Alex knew he had to become stronger in the event that he was to survive on this planet, so unforgiving and harsh. He realized this after his near-death experience when he was badly hurt and not in a stable, healthy condition. The memory kept haunting him since he had brushed so close to death that it served to be a wake-up call for him. Another such occurrence would surely be his end, he realized. The uncertainty of what lay ahead hung over him, always there to remind him of the precariousness of his existence.
He began absorbing his daily dose of energy through Aurora's magnificent sun crystal. First, full of optimism and enthusiasm to feel a rush of energy or vitality, he began. But disappointingly, nothing interesting happened to his body. At this point, with nothing specialized in his body, it was easy to despair; However, Alex was a man who did not give up easily. He never missed a single day of absorbing energy from the sun crystal as much as he could. He felt that every day he was trying so hard that any sudden decisive change would manifest itself only through the influence of energies.
Veredian is a colossus of a vast and largely unexplored world. Its size allowed it to house over a million strong and resilient inhabitants. Alex often wondered what other life could inhabit this massive planet, thinking of the many undiscovered creatures. The Weredians are said to hold countless secrets, with vast areas still untouched by any explorer. Despite this, no one had attempted to truly explore the planet—perhaps due to its imposing scale and the multitude of dangers lurking in its uncharted territories.
Much of the time, Alex would daydream, and most of the energy from the sun crystal would be absorbed. Visions came to mind, with regard to the kinds of ecosystems that could exist on Veredian: luscious forests with unknown wildlife and towering mountain ranges that seemed to pierce the sky. He thought about the possible civilizations, ancient and advanced, left in the far reaches of the planet. It was with such thoughts that he firmed his resolve to be stronger, so that maybe one day he would be able to examine these mysteries himself.
For Alex, this daily routine of energy absorption became ritualistic—a time for quiet reflection and focusing on the challenges of survival. He was learning patience, how growth and change frequently followed the lines of imperceptibility, whose immediate results
He felt that if he was going to travel around the world without fear, he would definitely need to build up some strength. Yet, no one in the village seemed willing or able to assist him in becoming stronger than what he was already. Aurora, knew a great wide range of things regarding healing, but not a single one concerning physical fitness and combat training. Her mother's books had information on remedies and treatments only, not much on developing one's strength.
He was often lonely in his quest for power. The villagers were kind, burdened by their daily fights for survival and entirely unskilled, entirely unwilling to help him in his pursuits. The healing abilities of Aurora were immeasurably helpful, and her support was constant, but he obviously needed something more to will himself into a formidable presence on Veredian.
These were certainly enormous challenges, but Alex would not give up. He realized that this path to strength was not easy and that he had to fall back upon himself—his will and ingenuity. The daily drudgery now turned into an unremitting quest for power, limb-stretching exercises, and experiments gauging the potential of body and mind.
He often wandered into the surrounding wilds, looking to test his physical limits with many forms of training. Every new day brought another chance for growth: to be faster, stronger, and more resilient. While slow, he saw a steady improvement in his endurance and capabilities, which drove his determination to continue on his journey to become the powerful person he had envisioned.
Within a few days more, Alex felt that his endurance greatly improved; he was able to do his job without more quick exhaustion than usual. Feeling more confident, he decided to accompany Evan and Jarek whenever they went hunting for rabbits. Some days they all went fishing together.
However, the quantity of meat Alex could obtain from these hunts was not enough to sustain him daily. Aurora was not amused by this source of food, and quite detested the killing of creatures. Her distaste for hunting was quite understandable, given her healing nature and respect toward every living being.
He would somehow need to accommodate her feelings and live in harmony. Alex then resolved to build another hut some distance from Aurora's so that he could continue his work on the meat without affecting her. He knew that something indeed had to be surrendered to avoid hurting her sensibilities, not that his mind agreed to it fully. Alex would not let his sweat and stench of some animal flesh touch her, having all his activities and their byproduct well away from her living space.
This agreement did not aggrieve Aurora, yet it also allowed Alex to further his hunting, which balanced his physiological needs against moral considerations.
Anytime Aurora needed support, Alex was always there. He assisted her with her work and ensured that the villagers who came every day for treatment were properly taken care of. The villagers were aware of Aurora's healing abilities, and thus, her hut acted as the village's haven of hope and solace. Alex was impressed by her dedication and the satisfaction he got from supporting her.
One day, Alex, Evan, and Jarek decided to take a path in the woods they had never gone down. Their curiosity about stories of unfounded areas and the possible dangers and discoveries waiting to be found pulled at their senses. The jungle was tight with foliage, making for a sprawling reminder of untamed wilderness on earth.
About two miles off the village limits, the trio came into a scene of carnage. There were carcasses of quite a number of large animals that seemed to have been killed in some fierce struggle across the forest floor. This was both alarming and perplexing. The fact that there had been a fight, presumably over territory or food, conclusively led Alex, Evan, and Jarek to their deduction.
The air was taut as they thought about what this all could mean. If a creature so wild were to be roaming around that close to the village, it would be enough of a danger to their safety. Yet, their fussiness was called forth by two counterbalancing emotions: interest and responsibility. They warily began to press deeper into the forest, their senses on high alert, their guard raised as to what lay ahead.
Walking a few steps ahead, they came across the sight of a gigantic serpent that was busy devouring a boar. The snake was at least 30 feet long and 3 feet in diameter, full of injuries as an indication of some battle it had engaged in earlier. Since it was amid the process of swallowing the boar, their eyes turned toward the three of them. Their eyes throwing gaze at them sent shivers running down their spine.
