A Song for The Ages

Feiyin remained close to the small white-scaled snake, watching its subtle movements, its flickering tongue tasting the air, its wary golden eyes never leaving him. Though it had allowed him to bandage its wounds and accepted his food, it was still cautious. He didn't blame it. Trust wasn't built in a moment.

He sat there, cross-legged, his breathing slow and even, making no sudden movements that might startle the creature. He had time.

The cave around them was still, the remnants of the battle between the snake factions now nothing more than the dried blood on the cavern floor. But Feiyin wasn't focused on that anymore. Right now, this small creature needed to recover, and for some reason, he felt compelled to stay.

He watched the snake, observing how it shifted slightly every now and then, wincing when its injuries flared up. It was still weak, its small form trembling from exhaustion. It wouldn't last long on its own.

Just like I wouldn't have lasted without Ren and Yue.

That thought alone was enough to push him forward.

Slowly, he moved his hand closer, palm up, offering a perch.

The snake tensed.

Feiyin didn't withdraw. He simply waited.

Moments passed, but finally, ever so slightly, the snake shifted. It moved toward him, hesitantly at first, its small body slithering cautiously before finally resting against his palm.

Feiyin let out a slow breath.

He gently lifted it, keeping his movements steady and smooth, ensuring it felt no fear.

The small creature curled slightly around his wrist, its body still weak but no longer resisting.

A small smile tugged at Feiyin's lips. Progress.

Holding the snake carefully, he rose to his feet. It was time to move.

This place was still dangerous, and even though the two snake factions had left, he couldn't trust that something else wouldn't wander in. He needed a safer place to rest and think.

Steeling himself, Feiyin walked into the darkness once more.

The tunnels stretched endlessly before him, twisting and winding in unpredictable patterns. He used his oscillation sense to guide him, feeling for disturbances, searching for a place that was undisturbed.

The small white snake rested against his arm, its body still recovering, but it wasn't shivering anymore.

As he walked, Feiyin spoke, not to himself, but to the snake.

"I bet you're still wondering why I helped you."

The snake gave no response, only a flick of its tongue, tasting the air.

Feiyin continued, his voice quiet in the vast darkness.

"I don't know either, really. But maybe… I just didn't want to leave you behind."

He exhaled.

"Being left behind is one of the worst feelings, you know? Like you're worth nothing, like no one cares if you live or die."

His fingers curled slightly.

"That's how those bastards treated us. Like we were things. Just bodies for them to use. To throw away if we weren't good enough."

The thought boiled his blood.

He tightened his grip on the snake for a brief second before loosening it, careful not to hurt it.

"But I won't just sit back and accept it," he murmured. "I refuse."

The snake shifted slightly, resting more comfortably against his skin.

Feiyin gave a small smile.

"See? We're alike. Both abandoned, both thrown aside. But we're still here."

Still alive.

Eventually, he found a place.

It was a small alcove, tucked between the jagged rock formations of the cavern walls, sheltered enough that he wouldn't have to worry about an ambush. A temporary safe haven.

Feiyin set the snake down gently on a smooth rock, watching as it curled up, resting.

Then, finally, he sat down and thought.

The heart-eating worm.

It was still inside him.

Lurking. Waiting.

The Saint Spirit Sect had implanted it in all of them as a leash, a way to ensure their absolute obedience. Survive the month, and they would receive the antidote. Disobey, and the worm would stir awake, devouring their hearts from the inside out.

Feiyin gritted his teeth.

There had to be a way to remove it.

Shen Mu had told him that stirring it awake would guarantee death. But he hadn't known anything else. Even his own sense could feel that something was wrong with it, so he didn't want to rashly deal with it.

Feiyin exhaled, rubbing his temples.

He needed more information.

The Saint Spirit Sect wouldn't just give them the antidote forever, they would only provide it as long as they were useful.

And once they weren't?

Death.

Feiyin knew this.

He also knew that blind resistance was suicide.

If he tried to fight back now, if he openly rebelled without a plan, he wouldn't just get himself killed, he'd drag Yue, Ren, and the others down with him.

He couldn't afford that.

So he had to be careful.

Had to be smart.

He would play the part.

Act as if he was falling in line, make them believe he was worth keeping around, worth investing in.

If they thought he was valuable, they wouldn't kill him. Not right away.

That would buy him time.

Time to grow. Time to learn. Time to find a way to break free.

His grip tightened.

The best way to achieve that was to control what they saw.

He couldn't reveal too much of his abilities. If he stood out too much, he'd be a target, either to be crushed or to be forced into their twisted ideology.

But if he hid too much, they might consider him useless, expendable.

He had to balance it.

Show just enough strength to be useful, but not so much that they saw him as a threat.

A delicate game. A dangerous one. But one he had to play.

His hands clenched into fists.

Survive. Grow. Overthrow them. Find his parents.

That was his goal.

And he would see it through.

A flicker of movement caught his attention.

The white-scaled snake had shifted slightly, watching him.

Feiyin gave a small smirk.

"You're still here, huh?"

The snake flicked its tongue.

Feiyin leaned back against the cavern wall, closing his eyes for a moment.

Then, with a deep breath, he calmed himself.

He had a plan.

It wasn't perfect, and there were still too many unknowns.

But he would figure it out.

He had no other choice.

----

As the white-scaled snake curled up beside him and drifted into sleep, Feiyin sat there in the dark, his eyes sharp, his heart steady.

He had been taken from his home.

Thrown into a nightmare.

He was hurt, but not broken.

He wasn't defeated.

He was still here.

And he would find his way out.