Leaving the village
The chipping sound of hundreds of crows echoed around the village. The houses were reduced to ash, and those still standing were already halfway burnt. Dead bodies of villagers lay scattered, some charred, others killed by the sword. Two days had passed in a flash.
Dan forced the barrel cover open and emerged, pale and thin, looking as if he could collapse at any moment. Tears dripped from his eyes as he looked in the direction of Ana's body.
As he tried to climb out of the barrel, he fell down with it and began to crawl his way out.
After crawling free, Dan began to gather his thoughts. Despite his shock, his sister's last words rang like a bell in his head.
Dan carried Ana's cold, heavy body in his arms and made his way to the cliff. He staggered but mustered his strength to keep going.
He dug a shallow grave under a huge tree and laid his sister inside. His milky eyes were covered in tears as he covered the grave. He placed two stones on top and prayed.
After performing the burial rite, Dan strengthened his resolve. It was time to move on. He thought of necessities for his survival: food and water.
Although food was hard to find, water was not an issue. Just a stone's throw from the west side of the village was a small lake that had served as a water source for the villagers after the storm. Now, food was the primary concern.
Dan staggered to his feet and began searching for food from one house to another. Being blind made it very difficult and time-consuming.
After an hour of frustrating search, Dan recovered two loaves of bread and some raw foodstuffs. Following sound waves and sensing ryo around, he made his way to the lake to have his meal. He took five heavy gulps of water and turned to the bread. He finished one loaf in less than a minute but realized that staying alive, not having a full stomach, was the goal.
Dan took a few more gulps of water and sat on the ground. Now that he had a meal, it was time to plan for his future.
Dan realized he was currently the unluckiest person alive. He could sense ryo energy from people, plants, the ground, and the air. Unlike plants and other natural resources, humans had different ryo for reasons he didn't know. Apart from the lake and the huge tree at the cliff, Dan couldn't sense anything else around. He was truly blind.
"What should I do now?" Dan scratched his hair. "I wish Sis was here..."
Shaking off such thoughts, Dan clenched his fists and made a premature decision. The huge tree.
The huge tree at the cliff could serve as shelter against the hot sun but not against the rain or cold breeze at night. Yet he had no choice.
Dan made one last detour, moving from one doorstep to another looking for warm clothes. He couldn't find any, so he decided to take clothes from the bodies of the deceased. He vomited several times in the process, but eventually got used to the awful smell.
Dan finally reached the top of the cliff. He stacked the bloodied clothes together and dropped them close to the tree's roots. He tried to stretch but felt a striking pain in his waist.
He arranged the clothes into a bed, a piece to cover himself for the night, and another cloth for the bread, his last meal if he didn't find a solution to his predicament.
Dan rested on one of the roots and began to think. While thinking, he noticed that the ground and the huge tree gave off different ryo. He unplugged a branch from the tree and threw it on the ground.
"They are different!" Dan exclaimed.
He picked up the branch and examined it. The ryo in the branch was gradually disappearing.
An idea struck him.
Unplugging more branches, Dan began to make a pathway for himself, starting from the cliff down to the village. He found a manageable house and decided to use it as a resting place. Dan ran up to the cliff to get the clothes he had gathered.
Looking up at the sky, he said, "It's getting late." He rounded up everything and locked the door. He didn't bother with the light since he couldn't see it anyway.
Hours passed, and Dan was still awake. He couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried. Maybe his body hadn't gotten rid of the shock, or maybe he was unconsciously expecting someone or something.
Just then, Dan picked up the ryo of a group of people from some miles away. He rushed to the door, unlocked it, and began running in their direction. His heart raced, and his mind went blank. He wasn't thinking of anything or anyone, just the need to survive.
"They are four in number," Dan noted as he peeped at them, hiding behind a burnt house. Rushing at them would be a bad idea, so he decided to take it slow.
"Are they adventurers?"
Three of them were young men, while one was a young woman, probably in her early twenties. The three young men were clad in guard armor and swords, while the young lady wore a skimpy cloth that nearly exposed her feminine features.
'They are weak,' Dan thought.
"Umm… excuse me," Dan said in a low tone, startling one of them.
"Oh, it's just a kid. This prick almost made me wet myself," one of them said in a shaky voice, clearly the coward among them.
The cowardly one walked up to Dan and scanned him from head to toe, immediately covering his nose at the bad scent emanating from Dan.
"Fuck! He's a walking garbage dump. Let's kill him," he cursed and walked away from Dan.
Dan felt a bit annoyed but didn't show it. He wondered why he hadn't thought of cleaning himself; maybe he had gotten used to his own smell.
"Stop that. Don't be like that to children…" A young lady walked towards Dan and noticed his milky eyes. "He's blind!" she said under her breath. "If he's blind, he's as good as useless," she added in a stoic tone.
"No, ma'am, I'm useful. I can do anything you want me to do. Please don't leave me here," Dan pleaded, forgetting that the blind can't see.
"How did you know I'm a woman?" the young lady asked.
"Well, umm…" Dan was at a loss for words.
"I told you we should kill him. Maybe he's a monster that gained intelligence," the cowardly one said, unsheathing his sword first.
"Wait!" Another voice echoed, disrupting the night's silence. A man with a heavy build, refined muscles, and a domineering presence spoke. "It's best we leave him–"
"But–"
"…if he is a monster, we'll be held responsible for setting it loose. But if he's human… I can't bear the feeling of killing a young boy like him," he said, turning his back to Dan. "Let's move." All four of them left Dan helpless behind.
Dan fell to his knees, begging, but they ignored him and continued their journey. He stayed in that position for almost an hour, tears streaming down his face.
Dan was in such grief that he didn't notice another person walking by. Covered in a thick black cloak, the individual scanned the environment.
"War? No, no recent news about an ongoing war was released. It can only be the work of those guys–" The cloaked individual's thoughts were interrupted by Dan's cries. Curious, they went to check.
Dan sensed someone approaching and turned swiftly, resuming his plea when he sensed no hostility.
Seeing Dan's milky eyes, the cloaked person shook their head and replied, "I can't even feed myself. You'll only last for a few days if you come along." The cloaked person turned to leave.
"But I can do anything for you, ma'am. I can wash your clothes, I can cook–"
"Did you just call me ma'am?" The individual cast a glance at Dan.
He had messed up but decided not to stay quiet. "I, er… I can see but I can't see… plus your voice," Dan stuttered.
The cloaked individual remained silent for a moment before speaking, "You know what, I've changed my mind. You can follow me, but your survival is in your hands," she said.
Dan looked at her and cried tears of joy. He couldn't explain the emotions he felt; he was so happy he could tear his clothes in jubilation, yet he felt a bitter undertone within. "Thank you so much," Dan said, getting up.
"Firstly, we shall stay here for the night. By daybreak, we shall depart."