Following my body's instinct and a little combat experience from my years in the military, I swung to the right, dodging its incoming pickers, then jumped — but something went wrong immediately, though I couldn't place what. My body launched higher than I'd intended, throwing off my landing, and the panther, already closing in, caught me across the side with its claws before I could correct.
*What the hell is going on here.* Pain tore through my ribcage where the claws had connected — I was fairly sure something had cracked — and I was still processing that when the serpent spat something venomous at me, my body dodging it on pure instinct before my mind had caught up.
"What are you thinking about, Young Master? In a battle, free your thoughts."
*Host, your bloodline is reacting to the danger you're facing. Without proper control, it's slipped its leash, acting against your own commands. In short — your mind and body aren't cooperating,* the System said, a little more seriousness creeping into its voice than usual.
I understood exactly how bad this was the moment I turned to run — the three of them had circled me, and running was the wrong move, dangerous, cornered. My body, on its own, rushed the eagle-thing with a strength that startled even me, and the punch that landed sent it crashing through a dozen trees, its beak caving in with a sound I felt more than heard.
"What the hell just happened." I was still buzzing, jumping around like some overexcited monkey, and the sudden violence of it briefly stunned the other two — until, as if they'd silently agreed on something between them, the panther peeled into the shadows and the serpent burrowed straight into the ground. My excitement died on the spot.
*Host, why have you stopped celebrating? I thought you'd already won,* it said, dripping with a sarcasm thick enough to actually annoy me.
As if timed together, they struck — one from below, one from somewhere above. *Does the shadow guy also control the sky now? Pick a lane, panther.* I scanned for an opening and made my choice fast — the ground attacker, whatever it was, could wait. One glimpse of the serpent's mouth splitting open, rows of teeth stacked deep inside it, smaller snakes writhing between them, wings unfurling from its back not for flight but for tunneling, was more than enough to redirect me entirely. All of this in the span of maybe two seconds. My thoughts were running faster than they had any right to, and every one of them agreed: not that thing.
I hate creeps. That's just a fact about me. I put everything into my fist and my legs, launching myself at the panther instead, at a speed that made me wonder, genuinely, if I'd become some kind of reborn speedster, and drove my fist straight into its head. It came apart on impact, bone and flesh giving way all at once. I didn't even have time to catch my breath before the serpent had closed the distance behind me, and my bloodline's aura surged out without my permission, hard enough that it froze mid-motion — the exact look of prey realizing, too late, that it had misjudged the predator in front of it.
Before I could close the distance and finish it, the eagle-thing came out of nowhere — I hadn't accounted for it at all, my whole focus locked on the serpent — and its pickers raked across my back hard enough that I felt something in my spine light up white-hot, a pain that made the earlier rib-crack feel almost gentle by comparison.
That made me angry. Not my usual irritation — something deeper, something that felt almost insulted on my behalf, power catching fire under my skin in response. I turned on the eagle-thing and beat it down without restraint, while the serpent stayed frozen, still caught in whatever fear my aura had put into it. Once the eagle was reduced to ruin, I turned back toward the serpent, still furious, not yet sure what I'd do next — but it didn't wait to find out. It vanished back into the ground and fled the clearing entirely, its life clearly worth more to it than the fight.
"What a coward," I said, not bothering to hide the contempt.
*Host, don't say that. Put yourself in its position — who fights a losing battle just to look brave? You only get one life,* it said, sounding irritatingly wise for something that lived in my head.
"So what exactly did you do there, Young Master? Fight, or just smash around like a maniac?" Elder Mo Xuan asked, still seated on his mat, sipping tea, as the forest dissolved back into the mountaintop around us.
"Elder, I honestly don't know. I'm not in control of my own body out there."
"At least you passed. Saves me from owing your father another favor." He took another sip.
"I heard from Elder Long Xingchen that you're curious about the prophecy — and about your mother's whereabouts."
I took a breath and settled into a meditation posture, since he clearly wasn't going to invite me to sit properly after a full training session. "I want to know about her. And the prophecy about my death. And who wants me dead."
"What you're looking for, child, isn't something you're meant to know yet." I could hear the seriousness building under his voice.
"What do you mean, Elder?"
"Let me put it plainly — you aren't strong enough yet to carry the answer. Those beasts you just fought? A teaspoon of water, next to the ocean you're asking about." He set his teacup down and looked straight at me.
"What you're seeking will come naturally, with strength. Until then — enjoy what the world has to offer you." There was something like grief threaded through that.
*He's right, Host. One step at a time,* it said — no surprise there, since neither of us was in any hurry to march toward whatever answer might get me killed.
"I understand, Elder."
"Good, child." Something like amusement crossed his face. "The clan has some information to pass along, concerning your little fiancée."
My chest tightened for a second, though I made sure not to let it show. "Can you tell me what it is, Elder?"
"That would ruin the fun. You may go — but be on time tomorrow. Lateness only makes things harder on you." He ignored my question entirely.
I stood, gave him a proper bow, and turned toward the staircase leading back down the mountain, still turning his words over in my head. I suddenly felt my wound twitching together which shows that it's healing,*quick recovery not bad*.