Volume I : Forsaken
----------------------------------------
"What are you waiting for? What kind of coward is scared of a first-tier demon beast?"
Avery winced at Chao Wei's words, but otherwise remained frozen, unable to bring the knife down on his helpless prey. The little fox was just too adorable, looking up at him pitifully, puffing up its fluffy white fur in a fruitless attempt to appear threatening, a single tear falling from it's watery eyes. It looked so soft, so innocent, he had trouble believing it would ever grow up to be a fearsome beast, much less that it had already killed someone.
He knew the dangers of hesitating in front of a demon, no matter how inoffensive it appeared. He knew this was his chance to gain his first experience points and finally start cultivating immortality. He also knew his future in the sect was as good as over if he failed such a simple task.
In spite of that, his hand refused to move. He was a city boy, one who had never harmed anything bigger than a fly, far from ready to ruthlessly end the life of this supposed monster.
When he first inexplicably crossed into a mystical world, he felt exhilarated, thinking of all the fun adventures that filled the novels he loved. He even had a game-like system that could level him up through killing enemies or completing quests. This was a dream come true, breaking free from his mundane life and setting off on the path to excellence. The system would be his ladder, which he would climb straight to immortality and invincibility.
The weeks it took to integrate a demon hunting group as a mortal had dampened his spirits somewhat, but it was only now that he realized how unsuitable his sheltered modern upbringing was to this lawless land. Forget about fighting for resources or hunting evil cultivators, he couldn't even bring himself to harm a dangerous beast.
Stuck in place, not knowing what to do, Avery watched with apprehension as the fox approached him cautiously. He had to control himself. He had to act, and take a life. It was going to die no matter what, it would never be allowed to escape this place alive. The only difference would be whether Avery would join it in the underworld, or if he would begin his journey towards immortality.
The poor animal inched forward, eyes fixated on the gleaming blade. Avery to leaned back away from it, yet he dared not take a step back, his feet glued to the floor. The knife in his hand felt impossibly heavy, causing his arms to dip slightly, forcing him to raise them again. Time extended, each second seeming like hours, his knife wobbling uselessly, until Avery finally gathered his resolve.
His arms were locked in place, refusing to move, so it was his whole body that was slowly leaning forward. Unable to strike down the gorgeous creature, he would simply fall on it. It was only coincidence that his knife would fall with him, angled to take its life. It didn't make sense, but somehow that felt less cruel, like it would not really be his fault. That was right. It would be gravity's fault, and he would not be blamed for the brutal murder of such an adorable fox.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Useless trash, I'll do it myself!”
A boot slammed into Avery's side, sending him flying while a brusque hand tore the knife away from him. Lying dazedly on the forest floor, Avery blinked as panicked mewls, angry curses and pained roars reached his ears. All thoughts deserting his mind as he refused to interpret those noises, simply staring at the green canopy, waiting for it to be over.
The ruckus dimmed down, and Chao Wei's snarling face appeared above him, blood dripping from his left eye. It took Avery an immense amount of effort to lift his head, only let himself fall back down with a relieved sigh, spotting no blood on the knife.
He felt detached from the whole situation, as if he was an unrelated observer, suddenly acutely appreciating how much he didn’t belong here. And in how much trouble he was in. He had probably just ruined his life, and that was if he survived Chao Wei’s anger. He expected to be immediately beaten up, but when Chao Wei forced himself to calm down and reached down to grab him with a frigid expression, it was somehow worse.
"Follow me" Chao Wei commanded, dragging Avery along, marching towards the formation that would teleport them back to the sect. "The sect can tolerate mediocre talent, but cowardice is unforgivable."
Avery knew he was right, and that the consequences for his mistake would be too heavy for him to bear. His mind was numb, unable to face what was happening. In a trance, he repeated to himself phrases like "this world is crazy" and "I want to go home" as if they were incantations. He did not know what would happen to him, and had no desire to think about it. He only wished he was somewhere else, anywhere but here.
As Chao Wei channeled Qi into the teleportation formation, his newly scarred face eerily expressionless, Avery mechanically took out the novice gift of the system: a fireball talisman. There was no question of using it against Chao Wei, but with the right timing, perhaps he could use it to unbalance the teleportation formation, shattering space and making the teleportation destination random. Admittedly, the chances were high that he would instantly die or appear somewhere unsuited for human life, but even that felt preferable to facing reality.
In the back of his mind, he knew this was a mistake, the smart thing to do would be to get over himself and quietly surrender himself and endure a fair punishment. With time, a youthful mistake would be forgotten. He merely had to wait for the next opportunity to prove himself to the sect. Unfortunately, being rational did not rank high on his list of priorities at the moment. He just couldn't bear to face natives pointing out how inadequate his way of life was to this world. In this brutal world that didn’t quite feel real, dying in an explosion didn’t seem so bad. He no longer wanted an eventful life. Adventures were too stressful, too full of violence and pain, always teetering at the edge of death. He wanted to go back home, to reading novels and hanging out with friends.
Some might find constant fighting exciting, but Avery would much rather take his chances and try to find new life doing fulfilling work. He could be a farmer, a merchant or a court official, he didn’t care. He just wanted a comfortable life where he was neither being hurt nor hurting anyone else. If he died before that, he would pray this was all a dream, and that he would wake up alright on earth, in the peaceful life he had taken for granted.
Shoving Chao Wei out of the formation, hoping that would be enough to prevent him from being harmed or implicated in his escape, Avery activated the talisman while mouthing "Sorry." Sorry for being useless, sorry for causing your injury, and sorry for selfishly endangering you in my impulsive escape.
Everything went black.