Chapter Ten - A Cruel Truth
"What do you mean?"
Little One's voice trembled as she questioned Luobe.
The young man sighed.
"What I'm saying is that anyone who wishes to safely pass through the trial in this forest must be healthy. Your body needs to be strong enough to endure whatever lies ahead."
He looked at Little One first.
"You're missing a forearm and an eye. I'm not entirely certain how that will affect your chances, but..."
His gaze shifted towards Addo.
"This little brother, on the other hand..."
He stopped and shook his head.
"Tsk, tsk. I'm afraid it may already be too late for him."
"No!"
Little One blurted out.
"But there has to be a way!"
Her voice rose with desperation.
"Little cripple, are you hard of hearing?" Freiya suddenly interrupted. "Do you not understand human language? What part of 'it's too late for him' did you fail to understand?"
She gave a spiteful sneer.
"Quite frankly, you have no hope of surviving either."
"Please, young miss Freiya," Luobe admonished.
"What?" Freiya raised her chin. "Did I say something wrong?"
She made no effort to conceal her dislike for the two newcomers. Her eyes travelled over their miserable appearances, and the disdain on her face only deepened.
Little One looked at her in confusion.
What had they done to deserve such hatred?
They had barely arrived, yet Freiya seemed determined to make their lives miserable.
Strangely enough, even Freiya herself might not have been able to explain her animosity. There was simply something about Little One that made her uncomfortable. Rather than question that feeling, she had chosen to express it through insults.
Little One paid her no further attention.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Too late.
Those two words continued to echo in her mind.
She had endured eight years of torture. She had watched countless children die before her eyes. She had lost her mother, her friends, and almost everything she had ever known.
Yet she had held on.
She had held on because she believed there was still a chance for her and Addo to escape their miserable circumstances.
She had promised him that they would find a way into the world of cultivation. She had believed that, together, they could become strong enough to overcome the poison and everything else that stood in their way.
Now, after finally finding people who could guide them, she was being told that Addo had no hope.
A heavy feeling settled in her chest.
It felt as though she were drowning. She had never experienced such a sensation before, but she imagined this was what it must feel like to be submerged in deep water, struggling for breath while slowly sinking towards the bottom.
She couldn't accept it.
Not Addo.
Not after everything.
Beside her, Addo noticed the change in her expression.
He reached out and gently squeezed her remaining hand.
She lifted her head.
He was smiling at her.
Despite hearing that he had little chance of surviving, despite the terrible pain coursing through his body, and despite knowing that death might be approaching, he was still trying to comfort her.
"Don't make that face, little one," he said softly.
"It's alright."
Little One's expression crumbled.
For some reason, those words hurt more than anything Luobe had said.
She suddenly felt exhausted.
She no longer wanted to pretend that she was strong. She no longer wanted to hold back the tears gathering in her remaining eye.
So she let them fall.
She cried.
She cried as she looked at Addo's face, unable to understand why someone who had suffered so much could still find the strength to smile at her.
Freiya frowned in disgust.
"How unpleasant."
She turned around and led the youths following her back towards their original gathering place.
Luobe watched the little girl for a moment.
He sighed.
He had seen people react this way before. The Pathway of Ascension was filled with desperate individuals who came seeking an opportunity to change their fate. Many arrived with hope in their hearts, only to discover that the path ahead was far crueler than they had imagined.
He did not know what to say to the little girl.
So he remained silent.
After a while, Addo reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face.
"Come on, little one. Don't cry anymore."
She sniffled but said nothing.
For a moment, the two simply remained there, holding each other's hands.
Eventually, Little One lifted her head.
Her expression had become listless, and her voice was unusually solemn when she spoke.
"How do we leave this forest?"
Luobe blinked.
"Leave?"
"Yes. If Addo cannot become a cultivator, then we'll leave and find someone who can treat him. There must be a physician somewhere who can help."
She spoke as though the answer were simple.
If cultivation was no longer an option, they would find another way.
Surely, there had to be someone capable of treating Addo's condition. Surely, the world could not be so cruel as to deny them even that small opportunity.
Luobe stared at her for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"Little one, I'm afraid you misunderstand something."
He paused before continuing.
"Once you enter this forest to seek the path of cultivation, you cannot simply leave whenever you wish."
Little One looked at him.
"What?"
"Those who enter the Pathway of Ascension must complete the trial. You either succeed and leave as a cultivator, or fail and lose your life here."
He delivered the words without much emotion.
He had not expected her to ask such a question. Most people who came to the Holy Ground already knew what awaited them. They understood the risks, even if they were desperate enough to accept them.
Little One, however, seemed completely unaware.
She stared at him blankly.
For a moment, she couldn't understand what he had just said.
She couldn't leave?
That meant...
If Addo could not pass the trial, he would die.
And if she couldn't pass it either, she would die alongside him.
Little One's lips parted, but no words came out.
It felt as though someone had poured a bucket of ice-cold water over her head.
Her last remaining hope had just been crushed.
What now?
Why?
Why was it always like this?
She had thought that finding other people would bring an end to their suffering. She had thought that reaching the Holy Ground would finally give them a chance to change their lives.
But once again, the world had presented her with another cruel choice.
She looked down at her hand, still held tightly by Addo.
Her mother was gone.
The children she had befriended in the physician's lair were gone.
Miral was gone.
Enan was gone.
And now the world seemed determined to take Addo away from her too.
How utterly ridiculous.
For the first time since arriving at the Holy Ground, Little One wondered whether the world had ever intended to give her a chance at happiness.
Perhaps it had abandoned her long before she could understand what abandonment meant.
And perhaps, no matter where she went, misery would always find a way to follow.