In the darkness, I drift endlessly, surrounded by utter blackness. Not a single glimmer of light exists. I try to find any visible color, but I've been here for so long—I have no idea how much time has passed.
"Joseph Qiao, are you there? If you are, answer me."
I called out again, but there was no response at all.
This deathly darkness and loneliness, as if no one else existed—only me. The feeling is unbearable. I sat down, not knowing when it began, but I was afraid of this darkness, terrified, scared that no one was beside me.
I was not human to begin with, but because of the warmth and light of humanity, I became one and gained a heart. I don't feel sad about this; on the contrary, I think I'm lucky.
I'm pondering how to find the will of those nine generals. The battle will end eventually—whether it's the monsters or Yuna Ji, those nine generals are crucial to them.
Suddenly, I saw a hint of color in the distance. I hurriedly stood up and drifted toward it, away from the darkness. Gradually, I slowed down.
A wind laced with sand fiercely swept against me. Ruins were everywhere—withered trees, blackened soil, the sky pitch black without a trace of light.
"You... have come here again, Ethan Zhang."
A slightly mature voice came through. I immediately drew Belle and turned around to look.
"Who are you, really?"
The question was asked again, but the guy in front of me was all too familiar—only his hairstyle was different. The same face, the same expression, black hair drifting in the air, and a massive broadsword as tall as a man. On the blade, an inverted human and a skull, one above, one below.
"Didn't I already say? I'm Qingyuan Zhang. In other words, I'm you."
I looked around again. Everything here filled me with a deep sense of desolation. The guy in front of me called himself Qingyuan Zhang. After a while, my emotions settled, and I drifted closer. He sat on a thick, dead tree branch, smiling at me.
"What is really going on?"
I asked, feeling a surge of emotion at everything around me. The man claiming to be Qingyuan Zhang had eyes that seemed to say: all of this was caused by my own hands.
"It looks like you understand now."
"So, are you also here to persuade me? Like the terrifying future that monster Yuna Ji spoke of?"
The man in front of me shook his head.
"No."
That single, simple word made me feel this guy was truly formidable. There was a fluidity to him, something that reminded me of Master Mingde from Putian Temple. He carried the same aura as the man before me.
"Mingde? How nostalgic... How long has it been since then? He was a good man."
I swallowed. The man before me tilted his head as if lost in memories.
"Do you still remember the beginning?"
I stared blankly at him.
"What do you mean by the beginning?"
"Putian Temple—when Hao Zhang went to become a monk. Back then, didn’t Mingde promise? If Qingyuan Zhang was willing to join, he’d take him as a disciple himself."
I nodded. Wind howled past my ears, echoing through the dead woods with a sound like ghosts wailing.
"What will happen? Tell me."
The man turned his head and gave me a smile—a smile that revealed nothing, relaxed and carefree.