Lily Wright was a 25 year old hospital patient who died of a sudden illness. what she expected to be the end as she sleeps in the eternal darkness she suddenly wakes up to realize she has been reincarnated to another world!

Ten million years ago, Li Qiye planted a simple water bamboo into the ground.Eight million years ago, Li Qiye had a koi fish pet.Five million years ago, Li Qiye cared for a little girl....In the present day, Li Qiye woke up from his slumber; the water bamboo reached the apex of cultivation; the koi fish became a Golden Dragon; the little girl became the Nine Worlds’ Immortal Empress.

This is a tale regarding an immortal human who was the teacher of the Demon Saint, Heavenly Beast, and Immortal Empress.

CTTO ImmortalEmperorBao
 Ten million years ago, Li Qiye planted a simple water bamboo into the ground.Eight million years ago, Li Qiye had a koi fish pet.Five million years ago, Li Qiye cared for a little girl....In the present day, Li Qiye woke up from his slumber; the water bamboo reached the apex of cultivation; the koi fish became a Golden Dragon; the little girl became the Nine Worlds’ Immortal Empress.

This is a tale regarding an immortal human who was the teacher of the Demon Saint, Heavenly Beast, and Immortal Empress.

"Ow!"
The left and right heads of the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon screamed miserably at the same time. However, the head in the middle, which was larger than a mill, was floating in the river. A fracture a few meters in diameter was left where it had been chopped off. Black blood was spurting out, vaporizing into a venomous mist in the storm that covered the area!
Under the cover the venomous mist, the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon sank and fled toward the depths of the Sorcerers' River.
"You want to go? Not so fast! Leave your demon cores here!"
Amid scary chuckles, a green shadow lunged toward the top of the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon like a vulture that had opened the wings. Of course, it was Li Yao who pretended to be Master Spiritual Vulture!
Storm, thunder, and flood!
The violent spiritual energy between the sky and the earth!
They were also rushing toward him overwhelmingly!
Such a magnificent view of the sky breaking apart and the lightning surging out reminded Li Yao of the happy period of crazy training in the thunderstorms deep within the Grand Desolate Plateau in the Star Glory Federation!
Fighting the sky and the earth brought him endless pleasure. He was a guy who could slay tornadoes!
"Storm and thunder, you can go to hell if you have come to me!" Li Yao shrieked. The green flames of spiritual energy around him condensed into two enormous, sky-blocking wings. After one flap, the lightning and clouds that were coming at him were all shattered!
Then, the two wings were closed together. Under the precise control of his telepathic thoughts, the spiritual energy in the wings reformed. A monolithic claw took shape, which snatched right toward the heads of the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon!
The Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon had just suffered a heavy blow and lost the most important head. It was in such agony that it did not notice the traps that Li Yao had hidden in the green fire at all.
Hardly had the animal escaped from the snatch of the claw when it was caught precisely by a trap made of dozens of monocular mica threads.
Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi!
As it desperately fled toward the Sorcerers' River, Li Yao pulled hard. The molecular mica threads cut off its tough scales, rough skin, and sturdy flesh, deeply embedding into the bones all over its body!
The animal was like a fish that had bitten the hook. However hard it struggled, it would only make the hook even tighter!
Having been training for hundreds of years, the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon had long gained basic intelligence. It knew that now was a time of life and death. If it could not eliminate the weird threads that had been embedded into its body, there was no way that it could run away!
After struggling down for a moment, it changed the methodology and simply attacked backward toward Li Yao by hitting the surface of the river with its enormous tail.
Hiu!
Yan Liren's second primeval sword was unsheathed. The two swords were like another two dragons when they fought the rest of the two heads of the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon!
Master Bitter Cicada took the opportunity to jump up from the moon-white cassock. Picking up the black staff, he batted the eighteen pearls out, which rushed deep into the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon's body through its wounded neck with long exhaust flames like shooting stars!
Dong!
Master Bitter Cicada knocked the staff in midair. As if it had hit solid ground, a deafening noise was raised!
Centered at the point where the staff 'hit the ground', complicated and dazzling rune arrays appeared out of nowhere and stretched out. At the core of the runes were three overlapping swastikas[1], which were surrounded by eighteen buddhas in different postures!
As the eighteen buddhas glittered one after another, eight dull noises echoed inside the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon's body. The parts where the noises originated bulged out violently at first as if they had swallowed an iron ball, before they quickly withered as if all the bones had been removed. The animal turned from a dominating dragon into a soft earthworm, losing all ability to fight back!
Shua!
Li Yao's molecular mica threads cut off the remaining two heads of the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon easily. The body of the animal, which was essentially a mountain of meat, fell into the Sorcerers' River and soon disappeared into the currents!
When Li Yao, Yan Liren, and Master Cicada, three super Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector, joined hands, a Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon could not get away despite the interference of nature!
"The demon cores are mine now!"
Li Yao burst into laughter on purpose, finding an excuse for his precious attack. Pretending that he was greedy, he controlled the molecular mica threads to pick up the three demon cores that were rotating in the air!
But after he raised his head, he discovered that Master Bitter Cicada did not bother to look at the three demon cores at all. He did not even catch his breath first as he dived deep into the Sorcerers' River!
"What's he doing?" Li Yao blinked in bafflement.
But he vaguely felt that yet another round of tides was sweeping close from further up the Sorcerer's River.
Considering the vulnerability of the dams there, if the defense rune arrays were not repaired as soon as possible, perhaps the crash of the tides alone was enough to collapse the dams, and the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon was not even needed!
Is—is he going to crush the incessant tides on his own until the storm stops?
As if hit by lightning, Li Yao was utterly dumbfounded. He had never thought that such an extraordinary person as Master Bitter Cicada could be born in the world of ancient Cultivators!
Looking at Master Bitter Cicada marching toward the tides on his own above the Sorcerers' River, Yan Liren frowned and asked, "What's on your mind, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture?"
"I'm thinking…" Li Yao rolled his eyes for a long time and finally said, "Brother Yan, your unparalleled sword is already fast to the point that it can't be any faster. It is enough to kill any person in the world!
"But I wonder, is it capable of slaying the incessant tides?"
"Slaying the incessant tides?" Touching his bald head and looking at the other bald head in the flood, Yan Liren's nostrils flared. "Interesting!"
…
The overwhelming storm lasted a day and a night. It was not until the next day in the morning that the lackluster sun finally revealed itself reluctantly in the broken morning glow.
Thanks to Li Yao, Yan Liren, and Master Bitter Cicada, the canal that the members of the Purple Pole Sword Sect were on did not have a tragedy of collapsing dams, but other places were not so lucky. Dams collapsed seriously and less seriously everywhere. When Li Yao flew up hundreds of meters, everything that he could see had been drowned in water except for the relatively high places that had turned into lone islands and long bridges.
The victims whose homes had been destroyed by the flood were crammed onto the islands and bridges like ants, spreading out aimlessly. They were homeless peasants, the greatest headache for the court and Cultivators!
For the court, the homeless peasants were the greatest cause of riots.
For the Cultivators, when alive, the homeless peasants that were nothing more than ants and weeds were certainly nothing to be scared of.
However, should the evil warlords such as 'Mother White Lotus' Wan Mingzhu get involved and absorb the aggressive souls that had died miserably in the natural disaster, they might be turned into violent ghouls after a few battles, which would be quite a headache!
Therefore, resisting the natural disaster and appeasing the homeless peasants was not only the court's responsibility but a responsibility for all the Cultivators.
It was especially so for the Cultivation sects that were rooted in the southeast because, if they did not do anything, they would be the first to be wounded by an insurgence!
Seeing that countless homeless peasants, with their ragged clothes and numb faces, had even lost the ability to cry and were simply moving with the crowd in desperation, Li Yao did not know what to feel.
There were of course natural disasters in the Star Glory Federation, too, such as floods, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
However, for the Cultivators of the Star Glory Federation, resisting the natural disasters was a duty as important as slaying evils. One for all and all for one was certainly not empty talk.
The central government had a thorough, well-tested emergency relief mechanism. When it was fully functioning, there was no way that the flood would be so severe. Even if there were homeless victims, they would be properly taken care of soon and certainly would not be left alone to count on themselves.
While he was sighing, Li Yao's eyes were keen enough to notice a moon-white figure amid the dense crowd.
It was Master Bitter Cicada!
Li Yao was very curious about the mysterious monk.
The previous night, to resist the tides, he had marched into the flood time and time again until his spiritual energy had been exhausted, and a few high-level Cultivators of the Purple Pole Sword Sect had saved him.
It did not occur to Li Yao that the guy was out again after a rest of only four hours. What was he doing among the disaster-stricken people?
Li Yao's curiosity was aroused. He landed near Master Bitter Cicada.
When the homeless peasants saw that a deity was landing from the clouds, they were so ashamed that they all fled away. Even if they fell into the dirty water, they did not dare to draw close to Li Yao.
Some of the white-haired old men were even kneeling before Li Yao, dragging the children whose hair was dry and yellow. Li Yao's heart almost broke.
As 'Master Spiritual Vulture', it was naturally inappropriate to treat everybody as an equal. He could only frown and take the courtesies while forcing him to look at Master Bitter Cicada instead of the dirty faces.
Amid a bunch of muddy peasants, Master Bitter Cicada's moon white robe was polluted, too. Even his bald head was blemished with sludge and dirt.
But his face was till as immaculate as white jade. It seemed to be glowing from inside.
He was sitting cross-legged in the middle of mud.
In front of him, however, was a skull that was monolithic and hideous and almost as large as an elephant. It was one of the heads of the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon!
Master Bitter Cicada's fist-sized pearls were hovering above the head and emitting gentle light that was nurturing the head.
The vague aggression and brutality that lingered in the Multi-Horned Bizarre Dragon's head gradually dispersed while Master Bitter Cicada was reciting the sutras.
He is appeasing the soul of the animal!
Li Yao was greatly awed.
I'm told that the Stupa Temple claims that everybody is equal and everything has wisdom, but I didn't know that Master Bitter Cicada is so merciful that he would even go through the trouble of appeasing the soul of an animal.
What a remarkable monk!
"All done!" While Li Yao was secretly complimenting him, Master Bitter Cicada finished his technique. The eighteen pearls flew back to his shoulder, and he stood up, supporting his black staff. Stretching out his arms, he clapped his hands and smiled. "The poison inside the skull of the animal has all been eliminated by this monk. You are free to eat it now!"
After saying that, he waved his staff. After a crack, the bone broke apart, and the brains spurted out!
"…" Li Yao.
[1] The swastika (as a character 卐 or 卍) is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon in the cultures of Eurasia, used as a symbol of divinity and spirituality in Indian religions. It was a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck until the 1930s, when it became a feature of Nazi symbolism as an emblem of Aryan race identity and, as a result, was stigmatized by association with ideas of racism and antisemitism. In this context, it denotes the first meaning.


