"This world of yours is still young, mine had advanced in ways you can't even begin to comprehend. Earthen Soul Realm? Elemental Realm? Such level of cultivation is meaningless against the technology that mortal men have developed on my world."
In a vast and seemingly endless darkness, 2 people were staring at a huge floating mirror.
"…I know, I know. You've ingrained it to my head already, Lu Yi. Anyway, this mirror is really interesting…"
"Heh. I told you it's not a mirror. It's called a screen, you caveman"
"Y-you!"
The two people that were bickering with each other were none other than Demon God Xanthus and Lord God Lu Yi. It would seem that they are already used to being trapped in this vast and empty darkness. No, it's not exactly empty anymore.
1 year after being trapped in this darkness, around the time when Viel celebrated his first birthday, a huge screen suddenly appeared out nowhere.
When it appeared, it almost felt like it lit up the endless darkness, even though it did not really emit any kind of light.
At first, the so called screen did not really show anything, but after a while, it showed bits and pieces of images- images of what Viel was currently seeing.
"Anyway, our boy is developing to be quite the lady's man, is he not?", Lu Yi placed her hands on her chin as she reviewed the screen in front of her.
"Heh, of course, it is to be expected. He got his good looks from me after all", said Xanthus as he flicked his long black hair.
"From you? Ha, is that why our boy looks like a girl?"
"What did you say!?", Xanthus shouted as he jumped back. He lifted up his fists and readied a fighting stance.
Lu Yi did the same as somersaulted backwards before putting up her guard. They measured up each other, none of them making the first move. It wasn't until Lu Yi got distracted by something on the screen did Xanthus rush towards her.
Lu Yi spun gracefully as he grabbed Xanthus' punching hand. She was about to elbow Xanthus on the liver, but Xanthus kneeled before slamming his shoulder horns on Lu Yi.
Lu Yi blocked it by stepping on the horns in the last second and jumping away.
The two grinned at each other as they were in a stalemate. They were about to start lunging at each other again, but a clapping sound coming from the darkness stopped them.
"Now now, children. Settle down."
A bald man slowly emerged from the darkness, smiling. The man looked truly ordinary. If it wasn't for his elongated earlobes, you would mistake him as just a common monk. Each time you look at him, the more ordinary he gets. It was as if, if you stare at him enough, he would be faceless.
But there was, however, one thing that stood out from him.
His eyes.
It contained an unfathomable amount of authority. Enough to weigh you down like a million mountains crushing your very soul.
"Oh, nice of you to join us, Judge."
------------------
"Who are you!?"
5 years ago, just after the Lings adopted baby Viel. Lu Yi and Xanthus were still recovering and gathering their wits after they were pulled out from the darkness by a mysterious man. The both of them groveled in the darkness, as if they just woke up from an endless slumber. The last thing they remembered was being sucked by an unknown force in the darkness, and that no matter how much they struggled, they couldn't do anything. But yet here they are.
"Take your time, children. We can talk after you have collected yourselves.", the bald man said as he gently sat down with his legs crossed.
"Answer the question that Xanthus' has imposed upon you, stranger!", Lu Yi shouted. She didn't feel well being called a child as she was already more than a million years old. Sure, most of the million years were spent in secluded meditation, not allowing for any social evolution, but still, it has truly been a while that someone referred to her as such.
"Impatient, I see. Very well", the man smiled, "I am the Judge of Karma. That is my name and I go by no other. I am one who governs life and death. I am one who judges if one is to be cut from the cycle, or to be reborn and once again traverse the path of life."
Hearing this, Xanthus could not help but shiver in fear. Lu Yi even more so as she was the one who showed a domineering tone towards the man in front of them. They could not confirm the authenticity of the man's words, but one thing they know for sure, is that the man in front of them was stronger than both of them.
Lu Yi immediately turned to Xanthus, as if asking what their next step was. However, when Xanthus noticed Lu Yi staring at him for help, he slowly looked the other way.
