Hi, I'm Xen Lee
Now I know, I may seem like a psychopath for I'm conversing with myself, as if there is someone who can hear my thoughts but this is nothing too serious that it would warrant an appointment with a psychologist. it's just one of my many coping mechanism because currently I'm dead.... plain and simple.
Yes, a dead man who's still conscious! Well, at least this disproves the claim of the ones who believe in the ideology of atheism.....Not that I'm hating or anything.
But according to many different beliefs, they say that after the inevitable darkness which we call the end of a lifespan, we would either end up in the reincarnation cycle with no memories or end up in a different realm known as hell and heaven in the form of astral souls without any physical form..... So then why am I here? Let me rephrase that, why am I still possessing a physical form!
Xen thought in his mind as his bright eyes that matched those of sapphire stones, frantically gazed around, at this unknown realm he was settled upon.
After death, many would just become formless memories yet he still possessed that exact same body which he had just a few minutes prior, before the truck had struck almost as if it was a bull who had gone mad after seeing red.
Coincidentally he quite vividly remembered that he wore a red coat that today for he was going to some sort of date.
Oh well at least his girlfriend would get a nice future with someone else, for even he knew that he wasn't the exact ideal spouse material no matter how much anyone said he was.
Only two words could describe him, which were unpredictable and depressed. A deadly combination which in fact made someone quite dangerous, but unfortunately it made him all too lazy as he spent his time in his bedroom reading novels..... occasionally creating some web novels which performed quite well commercially so a steady source of income kept coming which was enough for him to keep living his mundane life.
So never in his wildest dreams, he would have thought that after death he would be greeted by a lush forest without even the single trace of insect or any beast, along with the sky above showing stars that were round and housed other things inside.
"They aren't stars" His thought process was broken as a voice that was quite deep yet powerful just like lightning echoed from behind him, causing him to turn his strong body around which was approximately 182 cm in height.
There it was, the one who spoke and to be honest, the thing which had spoken didn't confuse him much for his fast processing brain was already getting used to his new environment.
A talking serpent, just what I needed in life... That was indeed not sarcasm, because for the first time in life I'm feeling something warm erupting in chest. Is this what mother told me about? The feeling of excitement!
The heart shaped face of Xen which had the perfect features one could find in an attractive male, supported a bright smile which was heavenly because of the honesty it contained in itself. No human being smiled in such a truthful manner, even when they were greeted with pleasant surprises.
As he had described, in front of him, there was a serpent who probably was a pit viper with green scales and a height that could match mountains or break it even. The eyes of the serpent were completely crimson, no slit-like pupils were present and the sight was so blood chilling that it had the capability of freezing anyone in their place,
Well, ok! Maybe the sight was a little exaggerated in my mind.
Xen wasn't frozen in place by terror instead he was actually looking up at its eyes with curiosity while the serpent was gazing down, not curious but strangely almost amused.
"Oh? Well that sounds fascinating. If they aren't stars then what are they?" Xen had an morbid curiosity which was reflected on his bronze face and the serpent's hiss came out right after, almost as if it was chuckling seeing the composure that this mortal could keep in front of it, whose sight made the heavens of its universe shiver.
"You see they are all different vessels shaped in a circle-like structure and these structures you see contain dimensions, universes, multiverses, realms, concepts and what not! You name it. The amount of conceptual stuff it contains, should be baffling to the minds of mortals who still haven't advanced far.....
You can call them the mega-spheres of life for it possesses no name, it's just there to safeguard life in it from beings who can escape the confines of it"
Hmm, half of the explanation just went over my head but hey, at least I can now tell that this serpent likes to give lectures about stuff he knows. Look at the obnoxious skirt! How can he even do that in the guise of a serpent.
While the wise serpent was busy explaining the basic concept that would make every scientist excited, Xen was analysing the serpent's every move for he wasn't that much keen to understand such things if they didn't provide practical excitement.
And practical excitement for him, was something entirely different than understanding a tough subject which even though felt interesting to others, just seemed to bore him.
"So tell me did you get all of that?" Finally the explanation of the serpent stopped, and the turn of Xen occurred who simply nodded with a deep breath being released out of his mouth, a sigh.
Even though Xen was bored and unreactive, he did indeed listen to all of the information that the serpent's brain provided which was why the serpent who could smell emotions didn't stop, for no matter how much Xen denied his capability he was a sponge but in his case he had no limits to his data absorption.
"Good! Anyways I suppose introduction are in order! I'm the Great Asura Yin Of Xilong Hell, and even though I know almost everything about you, I still want to hear you introduce yourself"
Aren't Asuras supposed to be broody and cold, speaking in old tongue so why does this serpent not represent any of those qualities?