“Even if this universe is truly nothing more than a brutal, bloody, shadowy forest, we Cultivators will burn all that we have just to give off a single weak flickering spark in the darkness! 
“No matter how weak each spark is, how short-lived, how small… As long as the sparks flow unabated, then one day one of those sparks will light some tinder, and that tinder shall light some fallen branches, and those branches shall set ablaze each and every last tree of the forest! 
“In the end, even the smallest sparks will eventually set the shadowy forest ablaze and illuminate the whole world!”
------
** Qidian International and the former translator, Mr. Strivon, have reached an agreement to buy out the chapters and host them on our site. We will be continuing the translation from the last chapter translated by Mr. Strivon **

Shi Ning chose to battle The First Avenger in Jianye city. In the same area his son had been killed. This was to add symbolism to his win. Plus, this place attracted lots of spectators. Shi Ning was going to unleash his newest martial arts attack and he wanted a lot of people present to excitedly call it out. That sort of thing always made him feel like a big man.
As per the previous battle between cultivators, a number of less aware bystanders walked into the killing intent field exuded by the two experts. Leading to their deaths. It was a good thing that people in this world bred like rabbits. In fact a group of people were currently engaged in heated exchange within the centre of Jianye city.
"Oh master!" a young woman with a perfect figure and large breasts moaned as her companion petted her pussy. "Your hands are so forceful and skilled."
"Young miss…." groaned a handsome man as he felt himself losing control. "Your expert tongue is going to make my cock… OH YES!"
"Let me join in," said a muscular older gentleman. 
He whipped out his snake and allowed both the male and female youths to stroke it.
That's right, today was pet appreciation day in Jianye city. A day when the citizens appreciated each other's pets and livestock. This author hopes that the reader wasn't suddenly fooled into believing that a sex scene was being described. 
The ruckus was distracting Shi Ning. Who felt that such scenes were detracting from his own show.
"Everyone shut up!" shouted Shi Ning.
Then he unleashed his sect's famous area of attack technique; Giant Clapping Hands of Stone. 
Massive pairs of stone hands, each as big as a person, appeared from the ground. Then these paired hands clapped. First managed to jump out of the way, but most bystanders were squished.
Because he was an Aura Realm cultivator, Shi Ning didn't require the aid of Mystical Arrays nor Magical Spells. Instead he merely extended his internal qi to affect the wider world and thus the attack was really fast. 
This was the main difference between Core Realm and Aura Realm. A Core Realm cultivator used their qi to improve their body. While an Aura Realm cultivator could extend their qi outside their body and control the local area.
Because of this difference, Aura Realm cultivators had superior ranged combat abilities and could infuse their physical attacks with different energy including; Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Electric, Ice, Metal, Wood, Shadow, Poison, Sex, Reality Tv, J-Pop and it's evil version K-Pop. This made it near impossible for Core Realm cultivators to defeat Aura Realm cultivators. 
"That's better," said Shi Ning. "Now people can pay attention to me."
He withdrew a jade communication tablet and took a picture of himself with #Shi Ning #Crushing Ants. Which he then posted on the Spirit-Net. A world-wide information network used by cultivators to communicate with each other. 
"Are we going to fight now?" inquired First, who wanted to get this match over with, so he could undergo Heavenly Tribulation. 
"So keen to die," smirked Shi Ning. "Don't you know who I am?"
"Nope," replied First. "Should I?"
Shi Ning almost spat blood at the disrespect.
"Ant!" he shouted. "You have eyes but can't see Mount Tai! I am the great Shi Ning!"
"That's the great Master Shi Ning," a murmur rose among the surviving spectators.
"I heard that Master Shi Ning is only forty years old, yet is already at the Aura Peak stage," said a tall celebrator.
"Master Shi Ning is truly fierce, having already killed tens of rival cultivators," declared a short spectator.
"It's said the master Shi Ning is the strongest Aura Peak cultivator in Sun Wu kingdom," stated a skinny spectator.
"More importantly, Master Shi Ning once fought a Nascent Soul elder to a draw," recounted a fat spectator.
It was clear to all in the vicinity, that Shi Ning was not to be taken lightly. He was but a one sixty-fourth step away from becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator. So how could a mere Core Realm cultivator survive his attack? It was laughable. 
Shi Ning swelled with pride at the praise of the spectators. He was an important existence soon to ascend to the vaunted Nascent Soul Realm. Sure, in later chapters, the world's power level would mysteriously rise in order to keep up with the MC. And Nascent Soul cultivators would be everywhere by that point. However, at this stage of the story, Nascent Soul cultivators and Aura Peak cultivators were still rare enough to be impressive. 
"Aura Peak cultivator," smiled First. "I bet you have some good stuff in your storage ring. I can't wait to kill you and take it from your corpse."
Shi Ning was taken aback by his rival's arrogance.
"You're courting death!" he shouted while channelling Giant Clapping Hands of Stone.
This time though, the attack was focused on First. Each pair of hands tried to crush him. However, his speed was just to amazing. Since First had trained in his mother's womb, he was used to having his movement's hindered by amniotic fluid which was slightly thicker than water. Now though there was simply air resistance. So his speed and agility was far superior to other cultivators. 
"You bore me," yawned First. "Now let' see if you can receive my attack."
First unleashed Hurricane Kick, smashing through the stone hands which barred his path. Then as soon as he landed beside Shi Ning, he launched the Rising Dragon Fist.
Shi Ning was set flying into the air. If not for the fact that he had conjured armour using his Stone Skin technique, then he would have suffered grave injuries. 
"Tsk," grumbled First. "Seems beating you is going to be more troublesome than I expected. I hope your storage ring has enough valuable items to compensate me for my time."
"I was holding back my power," stated Shi Ning, who now stood atop a two meter tall stone pole he had conjured. "But now I will let you taste my true strength! 
Feel the might of my newly created technique; Stone King's Spurting Hot Liquid. This technique combines both Earth and Fire elements to unleash an eruption of lava! No Core Realm cultivator can withstand it."  
 Shi Ning explained his move in detail. Since no-one had seen him use it before, he wanted to make sure they knew exactly what it was. It would be embarrassing if spectators accidently misnamed the technique when they saw it.
"Spurt your hot liquid all over me then," taunted First. "I've experienced worse."
This was the absolute truth. Green Peach Maiden had been an adventurous eater and some of the dishes from the Celestial Divine Immortal Heaven World had been truly potent. One time she had eaten One Million Alarms Chilli which was made using one million year old chilli pods. That night, she had suffered a really bad stomach ache. While her unborn son had shielded his sister and been forced to endure burning energy that was hotter than any lava. 
Spurt! 
Lava ejaculated from the ground with incredible force. Aimed directly at First's young face.
Swoosh!
First was knocked backwards by the powerful torrent of spurting hot liquid.
"Where's your arrogant boasting now?" mocked Shi Ning. "You were but a frog in a well."
"That was it?" questioned First as he extricated himself from the melted remains of the building he had been smashed into. 
He nonchalantly walked to gaze upwards at his enemy, still standing on the stone pole.
"How did you survive?!?" squawked Shi Ning, who started to feel fear at how abnormal this Core Realm cultivator before him was. "I must escape."
"You're not going anywhere!" declared First in imitation of Shi Ning's earlier. "You're staying here to die!"
Boom! Crack!
First launched a Rising Dragon Fist attack with all his might. The attack was so fast that it unleashed a sonic boom. It was so forceful that it disintegrated Shi Ning's Stone Skin armour. Miraculously though, the antagonist was still alive, albeit almost dead. 
"You can't beat an Aura realm cultivator with pure physical attack!" gloated Shi Ning.
"How troublesome," mumbled First. "I guess I'll have to use a borrowed knife to kill you. Or in this case… burrowed lightning."
The First Avenger immediately started revolving the golden core within his dantian. He decided to undergo Heavenly Tribulations right there and then.
Crash!
The first lightning bolt struck First. He barely felt it and yawned.
As if angered by his nonchalant attitude the Heavens unleashed tens of lightning bolts. Turning the area around First into an electrically charged zone of destruction. Nearby spectators and the now regretful Shi Ning were vaporised. 
First also began to buckle under the pressure. Most cultivators took special pills to bolster their bodies during normal Heavenly Tribulations. And even then, they could be damaged. So, it was much harder for First, who was without any aid and whose Heavenly Tribulations were much stronger.
However, thanks to previous experience living in the womb of a mother with irresponsible eating habits, he managed to bear the pain and power. He even smiled, appearing as if some kind of storm god who was merely enjoying a massage as opposed to being internally fried by incredible heat and voltage. 
The golden ball within The First Avenger's lower dantian seemed to melt. Becoming a golden liquid that travelled into his middle dantian to form an Aura Lake. This Lake was were Aura Realm cultivators stored the qi to power their Aura Realm powers. The larger the Lake, the more energy they could use. Due to his superior meditation technique, First's Lake was massive.  
After an incense stick length of time, the Heavenly Tribulations ceased and an Aura Realm cultivator, strode forth from the carnage which his ascension had caused. The First Avenger picked up Shi Ning's storage ring and headed back home.

