gates, some watching with pity as they recognized the pain etched into his face, while others looked on with disdain, dismissing him as nothing more than another unfortunate soul swallowed by the cruelty of the world, and yet none stepped forward, none dared to interfere, for suffering like this was not uncommon, and compassion was a luxury few could afford.
His vision darkened as the world began to fade.
And just as his consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse, a sharp voice cut through the void.
"Stop shouting and breathe!"
Dao's voice rang out, no longer filled with annoyance or mockery, but something closer to urgency, even fear, as it forced its way into Li Shen's fading awareness, pulling him back from the brink.
It was then that Li Shen realized the truth.
The screaming had been his own along.
His throat burned as the sound continued to escape him uncontrollably, his body locked in panic as he struggled to regain control.
Slowly and painfully, he forced himself to close his mouth, his trembling body focusing on a single action as he drew in a shaky breath through his nose.
Air came in weak and shallow.
But it came.
He took another.
And another.
Each one dragging him back from the darkness, his chest rising and falling unevenly as tears streamed down his face without restraint, his body collapsing fully onto the ground as he lay there, broken, shaking, and utterly defeated.
The realization crushed him all over again.
She was gone.
Beth was gone.
Regret flooded his mind like a raging storm, each thought sharper than the last as it tore through him without mercy, his hands clenching into fists as his nails dug into his already wounded palms.
"I should have ran faster," he whispered weakly, his voice trembling as it broke apart, "I shouldn't have stopped to eat… I shouldn't have slowed down…"
His body shook violently.
"Maybe… maybe I would have made it in time…"
The words dissolved into quiet sobs, his voice barely audible as guilt consumed him completely, wrapping around his heart and squeezing until it hurt to even exist.
Within him, Dao remained silent.
For once, it had nothing to say.
Time passed slowly as Li Shen lay there, his tears eventually subsiding into quiet breaths, though the emptiness within him remained, heavy and unrelenting, and when at last he found the strength to move again, he pushed himself up unsteadily, his legs trembling beneath him as he turned his gaze once more toward the wall.
Toward her.
Her body still hung there, unmoving, untouched, as if the world had no right to disturb her even in death, and for a long moment, he simply stared, his expression hollow, his eyes red and swollen, before finally, he turned away.
Step by step, he approached the guards stationed at the gate, their expressions shifting slightly as they recognized him as the boy who had broken down moments earlier, and when he stopped before them, his voice came out low, hoarse, but steady enough to be understood.
"Can I take her body down?" he asked.
The guard hesitated.
Then slowly shook his head.
"No… you can't."
His voice was firm, but there was no cruelty in it, only a quiet sense of regret as he looked at Li Shen, having heard his scream, having seen the pain that had overtaken him, and though he could not break the rules, he could not bring himself to be completely cold either.
"But," the guard continued, his tone softening slightly, "you can wait."
Li Shen's eyes lifted faintly.
"When the bodies are taken down and disposed of in the forest," the guard said, "you can follow… and take her then… give her a proper burial."
For a moment, Li Shen said nothing.
He bowed slightly.
A small, quiet gesture.
Before turning away.
He walked past the gates without another word, his steps slow but steady as he made his way back toward the forest, his figure gradually disappearing from sight, because he knew he could not stay.
The Hoffman family would find him.
And if they did everything would end before it even began.
The forest welcomed him once more.
"What do you intend to do now… child?"
Dao's voice echoed softly within his mind, its usual arrogance gone, replaced by something far more cautious, as if even it understood the fragility of the moment, afraid that a single wrong word might shatter what little remained of Li Shen's sanity.
Li Shen stopped walking.
Slowly he turned his head, looking back toward the distant wall.
Toward where her body still hung and for a long time of saying nothing, his lips parted.
"I want revenge."
His voice was too calm and empty.
But beneath that emptiness, something dark stirred.
"I will destroy the Hoffman lineage," he continued, his eyes growing colder with each word, the grief within him twisting into something far more dangerous and unpredictable. "I will kill anyone that carries their blood."
The air around him seemed to grow heavier and darker as he spoke
"And I will devour their bodies… and their souls alike."
Dao remained silent, listening and watching.
"This debt…" Li Shen said, his voice dropping to a near whisper, yet carrying a weight that felt absolute and unshakable. "must be paid in blood."
The wind passed through the trees.
And in that moment, a vow had been born.
A vow of destruction.