The last vestiges of twilight were fading behind the serrated peaks of Bleakwind Mountain when "Wei Shen"—or rather, Arthur inhabiting his frail body—took his first steps into the Forest of Lost Souls. It was not a bold stride, but a cautious hesitation, like a wounded animal exploring an unknown den. The air here differed radically from what he had grown accustomed to within the impoverished sect's borders; it was heavier, saturated with an earthy dampness and the scent of leaves decayed for eons, interspersed with strange whiffs of unseen flowers, some unsettlingly sweet, others acrid enough to make the eyes water.
Arthur paused after a few steps, leaning against the trunk of a colossal tree whose cracked black bark resembled the hide of some ancient, mythical beast. He closed his eyes for a moment, not to rest, but to force his primitive senses—Wei Shen's senses, never accustomed to such focus—to operate at their peak. The sounds of the sect, the murmurs of disciples and the shouts of elders, had vanished completely, replaced by the true symphony of the forest: an incessant rustling of leaves, as if the trees whispered ancient secrets; the creak of branches writhing under the caress of an unseen wind that roamed the canopy; and the intermittent calls of unknown creatures, some sharp as blades, others deep as the beat of distant drums. And there was silence too, a heavy silence between the sounds, a silence that bespoke anticipation and latent danger.
*"Weakness,"* Arthur mentally hissed, assessing his current body. Each breath required effort, every muscle quivered from Wei Shen's accumulated exhaustion and the new tension this place imposed. He felt the boy's heart rate accelerate, not from exertion, but from the ingrained fear of this forest embedded in his memories. Arthur crushed this fear coldly, as if stepping on a trivial insect. Fear was an emotion with no place in the equations of survival.
If he possessed his old sensory array, or even a reconnaissance drone, he would have scanned this forest inch by inch in minutes, analyzing its terrain, revealing every living creature within. But now, he had only eyes that could barely see in the growing darkness, ears that picked up sounds without the ability to pinpoint their source accurately, and a formidable intellect trapped in the skull of an ignorant boy.
He began to move again, very slowly. Each step was measured. His left foot first, gently feeling the ground, ensuring its stability before transferring his meager weight. Then the right. He avoided dry leaves that might make noise, and low-hanging branches that could impede his movement or reveal his presence. He moved like a wraith, a stark contrast to Wei Shen's body, which was accustomed to stumbling and clamor.
*"The environment is the first enemy,"* Arthur thought. *"And ignorance of it is the second greatest mistake."*
The trees here were different from those he had seen on the mountain slopes near the sect. Larger, older, and more gnarled. Their trunks were covered in slimy moss and fungi that sometimes glowed with a faint phosphorescent light, lending the place an atmosphere both magical and ominous. The undergrowth was dense, tangled, its thorns sharp as fangs, tearing at his ragged clothes with every brush.
Darkness had begun to settle completely, and the moon, barely a crescent, could not penetrate the thick canopy above. Arthur relied on Wei Shen's hazy memories of some cultivators' ability to see in the dark after activating Qi in their eyes, but this body could barely sense Qi, let alone direct it.
What felt like an hour passed, though it was probably no more than a quarter of one, as he advanced only a few meters into the forest. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead, not from heat—the air was cool and damp—but from the sheer effort of concentration and caution.
*"Water,"* Arthur decided. *"The top priority is to find a safe water source."* The piece of dry bread he had stolen wouldn't last long, and the clay water flask contained only a few sips. Wei Shen's memories offered no useful information about water sources this deep in the forest; all the boy knew was fear and the desire to stay as far away from this place as possible.
Arthur relied on primal principles. He began to listen more intently, trying to catch the sound of trickling water, or to notice any change in the vegetation that might indicate moist soil. He moved towards an area where the trees seemed slightly less dense, and he felt the ground beneath his feet become softer, muddier. The smell of moss grew stronger.
After a few more minutes of cautious searching, he reached the edge of a small depression. At its bottom, under the faint starlight filtering through a gap in the canopy, he saw a small pool of water, its surface still as a black mirror.
He didn't rush towards it. Instead, he squatted behind a thick tree trunk, observing. The silence here was deeper, more tense. He waited, his eyes scanning the pool's perimeter. Was there any movement? Any animal tracks?
After what seemed like sufficient time, and detecting no immediate danger, Arthur crawled slowly to the edge of the pool. The water looked slightly murky, with a thin layer of fallen leaves on its surface. He dipped his fingertips into it. Cold.
*"Cannot be trusted directly,"* Arthur judged. *"It could be contaminated."* He recalled something from Wei Shen's memories about certain herbs villagers used to purify water, but he wasn't sure of their appearance or whereabouts.
