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Chapter 9: First Death

I lived.

Somehow, impossibly, Master had saved me. Even as his body collapsed, he had pushed a trickle of his remaining qi and life force into me, healing wounds that should have ended my life ten times over. I didn't even realize it at first… my senses had been so clouded with pain and despair. But slowly, slowly, I began to feel warmth coursing through me, stitching my flesh, sealing my broken veins.

Master had exhausted everything. Not just his strength, not just his qi… but even his very existence. I could feel it. Not even a fragment of his core remained. That special, delicate 'organ' unique to cultivating beasts, the one that housed all their power, their soul, and their hopes. It had been burned away to grant me a future.

I waddled weakly from the battlefield, my small body barely holding together the life he had gifted me. I didn't dare linger among the broken stones and burnt trees. I carried the weight of grief on my back, heavier than any injury.

I made my way back to the Sacred Hill, dragging my battered body through wild forests and rocky slopes. At last, I found sanctuary within the embrace of the Sacred Tree. Its ancient roots stretched wide like the arms of a slumbering giant. Formations, ones I could barely sense, flickered faintly around it… layers upon layers of hidden protection woven into its very being.

The only reason I could be so brazen in my approach was that the tree had recognized me.

I remembered… fondly and achingly, how Master Song had once chuckled and patted my head, telling me stories about the Sacred Tree. How it was said to possess a mind of its own, how it only welcomed those it deemed worthy, how it hid countless secrets within its heartwood. Back then, I had listened with bright eyes, half-believing and half-dreaming.

Now I knew it was all true.

The tree was alive in ways that mattered, and that was enough.

In the first few days, I could do nothing but cry.

I lay curled within the hollow spaces of the Sacred Tree, too weak to forage, too broken to move. Hunger gnawed at me, sharp and unforgiving, but it was nothing compared to the gaping wound left by Master's absence.

I cried… not just once, not just in quiet sobs… but in great, heaving waves that racked my small body until I thought I would disappear entirely. I cried for Master Song, for the home we lost, for the promises unfulfilled. I cried because I had lived, and he had not.

It filled me with despair so deep, so vast, that for a while I wondered if perhaps I should simply stop breathing and follow him into the dark.

But the Sacred Tree sheltered me, whispering soft memories through the rustle of its leaves. And as I lay there, too exhausted to weep anymore, my eyes traced the familiar grooves carved into the inner bark… places where Master had once taught me with endless patience.

I saw the scratch marks from our first clumsy sparring sessions behind closed doors. The faint burns left behind when he taught me certain medicinal concoctions. The smooth, worn spots where he had sat and told me stories of ancient heroes and beast kings.

And somehow, in the midst of all that unbearable grief, I found a thread of resolve.

I remembered the promise I had made to him. To live. To journey. To grow stronger.

To carry his legacy forward.

It didn't erase the pain. It didn't heal the empty space he left behind. But it gave me something to cling to.

"I'll do it, Master," I whispered hoarsely, pressing my forehead against the cool wood. "I'll live. I'll grow. I'll honor you."

The Sacred Tree's leaves rustled above, as if in quiet approval.

And so, broken but breathing, mourning but unyielding, I stayed.

Because even if the world had sundered around me, Master Song's 'will' lived on… in me.

"It's time to get out of this tree."

So that was what I did. I got out of the tree.

It was the first time I had left the Sacred Tree since Master's passing.

I wriggled out of the hidden hole Master had once helped create for me… a small passage carefully tucked into the massive roots, crafted so I could come and go freely despite my awkward, plump size. The formations protecting the Sacred Tree shimmered faintly in the air, invisible to most eyes but as real as the ground beneath my feet. Only those acknowledged could pass through them.

I slid down the twisted roots with a clumsy alacrity, my heart pounding with an excitement I hadn't felt in days. For the briefest moment, I thought only of one thing… the lake.

The thought of fresh fish sent a delighted shiver through me. I imagined splashing water, the feel of the cool lake breeze, the glint of silver scales darting beneath the surface.

Then my steps faltered as a different memory surfaced… Master's final strike. Sundering Heaven and Earth. The very mountain had been torn apart under the weight of his blow, a good chunk of it literally sundered.

