-----
As Anna opened her eyes to reality and realized she could not selfishly cry while abandoning everything around her, sothing else was happening elsewhere
In an endless world of light, where stars shone brightly before descending into the void below, a crow was falling through it.
Perhaps in a manner similar to how Anna had been within her own subconscious.
The crow’s crimson eyes slowly opened. He covered them almost instinctively, wincing in anticipation of the pain from such intense light.
However, the pain never ca. He could not feel his body either.
“…”
He looked around in confusion. This world of ethereal light and spiritual energies, with its bottomless black abyss…
He had never seen anything like it in his entire life.
“I…”
He stared at his own hands and realized he was nothing but a soul now, or perhaps a spirit.
“I died… That’s right.”
He stopped falling the mont he realized he could move. Looking up into the skies, he seed lost.
A tear fell from his eyes as he ca to terms with what had happened.
“Hah… I really didn’t want to leave them so soon…”
He gazed down into the abyss.
“Hue Xian… Would you forgive for leaving you behind?”
The love she had given him was one of his greatest treasures. Even now, after death, he cherished it deep within his soul.
“I was lucky to et you and to be loved by you… I… I’ll miss you…”
As he accepted his death despite the many regrets, he looked around once more.
“Am I in the afterlife? Is this hell? Or… heaven?”
His crimson eyes brimd with confusion.
“Where am I?”
While still tornted by his regrets, sothing began approaching him. It was formless, shapeless, and invisible.
Yet it was enormously powerful, manifesting before him only as a voice.
“This is not Heaven, nor Hell, Han Zhenye.”
“…”
He fell silent as he gazed at the entity made of pure, blinding white light that encompassed his surroundings.
“You’re… That voice…! Don’t tell , you’re the Heavenly Will?!”
“I am not…”
Han fell silent again, thinking, trying to make sense of what was happening.
He had never imagined the afterlife would be so intriguing.
But the more he thought, the dizzier he felt. As he glanced at his ethereal body, he saw it fading away.
“So I cannot stay here much longer…”
“That’s right. You are currently in the Limbo between Life and Death, the River of Void.”
“Limbo between Life and Death? The River of Void? This is… I’ve heard about it before…”
He quickly recalled old tales, mostly adapted from ancient writings by the Dokkaebi that existed in the world of Bestia long before the beast people themselves.
“Indeed. This is the River of Void that interconnects the many Murims of this vast Nebula…”
“The River of Void that connects with the worlds beyond. A tale as old as ti, one I never believed was real… So it was true! But why am I here? Can I not rest in peace? And who are you?!”
“Can’t you tell who I am? You have seen countless tis. You have stepped upon , used my resources to grow as strong as you are, and I have provided you with food and shelter.”
“What…?”
“Who am I?”
“…”
He quickly realized who this being truly was, and his eyes widened even further.
“You’re the World of Bestia, are you not?”
“…I have called you here to give you a second chance, Han Zhenye.”
FLAAASH!
Suddenly, countless images of his life and mories flashed before him—his feats, his many mistakes, his nurous victories, and his life with her, which had felt so painfully short. He had never been able to properly say goodbye to his wife, his son, or Anna.
“What… second chance?!”
“The Heavens are being remade, and there is a need for a new Heavenly Will.”
“…?!”
“The Heavenly Will died, and it would take millions of years for a new one to be naturally born… The Nine Heavens are vital for this world. They provide the purest Elental Ki Essence we require for this world to revive and rebound from its ruins.”
“So you’re saying that I should beco the new Heavenly Will?! What?! Are you out of your mind?! I am a monster! I am a demon! I’ve done so many… so many horrible things…! And you want to beco the being that oversees it all?!”
“It is either that… or passing away, filled with regrets, into the Void River, where your soul will drift toward an unknown destination.”
“But… Even then… Why?”
The images of his life continued appearing one after another, and he was amazed by how detailed everything was.
His body had already dissipated halfway. He knew he had little ti left, but he still wanted to know why.
“You may call yourself a demon and admit you have committed countless atrocities… However, within your heart, you have experienced everything the world has to offer, Han Zhenye.”
“Everything…?!”
“You have known the lowest of lows—despair, pain, agony… You saw your family taken from you and were forced to live while running away, surviving with only your beak and your claws, fighting with everything you had just to see another day. You experienced betrayal, but also true friendship. You killed and regretted it countless tis.”
“You laughed and were happy, and you were also sorrowful. You experienced the joy of being a father and learned its responsibilities. You learned to love and were loved. You hated and were hated. You killed, but you also saved many lives. You sacrificed yourself for those you love.”
“…”
Han looked at his trembling hands.
“I… did all of that?”
“You are no longer the demon you once despised. You are soone different now, Han Zhenye… You have experienced everything this world had to offer and gained enlightennt through both paths, never abandoning one for the other, attaining perfect balance.”
“Really? I did all of that? But that’s… I can’t believe it.”
“It must be hard to believe, yes, but these are your incredible achievents. I could go on and on about what you have done and experienced. But among all other candidates, you are the most ideal.”
“But can I be like the previous Heavenly Will? She was so strict, yet so benevolent… She was like a mother.”
“I believe you could beco a good father… to this world and its people, just as you are to Song and Anna.”
“…”
As the very world he had lived in praised him, the Heavenly Demon shed a small tear. Looking at the white skies, he smiled.
“Hahahahaha!”
And he laughed out loud.
“Is that so?! So the world itself is now begging to beco the Heavenly Will?! That’s hilarious!”
“…”
Although he acted cocky and laughed as the Heavenly Demon would have, he looked at the Presence of the World of Bestia and nodded.
“Fine… I’ll give you everything I have… My soul, my consciousness, my Inner Realm… My Divine Aura, everything! As long as… I can see her face again.”
“It won’t be the sa as when you were alive… You have died, and that cannot be reversed… But I will allow you so liberties if you prove that the decision I have made is the correct one.”
“Hmph, who do you think I am?! I am the Heavenly Demon! HAHAHAHA! BRING IT ON!”
FLAAASH!
In that mont, before he could fully disappear, the Heavenly Demon’s soul was consud by the light. His powers, his cultivation, his consciousness, his Daos, his Cosmic Power—everything.
Everything he had, everything he was, even his Inner Realm, rapidly began to condense and rge with the Heavens, while the city where mortals were being protected was teleported to Black Dragon Island.
He felt his very existence washing away. Everything he was and could have beco rapidly dissipated. Then, the most primordial, ancient essence within him converged with the Heavens.
His mind and consciousness expanded endlessly. His life was gone, but he had stepped into a new type of existence, one that was vast and spread across most of the world.
To forever watch over it, care for it, and protect it as the previous Heavenly Will had done.
“Han Zhenye, as the Divine Will and Soul of this World, I hereby declare you {Bestia’s Heavenly Will}! Now go, protect this world that you loved so much and its people that you sacrificed yourself to protect!”
“I will…”
Filled with strong conviction and a new sense of enlightennt, no longer alive nor dead, the Heavenly Demon—no, Han Zhenye—stepped forward into a new future.
RUMBLE!
The skies of the world of Bestia trembled as the Heavens, which had been slowly regenerating, suddenly began to reform thousands of tis faster than before.
Each color, each sky, each sea of clouds appeared across the heavens, giving them a beautiful rainbow hue that was simply unforgettable.
And the world of Bestia received the Heaven’s Radiance, growing stronger once more.
-----
User Comments
0 comments from readers