by M. Q. Kajack
I couldn’t exactly understand her words. After all, I was a tiny being on ‘fake’ Earth. I had zero knowledge of the space or whatever she was talking about. I could see the three powerful beings with us frowning, deeply pondering. To them, it made sense. Perhaps it was related to what happened to their eras.
The weird small being was the first one to talk. “That blackout we all felt at the end of our lives before appearing here... it was the end of the universe?”
That I could understand. Dawn nodded.
“2200 tries, then...” said Zamina with a low voice, her big head looking at the sky.
“Yeah... this is the last cycle. After this, after the universe gets destroyed, it won’t be able to start again and the mass of nothingness surrounding it will devour it. All of us will be dead.”
“Wait, wait, wait... What the hell are you talking about? You mean we will all die?” I asked, panicking. Sure, I was dead, but they were talking about ceasing to exist! Those were two different things.
“You are so cute when you panic, little boy. That’s why your friend Qing always said you’re dumb. You still don’t understand anything after my explanation?”
Dawn’s face showed her incredibly beautiful smile.
Yeah, I kind of understand, but not all of it. What to do?’
“When my mother first reached here, there was a vast universe filled with every wonder. Slowly, she started to gain power, understand, and play as the god of this place for the sake of her purpose. It wasn’t until the first universe’s destruction that she understood this universe was not limitless. Someday, it will totally be gone.
“Initially, the universe lasted too long to tell but with each cycle, it was weakening, the cycle shortening. Even after I was born, we kept doing experiments and tests. Sometimes, we will not interfere with the different races, but when we do, we mix them up, give them powers, erase them. We also orchestrate calamities in the universe, yet nothing worked. We never fulfilled the requirements my mother had. In the end, the space turned so tiny that only a few lands could be found. We decided to recreate Earth and pick one human soul each year. After all, we needed a solution for humans back on the real Earth. We needed a soul to which all the potential will be passed since this universe’s creation. We created an environment for him to grow and develop so he could surpass us—to surpass everything—and become the embodiment of a perfect being. My mother told me that it was the only way to go back to Earth and survive this calamity.”
Zamina and Zufan looked at each other, dumbfounded. I could understand their feelings. The most powerful beings of their eras were just experiments. What a joke. I sighed.
“That why you told me that I was a failure. I’m like them, just another experiment,” I said dejectedly.
“No,” Dawn said, refuting me. “They were a success. They grew despite all the adversities and even survived the destruction of the universe. It just wasn’t enough. They couldn’t pass through the mass of nothingness no matter how strong they were. If we didn’t save them in time when they were in the nothingness, nothing would have remained of them.”
“Don’t act like a good woman now. We were experiments and you guys ran away!” Zufan scolded.
“Zufan... it’s not her fault. She’s also powerless,” Zamina said.
“What’s wrong with you? What do you know? She and her mother played with all of us. Aren’t you angry?”
“I believe there is more than what she is telling us. I don’t believe in god or beings that can control everything. You should know that much about me. Trust me.” A slight smile appeared on Zamina’s face. “Your mother was never in full control, wasn’t she?”
“Indeed, it’s as Zamina said. My mother didn’t create this universe. It was created before she was sent here, but she was never in full control. She didn’t create the souls that were born in this universe—they were born naturally. The same as you. She was just manipulating everything with her power the same way a Sect Leader would play their people. You were all selected and reborn with magical items, heaven-defying abilities, Systems, AI,, and other stuff so your new lives could bring out your maximum potential and try to surpass everything.”
“Wait! Why am I a failure, then?” I couldn’t help but yell.
“That’s because you weren’t the soul selected for the test that year. You are a failure—an anomaly. You’ve taken another’s position. You don’t belong in this universe as your soul is not from here.”
There was nothing but silence after that. Dawn’s words were the ones I needed. As much as they sounded confusing, they kept ringing in my head. Something inside my soul trembled while digesting those words. A little girl’s image flashed through my mind.
“Shi Yin...” I blurted her name, breaking the silence.
“Yes, she was the one. She was selected that year, but you took her spot. You broke her fusion...”
Those were the last words I heard before fainting.
My eyes slowly opened.
I’m a newborn soul!
Ugh, that much information made me faint again. I guessed Dawn was right; my soul was really damaged back then, but it was all worth it. I finally understood. I didn’t break the fusion, the Death Core did it on its own. I just happened to be more desirable than Shi Yin’s soul. A flash of information and memories came to my mind. It’s clear now. My Death Core trembled in response.
“You guys are such bad liars...”
Zufan, Zamina, the weird being, and Dawn were all around me, smiling.
“Sorry, we had to push you. I don’t know and I can’t explain exactly what you are. I can only tell some part of it, but most of it is unknown to me and even my mother. We did it so the information hidden in your soul could be shaken.” After apologizing, Dawn bowed to me. There was no way I’d lose this chance so I patted her long and beautiful red hair. This time, it was my time to explain.