Story Synopsis: Robert Bobble, known to his friends as Bob Bob, died. You can read the details in chapter one. Anyway, as is the case with so many dead novel characters. He reincarnated into a fantasy world. Not just any fantasy world mind you, but an Eastern Fantasy World. The type where main characters power levelled and villains said things like; “You’re Courting Death!” You excited yet? This author is! So, start reading. Also vote with Spirit Stones so this author can get a prize at the end of the week. 

Author Notes: I’m writing this story for Writing Prompts Contest #19: Xuanhuan. This will be a short story parody of the Xuanhuan genre, because this author is focused on other stories.

"The engkanto use a particular kind of magic. The Bright Men call it Glamour. We simply call it magicks. And it is not limited to the engkanto. The mangkukulam learn about the natural world and use that knowledge to manipulate it, becoming better, gleaning arcana, molding reality to their will. They can summon fires, run faster than air, and even change their appearance."

- Concerning the Supernatural, written by Guro Sindak, 1034th Year of the Masked Moon


Dimalanta awoke to pain. He let out a grunt through his teeth, realizing that the cuts on his face and sides still burned. The adrenaline had allowed him to ignore most of the injuries.

He felt for one of the cuts and found…

Leaves. They were on top of one another, pasted against his skin.

He looked down and saw various leaves of various colors pressed against his side, and his cheek. Against his cuts. Was this the work of Manang…?

Sighing, Dimalanta moved and stood up, wincing at the effort. He leaned against the tree root and looked around. There were no more diwata of protection, no more Voice of the Forest, and no more starflies. He inhaled; a warm breeze of air rustled the leaves on the trees. The Sun, on the chariot of the sky, bore down upon him, cascading down the canopy of leaves, pocking the floor with spots of blessed light.

Looking around, Dimalanta found that Manang was not there. He looked around for footprints, or any of that arcane witchglow, but found none. He blinked.

"I put remedial herbs and leaves upon your wounds to heal them. They should be working. Don't move too much."

Dimalanta perked up a bit at that familiar tone, but he frowned when he realized that the voice itself was not Manang's. It was not the creaky, almost whistling tune of the old lady – it was the strong, deep and clear voice of a young woman.

Dimalanta reached behind him, looking for his spear and shield, and his heart dropped when he remembered that every single thing he had was gone, buried away into some phantom city. The maharlika balled his hands into fists and turned, expecting some sort of snake-bodied woman or a duwende imitating the voice of a young woman.

When he turned, he saw instead a tall (almost as tall as he was), perfectly brown-skinned woman with tattoos that resembled fangs of a crocodile running down until her elbows. Her hair was tied up into a tight braid behind her, and she wore a single skirt side wrap – a saya. This side wrap skirt was vibrating with hues of red and yellow and blue and green, with that distinct, geometric okir design that has been popular ever since the Warrior-Lakan Hurusa popularized their design. On her torso she wore a loose, silken shirt that shimmered a bright red as well, and was particularly low cut, although her chest was completely covered by a thick array of necklaces, each one braids of teeth of crocodiles, teeth of men, fingernails, large leaves, branch fragments, jade, and gold.

Her face was that of bronze perfection, high-browed, with luscious lips and a relatively strong nose, a chin that tutted without her moving. On one hand she held a large bonestaff. "Who…?"

"I am Manang, Dimalanta," she said. "Cease with the incessant gazing. We've a barangay to get to before Sun disappears."

"R-right…"

Manang walked down and up to him and raised an eyebrow. "Surprised, are you? Confused? I am a mangkukulam after all. A simple image or, say, an illusion ritual isn't something unheard of from me."

"Is this what you looked like when you were younger?"

Manang blinked, and then she snorted. She stepped back and looked down upon herself. "By Bathala, I wish."

Dimalanta swallowed and shook his head. He turned and then walked a few feet away from the changed Manang, right at the border of their little forest sanctuary. He realized he did not have anywhere to go, and he would most likely get lost in the vast labyrinthine forest. "Why did you need to change your image?"

"The barangay—"

"Ah right," Dimalanta said, snapping his fingers and nodding. "The barangay hates you. So you change your form?"

"Correct," she said. She then twirled about, looking at the saya and the silken shirt, at her hair that flowed so beautifully, and was as dark as the night. "I do say, I feel like I've outdone myself this time. I will keep this. That water I used really did help. Perhaps it was blessed by the diwata…"

"You used your witchcraft to turn yourself into this?"

"Yes." Manang turned to him. "Simple enough recipe. A snap of one of the balete tree's vines for an improved spiritual clarity, some mahiya leaves," she pointed at a nearby plant that had leaves that resembled a bird tail. Dimalanta knew mahiya plants very well, he would always touch one when he would find one, and the plants would slink away, folding their leaves, abashed. "A piece of ruby that is now gone, and a clear enough reflection. Since my bronze mirror had been burnt down along with the rest of my research and experiments and, well, entire life, I decided to make do with the reflection on the water, which was running very slowly, for I only heard a slight trickle that gave away the location of the stream. When I came upon it, there were various little red mayas that flittered around the stream, all of them having that same greenish glow of the nondescript, small, monkey like diwata. When I performed the ritual – it took me an hour, you know – I had been changed into something much better than before. I am quite proud of it."