At this moment, due to fear and shock, not a word could Alex, Evan, and Jarek utter. Their hearts were racing as they watched the serpent abandon its half-eaten prey before starting to rush relentlessly towards them. Its movement was swift and menacing; there was no time to think.
"Run!" Evan yelled, snapping them out of their paralysis. There, he turned and sprinted back in the direction they came, adrenalized as they dashed through the forest.
Evan and Jarek were both lean runners, but Alex struggled to keep up with them. All he could do was stride, impelled by fear, his body worked at full limit, and the gap that separated him from his friends gradually was beginning to broaden. The presence of the serpent resounded behind, and they began to quicken their pace in desperation to survive.
Evan and Jarek could run, but Alex was having trouble keeping up. The gap between him and his friends gradually increased. Evan turned back and yelled, "Run faster, Alex!" Alex was giving it his all but didn't have the sense to turn his head and glance backward at the serpent that was slowly closing in on him.
Suddenly, Evan yelled, "Split and run!" He and Jarek then darted off in different directions. The idea was to confuse and divert the serpent. But Alex didn't understand the plan and so kept running straight ahead. His speed was gradually decreasing as his body's strength began to fade.
He could feel his muscles burning and his breath growing ragged. The exhaustion was overwhelming, but the fear of the snake kept him going. The forest blurred around him, with his eyes pushing through only to keep him focused on the flight. With each step he felt himself slowing down, with the ominous presence of the serpent drawing closer.
Alex landed on some slope, his foothold precarious as he stumbled forward. It made it even harder for him to maintain the speed, with an unexpected effect on the serpent. The snake pursued him, its pace increasing due to the incline, making it even harder for the massive creature to control its shove.
No sooner had Alex reached the end of the slope than yet another steep incline stretched out before him. Trying to slow, but unable to alter its velocity in time, the serpent careened forward, lost control, and tumbled down the small slope.
Alex didn't miss the opportunity; he gathered a huge stone off the ground. Fueled by adrenaline, it gave him impetus, and he leaped right onto the head of the serpent. The creature thrashed and writhed while he used the stone with all his might to smash against its head, driven by the impulse of desperation.
Each blow was allowed down with a mixture of fear and fury. The blood sprinkled; with the relentless blows, the skull began to cave in. Alex didn't stop even when the body writhed violently. The instinct to survive pounded the stone repeatedly into its head.
The snake finally began to slow, then finally stopped. Its head was crushed, grotesque—a grim testament to Alex's fierce determination. He stood up, his chest heaving, bloodied from head to toe, and realized that he had done the impossible: he had killed the monster snake.
Relentless, Alex continued to rain blows upon the now-crushed and bloodied head. Then, the crushed and bloodied snake's head suddenly opened up, stretching under the endless blows. The limb body of the snake lay lifeless while Alex had attacked relentlessly. Gore surrounded him, but amidst it all a glint caught his eye, a beast core exposed by the hole in the shattered skull of the snake.
Alex instinctively seized the beast core. He could feel its pulsating energy in synchrony with his. The core was then absorbed so fast into the body, filling him with renewed energy he previously didn't know he had. And there went his exhaustion; he felt revitalized, filled with strength, and able to stand again.
It was at this moment that Evan and Jarek arrived and were somewhat relieved by the fact that Alex was alive and well; victory sat in their eyes. "I thought Alex was finished today," Evan said, still filled with amazement. Nodding, Jarek added, "Alex killed it after all."
Alex now turned his attention back to the huge snake, which had become a dead body that would soon turn into food for survival. Turning to Evan with curiosity, but at the same time being practical, he asked, "Do you think serpent tastes good? Looks like we'll have enough for months."
The atmosphere hung heavy between them, full of the recent episode, but heavy with survival, too—with the tough resilience of their friendship. In pausing outdoors, looking ahead to future decisions, Alex felt, and felt a satisfied emotion well up within himself, because he had faced a deadly threat and was stronger by the experience.
Evan and Jarek nodded to Alex's question regarding the meat of the serpent, which meant that though it wasn't known how it would taste, the meat would certainly mean badly needed nourishment for them. Their focus was soon turned to another matter when Jarek mentioned that the boar seemed to have swallowed something of interest before being killed by the serpent's deadly poison.
"Yeah, maybe some natural treasure," Evan mused aloud, his interest perked up. Without a word, Evan and Jarek helped to heave Alex up, and the three walked over to investigate the felled boar. He lay there, motionless, the form of an unusually large creature with red skin and three horns on his head.
"I think this pig must have been on the verge of becoming a beast," Evan surmised at the powerful appearance of the boar. His mind quickly turned back to the possible treasure mentioned earlier by Jarek.
"The boar had swallowed the treasure," Evan went on, hardly containing his excitement. Alex was at the same time intrigued and beckoned to take things into their hands, walking towards the boar's stomach, where he would cut it with Jarek's knife, but before Alex could do so, Evan's sharp warning cut into that moment.
"Stop!" exclaimed Evan, his voice urgent with concern. "Look, even the small animals here are dead. The boar's body is poisoned," Evan told Alex, explaining to him the dangers lurking inside the creature's stomach.
By the time Evan warned him, Alex had already touched the stomach of the boar, which meant he could expose himself to deadly toxins. The discovery cast a shadow over their exploration, reminding them that on the untamed planet Veredian, curiosity and survival walk a thin tightrope.