'T-this heathen! What was with the "Hold my hand!!" all about if you are to leave me now in distress!? The nerve! Imbecile! You-', before Lu Yi could spout anymore curses at Xanthus in her mind. The man called the Judge of Karma started to speak again.
"Has that answered your question, 354728?", the Judge of Karma retained his smiling face.
Lu Yi noticed that the man was looking at him. She was visibly confused as the man seemed to have spouted a random number.
"354728? What does thou mean by this number?"
"I apologize, I am not yet acquainted with your name. 354728, that is your world, if I am to be correct. I know of this because you are one of the beings that stood out in the Path, one of the strongest, as a matter of fact."
The man answered without any visible hesitation. Seeing that there really was no merit in lying, considering the situation they were at, Xanthus and Lu Yi started to calm down as the both of them also sat down.
"May I ask why you brought me here, Judge?", Xanthus asked the man respectfully.
"I am afraid I can not answer that.", the Judge shook his head, still his smile remained.
"Why keep us here? If thoust wanted the vessel, you could have let us be absorbed by it.", Lu Yi knotted her eyebrows. If the Judge wishes to possess the vessel, she is dedicated to fight for it, even knowing that she will die.
"Hm. It seems that the both of you misunderstand our current predicament.", this time, the man no longer smiled. "The three of us… are in the same situation."
"You mean… you were also absorbed by this vessel!?", Xanthus stood up, visibly surprised.
"Not quite. I followed it. Someone… something that should not exist in the cycle. It slipped through the Tower of Souls, unbeknownst to everyone else. Only I had the capability to feel and see it."
"What… thing?"
"I do not know", the Judge shook his head in dismay.
"What do you mean? Should you not know every soul that goes through the cycle of life?", Xanthus started to doubt. If he really was the almighty Judge that he said he was, should he not know everything?
"Yes, I do know more than everyone, 79034581. But the one who trespassed and slipped through the Tower of Souls was not a soul nor a spirit, it did not harbor life."
"C..could it be, the voice!?"
"That is probably correct, 79034581. This… thing, it forced itself into the Path, and as the Judge of Karma, it is my sole duty to retain balance. Thus, I followed it to this realm and into this now living vessel. Such a fool I must be, to be trapped here with no visible way to return", the Judge sighed as tried to recall the events.
"Then… then why did you hinder us when we tried to exit on one of the meridians?", Lu Yi asked as she remembered that the Judge of Karma's eyes intimidated her when she tried to open up one of vessel's meridians.
"I was not trying to stop you, I was trying to help you. But even so, our efforts are all in vain."
"This thing, the Voice. Have you figured out what it is yet?"
"I am afraid not. I have searched through this darkness with all of my efforts, but once again, it is in vain.", the Judge of Karma sighed again before finally returning to his usual smiling face.
"…"
The group fell into silence. They remained like this for a while as they try to let all the new information sink in. Suddenly, a spark lighted up in Lu Yi's mind.
"The voice… it reminds me of something in my world."
"Hm, Lu Yi?"
"Do speak, child."
"It is one of the many machineries that the mortals in my world have concocted. This monotonous voice… it somehow reminds me of one of them."
"Machinery? Like a windmill? …do windmills talk in your world?", Xanthus was visibly confused.
"No, you imbecile. Way more advanced. An autonom- no, never mind. Your caveman brain would not understand it anyway."
"Please do continue, child."
"It is nothing, Judge of Karma. What I speak of is just an impossible thought in my mind. And I do have a name, Lu Yi. If we are to be stuck here, I would appreciate if you call us by our names.", Lu Yi bowed as she introduced herself.
"And I am Xanthus", Xanthus nodded.
"Hm. Very well… once again, I am the Judge of Karma"
------------------------
Back in the present day,
"Oh, nice of you to join us, Judge."
"Did you discover anything in your search, Judge of Karma?"
