Kuroki Satoshi stood at the cave's entrance, staring down at the ground far below.
His newly formed mind struggled to find a way down. Jumping wasn't an option—he knew that much. If he tried, his head would end up as nothing more than a smear of flesh on the stone floor.
Could I use the vines? Make a ladder… or a rope?
He glanced back at them.
No.
They don't have any strong anchors. My weight would just rip them out, and that's the end of it.
He let out a sigh.
Then—
A loud sound invaded his ears.
The flapping of massive wings.
Instinct kicked in. He quickly stepped back into the cave, keeping his eyes fixed on the opening and the sky beyond.
Moments later, a huge shadow passed overhead.
A bird—no, something much larger than a bird. With every powerful flap, clouds of sand and dust erupted from the ground below.
Trailing behind it were several smaller shapes. Chicks. Or fledglings.
One of the straggling fledglings turned its head mid-flight, gazing downward.
It noticed the small cave opening in the cliff.
A strange, fragrant smell drifted into its nostrils.
For some reason, its mother didn't give it much thought. The fledgling could tell its siblings smelled it too—they hesitated, clearly considering diving down to hunt the source. But they followed their mother and continued on.
All except one.
The last fledgling couldn't resist.
It broke formation and descended.
The creature landed inside the cave.
Up close, it was wrong.
Its body was almost lizard-like, mixed with that of a bird. Red feathers covered its upper form, beneath which lay yellowish scales. Thin, slit-like eyes scanned the cave as it slowly crept deeper inside.
Eventually, it reached the back.
Vines.
A skeleton.
That was all.
It tilted its head in confusion.
What was the smell?
There was no flesh left on the corpse—not even a scrap. Just bones, cloth, and green vines clinging to the walls.
From behind it, in the shadows, something moved.
A small figure shifted silently, easing its grip on a blade.
Kuroki Satoshi lunged.
He drove the kris blade into the bird's back.
SCREEEEE—
The creature shrieked in agony.
But no help came.
The rest of the flock was already gone.
Thrashing wildly, the bird slammed into the cave walls, shaking loose dust and stone. Kuroki Satoshi was dragged along with it, clinging desperately to the dagger's handle as his feet left the ground.
Moments later—
Rip.
The blade tore free in a gush of warm blood.
The bird spun around, its massive wings scraping against the cave walls. It let out a feral screech and lunged forward.
Kuroki Satoshi raised the kris and tried to roll aside.
Too slow.
The bird's open beak slammed into his abdomen, piercing straight through. As it pulled back, it tore along his ribs, nearly severing his arm—
—but that same arm had already moved.
Or rather, the kris blade in that hand had.
Driven forward by the creature's own momentum, the blade plunged upward through its beak and pierced into its brain.
The monster went limp.
Its body slackened, twitching once before collapsing.
But it wasn't the only one to fall.
Kuroki Satoshi collapsed beside it.
His free hand pressed against the right side of his torso, where his body had been torn open. Blood spilled freely. His vision blurred. He could feel the heat leaving him.
The warmth flowing out of his body—separate from his blood—didn't vanish.
It lingered.
It gathered in the air, sticking together, forming translucent, root-like structures. Line after line grew outward from his body.
Then—
They returned.
No… more than returned.
Warmth surged back into him.
An intense itching sensation spread through his wound. Slowly, flesh, muscle, and bone began to regenerate. Bark-like patterns etched themselves across his body before receding. Flesh squirmed unnaturally, like maggots knitting together, sealing the damage shut.
By the time the process ended—
Kuroki Satoshi had already lost consciousness.