Zarthos
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051 - The Edge of Reality
🕑 Added 2024-07-31 16:15:29 +0000 UTC“Master, are you sure we are going the right way?" a young man asked a woman who looked only slightly older than himself.
The young man wore white robes with trimmed blue edges. Despite his neat appearance, the edges of his robes were frayed and torn. They had travelled for so long that they had lost count of days. The void through which they travelled resembled an abyss that would swallow anything within its depths. Not even time would be spared.
To his side was his master, wearing a long white dress that trailed after her, only showing her small feet and half her ankles. Furthermore, she also wore a veil that masked her features from her nose down, only showing her eyes. They were akin to obsidian jewels, matching well with her long hair of the same colour.
"Do you see a better way?" the woman replied with a sigh. "How can you even choose a path when no landmarks guide the way? It's empty as the eye can see; any way is as good as any. Let's just keep going; we are bound to find something eventually."
Yet, the young man couldn’t share her optimism. This place was so far removed from what they had been promised.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be the Celestial Realm? Did something go wrong with our ascension? Could it be we were transported to somewhere else entirely? What about all those who rose before us? Are they also here?”
The young woman sighed again, then stopped and turned to her disciple.
“Do you think I have the answers to those questions? Am I not stuck here with you? What makes you think I know more than you when no one has ever returned once they began their ascent? For all I know, this could indeed be the Celestial Realm or another realm entirely. Who knows where we are. Let’s just keep going until we find something. It’s not as if we are lacking time.”
Despite his master’s dismissive attitude, the young man couldn’t help but feel uneasy. This empty realm made him fearful, and the absence of all things, even colour, didn’t help.
“We’re not dead, are we?”
"If this is the afterlife, then I can only conclude that the universe has a twisted sense of humour for me to be stuck with your constant questioning even in death. How about you seek the answers on your own for a change?"
"In this empty land where nothing but darkness exists? How am I supposed to do that?"
“Yet you expect me to know the answer?”
“Don’t you know everything? You always had the answer to everything I ever asked you.”
"I only know what I know, nothing more. No matter how much time one devotes to this pursuit, the realm of existence is much too big for a single person to experience it all."
“How old are you again, master?”
“Is this how you conversed with the young ladies back in the sect? No wonder you are still single at your age. Asking a woman her age will only grant you rejection.”
“That’s a low blow, master. It’s not as if I was ever interested in those women.”
“Oh?" she asked, slightly amused, raising a single eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you are still enamoured with your master? Don’t be shy. It’s not as if I don’t understand where you are coming from. Who wouldn’t be? But sorry, you’re not my type.”
Being shot down in this way left the young man hurt, even though this was a common occurrence. Yet, he could only keep silent for so long.
“How long have we been in this place?”
"Somewhere between an instant and an eternity," she replied.
“I see... I wasn't the only one who lost track of time. Will we drift aimlessly until the end of time or until we crumble to dust?” the young man mused.
“We aren’t aimless.”
“Pardon?” The young man’s eye dilated slightly. This was news to him. “Didn’t you say you had no idea where we were?”
The young woman sighed again.
"Just because I don't know where we are doesn't mean we don't have a path to follow. Can't you use your head for once instead of always asking questions?”
"But answering my questions is your job as my master," the young man said with a grin.
"Why did I take this clueless guy as my disciple again?" she asked out loud, intending for him to hear. "Can't you feel the flow of Qi around you?”
“What flow of Qi? There hasn’t been any Qi around here for as long as we’ve been here.”
"Although faint, it's there. You might have felt it if you'd taken a second to shut your mouth and concentrate. Or is your cultivation too low for that?"
The young man stopped, sat in a lotus position and closed his eyes. He opened his mind to the outside world, letting his consciousness flow outwards like a light breeze. He didn't try to resist and let his mind blend into his environment.
Then, he felt it—a flow of Qi barely perceptible in his current state. Yet it slipped from his grasp just as soon as he reached for it. Even for someone with a cultivation as deep as his, he couldn't feel that faint flow for more than an instant. How deep was his master's cultivation that she could follow it amidst answers and banter?
"There's a light ahead!" the young man said as he opened his eyes. There, in the distance, it flickered as if taunting them. "Master, let's go, quick!"
The young man flew forward toward the light, yet his master hesitated momentarily. The light had appeared much too suddenly. She couldn't help but feel something was amiss. Yet, she couldn't let her only disciple face whatever that light was alone. Therefore, she followed after him.
“Master, look at this. There are fish swimming in the void! How crazy is that?"
Indeed, they were fish. Yet, the woman had never seen fish quite like those. Their boundaries blurred with the surrounding darkness, and countless lights shone in their cores, resembling galaxies. She couldn't feel any signs of life coming from them, yet they moved similarly to fish in water. They were unsettling yet wondrous at the same time.
She had no idea what they were. The galaxy at their core felt more like a concept than a manifestation of something physical. Even using her full cultivation to probe their depths yielded no result. This was so far above what she could understand as if they were beings living in a higher dimension.
Feeling their presence, most of the fish swam away, out of sight. Yet one remained, unmoving. The young man carefully approached it. As he grew closer, he realized that those fish were much bigger than they first appeared. The distance separating them had distorted their scale.
