A tall pillar stands in the centre of the shadows in a dark world filled with countless chains rattling a man's soft breathing.
Sitting in the centre, chained to a tall pillar, was a handsome male with messy black hair down to his neck, with his eyes closed, listening to someone crying, a boy begging for his life to end—he wanted to return to his former world...
The chained man listening to the boys whimpering, suddenly opened his peach lips with a wolfish smile.
"Dearest brother, how long has it been since you left me in this dark, cold prison and stole my body?"
He looked into the sky, where a black sun hovered above, giving birth to a frigid and dead world of darkness.
"When I was about to be born, your soul suddenly came from another world and stole my body—using your "system," you trapped me in this prison deep within our existence."
Back then, what did you tell me, a mere baby's soul that didn't know better?
"Sorry, bro, I promise to treat your family well, so let me take your body to live again?" The man in the darkness smiled bitterly, his age different from his looks.
"You took my warmth, the mother that should love me, leaving me trapped here for 15 years, and now you wish for me to bail you out because you cannot take being beaten or threatened like garbage anymore..."
"Dream on!"
'At that time, did you ever think this moment would come, myself from another world?'
The male trapped in the prison thought as he watched a pitiful image of himself now crawling into the prison of his own volition.
"Why do you crawl to me in the darkness?"
"These rusted black chains hold me, prisoner, in the depths of our soul, unable to move..."
"So Why..."
"Why, brother, do you beg for my help now?"
Ignoring the shadow's call, the boy, with an identical look, crawled over to the man in the darkness, his legs broken, stomach with several stab wounds testament to his suffering from physical violence.
"Beaten, bloody and broken... You say you are at your limits, and this is a shitty second life."
"But brother, why not Accept the destiny you seized."
"That which was mine became yours, and I was left with this dark prison... Trapped in our soul..."
Suddenly the boy finally managed to reach the foot of the shadow, his eyes filled with tears, his nose oozing with snot as he grabbed onto the leg of the male chained to the pillar with pale skin and a wild, feral look.
Like a lone wolf.
"P-please! Su Lang! I will free you—I cannot take this life anymore..." The filthy Rat called out, his hands grasping Su Lang's legs.
'You want me to switch places with you? To fight your battles when you stole my place, usurped the love of my mother and ruined everything!'
"You can have it back! I will return to my world... surf the internet and apologise to my parents!"
Su Lang's eyes narrowed—he looked at this pathetic Rat who shared his face with fierce eyes, unable to attack him due to the black chains that tied him to the pillar, the so-called "System" that this Rat used to brag so much about until it vanished.
'Return after what you have done, forgive me, but I will never let you return. I will kill you.'
"Brother... I swear!" The Rat said shrill, grasping at Su Lang's legs. His face filled with tears, and snot ran like a wet dog.
"Let me break your chains—the system said you might kill me, but the system was no help!"
"Believe me!" The Rat continued to squeak,
But Su Lang didn't reply, just watching as the one who stole everything from him suddenly began to move towards the chains, his hands reaching for the first one.
'Oh? You will truly let me leave?'
Su Lang's heart was cold, frozen by the eternal frost around his prison, as he considered the reasons this Rat might have had for stealing his body from the beginning...
What exactly did Su Lang do to lose his body before birth?
'Systems? Heaven's will? Karmic Bindings? Demonic Pacts? What care do I have for your excuses...'
A slight memory came to Su Lang's mind: a woman's gentle voice, her pained cries as she called out to him...
It called out his name...
"Su Lang... It's okay, Su Lang... Mommy will give birth to you and make you the strongest man in the world!"
Yet his body began to move, to be born suddenly a strange feeling of pain... a strange light invaded his mind...
After that, he was left here.
At first, it was hell because he was just a baby and didn't understand things...
As he grew and saw the world from the Rat's eyes, he realised that his life had been stolen and the imposter locked him in.
*Clang*
A single chain snapped, and the black metal vibrated before it dissipated into dark light, rising towards the black sun leaving only seven more till he was free.
'I can feel a sense of freedom... I feel light...'
Su Lang felt joy and delight, seemingly emotions sealed in the pillar 15 years ago... Now finally released, he felt one step closer to freedom.
*Clang**Clang*
Then the chains were broken one after the other as the Rat did the first good thing in his life, foolishly thinking that he might get to live after setting Su Lang free, but those neon-blue eyes contained nothing but bloodthirsty and cold rage.
*Shatter!*
Finally, the last chain was broken, and the seal to protect the Rat vanished without a trace...
"I've done it, brother!" He looked at Su Lang with his chubby face and black hair.
'Embarrassing... I was kicked from my own body by this?'
Su Lang Lamented his fate, feeling so pathetic to have let this person take over his soul 15 years ago and only now, as he prostrates, could he return to his rightful place.
He felt a sense of despair after letting this filthy, disgusting creature enter his body for 15 years...
