CHAPTER 255: CHAPTER-255

The stitching was crooked, uneven, but it held together well enough for use. She stuffed it with whatever she could manage—some dried chicken jerky, a few medicines, a little food, and a flask of water. Slinging it over her shoulder, she tightened the knot with finality.

She had decided. She would go on her own.

Three or four days was too long to wait.

When Kaya stepped outside, the sun was already high and glaring. Thank God she had left early—any later, and its heat would have burned her skin raw. Even now, the warmth pressed against her shoulders, making her squint as she adjusted the strap of her crookedly sewn bag.

She set her eyes on the direction she remembered from the sparrow’s flight—the road that wound past the side of the cave—and began to walk. The path was steep, forcing her body to lean forward for balance. Each step dislodged loose stones that clattered down the slope. A few sharp ones bit into her sandals, scraping her feet until she hissed in pain.

She stopped for a moment, drawing a breath, but the mountain offered no comfort.

There were barely any trees here, no shade to rest under. The slopes stretched on in muted browns and grays, nearly barren, with only a thin scatter of grasses clinging stubbornly to the earth. The road itself was worse—broken in several places, the ground crumbling beneath her weight. Some stretches gave her nowhere to put her feet at all, forcing her to balance on the narrowest edges and pray they held.

With the support of the wall, Kaya forced herself to move forward, each step dragging like it weighed a ton. Suddenly, the ground beneath one of her legs gave way.

The stone trembled, loose under her weight, and before she could steady herself, her body lurched forward.

"AHH--"

A strangled gasp escaped her lips as she desperately flung out her hands, fingers clutching at the rough edge of the stone path.

Thank God—it held. Unlike the last one, it did not crumble, and now she dangled against it, her breath harsh and uneven. Slowly, Kaya lowered her eyes, and what she saw made her chest seize.

So this was what people meant when they said you were praying with death.

Below her was nothing—no earth, no solid ground. Just an endless abyss, so deep that even the stones she had dislodged made no sound when they fell. White, thin clouds drifted lazily within the void, as if mocking her helplessness.

It felt as though she had fallen from hell only to land halfway up a coconut tree—neither in one world nor the other—suspended in a place where neither survival nor escape was guaranteed.

Her fingers ached, but Kaya inhaled deeply, forcing her trembling body to obey. She pulled herself back up, inch by inch, muscles screaming in defiance.

The worst part was that she couldn’t even secure a rope to anything nearby. The few trees scattered around were thin, brittle things—weak and unreliable, unable to bear her weight.

When Kaya finally dragged herself to the other side, she collapsed against the stone wall, clutching her chest. Her breath trembled in relief. Thank God... she had survived.

But then her gaze lifted—and froze.

Her eyes landed on the next path. Narrow. Impossible. Her hand flew to her forehead as shock coursed through her. Damn it.

The stretch behind her, where she had almost fallen, at least allowed enough room for both feet if she pressed them tightly together. Risky, yes—but survivable. This one? No. This one was nothing but a ribbon of stone, barely wide enough for a single foot. No second step. No margin for error.

Kaya forced herself to look down, even as her stomach knotted. The abyss yawned below, the same endless nothing where even falling stones never made a sound. The only things breaking the emptiness were a few trees jutting out stubbornly from the cliffside, as if clinging to survival themselves.

She searched the path—desperate for a tree, a rock, anything—where she could tie her rope for safety. But there was nothing. Only that razor-thin strip of stone leading forward.

Her throat went dry. Just looking at it was terrifying. If she slipped, if a single stone cracked beneath her, there would be no chance to grab hold. The distance ahead would take at least ten minutes of careful, agonizing steps. Ten minutes of gambling with death.

And yet... there was no turning back. The way behind her was just as dangerous. She had already come this far, too far, and going back would only undo everything.

So Kaya uncapped her flask, swallowed two sips of water to steady her nerves, and made her choice.

She decided to do what no sane person would—move forward.

Her foot pressed against the narrow stone, her body taut with focus. One step. Then another.

And then—she froze.

A sudden weight pressed down on her shoulders. Not pain, not ache—just a heaviness, as if something solid had settled on her. Confused, she shifted slightly, lifting her shoulder.

Her eyes moved—then went blank. Her mind emptied in shock.

Sparrow.

The sparrow was perched calmly on her shoulder.

Kaya’s eyes locked with the sparrow’s.

The tiny creature tilted its head, staring right back at her as if it had every right to perch there.

For a few seconds, neither moved. Then Kaya’s lips parted, her voice flat and hollow:

"What are you doing here?"

The sparrow only blinked... and then answered with a series of sharp, irritating chirps.

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

Kaya’s expression darkened. Her hand shot up, fingers wrapping around its small neck. She lifted it in front of her face, her other hand curling into a fist.

"Enough. I’ll cook you right now. Beastman or not, I don’t care."

The bird squawked, thrashing—then, in a sudden flare of light, the sparrow shifted. Wings shrank, feathers disappeared, and in its place stood a young man, gasping, his human throat now clutched in Kaya’s hand.

"Stop!" he yelped. "I’m here to help you!"

Kaya’s fist froze midair. She narrowed her eyes at him, incredulous.

"You. Help me?"

"Yes!" he said quickly, nodding like his life depended on it. "Yes, yes—I’m here to help you!"