The Stench of Blood

It was dark.

Almost pitch black if not for the dim rays breaching the leaves above.

Under the tight roof of trees, a lone blonde stirs awake.

Sprawled across the ground full of roots, he sits up with a groan.

Sun grabs his left temple, feeling a throbbing sensation that assaults him with pain.

Within his heart is an unfamiliar, heavy weight that feels choking.

His stomach churns, the feeling of wanting to throw up hits Sun hard, yet he can't.

"U...ugh..."

Besides these three areas, Sun's entire body ached with pain.

Dents were stamped into his armour, and parts of his robes were tattered.

Looking around for a while, he found his broken Halberd to the far right.

Sun staggered as he raised himself through sheer willpower.

"I... don't have any wounds..."

"...But... ah... this pain..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Where... no... I need to move forward...!"

As words slipped weakly from his mouth, Sun willed his legs to move.

One step sent pain up his leg, through his stomach, and into his chest.

Immediately, Sun fell to a knee.

"...!"

Grunting, he stood again.

There seemed to be no blemishes on his skin, pristine as jade, but his muscles ached, his blood seemed boiling hot, and his nerves were racked with pain.

Still, he willed himself to move.

Stumbling through the darkness, the few spots of light led his way forward.

Stepping over roots, tripping over roots.

The soil was uneven in some places, rising or dipping.

There were even a few beast corpses scattered across the ground.

Treading forward, despite being unable to see much, he knew which way to lead himself.

A metallic scent pervaded the air, and the further he walked in this direction, the more strength he felt flood his arms.

'This way... The Settlement is... this way.'

Crown Ring Tyrant's War Banner gave him the strength to move forward.

The rich scent of blood assailed his nostrils. The further he walked in this direction, the darker the forest seemed to get.

To move towards the blood as it filled him with vigour, it was sickening.

...

After a few painfully long minutes of staggered walking, Sun managed to pull himself out of the forest's embrace.

Walking beyond the edge of the forest, an unexpected sight filled Sun's vision.

'Cold... snow...? What happened here...?'

The forest's green grass and crimson soil slowly bled into white.

A sheet of powdery snow blanketed the world beyond him.

Looking up, the Settlement was covered in snow, and the mountain's verdant green turned white.

There was also a bone-chilling cold in the air.

His hot skin was pricked violently as Sun stood in shock.

"What..."

Muttering quietly, he looked around.

Small mounds in the snow revealed the corpses of ordinary beasts.

"What...?"

Above, a pale roof lay above the world. Thick clouds of white stretch across the sky.

Thin rays of starlight spill through.

"..."

Without another word, Sun simply willed his legs to move.

Parting the snow with his feet, he left a trail in the snow.

...

"What do we do about the situation now?"

"What can we do? With the Settlement left with few survivors, our retaliatory forces depleted, and the third tide soon to arrive, what little remains will not survive. That isn't mentioning that Demonic Cultivator and his Bone Devouring Dragon."

"So... now what?"

"We'll wait... Senior Spring and Senior Winter will soon return."

Trying to calm the few Cultivators before her, Shade of Autumn waves them off.

She assigned them a few minor roles around the Settlement, hoping that it would distract them from their worries.

'Call of Winter's arrival was truly fortuitous. Although I wish she wouldn't act so recklessly...'

'After dealing with the beasts, she immediately went to aid Warrior of Spring.'

Looking towards the Southeastern direction, Shade of Autumn sighed.

'The Settlement Lord is currently gathering the few mortal survivors, that would leave...'

In the corner of her vision, she saw a blonde man limping towards her.

"...Sun...?"

Surprise left her stunned for a moment before she rushed to his side and held his shoulders.

"You're alive? When that horde of beasts arrived, we thought that you had died!"

"..."

A faint tone of guilt laced her voice as she recalled sending Sun to advance into the beast tide.

"What happened to you? Did you find anyone out there...?"

Hearing his faint breaths and his hazy eyes, she took him in her arms and held him in a bridal carry.

"Damn it... I'll get you medical attention. Rest easy, for now..."

As if being permitted to, Sun's consciousness faded.

His body went truly limp and hung from her arms.

Shade of Autumn spared a silent glare before turning, quickly making her way down the road.

...

...

...

"It is a miracle that he survived."

"Truly. I had thought we'd sent him to his death. I am glad that he has made it out alive."

Within the warm interior of this building, Shade of Autumn met with the Settlement Lord.

They turned and questioned one of the Medical Experts.

"How long will it take for him to recover?"

"We are not too sure. He hasn't lost too much blood, nor does his body seem wounded at all."

"But his armour and robes suggest that he faced an intense battle; it seems like he got trampled over by various beasts."

"His condition seems odd, but we are unable to confirm what exactly is affecting him. However, his breathing has stabilised, and we are feeding him nutrients through a Dao Art medium."

"I see. As long as his condition remains stable, this will be good enough for now. As for this unidentifiable affliction..."

The Settlement Lord turned to Shade of Autumn.

"Should we investigate personally?"

"...No... I checked over him with Immersion when I found him, and I couldn't sense anything wrong besides his weakness. Well... I guess his unusual weakness would be 'something wrong', besides that, nothing unusual."

"Then, could it be a mental influence?"

"Then that wouldn't explain his physical weakness."

"..."

"This will have to be something we leave to time. If... When he awakens, we will question him about his situation."

"At the very least, he has returned to us. Considering our situation, it may be very beneficial."

"Yes... We will need all the help we can get for our eventual departure."