Rabbit

"Now that I'm mortal, will I live in this fabled forest?"

Abel sat cross-legged, his mind deep in thought. His mind wandered far, searching for answers, but no matter how hard he thought, no conclusion arose within him.

Except for one.

"That is to die in vain."

His face twisted. His one-of-a-kind power, the ability that made him different, could no longer be summoned. Without Qi, it was nothing. The only way to call it now was by sacrificing his life force—his own existence as fuel.

A cruel irony.

Regardless of how he considered it, the solution remained the same: death.

And yet, for all that, he couldn't help but feel a curious sense of relief. Even as his dantian was destroyed, even as his cultivation was taken from him, he still had a way to survive. A desperate one, at the expense of his lifespan, but a way nonetheless.

For the time being, that was sufficient.

But he could not stay still for long. As the sun continued to slowly set, the insidious creep of night began to engulf him. He had no option but to do something, to try and survive his first night.

'A fire. He had to start a fire.'

With that thought in mind, he stood up and started looking for material.

"But how do I start one?"

He was aware of a few ways, but the only one that didn't involve using tools was the easiest: friction. Scraping wood against each other with force until sparks lit. 

Fortunately, dry leaves and wood littered the ground in the forest, but Abel did not venture far.

When he had collected a handful of twigs, an unexpected rustling occurred in the bushes close by.

His heart leapt.

His already-heightened senses grew even sharper.

In the fading light of the setting sun, Abel cinched his hand about the black blade at his belt. His fingers tightening, knuckles whitening. His face set in a look of ferocity, prepared to lash out at whatever came from beyond the bushes.

Then—

A figure appeared.

Soft brown fur. Fluffy ears long and white. Round, shiny blue eyes.

It was the personification of innocence.

"Oh. it's just a rabbit, huh."

The tension from his body relaxed. His guard dropped.

The rabbit just looked at him, not moving. Its large eyes looked at him with an intensity that seemed strangely unnatural.

Abel let out a sigh.

"Poor little thing. You must be hungry, huh?"

With a gentle touch, he scooped up the animal and began to walk back towards his ad hoc camp. 

As the final sliver of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, Abel had at last managed to start a fire—though at the price of a frozen shoulder and stinging hands. The fire licked softly, sending flickering shadows across the woodland floor, driving off the biting night air.

Sitting by the fire, Abel mindlessly rotated a chunk of leftover meat over the flames. The rabbit curled up against his side, its little body giving off heat.

Several things ran through his head.

"Now what am I going to do?" he said softly.

He looked at the rabbit.

"Hey, little guy, do you have any idea what will become of me from now on?"

The rabbit, naturally, said nothing.

"Do you know that, at any given time, I could depart this life?"

His tone became softer.

"I just inherited this body. Not even a month has gone by. I thought I was fortunate—born into the strongest family in the empire, gifted with a second chance at life, blessed with supernatural powers."

He laughed with bitterness.

"I wished I could be in it more."

But things didn't turn out that way.

No matter how he begged, no matter how much he hoped, heaven refused to oblige.

But still—

"I'm happy at least to have a small buddy like you."

He smiled weakly.

The flames crackled, enveloping them in its heat like a soft hug. For the first time since his fall from grace, Abel felt some semblance of peace.

In no time at all, fatigue got the better of them, and the two fell asleep.

The night was peaceful.

Though there were dangers that lurked within this accursed forest, Abel had successfully weathered his first night without a hitch.

A fleeting thought passed through his mind as he gave in to sleep.

'I don't know if I'm dreaming or just lucky… I hope this peace lasts forever.'

And so, the rabbit and the man slept.

The night was quiet. The air was chilly.

Until—

**"AAACCCKKK…!"**

Severe pain awakened Abel from his sleep.

His body jerked, his breath caught, and no matter how strenuously he struggled, he could not move. It was as if an unshakable weight pressed him to the ground.

His panicked eyes scanned.

No foe within view. No beast towering over him.

Then—

A stinging, burning sensation at his throat.

His eyes opened wide.

The rabbit.

The innocent, vulnerable creature he had cradled in his arms, the one he had sympathized with—

Its soft fur was now reddened.

Its blue eyes, once kind, were now aglow with hunger and cruelty.

It was sucking his blood.

Greedily.

Its small but sharp teeth had sunk deep into his neck, ripping through his flesh as it devoured him.

Abel's lips quivered.

His limbs—numb, lifeless. His body—entirely paralyzed.

He was able to do nothing but stare.

'Fool. I was a fool.'

This was perhaps the deadliest forest in the world, and he had dared to drop his guard? 

'Was I asking to be killed?'

This was the consequence of his foolishness.

His vision blurred.

Under the dim light of the fire, his body chilled and chilled—like a corpse left in the depths. 

'I guess… this is my end...'

But just when Abel was ready to give up on his fate—

His heart pounded.

A savage, ear-shattering beat.

Like the war drums on a battlefield.

Like the battle shout of a warrior who refuses to die.

Something awakened. 

Something within him refused to die. 

And in that moment— 

The hunt had just begun.