"You speak much louder now. And faster. And clearer."

"I suppose the physical transformation does something to one's mind." She shrugged. "Now are you going to stand here all day gawking or are we going to venture forth?"

Dimalanta nodded. He moved his muscles and they burned with a low ache. Nothing I can't handle. "Right. How much farther until the barangay?"

"Not too far now. The Sun is rising. By the time we will have reached barangay Sunuga, the Sun will have reached right before Noon."

"Not too far indeed."

"Indeed. Unfortunately, we are going there unarmored and without weapons. My… witchcraft will exhaust me too much. I've already used much of my energy in enacting this ritual. I will not be able to defend you, Maharlika. At least, not today."

Dimalanta looked down at his hands, and then curled them up into fists. His muscles bulged. "Worry not."

They ventured forth, north from the balete tree that they had stopped on. The forestry had become dense once again, with vines falling across the wayside, roots over the large paths, detritus sprayed across the forest floor. The Sun once again was sending daylight cascading down the canopy.

As they walked, various fauna passed their path. A pygmy elephant ran across behind them, along with two others, as if they were playmates in the green. A large-eyed tarsier skittered up a branch and stopped to look at them, maybe wondering what they were doing. Most probably, the tarsier provided a window for the world of spirit to peer into the world of the living, and the tarsier's eyes judged the two of them as they trekked along the forest.

A tree shook. Wind howled. Manang and Dimalanta stopped, and looked up at the branch that swayed. A small figure – perhaps the size of Dimalanta's torso – had leapt from that tree and was sailing through the air, across the space above them, and then onto the tree right beside them, before skittering away.

"Flying dragons," said Manang.

"Dragon…"

"Yes," she said. "They are quite thriving here in the forests. I'm sure you've not seen any in the sea?"

Dimalanta shook his head. "The closest thing, perhaps, is the flying shark."

"Flying… shark?"

Dimalanta nodded, turning to her and grinning. "They're a hassle, out in the open sea. Whenever it's hunting season for them, we move out of the way, especially when we're low on supplies."

"Flying sharks sound terrifying."

"They are. Oh they are. You are not safe on your boats." Dimalanta grinned again, and then turned and walked down the path.

A few more feet, and the sun was higher up now. A group of large bats with wingspans the length of DImalanta flapped and screeched about them, moving directly to their northwest. "Flying foxes," said Dimalanta.

"A cave must be nearby."

"Indeed. What does that entail?"

"I do not know as of yet. But at least we know there is a cave there."

"Indeed."

The Sun bore down on them as they came out of a clearing. Dimalanta launched himself at the small dwarf buffalo. It grunted in protest, but the small, two-foot tall dwarf cousin of the usual water buffalo was easy to subdue. With a sharp rock Dimalanta had managed to obtain from a nearby stream, he pierced the buffalo's head. Once, twice.

Dead.

"I think Samonte should be good, no?" Manang sat on a nearby root, the size of a boulder. She balanced the bonestaff on her knees. "For my cover name, I mean."

"Hm?" Dimalanta began preparing the buffalo. "You gave your name away?"

"I did," Manang said.

Dimalanta was silent for a while as he continued preparing the buffalo. Then, right as Manang opened her mouth to say something, Dimalanta said, "Ginto. It fits better."

"Hm." And now it was Manang who was silent for a few moments. And then, "Alright, let's go with that. Gold, yes? The meaning of the name?"

"Close," said Dimalanta, shrugging, and he went back to preparing the dwarf buffalo.

Before long, Dimalanta had managed to put up a small flame. Using that same stone – which he sharpened against a smooth pebble in the stream – the maharlika managed to remove the hard hide of the buffalo and cut out strips of soft flesh and fat. Then, he found two slender branches, and made a fire against a small tinder nest he'd made, which took him at least half an hour, for once he had the flame going, the Sun was almost up in its zenith.

"I would've helped, young man," said Manang from her giant root. "But I've no ability in creating a flame without a wickstick."

"A wickstick?" asked Dimalanta. He looked up at rock as he held a few pieces of dwarf buffalo meat on a stick over the fire.

"Wickstick," nodded Manang. "You've none of those at sea?"

Dimalanta shook his head. "We used flint and steel," he said. "It's scarce in the sea, which is why Gaputan does a lot of raids up the river."

Manang nodded. "A wickstick is… somewhat of a sorcery to you, I'm sure. It is a wooden stick, you see," and as she spoke she began moving her hands, gesticulating as if to show her holding the stick, "with one end of it is covered with a small bead made up of brimstone, skydust, sugar, and rubber. Now all one needs to do to start a fire is to rub it against a rough surface, create enough friction, and a fire bursts from the end."

Dimalanta nodded, his brow creased in certain interest. "What an interesting charm, I'm sure. Are you sure you cannot show me an example of this?"

Manang turned to him. "Finding the ingredients is usually hard. I go to caves and sometimes steal from sugar plantations. I had a limited supply back in the kubo, you see. Only five sticks."

"I see," said Dimalanta. "So you used it often?"

"Not too often, no," she said. "I had a good supply of fireleaf and ash mixture to allow me to brew flames."

Dimalanta nodded, sighing once again. "I am not worthy of your wise-speak. My brain hurts from thinking what skydust would look like. But, you are able to explain it to me. Why is that?"

Manang grinned a little. "When I was alone in the kubo, usually, I would write onto my bamboo coils my theories for why witchcraft is the way it is. Usually, I come to the effect of: if it works, why question it? Then I realized something that really did catch me off guard. You see, dumb warrior – my spells and my workings are all able to be reproduced." The mangkukulam's eyes glimmered, grin widening, showing off perfectly white teeth that made Dimalanta remember how much he loved chewing on betel nut when he was younger.

"And that entails… what, exactly?"

"That entails many things! Sorcery, and witchcraft – they're these esoteric, feared things, are they not? To you, usually, I throw some ash into the air, and then fire explodes into view. I dab something onto me, or I utter something, and I turn into an owl. I make sure I perform a set of things in a specific order, and I turn into a beautiful, young lady."

Dimalanta snorted. The flesh was browning, now. The smell of meat filled the area. It was delicious, and Dimalanta briefly feared hungry predators. "You are saying that is not how it works?"

"To me, I understand what I am doing. I know that fireleaf and ash ground together creates flame because of their sympathy. It is the reason why our most infamous spell – the oft-mentioned and oft-feared kulam – is actually a very good representation of our workings. With kulam, we bind something that has significant symbolism to a doll, which also has potent symbolism, to craft a sympathy. Then we can do almost whatever we want to the person."

"That is the usual tale, yes. I still do not follow."

"I think magic – real magic – is something we cannot fully explain. Why does the Moon rise at night, and the Sun at day? Why do the spirits live and exist? Why is it that we go to the afterlife after we die? Why is it that light is light, and not darkness? I think that is magic. What I am doing? It is not magic. It is… it is some form of knowledge. A heightened state of knowledge, surely."

"So you're saying if I simply know how to do witchcraft, I will be able to do it myself?"

"Surely," said Manang. "Of course, every ritual must follow a pattern, and one must learn it properly, and must get it wrong a thousand times before completely mastering it. And soon enough, creating rituals and performing spells become second nature to you."

"Sort of like training with the arms of war."

"Perhaps," Manang said. "Close. Albeit, a bit far. But a close enough metaphor. It is more like… playing an instrument. Consider learning how to use a palendag. It is very difficult, one must learn the proper placement of the lips and the proper shape of the lips to use it properly, and then one must learn to play the songs. Unless you are a complete prodigy, you will begin with the easiest songs. Songs such as 'Leron, Leron, My Love' or 'Kubo House'. But if you keep practicing, one learns more difficult songs, such as the 'Song of Faded Leaves' or 'Starfly Brightly'. Soon enough, if you really hone your skill, you will be able to even compose songs of your own."

