Ethan stared at the bloodbath around him. Human corpses lying around. Just a couple of days ago, he was living an entirely different life, and now everything had turned upside down.
In just a span of 48 hours, Ethan had faced death not once but twice—each time pulling himself back from the brink through sheer desperation and instinct.
He glanced down at the sword clutched tightly in his hand, the blade still streaked with the fresh evidence of his desperation. Around him lay the aftermath of the surreal fight for his life. Blood was everywhere, ruining the otherwise serene forest.
He did not plan for any of this to happen, but at the same time, he also did not regret it. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized he felt more excited than nervous.
The blood and chaos around him should have made him sick, but instead, he felt alive—more alive than he had ever been in his previous life. This new world wasn't bad but he needed to become more powerful. He also needed to find out who was after his life.
Ethan's gaze turned cold as he thought about that person. If he hadn't pushed himself, he would be dead right now. He needed more information about everything before something like this happened again.
But all of that could wait. For now, he needed to get out of here. All of this blood was bound to attract something stronger from the depths of the forest. Something that he wasn't in a condition to face currently.
All of his minions were injured, and he dismissed all of them.
The horses tied to the carriage had long since fled. There were now only corpses around him. He grabbed his backpack from the carriage, changed into a fresh set of clothes. He then grabbed the swords and daggers, and the black ring the carriage driver had on his finger.
The ring seemed special enough, but nothing happened when he wore it. He was too tired to think about it at the moment, so he ended up shoving it in his pocket for analysis at a later time. It was time to get the hell out of here.
Ethan continued trudging through the forest with his unsteady steps. The forest began to thin as he walked, and soon enough, he found a quiet, secluded spot by a small stream. He crouched by the water, staring at his reflection, a face dirtied with grime and blood.
He shook his head helplessly and began to rinse the blood off his hands and face. He splashed cold water onto his face, the shock of it jolting his senses back into focus. The forest around him was eerily quiet, save for the soft trickle of the stream.
As much as he wanted to keep moving forward, he knew following the original carriage route might lead him directly into another ambush. The people after him clearly had resources, and it wouldn't be surprising if they had more traps lying in wait.
On the other hand, veering off into uncharted territory carried its own risks. The forest was vast and full of unknown dangers, but it might be his best chance to avoid another encounter with those who wanted him dead.
Ethan stared at the rippling water, considering his options. Maybe he couldn't make a decision right now because he had no idea where the hell he was.
What he needed was a freaking map!
Without it, he was as good as blind, stumbling through an unknown world where every step could lead to danger.
He needed to know exactly where he was and what cities or settlements were near him, something that was a lot bigger than the small town he belonged to. Something big enough for him to disappear.
Just then, he heard a loud chirp above him. He looked up to see a small bird perched on the tree. He smiled. "Maybe I am not on my own."
Ethan's smile widened as he watched the little bird flutter from branch to branch above him. It was small, with bright, iridescent feathers that shimmered in the sunlight.
It chirped again and was about to jump onto the next branch when suddenly a black ball of fur collided against the bird. As soon as she was summoned, Shadow did her job perfectly.
The bird let out a startled chirp, its wings flailing as it tumbled to the ground in a flurry of feathers. Shadow landed gracefully nearby, her green eyes glinting with satisfaction as she batted the stunned bird with a paw.
"Hey. Hey. That's enough." Ethan blocked Shadow's next paw with an awkward expression as he did the deed instead. Sure, it still pricked him to kill something small and innocent like this but… it was kill or be killed.
Ethan watched as the bird's body went limp.
[Ding! Yellow bird has been added to your summoning list.]
"Summon Tweety"
The next second, a small yellow bird walked out of nothingness. The bird's corpse still lay beside him, yet a brand-new bird was right in front of him.
The newly summoned yellow bird hopped toward Ethan, its iridescent feathers catching the light in a way that seemed almost magical. It chirped once, tilting its head as if waiting for instruction.
Ethan couldn't help but let a small grin slip through his otherwise serious expression. "Welcome to the team, Tweety," he muttered, crouching to get a better look at the tiny creature.
Shadow, still sulking nearby, let out a soft huff, clearly unimpressed by the new addition. Her emerald eyes narrowed as she lazily swished her tail back and forth. Ethan glanced at her and chuckled under his breath. "Relax, you're still my favorite."
Meow. The cat jumped onto his shoulder and declared her superiority to the world.
Ethan ignored the little idiot and spoke to the bird. "Can you fly around and find out which is the nearest city? I mean a place with a lot of human beings, a lot more than a small town. Ah… do you understand what I am telling you?"
The bird tilted its head to the other side with its eyes dazed and confused.
Ethan realized there was a big glaring mistake in his plan. How was he going to communicate with this bird?
He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as the bird fluttered around in confused loops above him. "Yeah, I figured as much," he muttered to himself. Tweety wasn't exactly exuding intelligence or comprehension.
Shadow meowed smugly from his shoulder, her tail swishing against his back as if to say, Told you I'm better. Ethan reached up to scratch her chin absentmindedly. "Okay, fine, I'm improvising," he said aloud, more to convince himself than anyone else.
He waved at Tweety with exaggerated gestures, pointing down the forest path and mimicking a bird flying far ahead. "Just… go that way and scout for danger, alright? No people, no monsters, just trees, and safety. Got it?"
The bird chirped in response—whether out of understanding or instinct, Ethan couldn't tell—and flapped off into the canopy. Ethan watched it disappear into the dappled light filtering through the leaves. "Great. Now we wait and see if it comes back in one piece."