[ Black Lotus Cult - The Wailing Isle ]
[ The Twin Dragon Estate ]
The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting an ethereal glow of orange and red hues across the sky. Yue Fei stood on the rooftop of the majestic mansion, his dark hair dancing in the gentle breeze. A small smile played at the corners of his lips as he took a deep drag from the cigar he held between his fingers. The smoke curled and twisted in the wind, fading away into the captivating beauty of the sunset.
The sound of footsteps echoed across the rooftop, disturbing the tranquility of the moment. Yue Fei turned, his steely gaze landing on the figure that emerged from the shadows. It was Zhang, a short, bald man with glasses that glinted mischievously under the dying light. A sardonic grin was plastered across his face, contrasting sharply with the serene atmosphere.
"It's been a while, Zhang," Yue Fei greeted him with a curt nod, the annoyance he felt at having his peace interrupted barely contained.
"Ugh, it reeks up here," Zhang complained, pinching his nose theatrically. "Do you have to smoke?"
Yue Fei shot him a withering look. "Why did you come up here, then?"
"Just to check on you," Zhang replied, his smirk never leaving his face. "Reminiscing about your past glory, are we? What were they calling you before you went on that mission to track down that deserter? The Flame Spear? How ironic, isn't it? Your flames were snuffed out by much stronger flames, wasn't it? What was his name? Sun Woo Kong?"
Yue Fei sighed, his irritation growing. "His name was Alexander, fatso."
"Well, I think it was for the best that you went on that mission," Zhang said, plopping himself down into a nearby chair. The leather creaked in protest under his weight.
Yue Fei's fury was palpable as he turned to face Zhang. "How was that for the best?! My spiritual roots were completely burned, and now I am stuck as a cripple. I can't cultivate or anything, and I am losing my cultivation. The only reason I am not dead yet is because my enemies don't even find killing me worth their fucking time!"
Zhang's words cut like a knife. "But is that a bad thing? Before that incident, you were an extremely arrogant and unlikeable guy. You were obsessed with your image in others' minds that you left behind so many of us, even your sister."
Yue Fei was taken aback by the words, but Zhang continued. "But look at you now. You can now take a joke, I think," he said, lightly hitting Yue Fei's arm.
Yue Fei was silent for a moment, considering Zhang's words. "Yeah, maybe it was for the best. I, at least, have a great image in my student's head."
Yue Fei looked at Zhang's smirk who moved his hand towards his mouth and asked. "Did you hear what they're calling you?"
"I'm sure it's 'son of a bitch' or something."
"Kuhahah, that's right."
"So what are you doing here?"
"Oh," Yue Fei frowned at Zhang's shift in attitude. "I am lonely."
"Damnit Zhang, and here I thought it was serious."
"It is serious, who else do you know can hang out with your grumpy ass?"
"Leave, I am busy with my students."
"Oh, speaking of them, any comment?"
"They're all idiots who will die early in the Murim."
"Oh, harsh but do you have anyone in mind who can survive the cleansing?"
As the words left Zhang's mouth, the image of a crimson-haired boy flashed through Yue Fei's mind. The boy's fiery hair seemed to reflect the last embers of the setting sun. Yue Fei frowned, puzzled by the unexpected thought.
'Why the hell did I think of him? No way is that low-grade loser going to survive the cleansing.'
Unaware of Yue Fei's internal struggle, Zhang leaned forward in his chair, curiosity twinkling in his eyes.
"So? Anyone in particular you think might make it?"
Yue Fei hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "No, they're all equally worthless."
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[ Bamboo forest - Alexander's Lab ]
As I staggered into the dimly lit room, the pain radiating from my shoulder, chest, and back threatened to overwhelm me. The pulsating agony from the third-degree burns seemed to fill the space, casting its own sinister shadows across the walls. I knew I had to treat the wounds as quickly as possible, or I would face dire consequences.
I hobbled over to a small, rickety table in the corner, each step causing me to wince. The table was littered with supplies: water, ointment, and clean, dry bandages. My hands shook as I fumbled with the water bottle cap, the searing pain making even the simplest task feel like a monumental challenge.