Oh right we humans have just written tales from the descriptions of our ancestors but never have came face to face with one, except for the current me. Anyways, I should introduce myself but I don't want to!
Xen's thoughts were clashing against each other for even though he wanted to introduce himself, his Introverted nature seemed to heavily mind. This situation was reminding him of middle school, when the teacher called him in front of the whole class and told him to introduce himself... Due to his parents' issues, he had to constantly adapt to new schools and instead of getting used to it, he grew to fear it, to detest meeting someone new for their judgemental faces painted horrible images in his mind.
"I'm Xen Lee, nothing interesting about me... Except for the fact that I've died, got ran over by a truck"
The serpent remained silent for a few minutes, even after the short intro of Xen was finished almost as if he didn't like it or something.
Should I've added something else too? Was it to his liking it or not?! Come on, speak!
The serpent's face started to distort, fuck what was happening why was the face of his middle school teacher appearing?
No don't look at me with that gaze! STOP WITH THAT COLD SILENT STARE YOU BASTARD
"You died by getting run over?"
The amount of relief that Xen faced after hearing the confusing words of Yin, made him let out the breath he didn't realise he was holding within himself.
Wait..... What did it mean by that?
"Yeah why? Why do you have that doubtful gaze?" Xen looked at Yin with confusion, why was Yin behaving in such a manner that portrayed distrust towards his memories.
"Nothing just forget it..... Anyways it's lovely to meet you young one" Yin quickly averted the subject, and Xen felt as if something was off about this whole scenario. Though he didn't bother probing, because it was a waste of energy.
Xen hummed as he crossed his toned hands over one another as he looked at Yin with half-lidded eyes, not because he was curious about the distrust about the scenario of his death but just that, he wanted to know, why exactly was he here with a great Asura?
He was pretty sure that never in his life did he anger any demon, not even during his drunk phases of life? So then, what did he do? Why did he receive such a blessing or curse, he wasn't sure which one it was so he included both.
"Judging by your gaze, you're wondering about the reason of my visit?"
Bingo, someone should give him a medal for being the best psychic at least one who is truthful
Xen nodded, as his naked feet tapped on the green grass impatient as a guy in a driveway waiting for six fucking hours, yet the cars in front don't give a damn about moving out of the fucking way!
An oddly specific correlation.
"Well you see we share something in common, and before you try to guess the reasons which will all turn out wrong in the end, I will just tell you.
The two of us both squandered our lives in pursuit of excitement but never did we get it.... In the end dying as failures"
There was no reason to go that personal, you bloody serpent. Even though I know the truth it hurts sort of.
Xen nodded to the truthful words with a gloomy look slowly forming on his face, the reminder of failures no matter how true they seem to be, still hurts the inner soul of even the most pragmatistic man alive, anyone could point towards a random realm to oppose the whole notion of the quote but ultimately the quote held power in every single realm that exists.
This wasn't the case only for humans though, even animals felt it.
"But I'm not here to remind ourselves about our stupid failure, instead I'm here to offer a proposal that will sate both of our desires.
Your dull soul will receive the excitement it aches for and I will recieve the thing I desire, sounds like a good deal?"
The serpent asked with a tilt of its huge head, looking quite adorable somehow to the eyes of the beholder who in this case was Xen Lee.
It's definitely a good deal but should I really trust this thing?...
Oh why the fuck not, it gets whatever the fuck it wants and I get the feeling I so desire, it's a great trade.
"Indeed..... But how can I trust you? How can I trust you will keep your end of the bargain?" Xen asked, and inside he was screaming at the words that came out, sounding extremely hostile because of the gruff tone he used almost as if he was interrogating someone playing the role of the bad cop.
"Good! You're smart, I love that about you" Yin laughed and it sounded like honey, creamy and sweet which was quite a bad metaphor that should forever stay in his thoughts and never come out of his voicebox.
Yin's long forked tongue came out and licked the face of Xen who shivered due to the coolness, this didn't at all feel like a good lick which was felt whenever a puppy licked its owner.
Why did this simple act feel so..... perverted? Uhh! No time to get distracted focus on the words it says instead of wondering about the gender of this Asura, that's the starting signs of someone with Zoophilia! But didn't ancient scriptures tell us that Asuras also have a human form?
Ok why in the hell am I thinking about this right now?! Focus on her words douchebag. I blame this behaviour on fantasy novels which taught me to expect beautiful girls whenever a talking beast is in front of you showing interest.
