What happened next happened so fast, Zan could hardly keep up: he felt the magic enter his body, a truly pathetic sum, but enough to imbue into the bike; once the magic entered the machine's unique magical receptors, Zan gave the 'battle charge' order and the bike shot ahead like a blast from a cannon; with the magic imbued and activated, moments before the bike took off, Zan's body totally collapsed, his fingers trapped to the bike handles as though sticky tree sap kept them there by force; this attachment to the bike proved useful for Zan as it kept him 'glued' to the bike despite his lack of consciousness; for this was the final thing which happened: with the speck of magic Zan begged for from his parasite exhausted, and the bike's function properly performed, Zan was on the other side of the pass, but the toll on his body was so great, once he fell from the bike, he was totally defenseless. Zan was lucky, then, his unconsciousness lasted only for a precious couple of minutes until he regained enough of himself to roll his body into a nearby ditch. Content he was away enough from the main road, Zan gave into the shadows gathering at the edge of his vision and lost consciousness again, this time, for much longer than a few minutes.

When he woke, it was night.

'At least I woke up,' Zan thought upon opening his eyes and seeing he was neither dead or captured by the enemy.

"Simulacrum?" Zan said, whispering.

"You are awake. Excellent, Zan. Sigma-Prime and I were worried. Your vitals are low."

Vitals aside, Zan felt hungry more than anything else. His eyes felt heavy with sleep. Zan went back to sleep. When he woke next, he felt well enough to move his body. It remained dark.

"How long was I out?" Zan asked Simulacrum once he was awake.

Simulacrum answered, "Over a day."

A DAY!?

Zan couldn't believe it. A whole day. No wonder he was starving!

"Just a moment, Simulacrum. I am going to try Jiehong..."

Zan pressed another button on his earpiece. "Jiehong?" he asked. No response.

Back at the Screen Master, Zan said, "Nothing."

"I have been trying Jiehong nonstop. Like you, however, he is experiencing not only the results of losing a duel with a more experienced martial artist, but what happens when that happens to compound with Shining hangover."

"Shining... hangover?" Zan spoke, confused. Sore. But mostly hungry.

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"You experienced a Shining Hangover after the first time you drew upon the power of the entity within. You slept for a long time."

He remembered. That was back at the rebel camp post-labor camp raid... seemed like a forever ago even though it was hardly a month, if that. "Yeah. I remember now. Thanks for that, Simmi..." Zan said, shortening Simulacrum's name.

With the grace of an intoxicated monkey on stilts, Zan rolled onto his stomach, then slowly brought his legs underneath him, until he was in a kneeling position. Face to the earth. Hot breath slapped against the dirt when Zan heaved a leg into a couched half-kneel. Progress! Zan exclaimed, nearly on his feet. Taking several deep breaths for the final leg of him standing himself up, Zan gagged himself when he lurched his other leg into the kneeling position. He shot up. No more horsing with it. Zan did it -- he stood himself up.

And then vomited.

Hunched over himself, Zan evacuated what nothing remained in his belly. Spitting to clear his mouth of the remaining sour-tasting acid, Zan knew he must've looked a mess. Puke on his feet, saliva on his lips. Weird shining attire...

Keeping himself standing by sheer will, the last thing Zan wanted was to fall again to his knees.

"Hungry... where is food?" Zan asked Simulacrum.

A moment later Simulacrum chimed in and said, "There is ample fruit growth nearby if you can reach the vines and trees bearing the edible fruit."

Not asking about what kind of fruit was close, Zan was simply content with there being fruit close. He wouldn't starve to death after all!

"Point me in the right direction," Zan said, raising his head and self to his full stature.

Simulacrum attempted to describe to Zan in precise detail where the closest fruit was likely to be. Zan knew what he would be looking for in terms of plant-life, he often scouted back in his birth province. But he didn't know the exact growth rate for the fruits and vegetables he liked eating back home. Here, they might be radically different. Zan hoped he wouldn't be long in searching for food.

Inching his way to the main road, Zan spotted his bike nearby. He had tumbled from this spot over a day ago when he fell, defeated.

Belatedly was how Zan recognized the danger.

Zan spotted his bike but felt too numb to realize enemies surrounded him until Simulacrum said, "Drop low!" Finally seeing the danger in the form of a rumbling row of Expanse troop transports; "feck!" Zan cursed. He dropped himself like a sack of corn to the dirt. He hit his ribs. Ow! Prone and on the ground, Zan watched as the column of larger-than-usual troop transports rigged with sunstones for nighttime travel passed.

With the vehicles clear, Zan unfurled his seeing scope. He looked for lights or signs of disturbances giving the enemy away. He saw a few sunstone lights, blipping in the shadows, but nothing to indicate the gargantuan host he encountered yesterday. Whatever happened, Zan doubted the surprise force had stuck around. Based on his observations, he guessed the passing vehicles were part of the final cluster of divisions to withdraw. Did Zan wonder where that impressive host was now? Of course. But he couldn't worry about 'the future' when 'the now' saw him on the brink of death until he found some fruit to stuff his face with. Seeing no more vehicles approach, Zan put his seeing lens away and crawled across the road, inching his way forward via elbows, like he was a ground fish.

It cost him rubbed raw elbows. Because some dirt had lodged into his shirt sleeves, the raw rub turned bloody. By the time Zan finished making his way across the road and stand, he felt a trickles of blood run down his arms. Zan didn't need to consult the Screen Master about where the fruits would be. They would be near the trees. Away from the highway.