After an unknown stretch of time lost to oblivion, Lu Tianming's eyelids finally fluttered open.
"Ugh… my head…"
A sharp ache pulsed through his skull as he clutched his temple, his face twisting in pain. His breathing was uneven, shallow—as if his body itself had not yet decided to wake.
But when he forced his eyes wider, there was nothing.
No ceiling. No walls. No faint outline of familiar furniture.
Only darkness.
A darkness so deep it felt solid, like an endless curtain swallowing everything in existence.
"Strange…"
His thoughts drifted sluggishly. Why is my house this dark? Has night already fallen?
He tried to shift his body, intending to sit up—but the moment he did, a sudden unease bloomed in his chest.
"This… isn't right."
Where he expected the cold, rough touch of a wooden floor, there was warmth beneath his feet—soft, steady, almost alive. The sensation crept up his legs, foreign and unsettling.
Where am I?
Panic threatened to rise, but he forced himself to remain calm. Slowly, carefully, Lu Tianming reached out into the void, searching for anything—anything—that could anchor him to reality.
Yet the darkness did not retreat.
It was so dense that even his own body was invisible to him. He could not see his hands, his legs, not even the faintest shadow of his outline.
Only through touch did he confirm his existence—his fingers brushing against his arms, his chest, his beating heart.
"What… is happening to me?"
The words slipped from Lu Tianming's lips, barely louder than a whisper, as if saying them aloud might steady his restless heart.
With no answers to be found, he made a choice—simple, yet desperate. He picked a direction at random and began to walk.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
He counted each movement in his mind, clinging to the rhythm as though it were a lifeline. The sound of his footsteps echoed faintly, swallowed almost instantly by the endless void.
But nothing changed.
There was no boundary. No shift. Not even the slightest thinning of the suffocating darkness around him.
Time lost its meaning.
He did not know how long he walked—minutes, hours, or perhaps far longer. All he knew was that with every passing step, the unease in his heart grew heavier, tightening like an invisible hand around his chest.
Finally, unable to endure the silence any longer, he stopped.
"Hello?"
His voice rang out, louder than before, cutting through the darkness.
"Is anyone here?!"
The sound travelled far… only to return to him moments later.
As his own voice echoed again and again—growing fainter each time before finally fading into nothing—tiny cracks began to form in Lu Tianming's will.
He no longer knew how long he had been trapped in this place. Time itself felt distorted, meaningless. All that remained was the vague, terrifying certainty that far too much of it had already passed.
Panic took root.
He could no longer endure this ghostly void.
Driven by desperation, his steps quickened—then broke into a run. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as he charged blindly through the darkness, searching for an exit that might not even exist.
"Hah… hah…"
His breath came out in ragged gasps.
"Is there anyone?!"
"Please… help me!"
His cries tore through the empty space, filled with fear and hope alike.
And once again, the darkness answered him in the cruelest way possible.
Only his own voice returned—distorted, hollow, echoing back as though mocking his despair.
No footsteps.
No response.
No sign of life.
The realization crushed him.
His panic deepened, and with it, his movements grew more frantic, more unrestrained. He ran as though fleeing death itself, even as the endless darkness swallowed every direction he took.
There was no escape.
Only desperation, spiralling endlessly in the void.
But his frantic sprint came to an abrupt halt when the last trace of strength drained from his body.
His legs gave way.
Lu Tianming collapsed onto the warm ground of that strange place, his chest heaving as he struggled to breathe.
"Ah—why… why is this happening to me?!"
His voice tore through the darkness, raw and broken.
"First my mother left me… and now I'm trapped in this ghostly place!"
The more he shouted, the harder it became to hold himself together. Tears spilled freely from his eyes, blurring a vision that could already see nothing. His voice cracked, fractured by grief, until his words dissolved into uncontrollable sobs.
He cried without restraint.
All the memories he had buried surged forth—days spent beside his mother, her gentle voice, her warm smile, the quiet moments he had once taken for granted. He had wished, foolishly, that those days would last forever.
But in the blink of an eye, she was gone.
Gone—leaving him alone in the world.
Only today, after finally awakening his martial soul, had he learned the truth behind his parents' sacrifices—the price they had paid so that he could live on.
Yet before he could even process that pain, agony had erupted from within his body, dragging him into unconsciousness.
And now…
Now he was here.
Crying alone in an endless darkness, with no one to hear him and no way to escape.
