1.Ominous Signs
Dire circumstances indeed.
A flock of thick ravens, looming over my head, circling for three days and three nights straight.
I surmised they sought to feast upon me.
To be devoured, a powerless being, abandoned mercilessly in the wilderness by a unfaithful yet ruthless army, seemed too effortless.
"Be off!"
I vehemently waved the torch in my hand, endeavoring to disperse the ominous black cloud above.
The more I pondered, the more incensed I became. My comrades, awakened to the element of fire, could effortlessly conjure flames to illuminate half the world; in good spirits, they could even roast a few crows in the heavens!
But what of me?
I'm left stranded in the wilderness by the entire army, forced to struggle like a barbarian to kindle a fire!
The discrimination among practitioners is getting worse by the day. Everyone cultivates their "core".
Someone can awaken four types of elements.
Some warriors awaken the power of Fire, some the power of Wind, some possess Nature, and others control Water...
Those without a core are akin to lacking a heart.
Unable to survive!
I groaned and raised the torch high, dispersing the crows, while carefully massaging my swollen knee joint, struggling to stand up.
Despite knowing that hope was bleak, I persisted in gazing ahead, yearning to catch even the slightest sign of human presence or a place to rest, no matter how small. However, what lay before me was an empty expanse, a vast and pristine land!
No one has ever described to me the desert's day and night quite like this: the thick, oppressive winds akin to a blurred, yellowed parchment, swirling coarse grains of sand into the folds of my sleeves, brushing my limbs with desert grit, leaving them marked with crimson. My existence feels like an emptied water skin, slowly fading amidst the scorching sands. Well, this place was not always a wasteland.
Many small mounds had been dispersed by water magic, transformed into meadows.
Many patches of meadows had been swept away by the magic of furious winds, becoming bare valleys.
Finally, even the valleys were scorched to nothingness by fire.
Thus, the battle concluded. It was in this battle that I, too, was abandoned by the main force.
"Oh? Why did they abandon you?" came a chuckle from behind.
Without turning my head, I replied, "A few days ago, the military doctor solemnly informed me that I lacked any spiritual core within me, unsuitable for soldiering, instructing me to return home to await my demise. I said, 'Well, that's just dandy, I'm an orphan.' He replied, 'Oh, in that case, just sit on the battlefield and wait to die!'"
Dying on the battlefield is more honorable than becoming a vagabond.
And more convenient.
I owe you big time, kind-hearted military doctor.
"Haha," the person behind me also laughed, saying to me, "Stop kidding around, mate. You can't die at all!"
"Why is that?"
"With so many crows above your head, it's quite easy to concoct a Venom Crow and save your life."
"A venom crow?... What does that mean?" I asked curiously, turning instinctively.
In the midst of what seemed both real and dreamlike, upon the desert sands the wild winds ceased their furious dance. The abrupt stillness swept over the dunes like gentle ripples on a tranquil sea, causing even the heaviest grains of sand to slowly settle, revealing a hint of clarity. Amidst the ochre waves, a faint, indistinct figure emerged. Half squinting, I pondered whether this was a mirage of the desert, yet the dark silhouette grew denser, as if freshly inked lines now darkly traced before my eyes.
There, a figure draped in a peculiar embroidered black cloak, from head to toe, akin to an ancient soothsayer resurrected from scrolls of yore, approached me, yet veiled enough to obscure his visage.
He extended a slender wrist, gesturing towards the sky's black crows. The wrist was as white as newly unearthed bones, bearing the mark of "蛊". It was a Chinese character, signifying a "cursed insect."
I arched my eyebrows in astonishment.
I've been wandering in this vast wilderness for three days, carrying only a lone torch, and haven't encountered anyone! But this oddball…
From where did he suddenly emerge?
Alarm bells rang loudly within me.
Could he be… a ghost?
I took a step back.
Or a specter of the wilderness?
Or some other dreadful non-human entity?!
Shivers ran down my spine as I swallowed hard, hastily changing the subject:
"Who… who are you?"
