-For the first year and a half, everything was normal. Soa was training, and Jang Mu-Yeon was doing everything he could to keep your body healthy, but it put a huge strain on him as he had to feed you more and more Qi than he could amass between treatments. He had to find another way to help you quickly, so he left for a short time to look for new ingredients for a concoction…-

  ‘Was I such a burden?’

  -Chris, you don’t have to blame yourself. He made his own choice to help you, and he could have easily left you to die, but he chose to continue your treatment. Now, with no further interruptions, Mu-Yeon was preparing to leave…-

  “Soa, I’ll have to leave for a while to look for better materials full of Qi to keep Yong-Su’s health in check.”

  Soa stopped her training and slithered toward the doctor. She was concerned that his health had deteriorated, as he had recklessly used his Qi all this time. She still couldn’t speak, but Mu-Yeon had grown better at reading her emotions.

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine on my own. I infused more Qi into his body; he should be alright until I get back.”

  Soa gave him a worried look.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not that reckless. I took the time to rest and recover my Qi. I’m in my best shape since he went to sleep.”

  She was still worried about him, as she had seen what this treatment did to his body. Soa wanted to follow him, but she still hadn’t unlocked all her paths to her core; for now she was just a slightly bigger snake than normal.

  “You don’t have to rush it. Wait for me to get back. If it makes you feel better, you took less time than I did to reach this moment.”

  His smile was the most genuine she had ever seen. Before he took his satchel, he scratched her forehead, something she had come to enjoy every day since he started helping her cultivate. It had become almost customary after each treatment when he went out to rest under the warm sun.

  He took his satchel and, with a heavy heart, left the two of them behind to find what he needed.

  For a few days, Soa was gloomy and listened to him, putting her training on hold and staying glued to Chris’s body to watch over him. She could no longer wrap around his hand as she had grown longer than him. But she realized she couldn’t just wait and do nothing.

  So she thought there would be no problems if she resumed her training, so she went back and finished what she had started so she could be of help next time they needed it.

  After three days of nonstop training, Soa managed to unclog the last of the paths to her core, but she still couldn’t access it.

  She was worried she might have done something wrong and cut her martial path short forever. Her worries pushed her to rummage through Mu-Yeon’s hut, even though she knew what she was doing would make him angry.

  In the end, she found a book that could give her an answer, but the mess she left behind made it look like a tornado had gone through the house. She went outside to look through the book, reminding herself to clean the hut before the doctor returned, if only she had known the grim situation that was coming.

  From the book, she learned that she had to let her core absorb as much Qi as it needed after unlocking all the paths through her body. She took out one of the crystals from the jade ring and let the Qi flow into her, but it wasn’t enough, so she took out more crystals, yet still it wasn’t enough to sate the core’s hunger.

  She could’ve continued absorbing crystals, but she had a better idea. The forest outside was overflowing with Qi she could absorb, but she needed to get farther from the formation to reach it.

  Now she had a dilemma, as Mu-Yeon told her never to leave the formation without telling him. Since he was gone and she didn’t know when he would return, she thought there would be no harm in briefly stepping out and returning quickly after her core had had its fill.

  Soa took the ring and fastened it around her neck; Mu-Yeon had fashioned a string for it to make it easier for her to carry as she grew. She took one last glimpse at Chris before heading toward the exit. The ring glimmered in the light slipping between the forest’s jade-like leaves. The green light banished the shadows as it dangled around her neck.

  She moved toward the meadow she and Chris had found long ago. The bees were working hard, flying to every flower to gather precious pollen. Soa found a warm rock in the middle of the meadow and sat down to begin absorbing the surrounding Qi. The suction created a small vortex that frightened the bees and brought the attention of someone dangerous.

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  The creature was ravenously gulping down one of the many jade ants it had hunted when a familiar smell drew its attention. Before investigating, it waited for its master’s instructions.

  The master was working to remove the last of the rocks when he was suddenly bombarded with the creature’s vision and memories.

  “Another trail. Go and investigate it. I won’t have high hopes, as it’s been too long since we lost his scent. Remember to get the information before you kill them. I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

  The monster gave a low growl in acceptance, let go of the ant’s carcass, and followed the scent’s trail. It used its abnormal body to jump from tree to tree, swinging with its tentacles until it found the source of the scent. It perched on a branch and observed the phenomenon engulfing a black snake with a ring around its neck. It sent another vision, uncertain how to approach.

  “Oh? So that’s the source. Did that fool get eaten by a snake? No, it can’t be. The scent comes from both the snake and the jade ring. Go and investigate further, but keep it alive.” The creature was disappointed; it wanted to taste its meat. “You can do whatever you want with it after you get the information.”

  It was ready to pounce when the vision was abruptly cut.