Finally, the cap came off. I took a deep, shuddering breath and steeled myself for what was to come. With trembling hands, I poured the cool water over my shoulder, chest, and back. Each droplet made me hiss as it came into contact with the raw, exposed flesh of my burns, but I pressed on, the sterile water washing away any dirt and debris that clung to the injuries.
Once the burns were cleansed, I reached for the ointment. The cool, smooth substance seemed to beckon with the promise of relief. Carefully, I spread the ointment over my shoulder, chest, and back. Each application brought both soothing relief and a renewed wave of pain, but I knew I couldn't afford to stop.
With the ointment in place, I began the delicate task of wrapping the bandages around my shoulder. Each movement sent jolts of pain through my body, but I forced myself to continue, knowing that failing to protect the wounds could lead to infection and further complications.
As I struggled to reach behind me to cover the burns on my back, the dim light seemed to flicker and dance, taunting me. The pain made it nearly impossible to focus, but I persisted, finally securing the last strip of bandage in place.
Exhausted and trembling, I sank to the cold, hard floor of the dimly lit room, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. The pain remained, a relentless and throbbing presence, but beneath it all, I felt the faintest flicker of hope that I had done enough to begin the healing process. I closed my eyes and clung to that hope, allowing it to anchor me in the midst of the storm.
....
I awoke with a start, my heart pounding in my chest as I felt the throbbing pain of the burns on my shoulder, chest, and back. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I tried to focus on my surroundings. The dimly lit lab was filled with an eerie silence, broken only by the soft hum of the air coming in. I gazed at the jar containing the Abyssal Hallucigenia.
The black, slimy form of the Hallucigenia twisted and writhed in the jar, almost as if it were aware of my presence. It seemed to beckon me, daring me to approach. The creature's multiple protrusions glinted in the faint light, drawing me in with a hypnotic allure.
As I stood alone in the lab, the pull of curiosity was too strong to resist. With trembling hands, I lifted the lid of the jar and cautiously extended my hand towards the creature. The Hallucigenia slithered out of the jar, its glistening protrusions reflecting the dim light of the lab.
But as soon as the creature made contact with my skin, an intense sense of unease washed over me. The Hallucigenia's skin began to stretch out from both sides, forming what looked like a pair of sinister eyes. I was entranced by the sight, unable to look away.
Suddenly, the creature clamped down on my hand, sinking its sharp teeth into my flesh. I yelped in pain and tried to pull away, but it was too late. The Hallucigenia had disappeared into my hand, leaving behind nothing but a gaping wound that throbbed in time with my burns.
As I tried to focus on my breathing and calm myself down, I heard it. An arcane voice echoed through my mind, calling out to me. I strained to make out the words, but they were nothing more than guttural sounds, like the growling of some ancient beast. And then, abruptly, everything went black.
I found myself floating in an endless void, lost in the nothingness. Panic started to set in, but then I saw it - a flicker of light in the distance. I swam towards it, drawn by a strange and irresistible force. The closer I got, the brighter the light became, until it was almost blinding.
As I approached the light, I saw that it was an orb of intense brightness, shining like a beacon in the dark abyss. And beneath it, I found myself surrounded by a sea of demonic eyes. They stared back at me, their pupils black and unyielding, like the void itself.
I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my lips. The eyes seemed to close in on me, their penetrating gaze threatening to consume me whole.
Determined to escape the nightmare, I mustered all the strength I had left and tore my gaze away from the demonic eyes. I focused on the orb of light, reaching out to it with every fiber of my being. The light seemed to respond, pulsating and growing stronger as I drew nearer.
And before I could react, the orb of light shot towards my left eye. As it made contact, I felt a searing pain that eclipsed the pain of my burns. The darkness of the void began to shift and change, transforming into a kaleidoscope of colors that danced around me in dizzying patterns.