"Master, I am going to miss you…"

I prayed, a tiny flicker of desperate hope in my chest, that the lake had been spared.

As I waddled forward, the path still rough underfoot, I found myself sinking into my own thoughts.

I realized just how much of an emotional creature I truly was. It wasn't just here… even back on Earth, wherever and whenever that was, I had always been ruled by emotions. Laughing too much. Crying too easily. Loving too deeply. Hurting too often.

Filled with hope for the future, clinging to resolve to honor Master's memory, I moved forward to the future… yet still... how easy it was for fate to pull the ground from under my feet. How strange, how cruel, how sadistic the universe could be.

I should have known better.

He appeared on the pathway without sound, without warning.

A middle-aged man, wearing black and red robes stitched with patterns of burning flames. His expression was cold and indifferent as he stared at the jagged hole Master had torn into the mountain.

He spoke softly, almost thoughtfully, as if talking to himself. "Incredible. So this is the monster that killed my disciple."

I froze, every feather on my body stiff with terror.

His gaze shifted lazily until it fell on me.

I felt it like a physical blow… an oppressive, suffocating weight that crushed my small frame to the earth. I opened my beak to squawk, to protest, to flee… but the man merely raised a hand with a casual and almost lazy flick of his wrist.

Fire exploded around me.

Agony, unlike anything I had ever known, engulfed me. I screeched, a terrible, pitiful sound only a dodo bird could make when faced with the certainty of death.

In those burning, blinding moments, I thought bitterly about my life. About how rotten my luck truly was.

'I'm sorry, Master,' I whispered in my heart. 'It seems fate really isn't on our side.'

There was no dramatic resistance. No secret technique. No hidden miracle. Only resignation, pure and simple.

And surprisingly, peace.

I had tried. I had really tried.

With what little strength I had left, I watched as the Sacred Hill, our home and sanctuary… was set ablaze by a second casual wave of the man's hand. The sacred roots, the hidden formations, the ancient bark of the Sacred Tree… all devoured by merciless fire.

The middle-aged man watched it all in silence, his face unmoved.

The flames reached the heavens. The air turned to smoke and ash. The world blurred into searing heat and flickering red.

And finally, death claimed me.

My body crumbled into ash, scattered among the ruins of all I loved.

I was no more.

Or so I thought.

Life… if I could still call this existence life… was strange, cruel, and sadistic.

Why live at all if the purpose of existence is only to die?

The question echoed hollowly in my heart as I stared at my reflection in the lake. The surface of the water shimmered with the soft light of the sun, but the face staring back at me was smaller than I remembered.

Much smaller.

A ridiculous, squat little bird… awkward and plump, with feathers slightly ruffled from the faint breeze.

Me.

The fish swam lazily just beneath the surface, silvery shapes gliding without a care in the world, as if mocking my confusion and misery.

I felt a creeping sense of déjà vu.

'I've been here before,' I thought numbly.

Driven more by instinct than conscious decision, I pecked at one of the passing fish. My beak plunged into the water with an ungainly splash. I missed.

I shook my head, sending droplets flying, and glared at the fish. I could almost hear them laughing.

Fine. If simple pecking wasn't enough, then I would use a technique!

I scrunched my legs and attempted to perform the Earth Breaking Spade… a move that Master Song taught me. I pushed with everything I had, even though I could no longer feel any qi flowing through my body.

The result was a bigger splash. And a spectacular miss.

I sighed, the sound a little more than a pitiful coo.

Something was wrong. Deeply wrong. I could feel it.

I no longer possessed the cultivation I had fought so hard to build. My Qi Gathering realm was gone and erased as if it had never existed. Even my hard-earned Body Tempering progress was absent, leaving me fragile and clumsy.

Panic clawed at me as I searched through my memories, desperate to grasp onto something, anything familiar.

'My name,' I thought, the realization striking me like cold water. 'What's my name?'

Master had given me a name. A real one. Not just "bird" or "creature." It was something warm, something precious. But no matter how hard I tried, the memory slipped away like mist between my claws.

What was it?

What was it!?

Fear gripped me, stronger than any flame or blade.

I didn't understand what was happening. I didn't understand where I was. I didn't even understand who I was anymore.

