Wuzhi's body was fished out of the pit by Warrior Mamo's zombie-like movements. He then used the key by his waist to release the shackles on the former's limbs.
The young scholar's condition was… ghastly. His body had worryingly thinned and was covered in innumerable wounds. Fat, thumb-sized leeches were stuck to nearly every inch of his uncovered body and pulsed with fervour as they nibbled away at his flesh and blood. His skin was nearly transparent and glass-like, exposing bluish-purple veins which transported insufficient blood.
His breaths were frighteningly faint and his body's warmth was as cold as a corpse. His life was akin to a flickering candle whose flame was being battered by the winds of a tempest; it was at risk of being snuffed out at any given moment.
After freeing his shackles, Warrior Mamo stripped Varu's corpse and robbed him of his beast-skin clothes. He then carefully wrapped Wuzhi's chest with the fabric and hoisted him onto his shoulder. Turning around, he braved the rapidly growing winds and walked towards the town.
Halfway to the town, clarity seemed to return to Mamo's eyes. A curious expression overcame his face as he began questioning his actions. Almost immediately, however, his zombie-like state was restored as Wuzhi mumbled incoherently with his bluish lips. Warrior Mamo picked up his pace and began running toward the town with the young scholar in tow.
By now, the storm over the Iron Rhino Tribe had manifested in full. Roaring great winds tore through the village causing the roads, bridges, and buildings to precariously shake. The winds grew so ferocious that Warrior Mamo had no choice but to stop every now and then to hide behind a structure and wait for particularly fierce winds to pass.
Time, however, was swiftly running out. Wuzhi's condition grew precarious with each passing second. He could no longer afford to wait.
Drawing upon his reserves and forcing his Core to its limits, Warrior Mamo braved the slicing winds and continued to rush toward his destination. The ice-cold winds began to cut and slice him, however, Mamo paid no heed to the damage suffered by his body and continued to single-mindedly run while protecting Wuzhi.
Fortunately, he managed to arrive at his destination before the collapse of his body. Amidst the howling wind, he arrived at the doorstep of a particular hut. Gathering energy in his hands, he knocked at the door with apparent force to wake its owner.
"Revered Shaman! Please open the doors to your abode and save this servant!!" He mindlessly repeated.
He did not wait for long as the door soon swung open. A muscular, hunched-back old man with a flowing grey beard appeared in Warrior Mamo's sight. "What madness overcame you to be out at this time!?!" roared the shaman.
"Revered Shaman, please treat this servant!" cried Mamo as he offered Wuzhi's body.
"Come in! Come in first!" The shaman first pulled in Mamo and shut the door. He then turned around and yelled, "You!! Who is this!? Why must I—!!" The shaman's voice was caught in his throat.
The dying scholar's previously shut eyes were now open. His argent globes ominously stared into the shaman's eyes and were sending a peculiar type of energy into the shaman.
The shaman, whose instincts had been sharpened over years of battle, immediately recognized the danger of his situation. He did not know what the danger was or why he was feeling it but was nonetheless on guard against it. He focused his mind and pulled his energy to guard his mind against this peculiar attack.
Alas, like water slipping through cracks in the ground, the peculiar energy emitted by Wuzhi went around the shaman's energy shield and sunk into unknown recesses of his mind. The shaman felt his sense of danger cry louder with each passing second and gathered all of his strength and knowledge to guard against it. Unfortunately, his efforts fell short.
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The intelligence found within the depths of the shaman's eyes disappeared and a dull look took its place. Utterly exhausted by his efforts, Wuzhi lost all of his energy and fell limp. His consciousness blacked out once again.
"Uh? Where am I? Revered Shaman, what am I doing—!" Released from a mysterious curse, Mamo panicked at the sight of unfamiliar surroundings. His gaze quickly settled on the shaman who was now caring for Wuzhi.
"Isn't that the prisoner? What is he—!?" Warrior Mamo stopped. No voice came out of his throat. A strangling pressure appeared around his neck and slowly increased in intensity.
