The Realm of Time and Space stretched before Fu Yang like an endless, shimmering river. At first glance, its currents flowed slowly, heavy with the weight of eternity, their surface gleaming under an unseen cosmic light. But beneath that serene facade, dark whirlpools churned—black holes scattered like jagged stones across the stream, each one a silent threat. Drifting above this boundless expanse, caught in the liminal space between past and present,
Fu Yang floated, his gaze fixed on the river's depths. His eyes, hollow and distant, traced the currents as if searching for something lost within them.
Shhhhh… shhhhhh…
The river became a mirror, reflecting fragments of his past life. Scenes unfolded before him, vivid and unrelenting, as though the waters themselves were forcing him to relive every moment. Voices—sharp, accusing, venomous—echoed from the vision below.
"This is the bastard who defiled the flower of the Yan Clan!" a voice thundered, dripping with righteous fury. "I will seek justice for the girl he tormented, for this merciless killer who silenced her!"
Another voice, colder and more venomous, spat, "It's clear he wanted to kill her to shut her up!"
A third voice, authoritative and final, cut through the clamor. "Does this prisoner have anything to say? If not, we will decide his punishment."
In the vision, Fu Yang saw himself—younger, barely in his twenties, his face gaunt and his spirit worn.
He was chained, wrists and neck bound by heavy iron links that clinked against the cold stone floor with every futile movement. His eyes, though youthful, carried the weight of someone already exhausted by life, their fire dimmed by betrayal and despair.
Ring, ring.
"I… I don't even know who this lady is you're talking about!" the younger Fu Yang shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "I wasn't even given a fair trial, and you're already deciding my punishment? What proof do you have? What proof that I killed her, or touched her? Haa? What proof?"
Ring, ring.
The judge's sneer was a blade, slicing through the air. "Oh, proof? We know who you are and what you do, you vile bastard. You want proof? Of course we have proof."
The younger Fu Yang lowered his eyes, his mind spiraling. Proof? he thought. Don't tell me someone bribed or threatened the people close to me. Is this another frame-up? Why? Since the moment I came to this world, everyone's tried to frame me, humiliate me… Are these trials meant to break me? Or forge me? Am I supposed to become a 'legendary hero' by surviving them? But… aren't these too much?
Floating above the river now, the present Fu Yang watched his younger self with a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"Really… what a fool I was," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the endless whisper of the river.
Shhhhh… shhhhhh…
He tilted his head, his gaze drifting upward.
"Mmm… wait. How much time has passed? I've watched my past countless times. I feel like I'm truly trapped here."
His eyes returned to the river of time, its currents swirling with memories and possibilities. A thought, sharp and dangerous as a blade, crept into his mind. Maybe the only way out… is through.
Fu Yang clenched his fists, the resolve hardening in his chest. "I don't want to be trapped here," he said, his voice steady now. "It's time to take a risk. Even if it throws me back to hell, this is the only chance."
He took a deep breath, the air—or whatever passed for air in this realm—filling his lungs with purpose.
Woshhhh—
And then he leapt.
Shhhhh… shhhhhh…
The waters did not welcome him. They surged upward like living flesh, a tidal force rushing to meet him as though he were a foreign body, a germ invading their sacred domain.
The currents struck his soul with crushing force, wrapping around him like white blood cells swarming to destroy an intruder. They tore at him, breaking him down, assimilating him into their depths. Pain seared through his being, a scream ripping from his core as his soul was swallowed by the river's relentless pull.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
…
Shhhhh… shhhhh… shhhhh…
"Fu… Fu! Oi, Fu Yang!" a voice barked, shattering the silence.
"Are you deaf? Look here—this is an insect you hate the most! Hahaha!"
"Let's put it in his mouth! Hahaha!"
Fu Yang's mind reeled. Where… where am I? The thought clawed at him, disorienting and raw. Wasn't I in hell? Then in the Realm? Am I watching my past again? But this… this feels different.
"Oi, you bastard, look here!" the mocking voice taunted. "Say aaaaaah!"
Slowly, Fu Yang turned his head. There it was—a wriggling insect clutched in the hand of a boy, his face twisted with cruel delight. The scene was painfully familiar, a memory etched into his soul like a scar.
A nightmare.
But something was different. He wasn't just watching. He could feel the air, the weight of his body, the sting of the boy's laughter. A slow, reckless smile spread across his face.
"Heh."
Without hesitation, he leaned forward. "Umm… nom nom nom." He snatched the insect and swallowed it in one swift motion. Gulp.
"As always… it doesn't taste good," he said, his voice calm but laced with defiance.
The boys around him froze, their laughter dying in their throats.
Fu Yang's mind raced. Wait. Taste? How can I taste anything? This… this isn't the Realm.
Realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, electrifying his senses. He hadn't just watched his past. He had been hurled back into it.
Fu Yang threw his head back and laughed, a raw, wild sound that echoed through the air.
"Hahahaha… haaaaa… haahaaahaa!"