I stared at the endless green forest surrounding me. The towering trees, the twisting vines, the soft earth underfoot… all of it vast and unfamiliar, a maze with no guiding stars, no landmarks I could recognize.

I was alone.

Small.

Weak.

Lost.

'I… I think…' I gulped, trembling. 'I think I've gone back in time.'

The thought settled heavily in my chest. There was no other explanation.

Everything… my size, my strength, and my helplessness… pointed to it. I wasn't just weakened. I was returned to a state before I had even begun my journey.

And worst of all...

"Master…"

I turned my gaze toward the distant horizon, even though I didn't know where I was looking.

I wanted to return to him. Desperately. Fiercely.

Master Song had been the first person and the first soul that I had ever created a true bond with in this world. He was home. He was safety. He was family. Of course I cherished him. But I didn't know how to find him.

I didn't even know 'when' I was!

In my confusion, and perhaps because my dodo brain failed to remember what little sense I had left in time, I suddenly found myself lifted clean off the ground. A strong hand clutched the back of my neck, hoisting me up like a helpless chicken. My little feet kicked uselessly in the air, my wings flapping awkwardly.

Above me, three cultivators floated effortlessly, riding on gleaming flying swords. They wore light robes that fluttered with the breeze, and their youthful faces carried expressions of curiosity more than malice. Two boys and one girl… probably young adolescents, judging from their appearances.

It was strange how I could even tell their ages. I supposed, despite everything, the human part of me had not abandoned me entirely. It clung stubbornly somewhere deep inside, refusing to let me fully return to the simple instincts of a beast.

"Senior Brother Min," the girl asked, her voice curious as she leaned closer to examine me, "do you know what species of bird this is?"

Senior Brother Min, a lanky boy with a loose ponytail and a rather lazy smile, shrugged as he held me up higher for them all to see. "I dunno," he said casually. "Looks kinda fat and weird. Never seen a bird like this before."

I struggled a little, flapping my wings with increasing urgency, but his grip was firm and unrelenting. Nervousness prickled under my feathers, and I tried to keep still, hoping that if I didn't make myself too much of a nuisance, they would simply let me go.

It was bizarre, truly bizarre, that I could understand every word they were saying. Even though my body had changed, even though my cultivation had vanished, the knowledge I had gained during my time with Master Song remained firmly rooted in my mind.

That realization offered little comfort.

I had no clear clue what was happening. No assurance that this was reality. For all I knew, I was hallucinating from blood loss, caught in some fever dream. Perhaps I had not returned in time, perhaps I was just dreaming within my final moments.

The girl poked my side with a curious finger. "It's kinda cute," she said, giggling slightly. "But it's too plump to be a spirit beast, right? Spirit beasts are supposed to look majestic."

"Maybe it's some rare species," Senior Brother Min replied, spinning me lightly in the air like a child playing with a toy. "Rare species fetch good money."

I gulped inwardly. Rare species? That did not sound like something that ended well for the rare creature.

Then the other boy, a stockier youth with a mischievous glint in his eye, offered his opinion with far too much excitement. "Let's cook it," he suggested, grinning broadly. "It looks tender. Probably delicious roasted."

My heart dropped straight into my stomach.

Oh no. Oh no no no.

I flailed harder, letting out a panicked screech that sounded somewhere between a desperate honk and a whimper. It was not the kind of defiant battle cry one might expect from a mighty beast. It was pathetic.

The trio burst out laughing at the ridiculous sound.

"I think it understands us!" the girl said between her laughter, covering her mouth with her sleeve.

"No way," Senior Brother Min said, though his smile widened. "But it does look like it's pleading."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to explain, to tell them I wasn't just some dumb bird, that I had a soul, a name, a Master… that I wasn't meant to end up as someone's campfire snack!

But all that came out of my beak was another miserable honk.

Thus, dangling helplessly in the air with no cultivation, no dignity, and no clear path forward, I realized something grim: fate had not just played me cruelly. It had decided to humiliate me thoroughly before delivering the final blow.

I thought bitterly to myself, 'Master, if you can see me now… please forgive your foolish disciple.'

Because, at the rate things were going, I might not even survive long enough to reclaim my forgotten name.