Chapter 4 - THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE

While I was running, I spotted a very big water fall, the sound of the water falling down on the river below was so harmonious, I couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. Then the thought came to me that I was really stinking and so I ran towards the waterfall to see if I could wash my self of this stench that I had accumulated. As I approached the river I began to feel the stone in my pocket vibrating, it was giving me the feeling that it was directing me to something and I knew it had something to do with the river because it only started happening as I got closer to the river. I quickly brought out the stone from my pocket to inspect and my guess was right, it really looked like some kind of talisman, what surprised me what that the veins on the body were glowing blue and the glow was getting more intense as I got closer to the waterfall. "Was this talisman leading me to some kind of treasure or some hidden secret or something hidden in the water fall". I asked myself. Maybe it was just my imagination. I put the rock back in my pocket and hurried over to the waterfall. Not long after, I reached the river, I immediately jumped in without a care for anything and just enjoyed the sensation of the water. I didn't waste time to wash my body and began slowly heading out while looking around me to make sure that the place was safe because it was really weird that there would be no animal there since that place was a water body. While turning around I spotted a glowing blue light behind the water fall that formed some kind of pattern. It looked intriguing because the pattern was the same kind of pattern on the talisman. I decided to at least check out what was behind the water fall to a moved over to there and to my surprise, there was a cave hidden behind the water fall. What was even more fascinating was that on the walls of the cave a pattern was there and it was glowing with blue light. I became suspicious and decided to probe more. To my surprise, I realized that the cave had a really rich saturation of mana in the air higher than anything I had ever seen. Was this some kind of natural mana vein because my Grandpa had told me a lot about those. Flashbacks of memories began to flood my mind, Grandpa's tales of mana veins, hidden in sacred places, pulsing with heaven's power. I shook my head, banishing the haze of exhaustion, and stepped deeper into the cave. The talisman burned against my thigh, its blue glow matching the patterns on the walls. The air grew heavy, mana so dense it clung to my skin, teasing my broken veins. I followed the glow to a small alcove, its walls studded with crystals that pulsed like a heartbeat. A stone platform sat at its center, etched with a rune identical to my talisman's. I hesitated, heart pounding, but the mana's warmth drew me in. Crawling onto the platform, I sat cross-legged, the crystals' hum easing the sting of my chest. The talisman glowed brighter, and my veins stirred, holding mana for a fleeting moment before it slipped away. "Grandpa, is this my path?" I whispered? Before I could think, the cave trembled, and a low snarl echoed from the entrance. I froze, clutching the talisman. Through the waterfall's mist, amber eyes gleamed, sharp and hungry. A Shadow fang Stalker, its black fur blending with the cave's shadows, prowled closer, claws scraping stone with a faint mana hum. A scarred rune gleamed on its flank, her mark? Had she sent this beast to hunt me? My chest burned, my legs trembled, but Grandpa's words rang clear: "Fight, Haoran, even when broken." I pressed against the alcove's crystals, their mana teasing my veins. The talisman pulsed, warm and urgent, as if urging me to act. The stalker lunged, claws slicing through the air. I rolled off the platform, heart pounding, and scrambled for a loose crystal shard. If I could channel this cave's mana, just for a moment, I might survive. But the stalker's snarl grew louder, and the waterfall's roar couldn't drown out my fear. I clenched the crystal shard hard in my grip. I had to fight, I had to survive. The red-haired woman must have sent this Shadow fang Stalker to sniff me out. She was close, I had to kill it fast, or she'd find me. My body ached, chest burning, but I gripped the crystal shard and pressed against the alcove's glowing crystals. The cave's mana surged, thick as mist, teasing my broken veins. Grandpa's voice echoed: "Mana taxes the mind, Haoran, qi the body. Balance them." I focused, channeling the cave's mana into a fireball technique I'd memorized from dusty scrolls. My head throbbed, mind straining as the mana fought my veins' leaks. The talisman pulsed, its blue glow syncing with the alcove's crystals, steadying the flow. The stalker's amber eyes locked on me, claws glowing bluishgreen, mid-stage Mana Awakening, stronger than the rabbit. It lunged, shadow mana rippling from its fur, cloaking it in dark mist. I ducked, the mist stinging my eyes, and rolled toward the alcove's reflective pool. The stalker's claws slashed, grazing my arm, but I felt the talisman's warmth guide me. I thrust my hand toward the crystals, willing the mana into a flickering fireball. It flared, unstable, and I hurled it at the stalker. The flame grazed its flank, singeing its fur. It snarled, staggering, but my vision blurred from the mana's toll. The talisman burned hotter, and a crystal above flared, its light bouncing off the pool and piercing the stalker's mist. Blinded, it hesitated. I gripped the crystal shard, heart pounding, and drove it into the stalker's rune-scarred flank. It howled, collapsing, its amber eyes dimming. I fell to my knees, gasping, the mana backlash searing my mind. The alcove's crystals hummed, their warmth easing my pain. I slumped against the stone platform, the shallow pool reflecting the fading glow. A small herb, Moonleaf, grew near the water's edge, Grandpa had taught me it dulled burns. I chewed its bitter leaves, the sting in my chest fading.