  “NO!” The master’s screech echoed through the cave. “Whoever killed it will suffer.”

  He took his anger out on one minion unlucky enough to be nearby. The other minions watched as he vented his rage. When he finished, nothing recognizable remained.

  “Look what he made me do. No matter, we found a possible location of the target. You three, come with me. It’s time to finish our business on this trash world.”

  Together with three other creatures, he ran toward the place where his pet had died. His insatiable hunger spread to the others; he couldn’t wait to feast after so long. He would savor the skull of the one who interfered with his plan.

  And that unlucky person was none other than Jang Mu-Yeon, who had returned sooner than expected.

  After her core had had its fill, Soa finally saw that Mu-Yeon was waiting for her. As she approached, she noticed he had started a fire where some strange creature had been burned; only a few bones remained. They were an amalgam of human and animal remains.

  Mu-Yeon stared into the flames as if bewitched. Only when Soa spoke did he return to reality.

  “Why did you return so soon?”

  “I heard rumors that strange creatures appeared and people started disappearing. What possessed you to wander alone in the forest? If I hadn’t returned in time, you could have died!”

  “I couldn’t just wait and do nothing!” A few tears rolled down her scales.

  At that moment, he realized Soa could speak.

  “Soa… you can talk?”

  “What do you mean? I could always speak, but none of you could understand me. Wait, you can understand me?”

  “I can. Have you finished clearing your paths? Come closer, let me take a look.”

  She came closer, and he used his strange ability to see the Qi flow through her body.

  “Congratulations, you’ve taken your first step in cultivation. You’re at the Mortal Realm now. But we don’t have time to celebrate. We must get back and move Yong-Su.”

  “What? Why? You killed it. Why do we have to run?”

  They began heading toward the formation.

  “I have a feeling that wasn’t the last time we’ll see those creatures.”

  They returned to the hut, and Mu-Yeon thought the enemies had already arrived when he saw the mess, but Soa assured him it was her doing.

  “I’ll scold you later. Let’s get ready to move before they really come.”

  Half an hour later, the doctor was still hurriedly moving around until he suddenly stopped. Soa was confused by his sudden stillness.

  “What happened?”

  “They’ve found us.”

  “They couldn’t have found this place already!”

  “Somehow they did. Quickly, drag Yong-Su’s body here and take that satchel too.”

  She followed his instructions, wrapped Yong-Su’s body in a blanket, and brought him along with the satchel.

  “Take him inside and run.” He unsealed a hidden passage beneath the floor. “Follow the tunnel and don’t look back, no matter what you hear.”

  “We can’t leave you! I can fight too, we can win!”

  “Soa, trust me. If I thought we could win, I wouldn’t have shown you the passage. The creature I killed wasn’t that strong, but now I can feel a tremendous power leading them.”

  “If they aren’t strong, we can finish them and then fight the stronger one!”

  Mu-Yeon turned his back and walked toward the door. The creatures had already found the entrance and smashed it. Soa rushed toward him, but then felt a force push her back into the tunnel.

  “Don’t! I can help! We can win! Mu-Yeon, look at me!”

  As she was forced down the tunnel, the last thing she saw was the creatures rushing toward him and a figure standing behind them. She tried to look more closely, but the entrance closed.

  She pushed against it, but it was sealed shut. Then she heard Mu-Yeon’s voice, though he was nowhere in sight.

  “Soa… follow the tunnel. A jade ant will meet you. It will take you to its queen. Tell her it’s time to listen to his wish, and ask her to guide you to my old master’s village. Give him the letter. I’ll buy time. Go… don’t look back. Watching you grow… meeting all three of you… It was a pleasure.”

  His voice was fading.

  “GO! NOW! LIVE!”

  At first, she hesitated, but she couldn’t go against his final request. She put the satchel inside the ring, wrapped her tail around Chris’s body as much as she could, and tried to keep him off the ground as she traveled through the tunnel.

  ‘Why did you stop?’

  -There isn’t much more to tell you. The ant guided her to the queen, then guided us toward the village where the guards found you.-

  ‘How do you know Mu-Yeon is dead?’

  -As Soa carried you out, a powerful explosion erupted where the formation had been. It razed most of the forest. I don’t even know if the ants survived.-

  ‘Then he can still be alive, you didn’t see him die.’

  -I can’t lie to you, Chris, but the chance is slim.-

  Chris stepped outside into the dark, trying to stay calm, though the system sensed the pain in his voice.

  ‘He must have survived… he’ll come looking for us…’

  He sat beside the fire, watching the last embers fade.

  “He’ll be back,” He whispered, sniffling. “He will…”

  The system stayed silent, giving him the space he needed.

  It would be a long, cold night.