Dimalanta rose to his feet. The flesh was seared black and delicious. He walked over to Manang. "So you're saying… witchcraft is like that too? You learn with the easier rituals, then the harder rituals, then you can create your own rituals soon. But first, I must be able to use the correct tools, and do it in specific ways?"

Manang stared at Dimalanta as he handed her the meat skewered onto branches. "Precisely. And if you are a prodigy, or someone with an excessive amount of talent, you will be able to learn it even better."

"I understand. So to properly do witchcraft, I must learn and practice first."

Manang nodded. She tore away at a piece of flesh from the branch and chewed.

"I do not have that kind of time anymore, Manang."

"Nonsense!" said Manang. "Look at me! I'm a hundred and fifty years old."

Dimalanta smirked. "I understand, but no. I merely want to return home. Learning a new skill is something I don't exactly need, right now." He tore at a piece of flesh as well. It was delicious to him, if not a bit bland without any spices.

Manang nodded. "Very well. But if you ever get interested, you know who to ask."

Dimalanta smiled and nodded. "I appreciate it."

"You know, I know of ways to keep a sword from dulling."

Dimalanta turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Oils? That is for rust, mangkukulam."

"No, silly. Dulling! So that you need not sharpen it against a whetstone."

Dimalanta chewed. "Now that is interesting for sure."

"Would you like to learn it?"

"Maybe after this feast…" and then Dimalanta grinned. "And maybe once I have a proper weapon."

"Oh, yes. Of course." Another silence as they ate. "Oh, I must ask, are you planning on going to Pinagsama after Barangay Sunuga?"

Dimalanta paused from eating. He was looking down. Thoughts swirled about his head, and he remembered what that tamawo had said. "She is the last survivor of barangay Sariman. I will lead the girl to Pinagsama."

The maharlika finished his food and threw the stick into the fire. "Yes. That is the plan."

An Epic Fantasy inspired by Filipino Myth and Culture. This follows the story of unlikely heroes who live in a land writhing in its Time of Malice — a world of rising technology that is only doomed to die, surrounded by darkness and death. Into this time the Heroes of Legend — the Karanduun — return. Will they save the land and liberate it from its doom, or be the ultimate cause of its death?

When Woo-young entered the training field, the players began to flock one by one.

 Spain's national team of world-class players.

 They had become fans of Ho-young, forgetting the role of soccer players.

 Some were impressed just by greeting with Woo-young.

 This time, there were a lot of second-tier players, and there were quite a few famous players.

 In addition, since most of them belonged to La Liga, the majority were not able to meet Woo Ho Young.

 In other words, they were thrilled that they could meet Woo Young.

 But not everyone.

 There were also players who gossiped Woo Young all over the place.

 "Oops.  The same national team as us?  I can't understand it. "

 "That way.  Career is good, but how can you have pride in your country?  Spain will lose its unique symbolism because of friendship. "

 Checking and begging for Woo Young.

 In other words.

 It is because there is a place where people gathered.

 Moreover, the Spanish national team was terrible.

 For example, due to so much conflict between Catalonia and the Basque Country, team unity was not well established.

 There was even a mix of strong Madrid-born players, and the team would split if not properly taken over.

 At the same time, the team's unity has improved since Del Bosque took over the lead since 2008, but that didn't mean there was no conflict at all.

 Barcelona and Real Madrid players were often close friends, but the players who did not were very conflicted.

 In particular, Gerard Piqué would have a nerve fight with some of Real Madrid's players.

 Not only at the training ground, but sometimes at the stadium.

 clique.

 It was affecting Woo-young right now.

 Piqué and Fabregas, known as best friends, were the prime movers.

 "Hmm.  The director doesn't know what he's thinking.  This is not a club, but a national team.  It doesn't matter whether he scores 40 goals or 100 goals in the league. "

 "Piquet is right.  What matters to us is identity. "

 That's why they oppose Ho-young's national team.

 But there was a real reason.

 Bad feelings.

 Piqué and Fabregas suffered too much in common.

 There was one reason why Woo-young broke down Barcelona as a member of Real Madrid.

 How deep the emotions were, they constantly criticized him for his exercise.

 "쳇.  It looks different from you  How is that the same face as us? "

 "right.  Piqué is right a hundred times. "

 It was then that Piqué and Fabregas were gossiping gossipingly behind the goodwill.

 "Cancer, then.  It's a different face.  Young is handsome, Pickener looks like alpaca.  Of course it's a different species. "

 "!"

 Although new, Ho Young already had a strong ally.

 It was Sergio Ramos, a key defender of Real Madrid and a right-back full-back of the Spanish national team.

 "I envy you if you're envious.  Don't gossip over cowardly people from behind.  I'm a little older now. How long do you want to live? "

 Ramos went to work.

 The first reaction was to Piqué.

 "Hmm, Ramos.  Did I say anything wrong? "

 "I don't think I said the right thing."

 "This child."

 "Pike, calm down."

 As Piqué's speech was blocked, Fabregas, who was sleeping on his side, stepped in.

 His eyes turned to Ramos' eyes.

 "Ramos, you're making a mistake now.  Woo-young You don't think he's really Spanish like us? "

 "Aside from a few of you, you think so?  And do you know how many people who are naturalized in Spain now?  Why is it so strict to the poisonous Young?

 "No, that's it and this is it.  We are the national team.  I can't tolerate it. "

 "Ah, then go to the king and pick."

 "What?"

 "Or go get it from the bishop.  Don't be fooled from behind. "

 "This crazy guy!"

 At the moment, Fabregas's hand turned to Ramos' neck.

 But it was Fabregas who was killed.

 "Hey."

 Casillas, who appeared soon, grabbed Fabregas's cheeks with goalkeeper gloves.

 "shut up."

 He was the strongest support force here.

 In addition to Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso, the premortal life was reversed.

 "쯧쯧.  Damn Madrid guys. "

 "So your team is like that."

 Real Madrid faced a crisis.

 Piqué and Fabregas have left the current situation against Real Madrid.

 The space was filled by Ho Young.

 "Ramos, thank you."

 "Thank you so much.  Next time you'll throw it away.  Dirty Catalans. "

 "Hahaha, that's fine.  I'll take care of it from now on. "

 "how?"

 "Football."

 "haha.  That's the answer.  But it won't be easy. "

 Resolve the conflict with football.

 It was the simplest and most difficult solution.

 "Yes, it's your specialty.  Do it yourself  Just tell me what happens. "

 "Thank you."

 "haha.  What are you thankful for.  By the way, when the kid who was carrying the math book was big like this. "

 "He was originally one centimeter taller."

 "Hmm.  But the face was once boiling.  I can't say that right now. "

 "why?"

 "Is British water a little different?  It's much more handsome than before.  I hear a lot of ads.  If you can't handle it, take me off. "

 "Oh, please contact Lucie."

 "Oh shit."

 "Hahaha."

 As such, Ramos has been a strong support for Roh Young.

 And Ho Young.

 'I see a resolution tomorrow.'

 Netherlands war.

 I was not going to miss the opportunity to end all the controversy.

 The next afternoon.

 More than 50,000 spectators entered the home of AT Madrid's home stadium, Estadio Vicente Calderón.

 Soon after the selection lineup was announced, a shout of thunder came out.

 Woo Ho Young's face and name on the billboard was published at the moment.

 "" Wooooooooo !! ""

 Tremendous response.

 This was the heart of Spanish football fans towards Woo.

 In that sense, this match was more important than ever.

 In particular, the Euro was paired with Czech-Portugal-Italian teams, so the organization had to be polished in the A match before the competition started.

 The key was Woo Young's adaptability.

 [Spain came out with a 4-3-3 formation.  Casillas keeps the goal, Jordi Alba and Arbeloa are full back and left, Ramos and Piqué are center back.]

 [The Barcelona and Real Madrid players have a good distribution.]

 [That's right.  Maybe to balance the left and right organizational power.  Dell Bosque's troubles are clearly visible.]

 In the midfield, Javi Martinez-Santi Casorla-Favregas was in operation, while the Pedro-Woo-Mata line was in operation.

 Candidates included Xabi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Llorente and David Villa.

 [Technicians have appeared in great numbers.  Spain is probably trying to use the most confident Tiki taka tactics.]

 [That's right.  The intention is to capture the strong physicals of the Dutch players through quick and concise play.]

