First Encounter with "Kindness"

# Chapter 5:

After the slaughter of the two wolves, Ling Han found himself more cautious, more aware of the constant danger surrounding him. He was no longer just a lost child, but a small hunter, albeit a blind one with a broken spirit. He continued to move through forests and mountains, avoiding known paths and human settlements as much as possible. His food came from small animals he hunted, his drink from pure springs, and his bed from dry leaves under the cover of darkness.

The whispers of his family still echoed in his ears, but they had begun to take on a more practical tone. His sister Xiao guided him to the weaknesses of beasts and helped him improve his primitive sword skills. His father urged him toward ruthlessness and decisiveness, while his mother fueled the fires of his hatred with memories of their tragic fate. They had become part of his being, inner voices shaping every decision he made, every step he took.

On one stormy night, while searching for shelter, his sharp hearing led him to a small cave hidden behind a thick curtain of ivy. The cave was dry and relatively warm, a perfect place to spend the night. He lit a small fire using flint he had found on one of the hunters he had killed, and sat beside it, roasting a piece of rabbit meat he had caught with difficulty.

As he ate, he heard a faint sound coming from the depths of the cave. A muffled moan, like the sound of an injured animal, or perhaps... a human.

Ling Han froze, gripping his sword tightly. Was it a trap? Was there another beast waiting for him in the darkness? Or was it a human, perhaps an enemy?

"Who's there?" Ling Han called out in a rough voice, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

No response came, except for another moan, weaker this time.

Driven by cautious curiosity, or perhaps remnants of compassion not completely dead in his heart, he moved toward the source of the sound. He moved slowly, his sword extended before him, feeling his way along the damp cave walls. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood became, mixed with another strange scent, the smell of medicinal herbs.

He finally reached the end of the cave, where he found, or rather sensed, a small body lying on the ground. It was a human body, and it was breathing with difficulty. Ling Han touched the body cautiously and felt that it was a small girl, perhaps his age or slightly younger. Her clothes were torn, and her body was very hot, as if suffering from a severe fever. There was a large wound on her leg, which seemed to be the source of the blood and herb smell.

"Who... who are you?" the girl whispered in a weak, barely audible voice.

"I'm... nobody." Ling Han answered, not knowing why he chose this response. "What happened to you?"

"Monster... a monster attacked me..." said the girl, and began to cough violently. "I... I'm dying."

Ling Han felt something strange stirring inside him. Something he hadn't felt for a long time. Something that resembled... pain for another person.

"No! Don't say that!" his sister Xiao's voice whispered in his ear, carrying a tone of genuine concern. "Help her, Han! Don't let her die like we did!"

"And why should I help her?" Ling Han silently replied to his sister's whisper. "She's just another human. Perhaps she deserves to die."

"Not all humans are evil, Han." His mother's voice came this time, carrying deep sadness. "We forgot to tell you that. There are good ones too, even if they are few. Perhaps this girl is one of them."

Ling Han hesitated. He didn't know what to do. He had never helped anyone before, nor had he received help from anyone since his family died. His world was filled with hatred, pain, and revenge. There was no place for compassion or kindness.

But the girl's weak moaning, and the plea of his sister and mother in their whispers, made him feel a violent inner conflict. Part of him wanted to leave her to die, to continue his dark path alone. And another part, very small and frightened, longed for a touch of humanity, for a glimmer of hope in this hell.

"Can... can you help me?" the girl whispered again, her voice trembling.

Ling Han sighed. "I'll try," he finally said, surprising himself with these words.

He approached the girl and began to carefully examine her wound. It was deep and inflamed, and appeared to be poisoned. There were remnants of herbs placed on it, but they weren't enough.

"Where are your parents?" Ling Han asked.

"I don't know..." the girl cried. "We were running... from bandits... then the monster attacked us... we got separated... I don't know where they are now."

Bandits. Monsters. The same tragic story repeating itself in this cursed world.

Ling Han remembered some herbs his sister had described to him in his waking dreams, herbs that could help treat wounds and reduce fever. He wasn't sure if he would remember them correctly, or if he would find them in this darkness. But he had to try.

"Stay here," he told the girl. "I'll be back soon."

Ling Han left the cave into the storm and began searching for the herbs his sister had described. It was difficult and nearly impossible for a blind person. But he focused all his senses, touching the plants, smelling them, and listening to his sister's whispers guiding him.

After a long and exhausting search, he found some of the herbs he was looking for, or at least, what he thought they were. He returned to the cave and found the girl still breathing with difficulty, but still alive.

Ling Han began preparing the primitive medicine. He crushed the herbs between two stones, mixed them with some water, then placed them on the girl's wound. She moaned in pain, but didn't pull her leg away.

"What's your name?" Ling Han asked as he worked.

"My name... my name is Xiao Lian." the girl whispered. (Xiao Lian 小莲 - Small Lotus Flower)

Xiao. The same name as his sister. Ling Han felt a pang in his heart. Was this a coincidence? Or was fate playing with him again?

"My name... is Ling Han," he said, and this was the first time he had spoken his name to another person in a long time.

Ling Han spent the night beside Xiao Lian, changing her herb dressings and wiping her forehead with a damp cloth to reduce her fever. He didn't sleep much. He listened to her weak breaths, feeling afraid that she might die at any moment. And he also listened to his family's whispers, which were divided between encouragement and doubt.

"You're wasting your time, Han," his father's voice whispered. "She will die anyway. And the more attached you become to her, the greater your pain will be when you lose her."

"Don't listen to him, Han!" his sister's voice replied. "You're doing the right thing. Maybe... maybe there's still hope."

With the dawn, Xiao Lian's fever began to drop slightly. She was still very weak, but she was breathing better. She opened her eyes with difficulty and looked at Ling Han, who was sitting beside her, his face dirty and his features tired.

"Thank you..." she whispered, a weak smile forming on her lips. "You saved my life."

Ling Han didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to gratitude, and he wasn't used to feeling like he had done something good. He felt confused, and afraid. Afraid of this new feeling, afraid of this small girl who had invaded his private hell and brought with her a glimmer of light he didn't know he was missing.

Is this kindness? Is this what it means to care for another person? It was a strange and frightening feeling, but it wasn't entirely bad. For the first time in a long time, Ling Han didn't feel completely alone in his darkness.

But the whispers didn't stop. And his father's whispers were the loudest: "Remember, Han. Everyone you get close to will die. This is your fate. This is your hell."