'It's really dark. Did I…?' Damon was surprised by how calm he felt. His sight was obscured by an expanse of darkness yet strangely he could still hear the beating of his heart. 'No maybe I'm not dead yet…'
As that thought ran through his mind, he began to hear the tolling of a loud bell. A warm sensation briefly enveloped his body and his ears felt like they would rupture. After a few seconds, he abruptly sat up and his eyes snapped open.
Suddenly, the sound stopped, and he found himself drenched in sweat, lying on a small bed in the centre of room.
'Where am I now…?' Damon took a breath and fell into contemplation. It was as if the gruesome scene were just a dream, however the taste of blood still lingered on his tongue, subtle proof of his pain.
Glancing around he noticed the room's structure had similar materials as the broken temple. At the same time he spotted an oval shaped mirror, hanging from the wall. It's corners were adorned with red wood carvings of tigers and serpentine beast.
Yet what stood out most was his reflection.
A white haired youth of medium build with pristine copper skin and blue eyes stared back at him. But he somehow had two hands instead one.
"How is this possible…?" Damon's brows rose as he drew a gasp.
Struggling to raise his hands, he decided to slowly shift them to his lap for a better inspection. Soon after he was left speechless as instead of flesh riddled with bites, scars and swelling he discovered both limbs were perfectly normal.
'Wait… If these are healed what about my back...?' Damon's confusion deepened, but he kept an open mind. Naturally without the use of his arms, he had not way to reach behind him to confirm this hunch. Thus, he shifted his torso sideways repeatedly, hoping to agitate any wounds.
Just then he heard sound of wood clattering against the floorboards and footsteps nearing the room.
'That must be the old woman...' Damon's expression pale, betraying a trace of fear. While intrigued, he could not deny he was scared of the woman. A memory fragment of the beast head sliced in two halves flashed past his mind as he tried to recall her appearance.
Unconsciously his Adams apple bobbed up and down, and he kept his eyes locked on the entrance door as it made a subtle rattling noise.
The reinforced paper door panel slide to the right, revealing a nicely aged face. "Oh? I'm surprised you're up already considering..."
Her words trailed off near the end, but Damon knew what she meant. He shifted his gaze as the old woman leaned forward. She removed a pair of wooden slippers before closing the door and entering the room.
She then quietly walked towards the wooden table in front of the bed and removed the weapon tucked tightly at her waist. Then with a single motion she drew the blade from the wooden casing.
'Is she going to attack me!?' Damon immediately grew tense
As if that was her intention, a smiled formed at the woman's lips. She lowered the blade to the table then began sharpening thin sword against the palm sized stone block. Her delicate movements and calm demeanour were breath-taking as the blade glided smoothly across the wet stone.
Upon taking a breath to relax, he could see her much clearer. Her hair was pale and long with thin bangs, complementing her face and stern black eyes that studied the blade's edge with complete focus.
'Who is this woman…? Damon pressed his lips together in thought. He cautiously pulled his feet closer to chest. She had saved his life and tended to his injuries, but his intuition whispered his saviour was more than she had let on.
"Relax, child. I'm not going to bite." Sensing his worries, the woman raised the blade from the table. She turned around and spoke with the same gentle tone. "You're lucky I found you out there, most visitors don't return from that cold."
'Visitors?' Damon's mouth hung open as he repeated the word. It was hard to believe people were willing to enter this winter scape.
"This place isn't all snow boya." The old woman laughed lightly and sheathed her blade. "Sate… How about going for a stroll? I'll show you around and introduce you to the others."
"But I can't move my body properly..." Damon replied
"Ho?' Hearing this, the woman cocked her head slightly to the side with amusement. It was rather apparent she did not believe him. She stared pensively then instructed," Could you try standing up."
'What is she thinking…?' Although hesitant, Damon slowly rolled from under the sheets. His body suddenly felt strangely light as his feet touched the wooden floor. It felt like the pain had left faster than the memory of it.
'My body still feels kind of stiff, but some stretches should sort this out.' He mentally prepared himself, starting with light arm and backstretches. The joints cracked with each bend and twist but at this moment Damon found it rather pleasing.
However, he was not the only one.
"That's a quite a nice body for someone so inexperienced." The woman remarked. Stars appeared in her eyes as she examined the muscles across his back and shoulders "It seems things will be much easier from here on"
Damon looked at her incredulously, not really understanding what she was getting at. 'I got so lost it concentration I almost forgot she was watching.'
As he began clench his fist through the growing unease, the woman turned towards the door and threw it open once more. She then titled her head slightly, looking back and said, "Well lets go"
Following her lead, Damon stepped outside the room and onto an elevated platform of wood. It seemed the entire house was raised of the ground. Hoping the edge, he watched the old woman's back closely as she continued forward.
Subconsciously his began to slow as he took in the scenery. The suffocating piles of snow was gone, and he felt the gentle brush of grass blades beneath his toes in a field surrounded by trees and soft sunlight.
A bamboo fountain tapped rhythmically nearby, echoing through a sprawling, pristine garden. The sounds of birds chirping overhead reached his ears, and the air carried a scent like honey and lavender.
It was beautiful and almost surreal.
With an entranced glint in his eyes, Damon brushed his fingers against the pink blossoms. The woman's voice then drifted into his ears.
"Beautiful isn't it?"
Immediately, Damon turned and noticed the woman had taken a seat beneath a wisteria tree. A simple spread of tea poured in porcelain cups and basket of fish and fruit laid before her.
"I'm sure you're hungry after losing that much blood."