"As always, nothing. What is happening on this side? Is there anything of note happening with the boy?", the Judge looked at the screen and only saw what seems to be a hallway.
"Oh you know, the boy is still up to his antics. This new professor couldn't take it anymore and he sent Viel outside as a punishment. And get this, he even managed to get one of his classmates in trouble as well!", Xanthus laughed as placed his hand on the Judge's shoulder.
"Tch, baby Viel also gets this troublesome side from yours, Xanthus.", Lu Yi crossed her arms shaking her head as she looked at the screen, visibly upset.
What a sight to behold. 3 Godly beings watching a little boy go about his days as if it were just theatre. This has been their daily life ever since the 3 of them became acquainted almost 5 years ago. Watching Viel crawl, watching him stumble, watching him take his first walk.
In a way unknown to Viel, it could be said that he also has another family looking out for him. A family that was and is literally with him every step of the way.
"Heeh!? But I am sure unlike you, Viel will grow up as beautiful as th-", before Xanthus can finish his sentence, the horns on the back of his shoulders suddenly lit up as he revealed a quiet growl, "Gg…gggrrrr".
The Judge, who was currently being grabbed by Xanthus, backed away from his spot.
"X-Xanthus? W-what's wrong!?", Lu Yi hurriedly ran towards Xanthus to see if he was okay. But as soon as her hand approached Xanthus, it was slapped away.
"W…what is this…", Xanthus kneeled down as he couldn't control his emotions. He continued to growl as words involuntarily came out of his mouth, "..y-y-young…noble… p-please s-stoppp"
"What are you saying, Xanthus!? Snap out of it!"
"The mirror, look", Judge called Lu Yi to look at the huge screen.
"Why!?", Lu Yi questioned Judge, visibly confused and upset. She saw a man that Viel hasn't met before in his short life.
"Who is thi-", before Lu Yi can even finish her sentence, the man in the screen spoke.
"What are you looking at, western brat?", a handsome man wearing a teacher's uniform was currently in front of Viel.
[WARNING WARNING WARNING]
Suddenly, the Voice ringed repeatedly as it howled through the darkness.
"W-what? Warning!? For what!?", Lu Yi panicked as she looked back and forth at the screen and Xanthus.
"You dare not answer me when I speak to you, you western brat!?", the handsome teacher grabbed Viel by his collars.
[WARNING WARNING]
[WARNING: Player is experiencing a new negative emotion]
"What!? Who is this man!? Xanthus snap out of it!", Lu Yi shouted as she slapped Xanthus.
"y..young noble…p-please…", However, like unaffected by the slap, Xanthus still continued to mutter the same words over and over again.
[WARNING: Player is about to experience Rage]
"W-what!? N-no!", Lu Yi unleashed a flurry of slaps towards Xanthus.
"I may have an idea who this man is", Judge, who was remaining quiet throughout the whole ordeal started to speak.
"Huh!? How!?"
"I saw him before I followed the Voice inside here."
"What!? Who is it then!?"
[WARNING: Player is about to experience Rage]
"If I am to be correct, it is the boy's father."
"!!!???", Lu Yi was still visibly confused. Could it be that Viel remembers and knows something on the days that he was not even born? Seeing as Viel is not really a normal kid, anything is possible. But there was no use in deliberating it now, as the current predicament is not really allowing it.
"l..Li…Zhao…p-please.."
[WARNING: Initializing Rage]
[WARNING: Initializing Rage]
"Y-you dare grab my hand!?", on the screen, it can be seen that Viel was already grabbing the man's wrists tightly.
Not wanting to wait for the impending crisis that was about to happen. Lu Yi once again started to hit Xanthus, and this time, it contained all of her strength.
[WARNING: Commencing Rage]
Lu Yi hurriedly summoned a light in the shape of a hand and quickly slammed it towards Xanthus. The impact was so strong that it felt like it shook the darkness.
"XANTHUS! I SAID SNAP OUT OF IT!"