The fallen creature lay at Abel's feet, a testament to his desperate victory.
Its eyelids remained unblinking, forever locked in a state of shock.
Sunlight, filtering through the colossal trees, cast an elongated shadow that mirrored Abel's bloodied figure.
He stared down at the carcass, a cold emptiness settling in his gut.
Alive, yes, but at what cost?
He had used a power beyond Qi, a raw expenditure of his own life force.
The toll was evident – his once decent frame felt like a withering tree, frail and brittle.
He was a hair's breadth away from becoming a creature himself, prey to the very predators he'd barely escaped.
Heaving with exhaustion, he knew his respite would be short-lived.
He knew the scent of blood would attract scavengers.
Escape was paramount.
"I need to get away..."
he rasped, his voice a mere whisper.
Abel knew he had to move, and fast.
He needed distance, a safe haven from the approaching darkness.
He attempted to rise, but his body refused to obey.
The desperate surge of power had left him a hollow shell, his mind clouded with fatigue.
A wave of despair threatened to engulf him.
He had survived this ordeal, only to face another potential threat?
No, he cannot let it happen!
"One step at a time"
"Even if I crawl in all fours...."
"As long as I get away from that monster..."
He dragged himself forward
A pathetic crawl that spoke more of desperation than shame
Dignity was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Pathetic, he may have looked, but surrender wasn't an option.
With each agonizing pull, he dragged his body forward, a testament to his unyielding will.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles screamed in protest, but he pressed on
fueled by a primal urge to survive.
Unbeknownst to him, a wisp of energy, dark and formless, emanated from the slain creature.
It pulsed with a faint luminescence, a malevolent echo of its former life force.
Drawn by an unseen tether, the wisp detached itself and drifted towards Abel.
His mind, consumed by the struggle to stay awake, remained oblivious to the approaching entity.
He was clinging to life by a thread, his consciousness flickering like a dying ember.
Suddenly, a splash of vibrant green caught his eye.
A delicate flower, nestled amidst the undergrowth, held a single glistening berry.
Hope surged through him – a promise of sustenance, a chance to regain his strength.
"Finally!" he breathed, his voice a mere croak. With a trembling hand, he reached for the life-giving fruit.
It resembled a blueberry from his past life, but this one shimmered with an otherworldly green hue.
Hunger and exhaustion clouded his judgment, and Abel saw only a potential source of salvation.
He was thirsty...
He was hungry...
Tired...
And finally!
Just as his fingers brushed the delicate fruit, darkness claimed him, . . His eyelids drooped, his body slumped forward, collapsing onto the soft forest floor, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.
The forest was vast and indifferent
He became part of the silent tableau, swallowed by the endless shadows of the colossal trees
He lay there, a still form shrouded in the fading twilight.
Time seemed to stand still, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the chirping of unseen creatures.
Then, a flurry of movement.
A magnificent white creature, its coat as pristine as snow, landed silently beside Abel. Its eyes, pools of liquid gold, gleamed with an intelligence both ancient and unsettling.
then a slow smile spread across its face.
A gentle touch – a brush of its paw against Abel's cheek – and a surge of energy coursed through the unconscious man.
His ravaged body began to mend, the wounds closing at an impossible rate
With a low growl that echoed through the stillness of the forest, the creature vanished like a wisp of smoke.
A faint white mist lingered in its wake, momentarily shrouding Abel's unconscious form.
He lay there, seemingly lifeless, shrouded in the swirling mist. To any casual observer, he might appear to be nothing more than a wisp of fog itself