The vibrant hues swirled and merged, creating a mesmerizing tapestry that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was as if I were caught in the eye of a cosmic storm, a maelstrom of light and color that threatened to engulf me. The intensity of the colors seemed to grow stronger, the vivid shades blending and bleeding into one another until they formed a single, blinding light.
At the center of this swirling vortex of color, I could see a figure begin to take shape. It shimmered and flickered like a mirage, its form shifting and changing as if it were made of the very light that surrounded it. As the figure grew more solid and distinct, I realized that it was not entirely unfamiliar to me.
The figure was a reflection of myself, but it seemed altered somehow, as if it were a version of me that had been distorted by the power of the Abyssal Hallucigenia. I stared at this otherworldly doppelganger, fear and curiosity welling up inside me in equal measure. It raised its hand, and I felt compelled to do the same.
As our hands touched, a jolt of energy surged through me, and the pain in my eye and burns intensified to an unbearable level. The kaleidoscope of colors erupted into a brilliant white light, so intense that it felt as though it was searing my very soul.
.....
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The relentless march of time continued, as if to mock my helplessness. Time never waited for anyone or anything. No matter how many opportunities we were given, the outcomes were ultimately determined by the passage of time. That's how it had always been.
That's why choices were so important. Incredibly important. Once made, choices could not be undone, not in reality. If you decided to go to school one day, you couldn't go back and change that decision, unless you concocted a scheme involving faking an illness or injury. Or, if you decided to buy two packets of biscuits instead of one, you couldn't return them, could you?
Even if time were nothing more than a figment of human perception or a social construct, an illusion we created for ourselves, you couldn't ignore the nagging sensation that time was slipping through your fingers, could you?
Tick tock, went the clock, tick tock.
I didn't know how much time had passed.
An hour.
A day.
A week.
A month.
A year.
As I lay there on the floor, my body numb and unresponsive, I was suddenly enveloped in a whirlwind of colors, swirling and pulsating around me. It was as if I had been plunged into a kaleidoscope of light, and I was unable to look away.
And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the vibrant display of colors faded, and I found myself perceiving the world around me once more. My eyes shifted to a spider on the wall, its body adorned with a dewdrop like a tiny hat. I marveled at the delicate beauty of this small creature, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the wonder of the natural world.
My vision shifted again, and this time I found myself staring into a hole in the wall. And there, perched on a nearby branch, was a cicada, its shell still clinging to its body. I watched as the shell broke apart, revealing a set of wings that allowed the insect to take flight.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. I was just like that cicada, once weak and helpless, crawling through life without a sense of purpose or direction. But now, just like the cicada, I had been given the chance to fly, to soar above the world and to experience the beauty of life from a whole new perspective.
The realization washed over me like a wave, bringing with it a newfound sense of determination. I closed my eyes, feeling the strength channel through my body as I slowly stood up, every fiber of my being brimming with potential.
I had been given wings, and now it was time for me to take flight. To embrace the possibilities that lay before me, and to explore the vast expanse of the world with a heart full of hope and wonder.
Time would continue to tick away, but I would no longer be a passive observer, bound by the constraints of my past choices. Instead, I would face the future with courage and conviction, determined to make the most of every precious moment.
Tick tock, went the clock, tick tock.
And with each passing second, I grew more determined to spread my wings and fly.
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[ Author Note: Abyssal Hallucigenia ]
[ A rare demonic beast found in the deepest parts of the world's oceans. While female Hallucigenia are predator demon beasts that rule over territories in the vast seas. The male Hallucigenia are small and parasitic. They bind to the host of any living creature. In exchange for a home, nutrition, and spiritual Qi, the male Hallucigenia gives its host " The eye of Insight".
The Eye of Insight enhances the host's vision to extreme degrees alongside giving them the ability to perceive the Spiritual Qi in the world in the form of colors as they're survival in the deep ocean increases. ]
[ Inspiration: In the real world, male anglerfish mate by bitting into the much larger female and becoming a part of her body hence the parasite aspect in the story. I love Naruto and my " Eye of Insight " is a reference to the Sharingan's eye of Insight to perceive chakra in the form of colors]