The young man flew toward the fish for what seemed like an eternity, yet the fish only grew bigger as time passed. Finally, their whole vision was filled with this sea of stars. It was so big that they couldn't see its edge anymore. They had no way to comprehend its scale.
The young man grew ever closer, approaching the boundary of the fish's being. Surprisingly, while they had assumed from a distance that the boundary was vague, it was far from it. A slight edge separated the light inside from the void beyond. It shimmered with power, and the young man couldn't help but be attracted to it. He reached for it, trying to touch it, but he was stopped by his master.
“Don’t touch things so carelessly!” she snapped. “We don’t know what will happen once you do.”
“This is the only living thing we found in this place in so long. How can you not be fascinated?”
“How do you even know it’s alive? Don’t make assumptions.”
“How can it not be? Just look at it? That light? Those stars? How can you not feel wonder while looking at those?"
“And how can you not feel dread? Remember where we are, don’t be impulsive.”
“Master... that’s not like you. I remember you plunging ahead without a care in the world. You were the one eager to reach the other side of the sky, remember? How can a few fishes of light be any threat?”
“I just have a horrible feeling this time," she said quietly. "Just don't. Listen to me this time, please."
“Master, it’s going to be fine. I feel it,” the young man said.
Then, ignoring his master’s pleading, he touched the shimmering boundary, only for it to collapse as a result. A dark grey mist poured from the inside, dyeing the black void in its shade of grey. Then, a deformed appendage sprung from its core, wrapping around the young man’s arm. He could feel the corruption crawl over his skin as it sought to invade him.
Suddenly, a ray of light burst to the side, aimed at the grey creature. Once they collided, the grey appendage burst, dissolving into more grey mist, spreading outwards. Yet even more masses of flesh emerged from beyond the boundary as if freed from their prison. They were much too numerous to contend against.
The young woman stood with a spear in her hand. That ray of light came from her, hastily launched as she saw her disciple entangled with those bizarre entities. She struck relentlessly at the grey beings that emerged. Yet, even with her strength, she couldn't beat back the flood.
She had hoped that her disciple would have taken this time to distance himself from the supposed fish, yet he was rooted in place, clutching his arm. She launched another ray of light, striking those who sought her disciple before rushing forward to his side.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she screamed as she positioned herself before him, stopping the unending flood for a moment. “Do you want to die? Get out of here!”
Yet, the young man didn't respond. Something seemed to be invading his mind, and he seemed unable to see the world outside himself.
“Mikhail! Do you want to die!? Get out of here!”
Hearing his name finally snapped him out of it. While he was still dazed, his body, at least, had been conditioned to follow her orders once she addressed him with that name. With a look of worry in his eyes, he heeded her words and left, only hoping not to become a burden in her battle.
While she could only momentarily halt the grey flesh's advances, it was enough to allow her disciple to leave. Yet, now, she was trapped as she had been surrounded. Despite it all, she swung and thrust her spear with abandon. Whatever the situation was, she wouldn't lose hope for a chance at life.
Unfortunately, she was outnumbered. While she was distracted dealing with the grey mist surrounding her, a large deformed tentacle emerged from the fish, aiming for her core. There wasn't enough time to retract her spear to block the incoming strike.
With pure instinct, she held a hand forward. Then, at the end of it, a small black box appeared, slowly rotating. The mass flesh collided with it, yet the box remained in place as if nothing could move it as it existed in its own dimension, irrelevant to everything else.
Still, this alone wasn’t enough to stop the entire force of this collision. The woman was propelled backwards, unable to control herself, as she felt the impact reverberate in her bone, crushing her internal organs. Fortunately, she would survive this.
Yet, the grey appendages' chase was endless. They didn't give up after this setback and sought to reach her again, this time in greater numbers. She frowned, knowing she couldn't stop them all, yet she wouldn't have to.
Unexpectedly, another fish crossed her path. However, as she collided with its boundary this time, it didn't disappear; she simply passed right through. Then, the grey beings rammed into it yet could go no further. The boundary flickered, yet it held its own against this invader.
Mikhail watched this whole scene unfold, unable to do anything. Guilt assaulted his heart, yet he was powerless. "Master!" he cried in despair, yet his voice wouldn't reach her.
Once he regained control of himself, he noticed the boundary fading ever so slowly. He knew one day it would collapse, and the grey mist would feast on it. He couldn't let that happen, yet he was much too weak to prevent it. He couldn't do it alone; he needed to find some help.
“Don’t worry, master. No matter how long it takes, I’ll find you and save you,” he said to himself as tears fell from his eyes. He then left, seeking a way without looking back. He could only forge ahead.
All that remained was the small black box hovering in the void before it too faded, returning to its master's side.
Author’s Note
I've received a lot of comments saying there was too much introspection and not enough things happening or even dialogue. So, I've tried to do something new in this chapter and changed my writing style. Let me know how you find this approach. Did you enjoy this chapter? I know I loved writing it.
Comments
Ananiash
I think his master May be a Lesbian lmao
Zarthos
Not really. I believe it explains quite a lot about those things. Besides, Qin Yun's story will return tomorrow, or maybe today. You won't have to wait long.
Chris
And this is just cruel after where you left us last chapter