Mamo clutched to his throat and struggled in a bid to escape from that strangling pressure. His chest heaved furiously at the lack of fresh oxygen entering his body. Saliva flowed out his mouth as his tongue helplessly lolled around. His eyes bulged to nearly pop out of his sockets. Sheer, inescapable fear filled him.
Snap! A sharp crack sounded. Warrior Mamo's head fell and his body went limp. The shaman casually waved his hand and tossed Mamo's body to a corner akin to tossing a bag of garbage. He then carefully lifted Wuzhi's body and took him to the inner chambers of his house.
"Oh, Kurekena! My sweet, precious little daughter. Father will not fail you now. This time, Father will cure your illness," the shaman gently consoled while caressing Wuzhi's face. A look of infinite love appeared on his face while tears fell from his eyes.
"I will not let the Great Baal claim you once again. Surely! Surely, I will save you. Trust father."
He eventually disappeared behind the curtains leading to his inner chambers with Wuzhi in hand.
---
Two and a half weeks had passed when Wuzhi woke. The first thing that he noticed upon waking was the heavy, powerful scent of herbal medicine that hung in the air. He then opened his eyes to take a gander at his surroundings.
Wuzhi found himself near-entirely wrapped in medicine-soaked bandages. He felt a mixture of numbness and pain from multiple parts of his body and felt immensely weak. He tried to move his limbs, only to be overcome by a sharp, stabbing pain at the attempt. The best that he could accomplish with moderate difficulty was to wiggle his fingers and move his eyes.
A dull groan resounded from his stomach. Wuzhi closed his eyes and muttered something incomprehensible with his lips. His partially rosy face paled severely once again and blood began leaving from his nostrils. A severe pain wrecked his mind. Still, the young scholar tolerated it.
Minutes passed in uneventful silence as Wuzhi lay immobile. Just as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness once again, the curtains to the inner chambers parted and the elder shaman entered. His eyes were dull and his face was stiff.
"My darling Kurekena!" he exclaimed, his voice strangely lacking in character. "You have awoken!"
He then kneeled next to Wuzhi and gently propped him straight. "Come. Be a good girl and drink this mixture." He raised the bowl containing the medicine and slowly fed it to Wuzhi.
The medicine's taste was beyond revolting. However, Wuzhi held back his disgust and obediently drank it. For this upcoming period, he would require all the strength that his body could grant him.
After finishing the mixture, Wuzhi hoarsely muttered, "Was it… taken care… of?"
The shaman's head hung low as he mechanically answered. "Two bodies were disposed of. The storm took care of the traces. The pits were collapsed and buried."
Wuzhi did not reply. He hung his head and gathered his bandaged arms. His long, dry hair began to mystically sway as the atmosphere around the young scholar suddenly changed. His argent eyes glowered as a malevolent expression settled on his face.
"T-they imprisoned me. T-they bound my l-limbs with chains. O-once again, th-they tried to imprison me." His hoarse voice strangely stuttered while his body intermittently spasmed and trembled. The expression on his face also cycled between malevolence, immense fear, great hatred, and venomous determination. "N-no. I won't allow it. I-It's fine this time, isn't it? I-I'm not wrong. I'm not immoral. It's jus-justified this time."
"T-they chained me. It's…" A look of deranged madness settled, twisting his exquisite features to resemble that of a demon. With a tone that seemed to contain the frigid winds of hell, Wuzhi whispered. "Unacceptable."
"They imprisoned me. Unacceptable."
"They bound me with chains. Unacceptable!"
"They restricted my freedom and refused to feed me. Unacceptable!!"
Seemingly having shaken off the invisible restrictions that had been shackling him, a crazy smile filled Wuzhi's face. His smile was one of bliss and satisfaction; innocent like a newborn child. The young scholar's eyes, however, spoke an entirely different story.
Reflected within his eyes was something inhuman and alien; a light that did not belong to this world; unwelcome and full of strangeness. It was a look that subconsciously birthed revulsion and fear in the hearts of those who were unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse of it.
It was unknown what had changed but Wuzhi looked… different. His appearance remained the same; ethereal and divine. However, his 'feeling' had changed. He felt foreign, malevolent, and utterly terrifying.
"Yes. They are unacceptable. And such is the will of the heavens."