Chapter 4: Awakening from Death, Rebirth in an Unfamiliar Body
Slowly, the young man forced his eyes open amidst a haze of darkness.His body felt as if it were pinned beneath a mountain of stone, every nerve burning, torn apart from within.Breathing was a struggle—the air he inhaled was damp, cold, and heavy with the scents of earth, moss, and the faint tang of blood.
He tried to move his fingers, but they remained limp and powerless, as if he were trapped inside a body that was not his own.His heart beat sluggishly, as though it had only just been coaxed back to life.
"What… happened?"
He remembered...He remembered the parachute jump—the vast sky, the looming storm, the thunder that tore the heavens apart, and the bolt of lightning that struck him directly.The searing heat, the jolt of terror, and then—nothing but darkness.
He should have been dead.
Turning his gaze downward, he examined his body.Where once had been a soldier's hardened muscles, now there was a pale, slender frame.His hands, though intact, bore no scars from past missions.His military uniform was gone, replaced by bloodstained, tattered robes.
A wave of confusion crashed over him like a relentless tide.
"Whose body... is this?"
The thought echoed in his mind as he struggled to sit up.It was no easy feat—weak muscles trembled, and pain lanced through him with every small movement, as if this body had endured unspeakable torment.Still, he gritted his teeth and pushed through the agony.
"Do not move yet. Rest. Your wounds are grave,"
a soft voice urged—a woman clad in black, steadying him gently.He blinked in confusion, piecing together fragments of memory.
Then came the bitterness of unfamiliar medicine forced past his lips, and darkness claimed him once more.
He did not know how many times he drifted between sleep and waking.But each time his eyes fluttered open, the two young women were there by his side, tending to him with quiet devotion.
"Where… where am I? Who are you?"
At last, he regained enough strength to speak, the pain in his body lessened.The confusion, however, still clung to him like a lingering mist.
"The Abyss of Death,"
the woman in black answered with a faint smile.
"Who are you?"
"Do you not remember?"
"I... I'm not sure if this is a dream or reality."
"You saved us," she said. "You fought against the bandits for us. You were thrown into this abyss by them."
He furrowed his brow, struggling to make sense of her words.He tapped his forehead lightly, trying to drive away the fog clouding his mind.
"I saved... you?"
"Yes. You saved both of us. But you were badly wounded and cast into this abyss."
"You were thrown down too?"
"We jumped after you," she said, her voice firm. "We could not leave you behind."
"Jumped?" he repeated in disbelief, gazing upward at the mist-shrouded sky.Only a faint glow of light filtered down through the dense fog.
"Yes. Fortune favored us. Vines broke our fall and saved our lives. How are you feeling?"
Steadying himself, the young man—whose true name was Li Feitian—rose with effort and made his way to a small pool nearby.
What he saw in the reflection made his heart stop.
The face in the water was not his own.Gone was the rugged soldier he knew.In his place was a pale, frail-looking young man with sharp features and long, disheveled hair.Bruises marred his neck and shoulders, signs of brutal mistreatment.
"What is happening?"
Panic clutched his chest.This was no dream—no illusion.The pain, the cold air, even the sluggish breath he took—all were real.
He had not died.
But he was no longer the man he once was.
His heart pounded as the terrible truth dawned:he was trapped in another's body.Only his soul remained his own.
During the days that followed, while recovering in the abyss, fragments of old and new memories intertwined within him.
"I am Yao Ningjian,"
the woman in green introduced herself,"and this is my younger sister, Yao Ninghe. We were on our way to the Qi Kingdom."
"I... my name is Li Feitian,"
he said hesitantly, adjusting to the archaic language flowing from his lips.
"Master Li,"
the two women bowed respectfully.
"We owe you our lives. Had you not awakened, we would have remained here, guarding your grave until the end of our days,"
Yao Ninghe said with a smile of genuine relief.
Li Feitian nodded slightly, unable to explain the strange and profound fate that had befallen him.All he knew was that he now inhabited the body of a young man named Qi Dongyang.
The Abyss of Death was not merely a place of darkness.It was a world teeming with hidden wonders and dangers.
As the three survivors struggled within this unforgiving chasm, they realized it was not a place that tolerated weakness.To live here, they would need determination, unity, and relentless will.
In the beginning, the abyss was shrouded in darkness so thick it swallowed even the sky.The dense forest above sealed them in, leaving only the sound of distant water flowing like a faint, faraway hope.
Li Feitian, though still in pain, refused to yield.The spirit of a soldier burned fiercely within him.
Yao Ninghe—the woman in black—searched tirelessly for anything that could aid their survival.Her sword never left her hand.She cut branches, gathered wild herbs, and carved out shelter each night beneath the twisted trees.
Yao Ningjian—the woman in green—proved just as vital.Though soft-spoken, she possessed deep knowledge of herbs and healing.Within days, she had prepared salves to treat their wounds and ease their suffering.
Li Feitian's body began to recover, thanks to her medicine.Their survival was intertwined with her quiet wisdom.
Each morning, cloaked in mist, the sisters foraged for food—fishing in nearby streams, gathering edible fruits and plants.The faint murmur of water in the distance became a song of hope amidst their struggle.
Time passed, and they adapted to the abyss.Hunting, gathering, healing—every skill was honed for the sake of survival.
Each day, they searched for a way out, refusing to succumb to despair.Though the path ahead was treacherous, they pressed on together.
At night, beneath a crude shelter built from branches and leaves, they huddled by a small fire.The flickering flames illuminated their faces and hearts, sustaining their fragile hope.Though the world above might have forsaken them, within this abyss, their bond was their greatest strength.
To be continued...