I'm currently moving through the forest on a path that shows evidence of human traffic. I've been on my feet for some time, with no sign of any human or, weirdly, any animals. Ever since I arrived on this world, I have heard the constant sound of bird calls, but I've yet to see one.
The lack of animal sightings is starting freak me out, as Jian's history showed me that wolves, at least, roam the forest. In an era of little pollution and with a relatively small human population, the forest should be teeming with all sorts of wildlife. To have not seen a single one, with no immediate evidence of some kind of disaster? It's got to be interference from outside forces.
But to be able to root out all life from a forest, while leaving no obvious traces, requires either meticulous planning…
Or great power.
Either one of those options is something that could crush me with no effort. Of course, I could be overthinking it; there could be a reasonable explanation the forest is like this.
...I've digressed; it's an important matter that needs further thought and investigation, but I have a greater worry to think about at the moment.
I think I'm developing a fever.
It wasn't even ten minutes into my walk before I started feeling weak and broke out in a sweat. Now, my breathing has started to become rapid, and my vision blurry.
I really don't want to be done in by a fucking fever, of all things, after all I've gone through in the last three days, so I'm trying my hardest to remain conscious long enough to reach humanity, even if it means I risk falling into the hands of some villain.
Going by the position of the sun, I've been on the road for over an hour, and at the speed I'm moving, I should've passed the half-way mark to my destination; but I need to take a break.
If I stop now, I might never reach safety, but I'm... too tired; both mentally and physically.
Although I have tried to keep a positive mindset since coming to this reality, I know what awaits me in out there in the wider world, and it's not something I am in anyway ready for.
Before I died, I was just a normal accountant who lived in a single bedroom flat overlooking the sea, content with my simple and quiet life. My days were mostly the same; walk the dog, work, home, dinner, maybe read on my phone for a bit, then sleep.
My life was stagnant, but I was happy.
Now, I'm expected to explore a multiverse crawling with dreadful powers, at the request of a nigh-omnipotent force; the Heavenly Dao.
'Oh, but Sarah', I hear you say, 'you volunteered.'
Bullshit.
I died, unexpectedly, in some manner unknown to me, and, quite conveniently, awoke in a place I've dreamed of my entire life.
Does that make any sense?
I'm almost certain I was killed by some greater power, and then 'chosen' to be sent to a new universe. I had no other choice but to come here.
Twos, as much as I choose to believe bore me no ill will, still held my existence in the palm of its hand. What was I meant to do, say no?
'How?' I ask you.
When you have a gun to your head, I dare you to look your attacker in the eye and tell them, 'Hey. Just fucking shoot me.'
Now, I'm lost in a forest that makes no sense, afflicted with a fever, and down two fingers.
If I make it past this day, I'm going to put in as much effort as I can into becoming... powerful. Power over others isn't me, but power for myself is something I can get behind.
I... apparently, have the lofty goal of becoming an eternal existence. While that wish resonates deep within my soul, I know its not something that can be achieved in a short amount of time.
I have, embarrassingly enough, read a lot of Xianxia, so I have a certain amount of understanding of Taoism. I think, from the stories that follow a fairly standard plot, that the end goal of Taoism is to undergo immortal ascension and reach the Dao, becoming an unfettered being.
Depending on the type of story, that can take anywhere from a single year, to billions.
The structure of a Xianxia reality is clear in it's divisions of power, with people struggling to defeat an enemy that's the tiniest bit more powerful then themselves, usually at the cost of their well-being. And unless aided by a 'treasure' that can bend the rules of heaven and earth, they cannot interact with or use abilities beyond their rank.
Cultivators of those types of realities pursue greater and greater heights, one realm at a time, until ultimately, they can do things that would make YHWH hang its head in defeat.
But this is the Marvel universe. Sure, there is awesome power, and there are entities that embody fundamental aspects of existence, but it comes with a sense of freedom that is absent in a cultivation world.
Here, weaker beings can defeat those of much greater power, and mortal humans can interfere in the actions of gods. There is a lot of room to maneuver; and no being is completely insurmountable.
With enough knowledge, and with the right power, anything is possible.
And that's something I can use to my advantage.
According to my character sheet, I'm a Dao Child. As much as I disfavor the power, and have no real wish to be beholden to the Heavenly Dao, if it's my one chance to become eternal, I'm going to start abusing it as much as I can.
With newfound resolve, I push past my fatigue and march on, determined to reach safety.
As I pick up the pace, a vague, humanoid figure appears in my blurry vision, and in my surprise, I make the mistake of stopping. A wave of dizziness overcomes me, and I fall to my knees. I hear the figure cry in alarm and rush towards me as I start to lose consciousness.
Just before I pass out, I weakly grasp my stick and divine an answer.
'Point me... to a... safe... person.'
I see the stick slowly fall, and point in front of me.
With hope in my heart, I black out.
…
Dreams are a strange thing.
They come to life in our sleep, and transport us to fantastical worlds; they can manifest the souls of our departed, and conjure us an entire life, only to trick us into believing that we have known no other.
You can go about your days, unaware of all that you've dreamt; until one day, you step outside and go to cross the road, when you abruptly stop.
Avoiding the car that would've ended your life.
You'll run back home and dive under your covers, heart pounding, and think 'I almost just died.' You will convince yourself that déjà vu saved you, not knowing that your dreams have shown you the future.
Because that's what it means; déjà vu...
Already seen.
…
I know I'm dreaming, I've been to the Seedbed too many times to be unable to recognize a dream, but I've never encountered one like this before.