"We will be forming what's known as a soul contract, to tell you in brief, it's a contract which will connect our souls to each other under the guise of the dealing we shared.
If anyone tried to go against the contract, then that person will be killed and all of their powers and boons will go to the other person who had made a contract with them.
This entire thing is managed by the unseen lords whose name we can't speak due to us being far too weak to understand their languages or texts. But they are the ones who ensure the reliability"
Xen nodded satisfied with her explanation and he felt something sort of relief, at least she was someone Intelligent enough to actually take his doubt in a good way instead of thinking negative about him.
If it had been me in her place, I would feel wrath since I hate when someone doubts me or the work I can do when I set my mind to it. But she took it like a champ! Which is most probably why she is known as a great Asura and I'm known simply as a failure of a writer.
"So..... How shall we form this contract?" Xen asked with excitement in his eyes but his tone was neutral, he never liked to show what was going inside him, he thought of that as a weakness after hearing countless things from the people who he shared his thoughts with.
A mysterious smile appeared on the serpent's face, as it chuckled with the head going back almost as if she was restraining her laughter.
Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?
"It's quite simple really, there's no need to fear the process just go along with the flow." Xen started to fear this soul contract more, since her ominous words really unsettled his nerves.
Why does it feel as if I'm treading near the steps of the cliff of pain? I feel like I can fall off at any time.
"I will just need to bite you quite hard and then inject the venom of Asura in your bloodstream no biggie" Yin told him as it rattled its head in excitement wanting to get this whole ordeal finished with.
Venom into my bloodstream? Oh that sounds painful as fuck, oh god! Oh well sometimes excitement needs pain, and why shouldn't I give that to it
"Very well let's get this over with" Xen sighed as he took a gaze at her mountain sized form which sent shivers down his spine, since her bite would most likely tear him apart in that form.
"But please shrink down to something appropriate, because well it would be both easy for you and me... I'm pretty sure if you bite me in that form, a whole chunk of this body will go missing" Xen further continued in a serious note, and he had already tested that this physical body of his could still feel every sensation, of course by stepping on grass...
This was quite important in understanding if the body he saw was just an illusion created by his soul to not unnerve him or was his body truly mended together and transported here after the crash?
He leaned towards the second because if the body was an illusion he wouldn't feel.
"Oh how silly of me!" Yin said in a tone full of embarrassment, for she hadn't thought about that instead she quite literally was about to chomp down on him, really how silly!
Xen really needed to change his perspective about Asuras after this, surprisingly they were better than any human he had ever seen but he would of course judge further, before giving his final verdict to himself only.
This Asura is either truly a idiotic creature or is extremely good at acting, for now this is my verdict and holy shit! What is that?
The eyes of Xen widened in astonishment and bright red colour pervaded his entire face that now looked like an attractive tomato, for he couldn't believe that his thought process just a few minutes were completely true.
Standing in front of him was the serpent Asura, who was now a woman in front of him. Bright deep blue locks that bordered on black, light green scales blending on her smooth fair skin that looked delicious enough to suck upon.
Eyes that were soft black, yet filled with the toughness of a great ruler. Her lips were pink and plump, there was a small mole on the side of her upper lip and her voluptuous figure was on another level. Truly she looked like a sinful succubus that was made not for ruling or making contacts but instead for fulfilling the pleasures of those who in return could please her!
Fuck! Snap out of it Xen, you can't be distracted by her face nor her 'assets'. What if she got angry, and swallowed you whole after all she had preternatural powers but you don't have that shit!.....
For now I need to keep control over this feeling of lust, otherwise I may lose the support of a powerful creature.
"How do I look?" Yin had her eyes squinted, as her voice sounded extremely seductive, to Xen, like a vixen trying to ensure he remained in her grasp. Her long tongue darted out and licked her lips and then she twirled around, showing off the green dress that looked like one of those traditional Chinese wears. It was snug around her curves and the back portion was cut trailing down till her rear which was completely covered.
"Hm, good" Xen answered with a frown, while inside he may be freaking out, the mask he wore outside of his body to deal with people stuck strong. It seemed as if her sinful beauty didn't affect him, instead it only served to irritate him.
"Huhhh!? Such a cold behaviour...Wow my pride is wounded, you damned mortal" With mock tears dripping from her eyes, she placed her left hand on her chest and fell on her knees, almost as if she thought she was in an soap opera.
Though Xen had to admit, she would get plenty of opportunities and become a famous actress too if she was in his old world, all due to her beauty but her acting skills.... Well they were, let's just skip over that discussion otherwise Xen risks invoking the fickle wrath of the lower god of dramas.
