Dao Beasts (2) - 91

Hearing the sounds of a child running, I didn't think and immediately threw my small body off the cliff.

After all, it wouldn't be realistic at all if I suddenly appeared in front of her without any stories, right?

She was too smart for her age after all, and so I couldn't half ass this.

Landing on my right side, I broke my arm and right leg, whilst allowing the shells hidden in the sand to cut me, as they gauged deep gashes into the skin on my right side.

And, as the sand that I had kicked up into the air from landing like a boulder came back down, I allowed some of the particles to make their way into my eyes.

So, after having blinded myself once with the sun, I blinded myself a second time with the sand, making everything as believable as possible.

Not paying any attention to my surroundings, but knowing that she was watching me, I picked myself up with gritted teeth before dragging myself towards the ocean water, letting the right side of my body make a sort of snake like trail through the sand.

Then, I baptized myself in the pain, as I let the waves of the ocean lap at my wounds, collapsing there in the shallow water, the salty liquid swiftly causing rashes to form on my perfect skin that looked even more beautiful right now with all the red flowing from it.

And, as the saltwater washed the sand that had coagulated around my wounds away, it replaced all of my pain with more pain, as the salt did its wonders, disinfecting all of my wounds.

Laying there, I then did the unthinkable, as I opened my eyes in the salt water, allowing the undulating water to clear the particles out of my eyes whilst making them completely bloodshot.

Finally, I put on the cherry on top, as I started inhaling into my lungs the ocean water, starting to slowly drown my own-self.

At this point, she, who had just been standing there, having stopped when she heard and saw my descent into the stand, broke out of her stupor, having been enchanted by the tragically majestic show that I had put on, and ran to my body, lifting my head out of the sand and striking my back, making me cough all the water in my lungs out.

And then, I blacked out, as I entrusted my little body to a girl my own age.

...

<Villain's POV>

Him.

He had come out of nowhere, running for his life.

I could see it in him, the desperation, the struggle, the tragedy that he had faced, all from the way he had disregarded his own body and his own pain just to get as far away from whatever he was running from as possible.

He was like me, a stray, a runner, a traitor, somebody that didn't belong anywhere.

So, I had decided to help him, and after getting the water out of his lungs, I had picked him up and I had dragged him into a small cave that I had found in the side of the cliff that he had just jumped off from.

Then, I had tended to his injuries, as I ripped his beautifully maintained robe into small pieces to cover his bleeding wounds and to create a makeshift splint for both his arm and his leg.

I had watched my big brother as he had done the same thing for me after I had been attacked by a dao beast, and so, I could easily do it for this boy.

Well, in all reality, he was probably older than me, but I, with my heavenly constitution, had grown up much faster than him.

And, although I was still in a small body, I could already rival grown men with my strength, and my mental capacity was no joke.

After all, my childishness had all been washed away a few days ago, when I had been forcibly ripped from my big brother.

Anyways, in the end, I was able to patch all of this boy's wounds as fully as possible before I just laid his head on my lap, waiting for him to wake up.

But, unexpectedly, the boy woke up only a minute after I had finished dressing his wounds.

Opening his eyes, he stared straight up at my face.

As for me, I couldn't help but be entranced by those bloodshot eyes.

They were... beautiful.

...

<Ruiki's POV>

I was surprised that she didn't jolt or drop me or something when I opened my eyes, as I knew exactly what condition they were in, and they didn't look pretty.

Honestly, I looked more like a monster from a horror movie than a human with just my eyes alone right now.

But, she didn't even flinch at all, as she stayed completely still.

As for me, I couldn't even see right now, so I just continued to blink in an erratic manner.

Finally, I decided to make the first move.

"W-who are you?" I asked, trying my best to emulate a fearful child.

But, she saw right through it.

I mean, I had been expecting this, as she was the villain after all, and so, even though she was only 5 years of age, it seemed like she was wiser than most hundred year old wise men.

"Drop the act, somebody with your tenacity could never sound like this." She stated, as if it was a fact.

"Oh, you noticed?" Saying this, I suddenly changed my entire demeanor, smiling wider than any normal human could.

Now, I looked even more like an unnatural horror, but once again, she didn't even flinch.

She knew that, once again, this was only a fake version of myself.

And I knew that she knew that, and so I finally became my actual self again.

Using only my left hand, I removed myself from her lap and propped myself up.

Then, staring in her direction, I said with seriousness replacing any other emotion that I had shown on my face before,

"Let's go."

After all, we had both been thinking of the same thing.

We could also feel the presence present further down the cave, and we both knew that we had to obtain it at all costs.

So, with two people, we had a much higher chance of surviving what was about to come up.

Being as smart as me, she had also come to the exact same conclusion, evident by her next words,

"Yes, let's go."

And so began the story of the Miserable Crow and the Woeful Swan.