I'm floating above a bed that's placed in a corner, my body horizontal, facing the ground, looking down at myself as I sleep in an unknown location. My jacket is missing, revealing my warm grey shirt, and I can see that my body is soaked in sweat, with my face red and clammy.
Sitting beside me is an unknown asian woman, dressed in a simple, blue robe, fastened by a white cloth belt, who leans over me, dabbing my forehead with a wet cloth. As I look closer at her face, I can see signs of exhaustion, telling me that she's been trying to keep me alive for quite a while.
Looking away from myself, I examine where I am. The room is small, with wooden walls and a single door to my side, with light shining through the gap between it and the stone floor. Opposite my bed stands a dresser, while a desk rests against the wall with the door. Upon the desk I find my jacket and Jian, leading me to suspect that I'm somewhere safe.
Taking advantage of my unbodied state, I slowly approach the door and press my hand against it, where it passes through.
Cool.
Ghosting through, I find myself in a small, four sided courtyard enclosed by chinese style buildings, with red, wooden pillars supporting overhanging roofs topped by clay tiles.
I ascend above the courtyard to ascertain where I am, and see a long stretch of buildings, centered by what looks to be a tall, temple-like building. Curious, I start to move towards it, when without warning, a column of swirling orange fire erupts from the temple. It shoots into the sky, before plummeting back to the ground and spreading out in wave.
As the wave sweeps towards me I quickly start to retreat, but it washes over me and drags me along. When the fire reaches the walls surrounding the area, it begins to retreat and gather in the temple, where it releases me onto its wooden floor.
The fire collects into a single point and shines with the light of the sun. As I stare up at it, I begin to hear the sound of cracking coming from the orb, before it splits down the middle, revealing two white, chinese characters that I don't recognize.
'祝融.'
While the two sides of the orb dissipate, the characters starts to emit golden fire that slowly forms into a giant, faceless humanoid with long, floating hair, adorned in an armor made from small, rectangular plates.
Once the being is complete, it lowers its head to look at me. It raises its right arm and reaches towards me, before gripping my midsection in its large hand. It brings me to its face, where I feel, somehow, that I am being judged. Seemingly happy with what it finds, it gives me a nod of its head, before winding back its arm, and launching me from the temple.
I pass beyond the walled area at tremendous speed, my surroundings a blur. From what I manage to see, I suspect I'm heading towards the mountain I first landed on.
As my flight reaches its peak, I start to fall towards the forest. I approach the ground in an uncontrolled descent, and pass through the foliage and the trees, before I come to a sudden stop above a small body of water, just before I would've hit its surface.
I float, frozen, above the water, before I feel myself be pulled towards its bank. I pass over the ground and stop before a pair of giant, human legs, crossed in a half-lotus position. Whatever is controlling me tilts me up, until I come face-to-face with a pale-skinned man surrounded by animals such as stags and wolves, that lie peacefully around him.
Even as he sits against a large, moss covered tree, he towers over my full height. He has long, curly grey hair, from which rise a pair of antlers. His two dark eyes sit above a wild beard that covers his bare chest, and he is dressed in green, patterned cloth trousers, and a pair of rope sandals.
In his right hand he clutches some kind of metal ring, while a ram-horned serpent curls in his left.
As I'm brought before the man, each and every animal raises their heads and stares at me. The man himself shows no reaction to my presence, and remains expressionless, staring into my eyes. Eventually, he raises the serpent to me, where is slithers up my right arm to coil around my neck, before moving on and down my left.
The serpent come to my missing fingers and flicks its tongue out. It snaps its mouth open and bites down, one fang for each absent finger.
I feel nothing as this happens, nor do I try to move to stop it.
The serpent releases my hand and extends itself out towards the mans raised arm, where it returns to its place in his hand. The man lowers his arm back to his side and nods at me.
I'm slowly moved back over the water, before I'm abruptly released and splash down into it.
…
I awake with a gasp, my eyes wide. The woman beside jumps in surprise, before realization dawns on her face. She shoots up and says something I don't understand, then rushes out of the room. Weakly, I sit up and rest against the headboard.
What on earth was that dream?
I pull my left arm out from underneath the cover and peer at my hand. There is no mark from where the serpent bit me, but I'm not going to dismiss it. I deeply understand what kind of world I'm in, so I know better than to label what I saw as a simple dream.
My contemplation is disturbed by a notification that confirms my doubts,
[Divination Method Learned – Dream Divination: Whilst either asleep, or deep in meditation, you can peer into the past, present, and future. Caution is advised when using this method, as there are entities that will be able to perceive you, and might choose to take action against you.
Try not to get lost.]
Another divination method... is the Heavenly Dao trying to tell me something?
At least I know now that my dream had substance. But, if I take into account the warning the notification is giving me, then those beings I saw in my dream must be real, and of a certain level of power.
The figure made of fire appeared from the temple not far from me, so I might be able to get some answers from it in the future; but, that horned man... he is deep in that strange forest, and I have no desire to return there any time soon.
Plus, to have all those animals around him, is he related to why I saw none in the forest? What did he want with me, and why did he have that snake bite me?
These days, it seems like all I have are questions, and no ability to get any answers.
Suddenly, the door creaks open, and in steps the woman who was treating me, followed by an older man with graying hair tied in a topknot, dressed in a blue, wide-sleeved robe that crosses at the front. The woman is carrying a tray that holds a steaming teapot, and places in down on the chair, before moving aside.
The man half-kneels next to the bed and places one hand on the edge. He looks at me with concern on his face, and opens his mouth to speak.
What comes out are words that I can't understand.
...Of course, why wouldn't there be a fucking language barrier?!
Deep breath, Sarah, deep breaths.
...I want to go home.