 The Netherlands, meanwhile, attacked Tikitakaka with a 3-5-2 appearance.

 It was almost the same tactic that Real Madrid used four years ago when Woo broke down Pep's Barcelona.

 With Van Persie and Huntelaar as two-tops, Van Der Barth-Sneider-Nigel de Dragon was placed in the midfield, demonstrating his willingness not to expose the door and side flaws.

 In other words, by defending and counterattacking close to a five-bag, he wants to rule the penalty box instead of paying a midfield to Spain.

 It was a good tactic to play against Spain, who had a high ball share.

 [The Netherlands has prepared everything.]

 [Doesn't he have a friendly friendship in Spain?  That would mean as little as possible the chance of losing a planner.  The momentum cannot be broken before the Euro 2012 begins.]

 The Netherlands has made up the best member.

 And Spain with the right combination of first and second forces.

 As the players of both teams entered side by side, the stadium was floating as if floating.

 Ho Young's face on her back was captured alone on the screen.

 [I'm really impressed.  Maybe it's the best moment in football history.  Who knew that Asians would be coming to wear the Spanish national team uniforms.]

 [Yes.  Besides, is the hero not Woo-young player?  Spain has greatly increased its power.]

 [Yes, but the most important thing is how Woo-young fits the team color and how fast he can adapt.  In particular, we need to catch dissonances that occur in different parts of our culture, race, language, home country, etc.]

 Team color and adaptability.

 That's why some people look at Woo's debut in Spain.

 But Woo-young proved that all of that was a worry.

 Only three minutes in the first half.

 [Santi Cazorla takes the ball and heads forward.]

 [Woo Woo-young comes down!]

 Ho Young, who was on the mission of Pulse Nine, quickly descended to the midfield and received the ball.

 And.

 Woo Woo-young!  Quickly flip the incredible Dribble Snader and Van der Bart!]

 Transcendence dribble.

 As Ho-young rotates the ball dynamically enough to turn the ankle, Van der Bart and Snider were taken away and missed the mark.

 But the Netherlands wasn't too slack.

 [Nigel de Dragon looks ahead !!]

 Defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong of the Netherlands.

 Although short in stature and good at fighting, he worked closely with his team's coach before he went to play.

 'Statistically, the shot from the right was overwhelming.'

 In addition, he ate Woo-young Woo and Hanpot rice in Manchester City, so he knew how to play Ho-young.

 Therefore, if Woo Ho-young shot the right angle to block the shot would be a chance.

 But that effort quickly became a bubble.

 Transcendental mentality.

 As if he had read De Yong's thoughts, Ho-young momentarily opened the opposite angle.

 Then he hit hard with his left foot, not his right foot.

 The left-footed mage (T) has been coveted by Ryan Giggs.

 The Middle Liber (T) has been coveted by Frank Lampard.

 It was a moment when the very delicate and heavy sensations fell on Ho-young's left foot.

 Cuckoo!

 There is a transcendent goal decision.

 Despite the distance of 30 meters, the goal net was torn and torn.

 Cheongung!

 [Go oh oh oh!  Goal!]

 [Ho Woo Young too !!  As soon as you get a chance, you'll connect to the goal !!!]

 "downpour!"

 Debut goal.

 His first goal as a Spanish national team gave Ho Young a thrilling sense.

 Not only that.

 "" Wowahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. "

 "Young is God!"

 "" Of football! ""

 50,000 Spanish crowds screaming at their necks.

 It was ironic indeed.

 Woo-young, who drove Spain to the edge of the World Cup semi-finals, is wearing their uniforms and receiving their cheers.

 I was thrilled to just wear a Spanish uniform, but I was thrilled by the cheers of the people.

 so.

 'Let's play properly today.'

 Ho-young ran again.

 Team color?

 Adaptability?

 Such an overwhelming skill could not even be scratched.

 Factions, divisions, organizational disruptions, etc.

 I was going to show my skills to put all the controversy in a moment.

Woo Hoyoung has returned to the past and gained the ability to steal the abilities of others!

His goal is to now become the greatest soccer player to have ever existed.

As soon as he left the bathroom while drying his wet hair, he heard his phone beeping. He glanced at the lit screen. His food had arrived and he needs to pick it up from the apartment building's lobby. He quickly asked the delivery guy to hold on before he put pulled on his coat. No need to care that he wore a casual shirt and shorts inside the coat as long as he looks vaguely presentable. 

The delivery guy was nice and patient so he had no problems suppressing the lingering anxiety inside his mind to get his food. He soon arrived back at his apartment room and locked the door behind him. A breath of relief left his lips and he silently cursed himself. What getting better? He was still a mess of nerves whenever he had to leave his own room. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he dropped the food on his coffee table. Since the apartment is a one-bedroom apartment with an open-kitchen connected to the living room, he had long transformed the "bedroom" into his personal study and placed a bed where a couch would normally be. 

He would not have guests over anyways, he internally comforted himself.

It took a moment before he realized something.

"Why am I not just talking to myself? I usually do. Hmm, that dream must really be getting into me," the clear albeit slightly hoarse voice feels alien to him and he gulped a random glass of water to wet his dry throat, "Hello? Huh, that feels better. Guess I just needed a drink."

He shook off the lingering feelings he couldn't point out and went to his study to grab his laptop. He brought the laptop out to his living/bed room and began starting it up. While he waited, he unboxed the takeout breakfast and began eating. He glanced at the clock. It was 8.30 AM. His hands unlocked the phone on the table and set an alarm for 10 AM with practiced ease.

He spent the rest of the morning mulling about how to describe a normal morning for his story's protagonist while munching on the slowly-cooling breakfast.

* * *

The loud ringing of a random meme song alerted him from his writing. He fumbled to stop the alarm and finished the sentence he was typing earlier. Then, he threw the empty box of breakfast to the trash bin of the kitchen.

Now, time to look into those weird dreams.

He took a moment to organise his thoughts at looking up why he had similar nightmares about the same person for a month. The idea itself seemed ridiculous but he kept an open mind. He does write fantasy web novels for a living so why should he find that idea ridiculous? He brought the laptop back to his study and let it sleep on one his empty desk. Then, he turned on his PC with three monitors.

It took a few minutes to boot up so he took a notebook from his desk and opened it to the most recent page. It held the finer details of his recent dreams and he groan when he looked at the date of last week for the most recent page. Why can't it just leave him be? He missed dreaming about wonderful fantasy lands filled with flashy magic and weird occurrences from which he can draw inspirations from.

He wrote down a few simple points in his note book:
Day 13 -  5/1/20
- Chased by the shadow things in a forest (Redaltia/Echdyltia? Forest)
- Was apparently a magic forest brimming with life before the shadow things corrupted it into a dead forest
- Thoughts about a whole day of chasing (better stamina than last time)
- Jumping off the side of a cliff, flying over the ravine to the west
- Shadow things couldn't follow (can't fly/playing with prey instincts?)
- The enjoyment of flying but there was an unknown reason for extreme soreness on the back, hurt or had flown far before?
- Unknown time flying but the forest is about a few centimeters tall from the other end so (things fall below the horizon after approx. 30km for ±60m above land = ravine width 25 - 30km)
- A white feather with black shaft, similar to the wings on my back but different colors maybe?
- A couple of "Simple Space Displacement" magic using the energy recovered while flying (average bird is 32-48km/h so about one hour??)
- Reluctance to speak
- Decided to stop on the cliff-side instead of finding a place on the other side of the ravine
- Other side: deserts, plains, rare trees and plants, small groups of building here and there (some tents, some square buildings), yellow-orange ground, and some sand
- an everlasting dark sky, no clouds, some cracks in the sky??
- Why am I making this note.

He paused after he wrote the last line and gave a wry smile. Why indeed.

After he jotted down the finer details, he put his phone (for the google searches because where else does all the numbers come from) on the desk and began his work on the PC. His memory of the dream was as vivid as if he had personally been through it and that slightly worried him. What if the person he became in the dream dies? Wouldn't he have to remember what dying feels like too? It was one of his concerns but there were also other reasons.

The dream itself is unusual. He had zero control over that body yet he can hear echoes of the owner's thoughts. He felt like he had peeked into her mind without her knowing and even made her uncomfortable every time he woke up too. He knew that the sounds from his world and his own emotions can affect the other person when it became drastic. Even after he wakes, the dream felt more like a memory. It doesn't fade as easily as normal dreams he had previously. He didn't know what would happen while he's awake, so that's yet another source for concern. Nevertheless, he began with searching recurring dreams.

