Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

The boy went through the gates of the fence around his camp, making sure to secure them tightly using a very sturdy log before heading towards the forest. Some time later, he arrived at the spot where he had previously been afraid to go further. He stayed there for a while, examining the area, but since he no longer felt the terrible foreboding he usually had, he calmed down and continued walking with a bit more confidence.

"Now that I think about it, even though I've always had this sort of sixth sense for danger, it seems enhanced now. It's not only much clearer but also does more. When I need something, I somehow have an idea of where to find it, especially when I need to hunt. Could it be because of the 'chi'?"

The boy mused to himself while carefully looking around, but the idea seemed to take root in his mind, refusing to leave. So, he decided to test something since it was better to have a clear mind before doing something as risky as venturing deeper into the forest.

After thoroughly checking a somewhat clear area to ensure there were no potential dangers nearby, the boy climbed a tree and sat on a large, sturdy branch. There, he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his sixth sense.

Even after trying for a while, he didn't feel anything special related to his 'sixth sense'. So, he decided to change his strategy. Following the logic that his 'chi' served to 'strengthen' everything, he sent a large amount to his head since, if it was a feeling, it had to be related to the brain, right? But to his absolute incredulity, he discovered another 'dantian' there.

In his Tai Chi classes in his previous life, and curiously, he had also heard something similar in this life, he had been told that the dantian was a special point in the body where chi gathered and that it was located below the navel. Although he had dismissed it as cheap quackery at the time, now things were very different. After all, not only could he feel the 'chi', but it also indeed gathered below the navel.

The problem was that he had never heard there was one in the head too. Although, to be fair, he had attended the classes for a little over a month and never took an interest in the subject again. Additionally, there was an issue with that 'dantian' in the head because, although the sensation it gave was very similar to the one below the navel, it was empty, there wasn't even a pinch of 'chi' in it, which made him feel a bit strange.

Filled with curiosity, the boy sent his 'chi' to the dantian in his head, and to his surprise, it started to absorb it like a sponge, while at the same time, a strange sensation began, as if he could somehow know or understand the things around him.

Over time, that strange sensation became clearer to the point where several figures began to take shape in his mind, allowing him to realize that they were some rabbits, birds, and other small animals. This made him open his eyes in surprise, and then quickly check if his feeling was correct.

"There really is a rabbit here, this is crazy..."

Absolutely amazed, the boy continued to follow the 'presences' he felt, while a kind of radar formed in his mind, where he could 'see' the approximate shape of the presence. This not only helped him distinguish them but also made finding them much easier.

"Damn, now I'm a freaking human radar, HAHAHAHA, this will be incredibly useful."

With a big smile on his face, the boy checked the 'chi' he had sent to the dantian in his head to determine the approximate 'cost' of such a useful ability. To his surprise, it had barely been used up, and he could still feel almost all the 'chi' he had sent.

"Could it be...?"

With an idea in mind, the boy started to circulate the 'chi' through his body, but this time including the second 'dantian' in the route. The results were as he expected, the 'chi' consumption was minimal, almost imperceptible, but still, not only was his body strengthened, the radar ability remained active.

Another thing he noticed about his new radar ability was that he could feel the bright ‘balls’ of 'natural energy' without needing to be practicing. They were a bit fainter, but he could still sense them. Intrigued and with an idea in mind, he climbed a tree again and sat on a branch, imagining the 'natural energy' entering him.

Although initially nothing special happened and the energy balls remained in the air, little by little they began to approach him, but the speed was too slow and the amount was meager. So he stopped and climbed down the tree, making a mental note to study the phenomenon further in the future.

After that, the boy wandered through the forest for a long time, finding many interesting things, including apples, a very large tree similar to an oak with many acorns, a tree very similar to the rubber trees he knew, and even a silica deposit.

Not wanting to leave behind all the interesting things he had found, the boy tried to find some bamboo to make an improvised basket, but that idea came to a sudden halt when his mental radar detected a very large 'presence' rapidly approaching him on four legs.

Realizing it was likely a predator, and a very dangerous one at that, the boy quickly aimed his crossbow in the direction the presence was coming from. At the same time, he hardened both the crossbow and the copper-tipped arrows with 'chi', holding the top lever firmly to reload quickly.

