Be it in ancient times past, or the far distant future
Whether it was the ancient philosopher who dared to ask "why," or the scientists who unraveled the secrets of the universe.
There is one question that is as old as time
A question that plagues the hearts of men.
A question that made the emperors of old fear the future, and the politicians of tomorrow fall into despair.
And this question was none other than the one everyone has asked themselves at least once.
"What is death?"
"What happens after death?"
"Why must people die?"
It was this fear of death that drove emperors like Qin Shi Huang to tyranny in their quest for immortality
It was for this fear of death that religions gained fanatics, people who hoped for a continued life after death
Fear of death even shaped morality itself, with governments using the death penalty to deter criminals from committing certain acts.
And while humanity's curiosity about what happens after death remains strong, it was truly impossible to know what happens without dying yourself.
"Ha-ha-ha! If I could go back to the Blue Star, I'd tell everyone they were all wrong!"
"What heaven and hell? What reincarnation? After death, there's nothing but endless darkness!"
Laughing maniacally, a voice full of endless madness and despair resounded through an endless void.
In a place full of pure darkness, a place with no up, down, left, or right, a human-like figure floated in space
If I had known this was my fate, I would have never helped save that little girl!
Cursing angrily, the voice continued to lament.
Just a while ago, he was a regular student on the Blue Star, on his way to his first day of college
With silky, long black hair that reached his shoulders, blue eyes that mirrored the bright sky
A physique built on years of hard work and exercise
A loving family, girlfriend, and excellent grades.
Ye Tian was someone who had his whole life ahead of him, a person who had always been told that his life was destined for success.
However, just before he could realize said destiny, the unthinkable happened.
On his way to college, he happened to stumble on a young girl who had crossed the road while focused on her phone
Seeing that she was about to be hit by a truck, he lunged onto the streets.
Perhaps out of reflex, or perhaps out of heroism
However, in the next moment, he instantly felt all the bones in his body being crushed.
As he pushed the girl out of the way, the oncoming truck rammed into him, directly shattering his spine, and destroying multiple organs.
Thinking back to the past, Ye Tian was sure that he had died almost instantly.
Unfortunately, unlike the heaven and hell preached about in most religions, Ye Tian found himself floating in a seemingly endless void
Back then, upon finding himself in this place, a flurry of emotions washed over his face.
He found himself disoriented, confused, and scared.
His surroundings were eerie, as the void around stretched endlessly with no end in sight.
Like the vacuum of space, only without the presence of stars to light up the void.
"However, perhaps after today all that is going to change!"
Murmuring excitedly, Ye Tian clenched his fists, his veins bulging with pure ecstasy under the sudden pressure.
In this void where neither time, matter, nor space existed, Ye Tian spent his days counting down each second, hour, and day.
And ever since he reached the fifth day, he noticed that the surrounding space had begun to generate a large amount of fog.
In his shocked gaze, a large amount of gray mist began to emerge from all sides.
Not only that, but he felt that he could control this mist and shape it according to his will
*snap!*
Realising this, he snapped his fingers, gathering the nearby fog into a throne for him to sit on.
"Amazing, although this is made of fog, it's as hard as the chairs I sat on in class."
Could it be that it's based on my intent?
Sitting on a two-meter-high throne completely built of fog, with three huge glaring skulls condensed of fog at its top.
Ye Tian, at this moment, seemed to have incarnated into the lord of fog
Thinking of this, a strange light flashed in his eyes
*Snap!*
Under his control, all kinds of items suddenly appeared.
From swords, to books, to pillows
He had once even turned into an architect, creating his own city in the fog before destroying it.
Apart from creating life, Ye Tian said anything a God could do, he could do it too!
However, after playing around for a few hours, he soon became bored
Damn it! Isn't this meant to be the place where people come to when they die? Where the hell are the other dead people!?
"I feel like if I don't talk to someone soon, I'll go crazy!"
Clawing at his hair with anguish, his heart began to race; the once forgotten feeling of loneliness had begun creeping into his heart once more.
Beads of sweat began to drip from his forehead, his fingers trembled, and his lips quivered with emotion.
As the seconds passed, he would sometimes cry, other times laugh. In some cases, when the anxiety was too much, filled with unwillingness, he would punch in and roar into the void, a futile try to escape
In the blink of an eye, his mood swung from joy to anger, to sadness and back to joy, his lips curling and trembling with each shift.
Staying in this space, Ye Tian had gradually begun to lose his mind
Fortunately, he had not completely given up hope of escaping this god forsaken place.
As early as when the fog began to appear, a feeling suddenly appeared in his chest
It seemed to tell him that once the whole space was filled with fog, a great change would happen
Not only that, but his opportunity to leave here would also come at that moment.
Perhaps, this might just be an illusion....my desperate self giving my mind false hope! He muttered.
Taking slow, ragged breaths, Ye Tian forced himself to stay calm
However, despite this, he knew that if his gut was wrong, then he would truly collapse with despair and insanity.
Five more days!
In five more days I'll know the answer! He yelled inwardly, with fist clenched on his throne.
With bloodshot eyes, Ye Tian looked at the rapidly encroaching fog with a hint of anticipation and desperation and madness in his eyes.
According to his estimates, the entire space would be filled in five more days!
And that would be the time he finally escaped this prison of his!