"Lucas, Lucas...ohh God, wake up. Lucas, come on, wake up..." came a soft voice close to Lucas's ear.
Still in a daze, Lucas heard someone calling his name. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a figure in front of him.
"What is this?" Lucas was so startled he nearly sat up straight.
Once he became more focused, he realized that the person calling out to him was Anna, his only friend, who was kneeling close to him with her long black hair and gentle face. She was carefully wiping his body with a towel dipped in warm water, her movements so gentle as if she was afraid of hurting him.
"Anna?!" Lucas felt a warmth in his heart, as he called out softly.
"Lucas,you're awake?, great!" Anna's face lit up with joy, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Anna was wearing a washed-out casual outfit, but it couldn't hide her curvy figure. Her delicate face had a rosy glow, giving her a girl-next-door charm. Her kind nature made her the beloved of almost all the men in Greenwood.
At twenty-four, Anna was the daughter of Widow Miriam and the only female university student in the small town of Greenwood. She hadn't even graduated from her senior year and was already working as a temporary teaching assistant at the county high school, in the neighboring town.
Due to his background, Lucas was often shunned by the inhabitants of Greenwood, with hardly anyone willing to play with him.
But Anna was always there for him, taking good care of him in the little way she could, often sneaking food from her mother's kitchen to give to him. Even when she went away to college, she would bring him small gifts whenever she returned, caring for him like a big sister.
In Greenwood, aside from Lucas's late grandfather, Anna was the kindest to him.
"Uhmm, Anna, have I been asleep for so long?" Lucas asked as he sat up properly.
"Yes, I think so. When I got here, you were unconscious, burning up with a fever, and mumbling nonsense" Anna said, her back to Lucas as she wrung out the towel.
Lucas nodded, watching Anna's back. He was about to say something when he noticed something odd.
Even though Anna was wearing pants, Lucas noticed that he could vaguely see the light pink undergarment beneath, with panda cartoon prints clearly visible.
"Whoa!"
Lucas was utterly shocked. He thought he was seeing things and quickly rubbed his eyes.
When he looked again, he almost couldn't stop himself from shouting.
"Jeez!, God damnit!!"
Anna turned her head and saw Lucas staring at her, looking dumbfounded. Her face flushed as she glared at him, as she kind of caught a little of what was going on inside his head.
"What are you staring at, you silly boy?"
"Stay calm, Lucas, stay calm..." Lucas said to himself as he felt a wave of heat wash over him, and he pinched himself to regain his composure.
After all, he was just a eighteen-year-old boy, and such a situation was overwhelming for him both mentally and visually.
His expression was peculiar, and his emotions were a whirlwind of confusion.
Strictly speaking, he didn't have any inappropriate thoughts about Anna. However, his eyes seemed to betray him, almost as if they could see through Annie's clothes, revealing a scene he never dared to imagine.
Noticing his odd demeanor, Anna quickly approached him and asked,
"Lucas, are you still not feeling well? Let me quickly check you."
"Anna, pls don't come any closer..." Lucas quickly extended his hand to stop her.
Anna halted, blinking her beautiful eyes in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing, nothing... Anna, could you let me be alone for a moment?" Lucas asked, his face kinda flushed.
"Alright then, you must be hungry after sleeping for so long. I'll go find you something to eat" Anna said, deciding not to press the issue any further, and turned to leave the old temple.
Once Anna was out of site, Lucas finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He blinked and took a look around the inside of the old temple.
The old temple was in ruins, with the statue of Ramas lying beside him. Above, the sky was a clear blue, and sunlight streamed through the large hole in the roof.
Lucas suddenly felt as if his eyesight had improved...
He could see a tiny sprout emerging from the crack, a small hole in a leaf on the birch tree outside, and even the tiny hairs on the legs of ants on the ground.This came as a shock to him.
When he looked at his own hands and feet, he was even more bewildered.
Yesterday, he had been severely beaten by Michael and his mother, and he remembered vaguely that he was covered in blood. But now, his injuries were completely healed, with no sign of trace of them left.
"Am I dreaming?" Lucas asked no one in particular as he was utterly shocked.
This phenomenon was beyond any scientific explanation!
"Ah..."
"Woof, woof..."
Just as Lucas was about to explore the changes in his body, he heard a startled cry from outside, along with the barking of Rufus.
Recognizing Anna's voice, Lucas was alarmed and quickly rushed out of the temple.
Not far ahead, Anna was sitting on the ground, while Rufus circled her, barking frantically, seemingly calling for help.
Seeing this, Lucas sprinted towards them.
With a leap, he covered two to three yards, like a nimble cheetah.
In just a few strides, he was by Anna's side.
"Anna, what's wrong?" Lucas asked, his face filled with concern.
"My foot... I got bitten by a snake," Anna said, her voice trembling with tears.
"Snake? Oh no this is not good" Lucas said as glanced at the small bite marks on Anna's ankle, where black venomous blood was oozing out.
He was so worried because in this town of Greenwood they hardly had a good health care center. Infact the nearest health care center was in the neighboring town which was very far away, and judging from anna's condition, this was really dangerous.
Without a word, he grabbed her arm and hoisted her onto his back.
"Why is Anna so light?" he wondered briefly but didn't dwell on it. He hurriedly carried her to the old temple and laid her on a makeshift bed of straw.
"Lucas, I'm so cold..." Anna said curled up, hugging her arms tightly, shivering as she tried to snuggle closer to Lucas.
Her face was turning a bluish-purple, her lips were completely white, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. Her eyelids were drooping.
"Anna, you can't fall asleep. Stay with me," Lucas urged, panic rising in his voice as Anna started to drift off.
Despite his pleas, Anna slipped into unconsciousness.
Lucas's heart raced with anxiety. He noticed a dark stream creeping up from Anna's leg, slowly spreading across her body.
"Is this the snake venom?" he thought, fear gripping him.
Almost as if guided by an unseen force, Lucas reached out with his right hand toward the wisp of black smoke.
To his surprise, as his fingers touched the dark mist, something incredible happened...