But when the figure appeared, the boy was shocked, to the point that he even forgot to fire his crossbow. After all, before him stood a silver-furred wolf of incomparable beauty and monumental size, reaching five meters in height, with sleek and agile proportions that created an impression of grace and elegance.

Beyond the wolf's beauty, what affected the boy the most was the aura it emitted. It was unlike any he had ever felt, a strange combination of savagery and elegance, making it seem as though even the air moved slower around the wolf, as if fearing to disturb it.

While the boy was petrified, as if he had fallen under some strange charm, the wolf elegantly and nonchalantly moved its paw horizontally in his direction. The boy watched, a bit confused, because despite the wolf's large size, it was still too far away to reach him.

But moments later, the boy's thoughts were cut off as a large amount of 'natural energy' entered him, and a sinister premonition hit him like a truck. This somehow allowed him to snap out of the strange state he was in, while simultaneously forcing him to leap into the air with all his strength.

While in the air, the boy glanced at the ground, only to find four enormous and deep cuts where he had been standing just moments before. A cold sweat covered his back, knowing he had narrowly escaped death.

Still in mid-air, the boy looked around for the wolf, but at that very moment, he felt another sinister premonition. With quick thinking, he dropped his crossbow and stretched out as far as he could, managing to grab a nearby small branch.

Without wasting a single moment, the boy hardened the branch with 'chi', something he could only do thanks to his training to mimic deer, and pulled with all his might, changing his flight direction from vertical to horizontal. Moments later, a bunch of branches and logs started falling behind him with a thunderous noise.

Not daring to look back, the boy quickly reached a thicker branch, which he used as a support to start jumping from tree to tree like a monkey at maximum speed, using his 'chi' at full output to strengthen himself. Meanwhile, behind him, a pandemonium of 'invisible cuts' was unleashed, tearing everything apart.

As the boy fled with all his might, jumping between the trees, the beautiful silver wolf pursued him in a relaxed manner, with firm and elegant steps, almost as if it were just taking a casual stroll. Occasionally, it would send 'cuts' with its claws, and despite the casual nature of the movements, they ended up creating enormous slashes in the ground and trees.

On the other hand, the boy was doing everything possible to survive, dodging the gigantic invisible cuts with all his might. However, he was sometimes a bit slow to evade them, leaving his leather clothes in tatters and several cuts of varying sizes on his body. Fortunately, none were too deep, despite the large amount of blood flowing from them.

This terrible situation was because the only thing he could rely on to dodge the invisible cuts was his premonitions, which he only felt when he was about to be hit. Additionally, these premonitions only informed him of the danger and an approximate direction, so each time, he had to jump with all his strength.

Moreover, the wolf was very intelligent. If he tried to use the movement of the claws to predict the attack, the wolf would immediately change the movement to trap him, something he learned the hard way when it took him by surprise and almost cut him in half. Fortunately, he was able to use a branch to change his direction in time, though it cost him a deep cut on his back.

(I need to take advantage of the fact that this thing is playing with me. If it gets tired and decides to hunt me seriously, I'm a dead man. The problem is that these cuts are too fast, and I don't have the time to study their range and reach. Plus, the bastard is smart enough to fake me out and trick me... if only I could know the range... wait, maybe...)

The boy had a stroke of inspiration, remembering how his tools felt like part of his own body when he channeled 'chi' into them, to the point where he could notice the slightest scratch on them. It was very similar to knowing where your feet and hands are at all times without needing to think about it or even look at them.

With a crazy and almost desperate idea, the boy focused on the 'chi' flowing throughout his body, attempting to force a path where the 'chi' would 'flow' outside his body before re-entering. Surprisingly, it worked, creating a small sphere around him where he could feel with extreme detail what was happening.

Filled with anticipation, the boy quickly made his 'chi' flow as far from his body as possible, creating a sphere about 50 meters in diameter with him at the center. He instantly sensed an invisible cut rapidly approaching him.

(It worked!!! But this is exhausting; I won't last more than a couple of minutes. I have to give it my all!!!)