“Your guess was right. I’m a newborn soul—a soul that’s not from this universe. I don’t belong here. My previous soul was reincarnated on Earth, hidden inside that guy. We made mistakes, but he was he and I am I. For some reason, when Shi Yin died and was being fused with the Death Core, my host also died. When the soul where I was hidden dissipated, the Death Core detected me and absorbed me, discarding the fusion with Shi Yin...”
I didn’t know I knew all that. The more I talked, the more I understood.
I could see Dawn frowning, her eyes turning green and white as she pondered. I started to organize my thoughts and questions while I waited. It was true that I knew some information, but not all the parts were clear yet...
“So, she’s your sister...”
Eh?!
“I had guessed that much from you. The reason why I thought that your soul was not from this universe was your sister. Her soul’s imprint was not from here. She was the chosen one. It remains that she became the number one existence and ended in a reincarnation loop even without the Death Core. Her talent was way over yours. What’s unexpected was that instead of her soul, it chose yours although incomplete.”
What Dawn just said made me ponder for a long time. Since the incident with Dawn’s mother, my soul was damaged but it was also sort of refreshed; the Death Core even sent me more information. Yet our origins were still unknown. If she really was my sister, it would explain why she looked like me...
“Twins,” I whispered the word that came to mind. She was not just sister—she was my twin. But why me and not her?
For a long time, no one talked. They just frowned. Even though they had lived millions of years and seen many things, they still didn’t understand the whole picture. Neither did I. This was really too confusing. For some reason, Dawn’s previous detailed explanation seemed to be trying to confuse me.
A sigh broke the silence. It was Dawn’s.
“You aren’t aware of everything yet...”
I shook my head. I only knew a little. I had a twin; my soul was not from this universe, but as for why my sister and I came here or
why my sister’s soul was okay yet mine was incomplete, I didn’t know...
One more question was bothering me.
“Dawn, what about the Death Core? How was it created?” This question might be the last answer I needed but seeing Dawn’s reaction, I knew I was not going to get an answer.
“You will need to ask my mother about that. Perhaps she knows. After all, it was related to her. When you came to be, I was already in this freaking prison. My mother and I share different opinions. That’s how I ended in this prison like the rest of them.”
That would explain why she didn’t know everything, and despite her appearing so strong, I had a feeling that I could kill her. It was different from the first time I met her...
“You guys are powerless?” I asked, looking at all of them.
“Yes, Ye Bai. It seems you are finally free. You saw through our illusions. Your System is way stronger than what we have.” There was a bright light on Zamina’s eyes. Even Zufan had it.
“Congratulations!” said the weird being, but it wasn’t directed at me. It was looking at Dawn.
Okay... did I miss something?
“Dummy...”
All of them started laughing. Worse, Zufan was even rolling on the floor. The chains surrounding all of them started to appear one by one. What the hell are those chains?
“Guys, can you be more serious about this? We are discussing the end of the universe here...” They stopped laughing after that and it was silent for a brief moment. It didn’t last long because they started laughing again.
What the fuck is going on now? Are these guys idiots or what?
While they were laughing, I started to analyze everything that happened since the moment I came to this prison. I was digested everything. This was a really huge matter if I couldn’t get strong enough to pass through that mass of nothingness I would die in it... Even if I survived the destruction of the universe, the nothingness would erase me. Finally, I had a clear goal and a clear purpose: get strong enough to survive this disaster.
It was now clear that I was not that guy on Earth but a newborn soul and in an incomplete state. Thanks to the System, my soul managed to recover and be reborn. That explained why I had no memories. Still, Shi Yin and I were twins. We came from the same universe and I felt that we were sent here by our mother. We were unborn children!
The last thought made me enter a kind of enlightenment. A little light pulsed inside the Death Core. It was too tiny to see it at my cultivation level but since the Death Core and I were one entity, I could feel it. I felt a special connection to it. The light tried to gain ground; it tried to get bigger but unfortunately for some unknown reason to me, it couldn’t. That light was not completed, yet its efforts weren’t in vain. A picture entered my mind.
Deep in another universe, in a place made of crystal big enough to hold millions of people inside, I could see the smile of a woman. There were two lights going out of her body and they were followed by an explosion like I’d never seen before, destroying and erasing everything that came across its path.
“Be safe, my children...”
Those were the last words of that woman.
My mother! My true mother!
Black tears flowed from my eyes. Dumbfounded, I felt the light inside the Death Core shrinking. It not disappear, but I knew it paid a huge price. I didn’t know what the light was but I knew it was related to the Death Core.
A surge came from my soul. An urge to know what happened to my mother and the feeling of despair grew inside me. That picture showed me what I was at the moment! Weak, weak, and weak. I was an ant—nothing more than a piece of shit in the universe. Pure garbage.
It was the first time that I felt so thirsty of power. I needed to kill. Slowly, I felt my soul going closer to the Death Core, dancing to the same rhythm. It was at this time that the barrier between us broke. My soul had finally and completely fused with it. I was finally acknowledged. At last, I understood why I had those urges, why the Death Core was sometimes taking control of me. Even though it was still incomplete and I couldn’t use all the powers, I was finally ready. I knew what I needed to do. I embraced Death.