"Dear brother..."
Upon speaking to this Rat for the first time directly.
He looked upon Su Lang with utter shock as the darkness faded, a small sky and sunlight filling the dark prison with light, warmth, and hope.
"Brother... your voice, it was so handsome!?" He complimented Su Lang's melodic voice, close to the idols of his previous world—what a kind rat.
Su Lang's body slowly stood, stretching, feeling the crack of his bones and snapping his neck as he approached the one who set him free, arms behind his back with a faint smile.
'Did he think I would let him live? Let him leave?'
"Brother?" Asked the Rat, looking up at Su Lang.
There was a slight worry and panic in his eyes as he stepped back, shuddering in terror from the eyes that Su Lang looked at him with, like the pathetic vermin he was.
"Forgive me, Brother," Su Lang whispered, placing his hand on the Rat's forehead.
A suction force began to absorb the soul of the Rat—all his memories and abilities were completely devoured by Su Lang as a demonic light fluctuated in his eyes, black lighting crackling around his hand.
He devoured the "rat" who stole everything from him.
Su Lang felt a sense of bliss as he enjoyed all... the memories of his life, finally learning what words like isekai, Booba, and Netori meant.
He felt interested in a world where the concept of Qi and cultivation only existed in books, stories, or video games...
Even divine beasts, demons and the divine were all mythological and unproven to exist.
Su Lang snapped his fingers before flicking his arm as the final dregs of the Rat's soul were destroyed completely. There would be no cliché return later on...
The Rat had served his purpose and would never reincarnate or transmigrate again.
He died after achieving nothing, no harem, no waifu—he couldn't even become a cultivator.
"How ironic..."
His charming voice echoed through the endless space with nobody else inside the soul palace.
"I have finally gained what I wanted..."
"I, Su Lang, have taken back my life and killed that ungrateful Rat who transmigrated from another world!
***
An unknown river located outside a certain Ashen Sect.
In the centre of a small field that parted the southern and western woodlands, a large river passed through the centre.
A male and female were close to the river in the small clearing of this river, a few miles from the Hidden Blade Sect.
The female was naked, inside the river, washing her body profusely, her hands with the faintest colour of blood and a strange substance.
Her eyes glowed dark red with a violent and fierce feeling as she splashed around; the noise seemed to wake the sleeping male.
*Splash**Splash*
"Ugh..."
The young boy looked around 17 or 18, his body covered in firm but tight muscles that were neither bulky nor lean. It seemed to be the perfect balance for his height, close to 6ft tall.
"Mmmm... where? Is that Rat gone?" A soft, charming voice like a famous singer's voice slowly filling the small clearing as the female suddenly crouched in the water—her eyes snapped towards the male, who slowly stood up.
Su Lang's hair was long, messy and black with strange blue highlights that matched his beautiful bright neon-blue eyes.
His naked body was quite amazing—from the knowledge in his head about the Rat's world, he would be called one of the top 0.1% for his size and girth, but for some reason, it seemed a bit dirty and sticky...
'I guess that moron didn't take care of my body...'
He began to look around for something to wear; although he looked great, no fool would stand in these woods wearing nothing. It was like asking a wolf or bear to tear or bite it off and eat it on the spot!
After searching for a moment, he found a badly ripped male robe with black and white cloth wrapping it around his shoulders. It felt a little odd...
Like an adult putting on a younger child's clothes, it only covered half of his chest, revealing his 6 pack of abs, and the pants were worse...
'How odd, it seems my body has completely changed in the time we switched places...'
'But why...?'
"Hurry and leave!" Suddenly, A female voice sounded behind him as a sharp, glinting steel blade was placed on his neck.
"You've awoken.... now leave!!"
Her hand seemed trembling as the blade sliced his cheek and throat slightly, but nothing deadly...
A line of blood dripped down his cheek as the sensation of pain felt for the first time by Su Lang, but it felt dull and strange, like something made the blade feel blunt.
Su Lang narrowed his eyes before realising he couldn't win... The memories of the damn Earthling taught him everything...
'No way could I... be a useless Handyman who hasn't even taken the first step yet...!'
"Damnit! Since you won't leave, I will go!"
*Woosh!*
The annoying female that held a blade to his throat suddenly dashed away, but her legs and footwork seemed strange as she stumbled and fell, rolling multiple times before finally vanishing in the darkness.
"What a strange woman..."
"The scent was a little strange too... like roasted chestnuts... or squid..."
Su Lang shook his head, slowly digesting all the information about the Hidden Blade Sect from his lovely "rat", and began to recall the path from the Mao Lei Forest as the wind's gentle breeze blew past, causing strange particles floating within began to enter his body.
"Eh?"
Looking around him, he realised the lights around him were NOT fireflies...
"I can see Qi!? I have taken the first step!? I am not doomed!!!" His voice echoed in the wilds. The only response was the howling of bears and wolves...