Google searches showed the usual, dreams with meaning and what some symbolism in it might mean. He looked up winged person and what it symbolises and pondered over it for a bit. Wings meant freedom and inspiration, or lack thereof. Unfortunately for him, he knew that the other person had wings but had not personally seen its colour or condition. He was more inclined to believe that these are simply symbolism that his mind made up but... there's a nagging feeling.

He flipped his book to the beginning and began skimming before he stopped at one of the terms that the other person had thought of. There was a mention of a place, but he wasn't sure how it'd be spelled. It was apparently where the other person was on one of the first times he had his dream, although the name was only mentioned in the other person's thoughts in the next few dreams. He attempted to plug in any spelling he could think of for the name he heard.

"Eycala, eysala, ekala, ekhala, eicala, none of these are anything significant," his voice mumbled as searches came up in vain, "maybe... I try to separate each letter I heard. Ear-Kha-La... Don't some language speak the vowels different..?"

He thought of something and typed in Irkhala. Google brought up random stuff like before but he clicked on one of the suggested words on a random urge. He thought it'd be nothing else of importance, and waited for the page to load. It took a few moments and he was met with big letters from google.

Irkalla, the underworld in ancient Mesopotamian mythology.

His mind stopped, fingers froze and jaw dropped.

Above is always dark. Below is always ground. I was trapped, lost with no way home. I don't know anyone but anyone who knows me wants me dead, or worse. 

I was chained to this realm with no mercy, even death cannot free me completely. 

----------

It's been a whole month. When it began, he shrugged it off as a dream. Now, he knew something is afoot. He didn't expect anything but when the Google searches produced actual results, he has to reconsider what he must do now.

For three weeks, Balor tried to seem like an ordinary student.
He put on the Taoist clothes of the Heavenly Blue Dragon School, which he found in his cave. If Balor needed to leave his cave, he tried to do without his mask. He even went to the free dining room for poor students. Although it was not his choice, he was simply a poor student.
All this time he spent on learning the basics of the language and finding information about this world. And finally, his work bore fruit.
...
"The younger greets the elder."
Having greeted Rou Soo, who, as always, was in her place, Balor walked past her. His face was completely open.
...
This strange world had an amazing structure. It was divided into layers through which you can pass in special places called the Misty Lakes. This place is usually easy to recognize, it looks like a clot of impenetrable, gray fog. This fog has various shapes and different sizes, some maybe a couple of kilometers in diameter, and some just a couple of tens of meters.
The location of the Misty Lake depends on the type of world where it leads. If this is 'the upper world', then it will be located high in the sky and to get there you need to have not only desire but also ability. Misty lakes leading to the "lower worlds" are located in lowlands or depressions. Due to their importance and the possible danger of an invasion, they are under constant protection.
...
"Hm, great, my task has not yet been completed. "
Already about to leave the Assignment House, Balor was surprised to find a strange activity around him. Deciding to find out what was going on, he went to one of the groups of students.
"Greetings. Can I find out what happened? "
The whole group looked at Balor strangely.
"Did you leave the cave? Today there was a grand event, a couple of hours ago, Chao Lin ... "
"Indeed, a grand event."
Without even listening to the end, Balor turned and went to the door. He cannot be blamed, about a week ago, Shanley Lin came to him and invited him to a great competition in alchemy. To the disappointment of Balor, this was one of the most boring things he had seen in his life.
Once he made a mistake in used the Word 'Stupor'. Because of this, he had to lie in the forest for 6 hours and watch a snail crawl in front of his face in circles. And even that more fun than what was in that alchemy contest.
A pair of students entered the arena and throwing various herbs into their small, funny stoves, created pills. 
That's all, nothing more.
Therefore, Balor decided not to waste time talking and decided to head straight north.
...
The higher the world, the more Qi energy, and resources. Therefore, every cultivator tries to cross the Misty Lake and head to the 'upper' world. But it is not as easy as it may seem. First, you need to negotiate with whoever owns the Misty Lake on this side, then, somehow, you will need to agree with the owner of the gate in the 'upper' world.
But there is a simple option, to find the gate that no one has yet discovered and hope that on the other side you will not have a hot meeting.
...
"What an interesting mask."
Balor stood at the kiosk and was looking for a new mask for himself. He ignored the strange half-face masks and could not choose between a white mask of a hare and a red mask of a demon.
"Hm, hare or demon, hm, symbolism or brutality."
After a couple of minutes, he nevertheless chose a mask and put it in a new bag, were already bought new black Taoist clothes. Having paid 2 silver coins for the mask, he sadly discovered that he only had 2 gold and 8 silver coins.
...
During his interrogations of students, Balor discovered a very important thing. Each cultivator saw the level of another cultivator if the level was not much superior or if a special technique or artifact was not used.
Since Balor did not have cultivation, no one could see it, which means that everyone saw in him only mortal. But he acted in both directions, without the energy of Qi, Balor did not feel this in other people, and therefore he also could not see cultivation.
For this reason, he decided not to stay in the Heavenly Blue Dragon School for a long time. He will be kicked out anyway when they decide that he has no spiritual veins or worse, they decide that he is a suspicious person.
...
Near the gates from the city, Balor went to the groom who was currently combing his horse.
"How much will it cost to rent a horse?"
"6 silver coins and 1 gold coin as collateral."
"I take it."
...
The world in which Balor was at the moment was huge. To his surprise, the school of the Heavenly Blue Dragon was considered the power of the lower tier. There were also various empires, clans, other schools, and academies.
He was now in the Lin empire, a medium power state. It was surrounded by kingdoms and empires of various strengths, the most powerful of which was the Su empire, located in the north.
Each empire had its centers of power. But usually, it is either an imperial family or a large clan or a school of martial arts.
...
A day later, Balor was already near the right place. Leaving the horse at the edge of the forest with his new bag and things, he plunged into the thicket. After walking a couple of hundred meters in the forest, he stopped.
Having rolled up one sleeve of his left hand, he raised his hand to the sky.
""Dark. Raven. Eye""
After using the spell, Balor's fingers began to blacken, and after that, the blackness gradually dropped to the whole hand, which became like a piece of coal. After a few seconds, the borders of the hand began to wriggle, slowly taking the shape of the body of a bird, and after an instant, separated from the hand, a black raven flew up into the sky. Then one more and one more.
After some time, a dozen blackbirds could be seen in the sky, which flew in different directions.
"Hope the mana I get more than I spent."
Lowering his hand, which had already assumed a normal appearance, Balor went forward. But now you can see that his left eye has turned completely black.

Magic, the greatest power enslaved by humanity and many other races, was enslaved by magicians. A force that brought many deaths and destruction. Balor, the magician of this world, but in the experiment he finds himself in a world where the concepts of magic are foreign.
Qi energy is the greatest power conquered by humanity and many other races. A force that brought many deaths and destruction.
A power that is inferior to magic.

"You live here?" I asked, puzzled.

And there was a reason. In front of me was a dilapidated building from the Soviet era that didn't fall apart just because of the builders' belief in communism or something like that.

"Let's go inside first and I'll show you around." Galim answered me.

[Faust, be careful, I don't like it. A suspicious man in a suit leads a small naive boy into a dark old building without witnesses.] Micael warned me.

"Okay, let's go."  Galim said and went into the house.

Straining and imbuing my bones with necro-energy, I followed. Even though I doubt that I can do any serious damage to it, I can still escape. The inside of the building looked even worse than the outside. The Wallpaper is torn off, the walls are cracked, the stairs to the second floor are completely broken, and the ceiling may collapse at any moment.

But Galim did not pay attention to the condition of the building, reached a Cabinet that had not collapsed in some way, opened it, and went inside. In the next instant, his body began to blur and then disappeared.

[Hmm, teleport. Well, will you try it? It can be extremely dangerous, but this creature doesn't seem aggressive to me.]

{ Let's try it, even if I die, I'll know later that I shouldn't trust black monsters. I hope you can pull my soul out in time.} I shrugged and went into the closet.

Suddenly, space began to change and in the next moment, I found myself in a room without any objects or even Wallpaper. As soon as I realized that everything was successful, I almost threw up.