"Can we get this over with?" Xen finally broke the silence that oddly made him uncomfortable due to the haunting silence that occurred when both of them stood without any speech, after all they were completely alone and the leaves of the trees too didn't move for there was no wind but strangely, Xen could feel coolness passing though his skin maybe just another magic of the shape shifting Asura.
"Fine, you're no fun! Oh well, let me dine then"
Yin's upper two canines extended into sharp fangs that seemed to twinkle under the lights that came from nowhere, and there was even some kind of yellowish liquid being secreted from those canines along with her saliva that covered her entire mouth.
That must be the venom....Oh fuck! Why do I feel like the girls in those movies who are awaiting the feeding of their sexy vampire princes? But in this case, I'm a male who is in the position of the heroines and the hero is replaced by a female Asura.
In my former life I could write a love story about this, but oh well! At least I can finally have the excitement that I desired, but will she truly be able to give me that feeling?
Of course she can, she is some kind of powerful magical demon and I'm just a lowly human! My wishes will be quite easy to fulfill though what does this beast desire from me? Oh well I will get to find out later, so no reason for me to tension about it so early.
With a pull of his white shirt's collar, since he had every clothes of his on (except for the booths) that he wore before his death, he revealed his neck.
"Oh quite eager to be pierced aren't we? Tell me are you a masochist or something?" The words that came out of Yin's mouth made him blush, hard.
Why was she so teasing, she wasn't like this in her serpent form so did it mean, her different forms influenced her personality trait?
Whatever, he just wanted this to be over fast, it was like someone was intentionally showing him a treat but was keen to bait instead of offering.
"Just do what you are supposed to do" Xen muttered faintly and then he felt it, pain hellish loads of pain!
Even when the fang was released from his skin, he squirmed on the garden floor screaming his heart out as Yin whispered sweet nothings to his ear trying to be a pillar and share his pain.
Fuck! YOU CAN LIVE THROUGH THIS XEN, YOU SURVIVED FAR WORST WHILE YOU WERE IN THE LIVING REALM.... THIS SHOULDN'T BREAK YOU
The scream gradually stopped as nails that were clenched into fists drew blood creating slits in a smooth palm, with gritted teeth and tightly closed eyes he got up stumbling but thankfully Yin held on to him, this procedure wasn't supposed to hurt this bad.
Yin knew that the normal pain of venom transfer could be managed due to Xen's high pain tolerance which was made clear by the memories, that even he didn't recognise, but still his brain stored those.
So what did she do wrong to encourage such a response from him, as her heart that was once stone aches hearing his screams, the venom didn't simply attack your body it attacked your soul so that was why everyone didn't have the capability to learn venom transfer.
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
Pain
SURVIVE
Xen's eye lids opened up with a snap, causing the woman Asura beside him to gasp in shock, horror and curiosity. This thing was impossible, nothing like this ever occurred, so how was the body of a lowly mortal, reacting so perfectly with the venom and making a more potent version?
The white sclera of his had turned the colour of blood, crimson destruction laid out. His sapphire iris changed into purple, as trickles of black blood fell from his eye marking his cheeks with an unholy trail.
A gurgling noise emerged from his throat as he roughly pushed her away, though his strength wasn't so much to make her fall, but she was indeed surprised because he actually made her stumble just slightly, then he started to roar as a burst of green-blue aura erupted generating high waves.
"Shit, I never expected this...." Yin was still baffled at this potency, when the mortal body gets even the slightest amount of venom of an Asura, it starts to develop demonic features but still they don't get high levels of potent blood instead producing diluted stream due to their meridians being no strong enough.
But in Xen's case it was entirely different, his meridian was thick enough and resistant enough to generate more potent blood, but it all amounts to nothing if the dantian can't absorb the rich QI contained in the cells of the venom, and even if someone's dantian was good they would have to still wait for it to accumlate slowly and gradually the bearer becomes an Asura even the lower ones in their race were honoured for they generally constituted of mortals who suffered great ordeals to become one of them... So generally the higher rankings were held by those who kept training or were naturally molded by the river and land of Narak.
Yet Xen was an enigma, for his dantian was consuming every Qi from the cell in the venom. This was never seen before in turned mortals and only seen in natural born ones.
Which explains why the venom was quickly expelled out of his stream through his steaming eyes.
Then finally after a few minutes of just standing there, Xen fell to his knees but before he could fall further, he was embraced by Yin who had a smile that was filled with pride and something unknown.
She was indeed quite surprised at his advancement and the instant change, but it was to expected due to the deeds he had done in his past world.
[Divine Asura System Engaged]
[Welcome Back, My Love]