Chapter no.8 Rebirth in the Abyss

I glanced at the snake passing near me.
It was the one responsible for biting my wrist and even though I almost died because of the snake's venom, I felt no animosity toward the small creature.
It was just an animal that didn't know better.
I did not particularly hate or fear the snake since it did it out of survival. The snake had to bite for it to live. The snake slaughtered a large insect at the corner where I usually deposited my feces.
While my eyes had slowly adapted to the darkness during the span of a few months in this place but after surviving the snake's venom, at first I could only see a faint outline of my surroundings but now my vision had increased to such a degree that I could perceive everything around me with a lot more clarity then I did before. It seemed that some change had taken place inside my body when I fought against the poison of this small snake.
" What is that creature? Don't tell me it is a sealed imougi."
I thought as I glanced at the snake.
I have heard stories of people becoming stronger from surviving after being poisoned before but I didn't think something like what was happening to me was possible from a normal snake's poison.
I didn't know if this creature was a snake or some kind of demon like all those stories I heard from those drunkards but whatever the case was, the poison had a synergistic effect and affected his eyesight or maybe it was due to some kind of material my captors had fed me.
There was only one way to confirm my guess.
I caught the body of the snake that was eating an insect and returned to where I was prior.
The captured snake immediately opened its mouth wide and dug its fangs at the back of my hand.
The effect was immediate.
I could feel the heat rising from the back of my hand. It was enough proof that the poison was in my body if the snake biting me wasn't obvious enough.
I prepared for the pain by gritting my teeth and bloody gums.
Scorching heat rushed through my veins as if it was trying to burn my whole body.
It was excruciating and I almost regretted my decision. But eventually, the pain was more bearable than I thought.
Great, now I am becoming a masochist.
The first bite left me completely paralyzed, while the second time did not. Looks like the effects diminished a little.
When a few hours passed, the pain started to completely disappear and my vision also seemed to have gotten a little clearer.
'Interesting!'
For the first time, a smile graced my lips. It was the first smile I made after being locked up in an underground space.
I looked at the snake again and with my increased vision, I had a better look at the snake it looked like a normal snake but it had a weird gem-like object embedded into its crown.
This creature was a snake but the gem and the special venom it had made me think otherwise.
After that, another change occurred in my daily routine.
Once a day I would let the snake bite my wrists and as my body's resistance to poison grew, my vision in the dark increased to such a degree that I could see everything as clearly as I had outside this accursed place.
With my new ability of night vision, I could see the murals and the leaps of assumptions I had made in my deciphering of this language began to be cleared.
Along with studying the murals, I also observed the behavior of the snake. The tiny snake with degenerated eyes was the only intelligent creature in the subterranean space, besides me.
Snakes were exceptional hunters.
It can approach the prey without making a sound and kill it at once. It stealthily conceals its presence so that even vigilant insects will not notice. Occasionally, there would be insects who noticed the appearance of a snake, and when that happened, its movements would stop to give its prey a false sense of security.
But even so, the snake is not greedy. It didn't make the mistake of intimidating insects around it and chasing them away.
For some reason, this way of hunting spoke to me so besides dedicating my time to training my stamina and studying the murals, I would observe the snake. I had even tried to imitate the movement of a snake as I walked around the room before giving up.
This wasn't the time to fool around.
Weeks went by quickly with my doing the same thing over and over. My routine would consist of eating the served food, observing the snake, studying the murals, and training his body. I had to constantly repeat these three actions in order not to go crazy.
In the darkness, the nameless orphan began to change physically and mentally as if he was reborn in this prison's abyss.
••●••••●••••●••••●••••●••
[ 4 Years Ago ]
[ Gaoling Village - Zhou Liu Shi's Home ]
Nuo'er held up a lantern to light up the room as Chen Yansheng gazed upon the plank of dark wood in front of him on the table.
" What's this ?" Chen Yansheng curiously asked causing Zhou Liu Shi to be embarrassed as she brushed a few strands of hair back.
" I saw that you were carving a wooden sword for Ating and I thought this piece of wood might be suitable," Zhou said as Chen Yansheng picked up the piece to have a closer look," My father found it while he was picking medicinal herbs deep in the mountains. It's tough and dense and resistant to both fire and water but we're not sure what kind of wood it is. It's perfect for a training sword." Zhou Liu Shi ended her words with a smile.
Chen Yansheng knocked on the piece of wood with his pointer and middle finger s he exclaimed in disbelief," Lightning struck wood, is it? That's rare."
Chen Ating meanwhile stared at the lightning-struck wood with stars in her eyes before she hugged it.
The time spring came as Chen A-Ting's life had become one of ease as she would go to school where the smiling face of teacher Bai Li would greet her.
Learning how to write was a struggle for Ating but Nou'er was always there to help her.
A smile never left Chen Ating's face as the flowers bloom all around the village.
She had so much on her plate to do with that blasted thousand-character classic but picking peaches with Nou'er in the spring was fun.
And in the blink of an eye, time moved so fast that Chen Ating didn't even register that summer came and gone and soon everyone knew that winter was coming.
....
Walking through the snow-covered lands of Gaoling Village, Chen Yansheng removed his straw hat at a house he has come to call home.
" Welcome back, Uncle Chen."
...
Sitting beside the fireplace, Chen Yansheng rubbed Chen A-Ting's sleeping head as she slept on his thigh while holding a book.
" This piece of wood seems to be getting harder to carve out." Zhou Liu Shi said as she tended to the fire.
" Yeah, it has broken a lot of knives over the past year." Chen Yansheng said as he gazed upon the lightning-struck wood.
" It should be enough t' last her a few years." Chen Yansheng said before his attention was covered by the sleeping Chen Ating whispering something.
" Heavens... The Heavens were black, the Earth yellow;....."
" Is she talking in her sleep? You should bring her to her bed." Zhou Liu Shi said before Nou'er called out from the other side.
" No need, Sister Ting is memorizing the passages in her sleep. Don't wake her up."
Nou'er said causing Zhou Liu Shi and Chen Yansheng to look at the boy reading his book incredulously.
" Is that a thing ?"
" Yeah, she says that studying in her dreams is faster. I don't know how but it seems to work."
Chen A-Ting's whisper echoed through the room," Space ..... was limitless."
Chen Yansheng asked," Speaking of which Teacher Bai Li isn't from this village, is he ?"
Zhou Liu Shi answered while hanging some pieces of meat in the kitchen," Our Village Hunters found him on the mountain trail and brought him here. He was drenched in blood and at death's door; he said it was because of bandits. His home is too far and his injuries too severe, so he is recovering in the village for now. He is quite pitiful .... with a weak constitution so even after resting for a year or so his condition hasn't improved much."
Nou'er put forward his two cents by saying," Teacher said he has to fully recover before he could go home. He also said his relatives are scarier than any bandits."
Nou'er words left his mother and Chen Yansheng silent while Chen Ating whispered," Sun, Moons....."