"First teleportation? I know how you feel. You'll get used to it later. Okay, let's go." Galim said suddenly and went to the only door in the room.

Having barely collected myself and calmed my body, I walked towards him on shaky legs. Now I also hate teleports. When I reached the door and opened it, I was dumbfounded. This was something you wouldn't expect to see from a mysterious faction of dark creatures that includes a monster that even witchers are afraid of.

"Is this a flower shop?"

And you can understand me. There were a lot of flowers growing in the living room, as far as I could tell. There were Hydrangeas, Lilies, Lavender, White Lotus, Narcissus, Dahlias, Roses. And these are just the plants I know. In fact, there were hundreds of species. And these are ordinary plants. I'm sure that if you search, you can find magic ones.

However, in addition to plants, there were also interior items. Two velvet armchairs and a leather sofa, two small tables, Wallpapers with forest drawings, a chandelier, and a piano.


"Just one of the members of the faction is a life mage and loves plants. I just couldn't say no to her." This serpent answered me with a smile.

"But I'm a necromancer, a death mage, will she cut my throat for this? We have different specializations!" I asked blankly.

"Hahaha, no, of course not. And you do not have different specializations but inseparable ones. You'd rather be friends." He answered with a laugh. "I see you don't understand. Look, fire and water are different, or light and darkness. But such specializations as death and life, time and space are inseparable. Without one, there will be no other. You may have heard the phrase that the end is a new beginning. It's the same here. Death is only a new life."

"Understood. Wait, wait. dark and light are different?"

"Aren't they inextricably linked? This is a common misconception. If it were so that you could use light, as it is with the same space and time. But no, light and darkness are just constantly at war, some believe that these elements even have their own minds. The key difference between them is in the direction of the flow. From yourself and to yourself. Radiation and absorption. Altruism and selfishness. Light gives, Darkness takes away. The light is creation, Darkness is destruction. Light sanctifies and blesses everything it touches, while Darkness defiles and devours. Together, these first elements constitute an equilibrium — not static, but constantly fluctuating and moving. They are the very essence of the universe. Since you asked, I'll tell you something else. Only this is a secret, okay?"

"Mmm!" I mumbled with focused eyes, actively nodding my head.

"Hahaha, you are still such a child. Then listen. In full accordance with the Yin-Yang symbolism, Light and Darkness complement each other and flow into each other. This balance of two opposites is the True Soul. To combine these opposites into a single whole and thus create a new soul is beyond the power of either magicians or even gods. In the same way, there is no force that can break this unity and end the existence of the soul. Because every True Soul is a tiny particle, a spark of the absolute that contains the entire infinity of EVERYTHING. Each goes on an endless journey from birth to death... and again to birth. Now, do you understand all the greatness of the soul? Don't sell your soul for anything, and don't consume someone else's. This is the greatest taboo, the greatest sin. Although, I remember there was a being who could completely destroy a soul, even with a fourth shell." He stopped abruptly, realizing that he had said too much.
"Okay, kid. You didn't hear the last sentence, understand!?"

At this moment, my entire being trembled, feeling the greatness of this monster.

"Y-Y-Yes." I could barely say it. Suddenly all the fear disappeared, and I felt calm and warm.



"Haah, sorry, I went too far. I won't do it again. I put a calm spell on you. Let's just not talk about it, okay? Come on, I'll make you some hot cocoa, and we'll wait for the others." Galim apologized and guiltily led me to the kitchen.

///

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, looking at the flowers and sipping cocoa, I started talking with Micael.


{What was that feeling? Why was I so scared?}

[HAAH, tell me how does a hare feel in front of an evil dragon? It's the same here. The power of his soul is a thousand times stronger than yours, and he unconsciously pressed you with it.] This crank answered me calmly.
[I started to sigh too often. You're ruining my health. At least you're fun to watch. And don't think I'm glad I met you, hmm.]
...
{Tsundere.}
...
[WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, BOY? I'M NOT TSUNDERE, UNDERSTAND?] Micael shouted said and fell silent. After a couple of minutes, he spoke again.

[This monster is not so simple, and I strongly doubt that Galim is his real name. I will contact the original and give him this information. Let him try to find out something about it. But now we know that he won't kill or torture us. He just doesn't need it. Although I should have started suspecting him the moment he started talking about the illogical properties of elements. No one in this world can do that. We need to look at the other members of this faction. Just wait for now. I'll deal with it later]

{Okay, Big Boss}

///

After finishing my cocoa, I decided to take a closer look at the plants. Something about them attracted me. I started with the Roses, then moved on to the Lilies, and then to the other plants I knew. But then I came across a beautiful flower whose name I didn't know.


"This is Oxalis, isn't it beautiful?" Suddenly a voice came from behind me. Turning quickly and preparing for battle, I saw...a girl?


"Who are you?" I asked tensely.

"I want to ask the same question, who are you and how did you get here?" The girl asked me a counter-question.

"I am Faust, brought here by Galim. Now you answer."

"Ah, Galim brought you here, then it's okay. My name is Agnes, it's a French name. It means a chaste, saint. And what does your name mean?"

"My name has no meaning. I don't need it."

"It's bad, everyone has to have a meaning. Well, I guess we'll find the meaning of your name later." With a smile, full of happiness, Agnes told me.

For some reason, looking at her smile made me feel happier, too. We stopped talking for a while. Suddenly, Agnes started speaking.

"Listening, why don't I tell you about the flower here? I know all about them. You'll be very interested!"

I've been thinking about it. Do I need it? Shouldn't I go find Galim first? But all of a sudden.

"You don't want to, do you? I understand you're not interested. Neither is everyone. I tried to tell them about the flowers, but they always say they're busy. I-I get it." Almost crying, Agnes said, with tears in her eyes. Looking at her, my heart suddenly hurt.

Without even thinking about it, I answered. "Of course I'll listen about the flowers, I'm very interested. Just don't cry, okay?" I said, and I gave her a gentle hug.

Still a little shaky, Agnes asked. "Really? Are you really interested? Just don't lie to me, please. It's okay if you're bored to hear about it. I will understand."

"I'm not lying to you, I'm really interested. Tell me about it."

"Okay, I will. You're gonna love it. I promise." Agnes answered me. "And yes, you can stop hugging me, I feel awkward."

"А? Oh, right, sorry." I answered quickly and let her go with a blush on my cheeks. I already wanted to hide it when I saw the same one on her. "Um, okay, let's go... And thank you, it means a lot to me." Agnes is quietly done.

"So, as I said, this is Oxalis. It has a powerful mysterious power, it has a great love energy. His leaves, which are so clover-like, can fulfill his master's different desires. It will be especially effective if you make wishes in the evening when the sun goes down. It cannot tolerate direct sunlight because it is a pampered, thermophilic plant. Oxalis has the ability to sleep by folding its leaves at night and closing its flowers. So, are you interested?" With a nervous look, Agnes asked. 
"Yes, very! You know so much. Can you tell me anything else?" I asked with a smile. 
"Huh? Yes, of course! Look, it's Calatea, it's a plant with unusual coloring and mottled leaves. It can..."

(Third POV)

That's how the strongest friendship between the most fearsome black wizard ever known and the best magician of life in the world began. Or maybe it wasn't just friendship? Well, who knows? Only time will tell.

What is life? The answer is rather simple. Some people think that if your body still functions, then you are alive, others consider that until you can die you are a living thing. All of them right at some point. You are alive only with a functional body and until you can be killed because without death you don't live, you just exist. But what if you live over and over again, what if you exist in a cycle of living? Now, this is a hard question. And you may never find an answer. But if you really want to know the truth, just sit and read, we will start soon.

!Warning!
Hi, bois! You thought that it would be another philosophic sh*t, but it was ME, Author. 
If you want to read my fanfic, then let me explain a few things:
1. THERE. WILL. BE. NO. HAREM.
If you are only interested in reading how MC collects and fu.cks girls, go away, this is not for you.
2. A lot of explanations.
It will help to understand what the hell is going on. You can skip it, but some parts might be unclear.
3. Grammar.
English is my third language (After Russian and Serbian), so there will be some minor mistakes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
4. 18+ scenes. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I'm not good at it (this is my first fanfic, come on). Maybe that will get better, we will see.

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