— Oh God... — Kai groaned, — What was that just now, am I still alive?!
Kai felt incredible pain throughout his body, and his head was throbbing intensely. It was even difficult for him to think. He began checking the sensations in his body and suddenly felt a faint, almost elusive aura. It was the same one he had felt from the dark sphere, only now it was emanating from himself! But the next moment, it began to fade and then disappeared completely...
— So it wasn't a dream?! — Kai exclaimed in shock.
*"I don't know what happened to me, but if I survive, I must keep this a secret... No one should ever find out about this... It was like I was speaking with the Universe itself! If I tell anyone, they'll think I'm insane."* Kai thought, utterly bewildered.
*"In any case, I must remember those laws forever... What I experienced during the touch with the sphere cannot be described in words. It's definitely something that shouldn't exist in our world. Moreover, I'm sure I just felt the aura of that sphere enter my body..."* Kai pondered.
After thinking about it a little, he decided to focus on more immediate problems. If he died now, the mysteries and enigmas of existence would hardly concern him. First, he needed to survive...
Kai began to look around and tried to slowly stand up. Next to him was a forest and a rocky shore. On the other side was a fast-flowing mountain river.
— I need to get rid of my upper clothes quickly and find some Healing Herb. My blood could attract wild beasts... Surviving the wound is only the beginning of staying alive. — Kai uttered with difficulty.
The Healing Herb grew in many places; it wasn't rare. At the orphanage, when someone got hurt, they would grind it in a mortar and apply it to wounds. Although it smelled terrible, it stopped bleeding well and numbed the pain. Also, wounds didn't fester after using it, especially if the poultice was changed regularly.
Kai quickly took off his shirt and threw it into the river. Then, wearing only his pants, he slowly hobbled towards the forest. He was very careful as he moved forward, constantly looking around and watching his step. He didn't dare go deep into the forest and walked only along the river. After a grueling half-hour, he suddenly saw a clearing where the Healing Herb was growing.
— The heavens are blessing me today! — He quickened his pace as much as he could towards his medicine.
The grass was thin and about two palm-lengths long. Kai quickly began picking it and gathering it into a pile. After about fifteen minutes, he had gathered enough, tying it all together with a vine he found on a nearby tree. He also made a smaller bundle to use right away.
Returning to the riverside, Kai sat down near a large boulder. Taking a smaller stone in his hand, he began to crush the herb against another stone in front of him. He needed to make a paste to smear generously on his wounds.
— Phew! It stinks so much, damn it! — He cursed. Although Kai was a young boy, he'd already picked up some choice words at the town market...
— Though, this is very good... Such a smell will definitely overpower any trace of blood, and the beasts won't scent me. — Kai said to himself.
— This is taking so long, I need to be faster... — Saying this, Kai stuffed some herb into his mouth and started chewing it simultaneously. He wanted to finish as quickly as possible.
After crushing the herb, he went to the river... Grimacing and wincing, he rinsed his wound once more, then began smearing the paste onto the gash on his chest, not forgetting the area around it.
Just in case, he wiped his whole body with the stinky herb juice. He understood this was another layer of insurance against possible pursuit by wild beasts. After all, he was in the forest now, and a completely unfamiliar one at that...
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, he finally relaxed a little and wanted to rest. Kai immediately went to the shade of a tree and sat down, leaning against the trunk.
Kai closed his eyes and began to feel his wound going numb and his body gradually ceasing to ache. He realized the juice of the Healing Herb was penetrating the wounds and numbing them. Sitting quietly and breathing, he focused on the sounds and the sensation of the wind blowing soothingly against him. Small rays of sunlight broke through the foliage, occasionally touching his body, bringing a slight feeling of warmth.
But suddenly!
Kai felt as if there was something around him. As if there was something off about the wind and the sunlight! As if they contained some tiny particles... He hadn't noticed this strangeness before because he was so preoccupied with his survival. But now, sitting down to rest, he understood that something strange was happening...
*"Energy! This is energy!"* Kai realized suddenly.
*"This is the energy that only Warriors begin to feel?! What kind of miracle is this?!"* Kai exclaimed, shocked, in his mind.
Thoughts immediately flooded his head about what could have caused such drastic changes... That sphere and those experiences before waking up were definitely not ordinary... If anything could have affected him like this, it was only that!
Kai didn't know what to do with this energy or how Warriors used it. Before this, he had only heard about it in fairy tales... They said their Village Chief had begun to sense it, but no one knew if it was true. He slowly began trying to interact with it somehow. In this moment, Kai was incredibly exhilarated!