After some time, Dawn, Zamina, Zufan, and the weird being stopped laughing. They waited for me to wake up.
“The universe is going to die. All lives will soon end. Let them help me grow stronger then. I will erase all of them.”
I finally opened my eyes.
Ding!
Unrestricted Death God System activated!
Ding!
Fusion Completed. Avatar of Death will not consume any Death Point.
Further function ongoing. The System still needs to be upgraded.
Recommend the host to look for the System Core components.
The System is processing its avatar.
Please wait...
It seemed my enlightenment brought me some cool new things. This time, the System’s voice seemed to be totally mechanical, quite different on how it was before. It felt like the System was not broken anymore...
I raised my head and looked at Dawn’s face. “Am I free?”
“Yes, you are. You and I paid a huge price, but it was really worth it. Now, you are no longer under the influence of my mother or mine. To be fair, I never influenced you in any way. I only helped you to liberate from her.” She let out a mischievous laugh.
“Erm... you did something, didn’t you?”
“Of course! I wouldn’t let that old hag triumph. She thought the System she created was enough! I replaced the whole System to match the technology it was derived from and it was a success.”
Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at me like I was some kind of trophy.
“May I know what would have happened if you had failed? Do I need to ask?”
“Oh! What a nice weather. Let’s go for a walk, Sister Zamina...”
Oi! What the fuck, that girl would have killed me. Lucky for me that it all ended well, otherwise I wouldn’t have woken up. I sighed. Well, whatever, the worst already happened.
I returned to my room to properly check everything. There was still something left to talk about, but I wasn’t in a hurry even though I really needed to figure out what happened to You Ye. The concept of time in this place was quite fuzzy, especially with the number of times I passed out.
“I guess I will start with the System. Let’s see what the new changes are...”
Besides the new name, the new mechanical voice, and the Avatar of Death, nothing much changed. I was a little bit disappointed, but I guessed the changes would come later in the future.
“Hmm... that sure is new.”
My Qi cultivation was raised to the 8th Rank. Coupled with my current body strength, I should be able to trash any 1st Rank Core Foundation cultivator. The Avatar of Death could barely fight a 3rd Rank Core Foundation cultivator, but luckily, I still had the boot from the Sycthe and my Throwing ability. These could allow me to jump to another level. It would be troublesome if I were to encounter some genius with some high-level arts as I wouldn’t know for sure how much I lacked compared to them. After all, my Soul had been damaged. I guessed the effect would be quite low.
Soul: Spirit Soul Realm (Damaged) Human Soul Realm (50%) (0/300000).
Ding!
Reminding the host that the soul cannot be upgraded until all the damage has been fixed. Suggesting the host to find an item that helps to heal the soul or eat souls.
“Eh? Since when can I eat souls?”
Host’s Purgatory ability absorbs souls, stealing them from the cycle of reincarnation in this universe. The absorbed soul can be used to heal the host’s soul, gain their memories and knowledge, or create Death Corps.
“Truly, killing others to heal myself gave their lives some worth.”
As long as I healed myself with the power of my soul, it wouldn’t be a problem to save myself from high-level Core Foundations. Thought it would be quite difficult to explain such power, it would be best if I wouldn’t show
it much. Overall, I was undefeatable under Core Foundation.
My body trembled when I checked my stats. I sat with my legs crossed, dumbfounded. Before, people considered me a genius or a monster as a thirteen-year old boy but now...
Age: 18 years
Are you shitting me?!
Since when did five years pass that fast? Now, I must be already below average as a Core Disciple. I must find a way to infiltrate the Black Wood Sect and get all their Death Points. I’d figure out something. Perhaps, I could ask those guys for some kind of disguise.
Shit! The girls!
I used my Home skill. Five years had already passed. Poor Shu Yi and Shu Er must be so scared for being there for a long time. What greeted me was the same environment from five years ago, a wasteland surrounded by Death.
Crap, I forgot time here was doubled. Five years passed outside so ten years passed inside...
If ten years had passed inside the second layer of the Death Core, how come Shu Yi and Shu Er didn’t age at all? They still looked the same. Even though the Core Foundation could live for almost three hundred years, they should have aged at least a little bit. I guessed that was good news, at least they wouldn’t get mad at me. It seemed they were cultivating some kind of art and it would take some time for them to wake up.
Okay, this was surely depressing. Both Shu Yi or Shu Er had the same realm surpassing mine—5th Rank Core Foundation.
“Master!” two voices said in unison, clearly excited.
“What happened while I was gone?” I looked at the old man’s and old woman’s souls. It seemed they didn’t improve at all. Could have they stopped cultivating?
Both of them started to recount the event that happened. Apparently, due to dual cultivation between Shu Yi and Shu Er and the accumulated energy inside Shu Yi’s special body, they cultivated rapidly.
Since Shu Yi and Shu Er were twins, the technique they were practicing was a bit strange and it didn’t need physical intercourse. It could be done any time through the soul bond that the twins shared. Of course, they could do it physically if they both wanted to, but they were a bit awkward so they didn’t do it that way.