…
…
…
Within the endless darkness, one place stood apart.
It was the only region bathed in light.
At its center floated two strange existences. One was a vast mist of deep crimson, thick and oppressive, as though it carried the weight of countless lives. Encased within that mist was a blue-golden sphere—radiant and restless—unceasingly struggling to break free from its crimson prison.
"It's futile."
A voice suddenly echoed through the illuminated space.
The moment the voice sounded, the blue-golden sphere seemed to understand. Its violent struggle came to an abrupt halt.
"Do you truly believe your current body can withstand the memories of your past life?"
The voice spoke again, calm yet filled with unquestionable authority.
At once, the blue-golden sphere trembled violently, shaking as if voicing its unwillingness.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort followed.
"If not for my intervention, you would have already reincarnated as a witless shell. Do you even know why a soul's memories are erased before reincarnation?"
The voice hardened.
"It is because those memories cause a catastrophic shock—one capable of shattering the spirit itself, reducing a person to an empty, brainless husk."
This time, the blue-golden sphere did not move.
"Good. At least you understand gratitude."
The voice softened slightly.
"I already promised to help you grow stronger—strong enough to assimilate with this new body. So why the impatience?"
In response, the blue-golden sphere began circling rapidly, its light flaring with agitation.
"Oh? You are dissatisfied with my methods?"
The voice turned cold, laced with arrogance.
"Hmph! If he cannot pass even this single test, then there is no need for you to merge with him at all."
The sphere quivered once more, its glow flickering chaotically.
"Heh."
The voice carried a mocking edge.
"Have you still not realized it? You are already dead. This reincarnated body… is no longer you."
At those words, the sphere fell silent. Its brilliance dimmed slightly, as if acknowledging an undeniable truth.
"Do not worry."
The voice spoke again, quieter now—almost reflective.
"Just as you refuse to be forgotten, I too had no desire to fade into nothing more than a discarded legend. That is why I chose to help you back then."
A brief pause followed, heavy with anticipation.
"But now…"
The voice grew distant.
"Let us see whether he can pass this test—or not."
After saying this, the voice quite down and the mist encasing the blue golden ball step aside and formed a spirt like form, floating with the ball.
After the cage like mist receded, the ball also didn't cause unnecessary movement.
…
…
…
While those two mysterious existences conversed beyond his awareness, Lu Tianming remained trapped in despair.
He knelt in the darkness, sobbing uncontrollably as countless thoughts churned through his mind—grief, fear, helplessness—until his spirit teetered on the brink of collapse.
Just as he was about to surrender completely, a low, gentle voice echoed beside his ear.
"Live well, my child."
His body trembled.
It was unmistakable.
His mother's voice—soft, warm, and filled with boundless love.
Lu Tianming sprang to his feet.
"Mom?!"
His voice cracked as he shouted into the darkness.
"Mom, are you there?!"
No answer came.
Then, once more—
"Live well, my child."
"Mom, please stop joking…"
His voice wavered with desperation.
"Where are you?"
"Live well, my child."
This time, he did not shout.
Instead, a faint smile slowly formed on his tear-stained face.
"Haha…"
A weak chuckle escaped his lips.
"You're still helping me… even after you're gone."
His eyes glistened.
"I'm really lucky… to have you as my mother."
Unseen by him, the mysterious existence observing everything fell into stunned silence.
Lu Tianming straightened his back. The trembling in his heart vanished, replaced by an unyielding resolve.
"Don't worry, Mom," he shouted with all his strength.
"I'll live well—
and I'll avenge you both!"
The moment his words rang out, the darkness shattered.
Crack—!
Like fragile glass, the endless void fractured into countless shards of light.
"Excellent."
The ancient voice boomed forth, resonant like a tolling divine bell.
"As merely a child, you endured a trial that countless others could not—one deemed impossible by many."
A pause.
"Very good."
"Since you have passed this test, this shall be your reward. Cultivate well. I will wait for you… when you stand at the pinnacle of this world."
With a casual motion, the unseen being flicked a finger.
A dark crimson pearl tore through the remnants of darkness, piercing straight into Lu Tianming's forehead without warning.
Before he could even comprehend what had happened, his consciousness was swallowed once more.
As he faded away—
An undetectable wisp of intertwined gold and blue followed silently, slipping into his mind like a destined shadow.
And the darkness closed again.
\\\\\
Thanks for your support!
Anthony_Cintron