To Challenge The Sky

The sound of the chain finally breaking apart jolted Zero back to his senses. The giant flesh was only a few feet away.

The chain had broken but the cuffs remained around his wrists like iron bracelets.

Zero scrambled to his feet, narrowly escaping an onslaught of acid spittle from the hungry monster. He looked behind the monster to see only Stone fending off the Veniy flesh creature. The other men had fallen.

The bone shadow beast was busy making a meal of what remained of the slaves.

Zero turned his attention back to his predator. Or rather, his prey.

' Eat or be eaten? I am to eat this vile thing? I'm not even that hungry!'

Zero had made up his mind. He was not going to do such a disgusting act just because The Voice told him to. It was only a voice.

' Maybe a stupid intrusive thought. I must be going mad. '

He decided he would run away. Even if he was to eat the monster, he was far from strong enough to kill it. There was only one way out of this situation.

A quick flee.

Screech!

The faces on the creature roared in unison, fixated on Zero. He was a very appealing treat in their soulless eyes. His yin energy was calling to them. Eat. Eat.

Zero knew he couldn't stand in a spot for much longer. The face monster roared but made no moves. He too stood, looking about in the dark forest with his eyes that could see through the darkest shadows.

There was a path not far ahead. But he would have to go through the face monster, the flesh full of bones and the battle between the surprisingly ferocious Stone and his enemy.

It was either that or retreat down the path they came from, risking an unfortunate encounter with the Corruption or worse.

The only way forward was in front of him. And he had to go through these three giant horrors. A scrawny boy against hell denizens. Far from a fair shot.

Another loud and reverberating screech.

Zero would take advantage of his size then. He dashed forward with as much force as he could muster, leaving deep imprints in the snow.

The very next moment, a shower of acid fell to the spot he was standing in. The contact between the dark sticky liquid and snow made cracking sounds that reminded Zero of the firecrackers he played with as a child during the spring festivals.

The faces were morphing to adapt to Zero's position. He did not pay them mind. He had to get out of here.

Onward he ran, dodging the thick tree logs that had fallen during the chaos. He seemed to be gaining distance from the monster till he tripped on a severed arm.

Boom! The bone monster had suddenly appeared from nowhere!

' Such stealth. '

Zero could not understand how such creatures could move at astonishing speeds and so quietly at that. A lock of silver hair fell over his right eye, partially blocking his view of the monster.

That one second almost cost him his life. The flesh of faces had sent out a sticky tongue.

He moved as quickly as he could, rolling over to the side and using his shoulder to propell his body even more. His shoulder cracked under the pressure, dislocating.

"Argh." Zero grunted but didn't stop. He got up from the snow. His face that was covered in dried blood and grime was wet again from sweat. His heart thumped within. The path was ahead.

The only thing that lit this clearing was the bonfires that had not gone out. Further out, was dark wilderness and endless snow. He had to make it.

He could see in the dark. His greatest advantage. He just had to get out.

A contrast to the madness ensuing was the soft flakes of snow that fell with abandon. It was a painting worthy scene indeed.

The bone monster and its facial freak friend gave pursuit, using their slime to propell themselves on the crunchy snow.

Zero had made it to where Stone was lying on the ground. He was panting, his half head braid had come undone and he was covered in black-red blood. The first fleshy monster was nothing but a lifeless pile of skin, muscles and fat now.

Seeing the sight, Zero's stomach grumbled.

Eat.

A sudden chill took over the young boy, dulling his senses and weakening him.

He slowed down then stumbled. He fell to the ground and grunted in pain.

Eat.

' No this is wrong. No. No! '

His heart was thumping. He opened his eyes to see the two monstrosities above him. He could vaguely hear Stone's heavy footsteps moving further away.

He was hungry. He was very hungry.

"I can't," he said aloud in a soft, tired voice.

But he had to. The Voice had warned. He raised his hands up, they seemed to be fading. Beneath his skin, something akin to worms were crawling, itching to come out.

His breath grew heavier.

"I should have stayed dead. I should have never—"

The chilling sensation overcame him again and he wailed aloud. He had to do as The Voice instructed or he would turn to something worse than these things.

He knew he would. The eyeball within would eat him. Then he'd become a monster, his soul forever trapped within a horrid cage. A fate worse than death.

He remembered the words of The Voice. "You are living on borrowed time."

To maintain this ticking time and find whatever in Samsara he was to find, he needed to survive. He had to choose.

A painful demise where the afterlife would be even more grisly; or having a far from delicious snack?

Eat or be eaten?

These thoughts ran through the boy's mind in mere seconds.

Eat, it was.

In a flash, he rolled out of the way, dodging the salivary acid of the face monster and the teeth of the other.

The prey had to become the predator.

The clouds had cleared and the snow had stopped falling. Mother moon had come out to watch. Who was this daring boy who thought he could out-live his fate?

The Heavenly Dao itself was against him. Surely, he would surrender?

But Zero did not. He was still afraid. Afraid of death. No matter how much he tried, he could not get rid of that fear.

In a clump of blood and snow, was Lanky Man's fallen whip of thorns. It had caught the silver light of the moon. The boy dashed to the weapon, taking it into his hands and flinging it in one go.

He had no experience fighting with a whip or fighting at all infact. But it was a whip, and he was hungry.

No one taught a snake how to bite. Or a Phoenix, how to achieve Nirvana.

His movements were crude, sloppy and plain trash to a true fighter. But his slight size and hunger for survival balanced it out. It helped even more that his targets were grand in size and easy to hit.

The flesh monster wailed with each strike he managed to deliver.

Zero knew this was not enough. If Lanky man, a trained fighter, could not achieve killing the Face monster and Stone had spent almost all his life force fighting the other, how was he to win?

He dropped the whip, hands trembling.

' I have to do this. I have to survive this. Or my second chance at life was a waste. '

That instant, Zero took flight, going the opposite way, back to where he was chained. He ran like a fool, falling at times and stumbling at others. But he didn't stop.

The monsters gave chase. As planned.

He had never climbed a tree before. But there was no time to deliberate. He sprung his body up from the ground, snow flying this way and that.

He hooked himself to a low hanging branch and slowly climbed till he could no more. When he reached a consderble height, he walked onto the diverting branch, directly above the screeching monsters below.

This had to work.

He looked to the sky, noting how the moon shun brighter than before this night. She was glowing, watching a fight among ants.

' If the Heavenly Dao has put enemies on my path of second chance, then I will slay them all. I will not stop...'

'...not until I slay the Dao and its laws myself. This is my vow. '

The moon goddess was witness to this vow. A puny mortal boy, stout in size with a fairy like appearance.

On top this branch he stood, his long silver hair that had been tainted with blood and dirt dancing in the cold winds. His matching eyes burned fiercely. He was scared. He was shaking. But the vow he made was true.

This was a challenge to the heavens. The realms would be watching from that day. It was unlikely for anyone the Heavenly Dao had singled out to survive in any of the realms of Samsara...

But then again, it was unheard of to openly challenge the skies.

Zero inhaled and then jumped down the tree, straight into the Face monster's open mouth.