Bab 2: Chapter 2: The Forest and Dangers
I don't know how long I lay there, my cries swallowed by the unforgiving darkness of the forest. My voice grew hoarse, the chill biting at my fragile body. The memory of Bibi Dong—I refuse to call her mother—leaving me here played on a loop in my mind. Each time I thought of her walking away without looking back, a new surge of despair crashed over me. But then, an icy realization struck: this world was far more dangerous than my old one. The forest around me wasn't just a place of loneliness. It was a death trap, filled with soul beasts that could end my fragile existence with a single step.
I bit down my sobs, choking on the silence that followed. Noise could attract predators. I knew that much. My mind, still sharp from my previous life, kicked into overdrive. Bibi Dong hadn't just abandoned me—she had left me here to die. She hadn't even bothered to ensure I'd have a quick end. No, she had abandoned me to the whims of fate and the jaws of a soul beast.
The realization burned. My hands, tiny and weak, clenched into fists. Fine. If she thought I would simply die, she was wrong. If she wanted me gone, she should have done the job herself.
With a shaky breath, I shifted onto my stomach, my feeble body trembling from the effort. Crawling was my only option. My arms were weak, my legs even weaker, but I refused to remain here, a sitting duck for the first soul beast to stumble upon me. Inch by agonizing inch, I began to crawl, my body screaming in protest with every movement. The coarse blanket Bibi Dong had left me with dragged along the ground, snagging on roots and rocks.
Where am I going? I didn't know. I just knew I needed to move. The forest was vast and uncharted, but if I stayed in one place, I'd be easy prey. I remembered stories from my previous life about soul beasts, creatures of immense power that roamed the Douluo Continent. Some were intelligent, but many were not. To them, I'd be nothing more than a snack.
The moonlight barely filtered through the dense canopy above, casting eerie shadows that danced with every breeze. My heart pounded in my chest, each sound magnified in the stillness. A rustling in the bushes made me freeze, my breath hitching. My tiny body pressed flat against the ground as I waited, every muscle tense. Seconds passed, then minutes. Whatever it was, it didn't come closer.
Releasing a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, I resumed my slow, torturous crawl. My mind raced as I pushed forward. What kind of mother… no, what kind of person leaves a child like this? Memories of my past life flooded back to me. My parents hadn't been perfect, but they had loved me in their own flawed way. They would never have abandoned me like this, not even in the darkest of circumstances.
But Bibi Dong? She'd cast me aside like garbage.
I forced the thought from my mind. Dwelling on it wouldn't help me now. Survival was my only priority. I needed to find shelter, somewhere to hide until morning. The night air was growing colder, and my body was already numb. If I didn't find a place soon, I might not make it to see the dawn.
After what felt like hours, I came across a hollow at the base of a massive tree. Its roots formed a natural barrier, creating a small, sheltered space. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. Dragging myself inside, I curled up as tightly as my tiny body allowed, clutching the blanket around me. The rough material scratched at my skin, but it was better than nothing.
Exhaustion began to pull at me, my eyelids growing heavier with each passing second. But I fought it, my mind too restless to surrender. Every snap of a twig, every rustle of leaves sent a jolt of fear through me. I didn't trust this forest. I didn't trust this world.
As I lay there, the events of the past day replayed in my mind. Bibi Dong's cold gaze, the ultimatum from her master, the rejection of Yu Xiaogang, the feeling of her hands as she carried me into the forest and left me there without a second thought. It was a betrayal unlike any I'd known in my past life.
But it was also a lesson. If I wanted to survive in this world, I couldn't rely on anyone but myself. I couldn't afford to trust, to depend, to love. Those were luxuries I could no longer afford. Bibi Dong had taught me that.
I clenched my tiny fists, the blanket crumpling beneath my grip.
I will survive, I promised myself. I will grow stronger. And one day, I will make her regret this. I will make them all regret this.
The thought burned in my mind, a flicker of resolve in the face of despair. It was the only thing keeping me going, the only thing anchoring me to this fragile existence. With that thought, I finally allowed my eyes to close, slipping into an uneasy sleep, my body pressed against the rough roots of the tree.
The forest around me remained silent, but the danger was far from gone. This was only the beginning.
A low growl jolted me awake. My heart froze as I peered out from my hollow, my tiny body trembling. Three pairs of glowing eyes stared back at me from the darkness. They moved closer, the moonlight revealing sleek, wolf-like figures with silver fur and sharp fangs.
They had found me.
Their growls grew louder as they crept closer, their movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring the fear radiating off me. My tiny fists clenched the blanket tighter as I tried to think, to act, but my body was frozen in terror. The leader of the pack sniffed the air, its glowing eyes locking onto mine.
However, before they could take a step forward, I heard a voice "Well, well. What do we have here?"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone