Heavenfall: Ascension of a Primal Hunter - #1 - Trials of the Wilderness [RR - Xianxia]

Leaves swirled through the air as a boy sped through the wild depths of the jungle. Behind him, a screeching ape leapt through the trees, its beady eyes narrowed and focused on the boy's figure.

The ape spat out a mouthful of seeds nearly invisible to the naked eye, peppering the area around the boy. But, like a flowing river, the boy curved his trajectory and ducked behind a thick tree the seeds could not penetrate.

He whipped around the trunk, circling to the ape's back, and struck the creature in the back with a kick, causing it to screech in pain as it crashed against a different tree. The boy rushed forward and lobbed his knee into the ape's face lest it get up again before lowering himself onto the ground beside it. His chest heaved terribly as coughs escaped his chapped lips, but the boy smiled despite it.

From the inner lining of his pelt-skin shirt, he pulled out a tattered leather scroll and unfurled it, revealing a set of animal paintings. The first two crossed out with a thick streak of blood. While the remaining three were unmarked. On the scroll, a small thorn embedded into the side, and the boy pricked his finger on it, marking the third of the paintings.

"Bi-colored cricket wings, burrowing land-sea snake heart, and now the pelt of a seed-spitting ape," the boy said, breathing out a deep sigh before he continued, "Just two more... two more, and they'll have to acknowledge me!"

The boy pulled out a small dagger made of carved stone and began removing the ape's pelt before placing the creature's body in a violet bush. As soon as the flesh came in contact, the bush chittered fiercely, and the ape's body began vanishing before the boy's eyes.

Seeing how quickly his hunt dissolved, the boy couldn't help but wince. 'Violet-brambles are as hungry for death as always,' he thought before grabbing his trophy and rushing toward his village.

Billowing smoke drifted into the air above the village as the boy reached the fortified wooden palisades. Atop it, the sentries watched vigilantly, and once they saw the boy, they whistled down, letting the guards know to open the gate.

"Thorn, you rascal, how's the hunt?" One of the guards asked.

The boy passed through the gate and turned to the guard who spoke—a tall and burly youth with a spear in hand. He raised the bloodied pelt and grinned before he said, "Easiest hunt I've had in my life. Didn't you say seed-spitting apes would be a challenge, Briar?"

Hearing this, the guard laughed heartily. "You're only four years slower than the others in your generation, Thorn—don't get ahead of yourself, kid. Hunt the remaining two. The Chief won't accept excuses or let you become a Primal Hunter otherwise."

"I know, Bri. I'm doing everything I can," Thorn said with a nonchalant shrug. "Is the Chief in his tent?"

"Mhm," Briar nodded. "Go on, kid. He's waiting for you."

Thorn walked through the village—his footsteps heavy with every glance from the nearby villagers. Their smiles—frowns—and puzzled gazes weighed against his heart. But he smiled and nodded lest they see through his weakness.

He reached the heart of the village, where a large tent stood with its flaps half parted. "Chief, it's Thorn. I've returned from my hunt—may I enter?"

"Enter," an aged voice said from within.

Thorn took a deep breath and entered the tent. Inside, a bare-chested elder sat on a thick fur-skin rug. Around his throat, a necklace of various fangs sat, each sharper and more intricate than the last—each carrying the burden of a hunt more unforgettable than the last.

"I've completed the third hunt for the ascension ceremony, Chief," Thorn said before placing the pelt on the rug. "I've only got the spikes of a tri-horned lizard and the tongue of a scorched elk left."

The chieftain looked at the trophy and then the boy before he spoke, "Sit down, Thorn. Take it off."

Thorn paled slightly before he sat down and pulled off the shirt, revealing dozens of tiny bruises on his torso. "Chief-"

"Silence," the Chief blared. "You fool, how many times have I told you to be careful? Being a Primal Hunter means nothing if you're dead. Dammit, boy!"

Thorn lowered his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry-"

"You must defeat your impatience first, my child, if you wish to truly become a Primal Hunter that can ascend to the sky. I know—no matter what I do or say, some will curse you behind your back and call you a cursed child, and for this, I've always felt guilty. But you're not cursed. Your body may suffer—but your mind is beyond blessed, and you will have your moment to shine," the Chief said with melancholy lacing his words.

"Go, see the healer, and prepare your remaining hunts well. I do not wish to see you brought as a corpse, boy," the Chief added. "If there's a corpse even to be brought back."

"Chief-" Thorn paused before he shook his head and said, "Understood, Chief. Thank you."

He left the Chief's tent and returned to his own, skipping out on visiting the healer's abode. 'I must become a Primal Hunter and prove to everyone that the Chief's faith wasn't misplaced. I'm so close—two more hunts. I can do this," he thought as he laid down on the beast-skin rug in his dwelling.

As Thorn passed out, his dreamscape stirred awake.

Thunder roared, and lightning struck as colossal beasts absorbed the brunt of the heaven's fury. From the land, furious tendrils of green laced in blinking eyes and writhing tongues outstretched, latching onto the ferocious creatures whose clawed feet shattered mountains and warped landscapes with each step they took.

Thorn watched in a haze.

He drifted through ever-changing scenes as he rolled restlessly in his tent.

Monstrous lifeforms that he couldn't even begin to comprehend appeared one after the other, magnificent and fierce—until finally, he saw one whose entire persona embodied darkness so thick and foul it blinded him.

Thorn trembled. Fear coursed through his veins as the darkness turned to him. He took a step back in the void of his dreams, and he jolted awake.

As his torso rose from the rug, his eyes glowed a deep crimson unknown to him before recessing into the depths of his being.

"Not again," he whispered as he held his hand to his forehead.

Read for free on Royal Road - Chapter 1 of 24(with many more to come...)

The journey has just begun, but there is so much more to be said about Thorn and his primal path to ascension.