Awakening in the land of the shadows -4
In the midst of a field of white snow, with snowflakes falling in a raging storm, sits Jun in a lotus position, meditating as if in the warmth of his bed, unconcerned with anything around him. He sits there with a serene and peaceful expression on his face, despite the stormy weather. The ice doesn't approach him; rather, it seems to collide with a barrier around his bare body. The energy in his nostrils moves rhythmically, and his chest rises and falls in successive movements. With each inhale, the invisible shield draws closer to his body, and with each exhale, it moves slightly away. This cycle continues for a while until he takes a deep breath, and the energy around him adheres to his body.
A second passes.
Two seconds.
Three.
A minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
An hour.
The situation remains as if his body has died, even though his face shows no signs of distress. This continues for a full day.
Suddenly, the area around him shakes violently, and energy explodes from his body with an exhale, spreading outwards, scattering the falling snowflakes around him. A celestial dome suddenly forms around Jun, encompassing the entire village and continuing to expand until it covers the whole mountain.
**Two months ago.**
"Hello, my friend."
It was a massive deer, as if it had stepped out of a dream, a creature glowing with a green light. Plants and flowers grew from its body, and it radiated a warm energy that felt like the essence of life. However, its eyes were hollow and empty, a stark contrast to its overall appearance. Jun thought he was dreaming—perhaps this was another dream—before darkness filled his vision, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
"Where am I?" Jun felt excruciating pain throughout his entire body and a difficulty in the flow of blood through his veins. Yet, his body suddenly leaped from its sleeping position on the ground with incredible lightness, as if he were a puppet pulled by strings.
Was it a dream? No, I've dreamt so much. I've felt both death and life, and experienced all kinds of lives. The sound was simultaneously loud and quiet, and despite the silence, he could hear everything. Despite the darkness, he could see everything—seeing without eyes and hearing without ears. Jun opened his eyes to see the interior of his hut, the very room, his room. He remembered leaping out of this room during his sister's wedding, a day that felt like it was many years ago. He had lived countless lives, and though it didn't show on his 18-year-old bearded, pale face, his mind had aged hundreds of years.
He began to breathe again after being like a lifeless corpse. Despite the snow, he didn't feel cold, and being naked didn't bother him. The darkness around him was strange, though. If anyone other than Jun were here, they would see it as just a dark wooden hut. But Jun saw something different—moving auras of mixed colors, white and black with their various shades. He knew what it was—it was ki. He could see the ki, the ki of ice and... death. The energy of death was strong here.
"It seems you've finally awakened."
To his left, part of the hut was gone, as if it had exploded somehow. In front of him stood a massive deer, the same deer.
"You... you're the god of the mountain? The guardian?"
"Hah! It seems I don't need to introduce myself if you already know me. Still, it seems you have many questions."
To Jun, the deer appeared as a massive aura of green and gold, but this mix was... dim.
"I've seen many things," Jun said.
The deer's ears twitched.
"Really? What have you seen?"
"I've seen war! I've seen shamans, spirits, animals, and humans. I've seen their lives and deaths. I've seen happiness, sadness, misery, and joy."
"It seems you've been through a lot."
Then Jun added,
"Yes! And I saw the gate!"
A heavy, intense silence fell upon them, so thick it could almost be cut with a sword, weighing down on their hearts.
"I saw the demons!"
"The gate you were preventing from opening."
"And I saw... the devil worshippers."
...
"It seems our friend Jun has been on an exhausting journey for six years! Haha, you've saved me a lot of time by already knowing all this."
"Six years," Jun said with a tone tinged with nostalgia. Although he had faced death many times, and despite his emotions having died hundreds of times, he still longed for the past, hoping perhaps one day to return.
"My friend, follow me; I don't have much time left."
Indeed, the deer's aura was weakening as it stood there speaking with him.
Jun and the deer began walking towards the mountain, while Jun looked around, reflecting on the state of his village. How had it come to this? Once a place of peace, happiness, and warmth, now it lay desolate and abandoned. As visions of the past and present flickered before his eyes, there was no need to mourn what had become of it now.
For everything has its time and place,
And the time for revenge has not yet come.
He knew this cave well, for he had been here many times. This was the cave of the mountain god. Jun sat on a rock on one side while the deer sat before him.
"I will be quick and detailed," the deer began. "You've been living the moments of everyone who has ever set foot on this mountain, haven't you?"
Jun nodded.
The deer continued, "And in your dreams, you've seen a white lotus flower, haven't you? This flower is the Soul Lotus, formed when the energy of death increases in a place and mingles with different beings—humans, spirits, demons, and... gods."
The deer added, "I am the guardian of the mountain, or rather, the gatekeeper. I am the god of this mountain."
"What do you mean by 'guardian of the mountain'?" Jun asked.
"It seems you've already seen the gate! This is a gate that connects the spirit world with the human world. Spirits have been living and wandering in the human world for over a century, but then the demons began to try to widen the gap between the two worlds, attempting to invade our world and take control of it, of course with the help of humans who had lost their sanity and followed the demons, worshipping them. This led to the Great Purge, the war that wreaked havoc on the earth as humans tried to rid the world of both demons and spirits alike."
"But aren't spirits and demons the same?" Jun asked.
"No, their essence is the same, but their paths are different. The spirits lived in harmony with humans, even helping and blessing them in their lives as deities. But then the demons decided to invade and dominate humans. In fact, the demons' power became tied to the wrath of human spirits at their death, so they didn't leave them in peace, either in life or in death. They were... and your condition is similar to theirs!"
"Hmm," Jun murmured. Of course, he understood what the god was saying—he himself was turning into a demon.
"Hmm, naturally, your prolonged stay in the world of the dead and your exposure to demons and the energy of death have made your body unstable, dancing between the two worlds. You haven't just inherited their memories; you've inherited everything—their lives, their souls, their energies."
...
"You are now a mixture of human and spirit, and you must learn to control it."
...
"Now I will give you what remains of my life and memories. I've reached the end of my energy. Every mountain god guards a spiritual gate, and my gate has been open for ages. Now, you must close it and prevent the demons from spreading."
***************
two months later.
Jun took deep breaths as he stood before the graves of his family, holding a cup of wine in his hand, surrounded by the ruins of the village. He was dressed in a black robe and a straw hat, with two swords at his waist—swords he had found after absorbing the spirit of the mountain god. He lifted the wine with both hands, then placed the cup and bottle on their graves.
"Mother, Father," he whispered, "I promise you, I will find my sister safe and sound."
He bowed once.
"I promise you, I will take care of myself."
He bowed a second time.
"I promise you, I will avenge what was done to us."
He bowed a third time.