The sun shined in the sky, piercing through the thick fog encircling the temple. Lin Fan stood up slowly and began walking out of the fog. The desert sand was also carried around by the fog, giving it the feel of a dust cloud. He covered his eyes as he walked out of the fog encirclement. He could now see. The vast expanse before him was nothing but a desert wasteland which he had to traverse so as to reach Madu village, his home. Well, in name only.
Despite him leaving in Madu village all his life, no one is willing to support him. His mother died in his childhood. He had never met his father. During the days when his mother was pregnant with him, the village rolled out a search party to search for the nearest prosperous village near them. His dad was one of the members of the search party. They were deployed one morning, hoping to find a place before nightfall. They never returned. Yet, the villagers never tried to look for them. In times like this where food is scarce and compassion even rarer, one must learn to look out for himself. Their death meant more resources for them anyway.
He began the trek back, knowing that if he didn't arrive on time today, he may not have a second chance. Yet he had nothing holding him back now; no friends or family. What if he decided to look for another village? He was in perfect condition so why not try. After all, with no supporter or property back in his village, he would eventually starve to death so why not? At worst, he would suffer a quick death from demonic beasts.
With his mind made up, he began to head in the opposite direction from that which he came. Every step was heavy with a deep fear in his heart; a sign that he still preferred to live a little longer rather than die quickly. Despite this, he had already made up his mind. He steeled his resolve, determined to make a new path for himself. If there was already more than one ruin in the wasteland, what prevented there to be hundreds or even thousands?
Hours had passed but he still slowly made his way across the ragged and torturous terrain. He was somehow still energetic as though he hadn't even walked for many miles. He still held on to the glimmer of hope that there would be another village out there.
It was now past noon and the sun was shining hot on him. He was beginning to tire out. Suddenly, he saw far away a strange-seeming structure. It seemed like a collection of pillars. "Is that a ruin?" Filled with renewed strength, he started walking towards the far-off landmark. His main competitor was time.
He walked for more than five hours without stop and the sky started changing to a darker tone as the dying sun began to set into the horizon. The structures began to become clearer; four pillars that stood on the corners of a village, signifying the four directions. The pillars seemed to have a vine scaling up each of them, as though they were snakes. They exuded a magnificent aura and seemed as though they were alive.
Now that the sun was setting, the demonic beasts would begin hunting for prey. They would appear as though from nowhere and eat up all those who were not safe in ruins. Lin Fan began to hurry. He was not far but not close enough. He began running but he was already tired and was unable to move that fast.
The sun had now fully set and he turned his head. From far off, he began to see a dark figure form. It was a Kara: humanoid beasts that had sharp claws and a hunched back. It moved as though crawling, but it's hand never touched the ground.
It turned and saw him. It was fast. In less than ten seconds, it was barely a few inches from his face. It swung it's bony arms at him and he ducked, dodging the blow, though barely. He rolled down a sand dune, trying desperately to build distance. He was now close, just a few thirty metres from the ruin. Yet, right next to the ruin was another Kara. He now had a mission; survive the assault of the Kara behind him and dodge the Kara in front of him.
He had only one chance. He began running towards the ruin; towards the other Kara. Twenty metres, fifteen metres. The Kara behind him was also closing in. Both Karas began running towards him. He was now five metres toward the ruin. Using all the strength he could muster, he leapt over the Kara in front of him, trying a last ditch attempt to reach the door. However, as if his luck had ended, the Kara grabbed his ankle, eliminating his momentum. He fell down, having failed less than a metre from the ruin.
The Kara swung its arm, sharp claw aiming towards Lin Fan's chest. Lin Fan lost all hope and was filled with an enormous fear. Seeing the sharp claws coming towards him, he raised his arms and recoiled in fear. The impact of the Kara's claw was so powerful that it raised a dust cloud a whole metre round. Then when it settled, Lin Fan had vanished.