Shi Chen stopped in his tracks when he saw the dragon. He wasn't afraid, but relieved.
If he was seeing a dragon, then he was still asleep on the plane. It was just a lucid dream. Why did he even think about death?
Shi Chen sighed deeply and looked at the others around the bonfire. They were a strange group, made of three old men, a middle-aged man, and a young man. Two of them wore ancient armours while the others wore refined and elegant robes that were just as ancient looking.
He was very close to them now, but, while looking a bit curious, they didn't greet him or talked to him. It seemed like they were expecting him to run away like a scared deer, so they didn't even bother to glance at him, returning soon to ignore his existence.
"My name is Shi Chen, may I know yours?" He said while sitting down on the ground.
Everybody in the group turned their heads and looked at him like he was the abnormal one.
"You sure are talkative for someone who just died." replied the young man grinning.
Shi Chen paled a little when he heard this, but the slumbering dragon near him made him regain his confidence. The redhead could say everything he wanted, he was just fruit of his subconscious after all. His words worked like the signal for everyone to start talking.
"That's what he gets for flying on that steel bird. How can you trust those things?" added the old man with the green armour, displeased.
"I liked the explosion" uttered the other old warrior.
"Ok, enough! I'm not dead yet! This...is just a dream." exclaimed frustrated Shi Chen.
He didn't know why but he was feeling like he was reunited with a group of old friends after a very long time and that they all knew each other very well. He didn't like to hear them saying that he was dead. It was fine if one or two was saying it but, obviously, everyone agreed.
"Hey, relax! You aren't the only one. We are all dead here!" said the redhead.
The middle-aged man took out a gourd of wine and poured it into two cups
"My name is Ankai. Grab a cup young man, let me explain to you what is happening" said Ankai. Shi Chen took the wine suspiciously and sipped a little bit of it. The strong fragrance entered his nostrils inebriating him a little while the liquid burned its way down to the stomach leaving instead a calming ice cold sensation. The tension in his body immediately evaporated and he finally managed to relax. This was really a good wine.
"Before we start, please everyone introduce yourselves to our new friend" he suggested.
"I'm Wen Rong. I was a General when I was alive." declared proudly the explosions maniac, so full of himself that it seemed like he was about to transform into a peacock and show us his colourful tail.
"I'm Fang Xiu. I killed people and robbed them" hissed the other armoured man cruelly.
"I'm Bai. I was an official at the Court of the Jade Emperor" Ankai looked at him sternly "...and an assassin!" hurriedly said Bai, the redhead.
"My name is Qing Zheng. I used to be an Emperor..." mumbled an aloof old man, with dreamy eyes.
The dragon slowly lifted his eyelids and yawned bored.
"Just call me 13th. I am a dragon"
"As for me, I was a writer and an explorer! And this is the Underworld. Welcome to the land of the dead! And prepare for a long stay. The eternal kind of long." bitterly announced Ankai, while making a theatrical gesture with his hands pointing at the barren lands around us.
Shi Chen looked at him confused. He still wasn't convinced about his death, but even if it really happened, why should he stay in the Underworld forever? Shouldn't he face karmic judgement and walk down the Six Paths of Reincarnation?
"That's nonsense! What about rebirth? Where is King Yama? I want to file a report!" he said, half- joking and half-worried.
"Well, Shi Chen, you may not know it, but you already experienced rebirth. Six times as a matter of fact! As for complaining we already did it, to no avail" explained Wen Rong.
A sudden realization hit him "Then you are my previous lives?"
Everyone nodded in silence. Shi Chen didn't know what to think anymore. He looked at the dying fire and, longing for a little more warmth, he approached it. The kind flame flickered and gently touched his hand, without burning him. Curious, he dimmed his fingers directly into it.
Myriads of visions drowned his mind. He saw seven lives. He saw millions of years and worlds passing through his eyes, memories that didn't belong to him, but that were too accurate to be fake.
He saw six legends. And he saw his life, great and full of different experiences, but so petty and short when compared to the others'. A plane was in the middle of a storm. Another one was in front of it. Then something that should have been impossible happened. The two aeroplanes crashed into each other and disappeared, enveloped by a terrifying explosion, together with all their passengers. He really was dead. The thought hit him like a truck, leaving him breathless. He threw up.
"Wh-What is this?" asked Shi Chen indicating the campfire.
"It's our True Soul, a representation of it at least. The only thing that permits our existence and our reincarnation. Every single time we live we consume a little bit of it. When it's too weak the only fate that awaits us is staying here in the Underworld or simply disappear. Do not worry it will never perish." answered the dragon.
"Why is it so low?" he whispered trembling.
"The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long. We may be only seven but we managed to somehow abuse its power. We are souls that already reincarnated, so it doesn't change much for us... but for you, unfortunately, it means an eternity here with us, or you can choose to work for the Kings. But I wouldn't do that if I was you: it's the worst job ever, that's why usually only the demons, the ghosts and the damned do it. I'm sorry." said patiently 13th.
Shi Chen remained rooted to the same spot for a long time.
His new companions were watching him anxiously but didn't do anything, since they knew that it required time to digest this information, and they knew that talking to him now wouldn't do any good.
Little did they know that the conman wasn't digesting this information but trying to think of a plan to get around this impossible conundrum.
"Can't we steal another's True Soul?" tried Shi Chen.
"Yes, we could, but King Yama would destroy us."
"Then it's simple!" he enthusiastically said struck by an idea "We could convince someone to sign a contract that binds him into giving the rest of his/her eternity to us! King Yama is, after all, a judge so he's forced to recognize the legitimacy of a contract!" continued Shi Chen before their sceptical eyes. The lot of them thought about it for a few seconds and, after coming to the conclusion that it was indeed feasible, stared dumbly at the little guy still bent on his own vomit.
"You are one cruel little monster...We've been here like sitting ducks for who knows how much time and a layman, who knows nothing about the Three Realms nor cultivation, tells us the solution in a few minutes! Ah! You're truly great! I'll call you my grandfather and take your family name, you scheming rascal!" shouted euphoric Fang Xiu.
"Come here, let me hug you!" said Wen Rong already throwing his arms around his neck despite the stink.
"We should hurry at the queue. We shouldn't celebrate before succeeding." scolded halfheartedly Emperor Qing Zheng with renewed vigour.
They all excitedly ran towards the place were the screamings came from, the First Hell, because near it there was the queue to enter the Ten Courts of Hell, where every single soul waited for karmic evaluation. They didn't know if their plan would really work, but it was better than doing nothing.
The Underworld was an enormous world mostly made of mazes full of dangerous traps, portals, and facilities to handle the deceased but luckily they were already in the core part of it since Shi Chen was, technically, still a soul pending judgement. While they were leaving in a hurry, nobody noticed that, quietly, the little flame rekindled by a little, dancing happily on the ground and weakly spreading a hopeful halo in the gloomy grayness of this world.