He decided to fill his flask anyway. He might find a way to boil it later, or he might be forced to drink it as it was if extreme thirst set in. As he bent to fill the flask, his ears caught a very faint sound – the snap of a dry twig several meters away, in the direction of the dense bushes on the other side of the pool.
Arthur froze instantly, every muscle in his frail body tensed to its limit. He didn't raise his head, but remained in a stooped position, trying to appear as part of the shadows. He held his breath, straining his ears.
Moments of oppressive silence passed, during which he heard nothing but his own heartbeat, which sounded like war drums in his ears. Then, from among the bushes, emerged two small figures, the size of large cats, but unlike any cat Arthur had ever seen, even in Wei Shen's memories. Their fur was dark gray, mixed with green tufts like moss, and their eyes glowed with a faint red light in the darkness. Their teeth were prominent and sharp, and their long claws scratched the ground softly with each step.
*"Shadow Rats,"* Arthur's mind whispered, recalling a name from Wei Shen's scattered memories of forest beasts. They were said to be weak, but they hunted in packs, and their saliva carried a mild toxin that caused fever and weakness.
The rats didn't notice him at first. They approached the edge of the pool and began to lap at the water cautiously, their red eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.
Arthur was only a few meters away from them. Wei Shen's body was trembling involuntarily, not from cold, but from instinctive fear. Arthur suppressed the tremor with his iron will.
*"An opportunity for analysis,"* he thought coldly. *"Their behavior, their weaknesses."* He noted that their attention was easily distracted by any sudden noise, and their movements seemed slightly slower on the wet, muddy ground.
Suddenly, one of the rats lifted its head, its small ears perked. It seemed as if it had caught his scent, or heard his suppressed breathing. Its red eyes stared directly in Arthur's direction.
*"Damn it."*
Arthur didn't wait. In a fraction of a second, he made his decision. A direct confrontation, even with these two small creatures, meant certain death for his current body. He rose with a speed Wei Shen could never have dreamed of, turned, and sprinted with all the strength his thin legs could muster back in the direction he had come, away from the pool.
Behind him, he heard a sharp screech, then the sound of swift, light footsteps pursuing him.
He ran clumsily, stumbling over roots, scratched by branches. He didn't know where he was going, only running away from the danger. His lungs burned, and his legs threatened to give out.
*"This body... is utterly useless!"* Arthur screamed in his mind with suppressed fury.
He continued to run, the sound of his pursuers sometimes drawing closer, sometimes receding. He didn't dare look back. All his energy was focused on putting one foot in front of the other, on avoiding obstacles, on staying alive.
After what felt like an eternity of blind running, he felt the ground beneath his feet begin to rise. He was climbing a slight incline. The sounds behind him began to fade a little. Perhaps he had lost them, or perhaps they had given up the chase.
He reached the top of the small slope, panting heavily, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. He leaned against a large rock protruding from the ground, trying to catch his breath. He looked around. He was in an area that seemed slightly less dense with trees, and rocks were scattered here and there.
As his gaze swept the area, he noticed something at the base of a cluster of intertwined rocks a few meters away: a dark opening, barely wide enough for a single person to pass. It looked like the entrance to a small cave.
He had no time to think. He heard the increasing rustle of leaves from the direction he had come. The Shadow Rats hadn't given up.
With the last of his strength, he lunged towards the opening and slipped inside, tumbling onto a cold, earthen floor. The cave was narrower than he expected, and its smell was musty, like a dead animal.
He crawled as far inside as he could, until he reached a narrow end where he could advance no further. He turned with difficulty to face the entrance, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
He heard the sounds of the rats approaching the cave entrance, their sharp screeches echoing in the narrow space. He saw a shadow or two move at the opening, then… silence.
Arthur waited, every sense on alert. Would they enter? Would they find him?
Long moments of suffocating tension passed. Then, he heard a gradual receding sound. It seemed they had decided this narrow, dark hole wasn't worth the risk, or perhaps they had lost his trail.
When he was sure they were gone, Arthur allowed himself to relax slightly, though every nerve in him was still taut. Wei Shen's body was trembling from exhaustion and residual fear.
He was trapped in this narrow, dark cave. Exhausted, hungry, and thirsty he'd lost the water flask during the run. But he was alive.
"First step," Arthur thought coldly, wiping sweat and dirt from his face. "Survive the immediate threat. Now... assessment and planning."
He looked around in the pitch-blackness of the cave. He could see nothing. But he felt something strange in the air here. It wasn't just the coldness of the rocks, but... something else. A faint sensation, like a distant, indistinguishable whisper.
He had no idea what this cave was, or what it might contain. But he knew one thing: staying out in the open in this forest, in his current body, was suicide. This cave, at least, offered temporary shelter.
First, he had to rest. Then, he had to find a way to get water and food. And after that... after that, he would begin to explore this new world, piece by piece, and he would begin to build his strength, Qi by Qi, step by step.