1 A New Chance

A vague sense of sadness from deep within.

A bitter aftertaste of… death? Eh?

As I opened my eyes, I saw...

Nothing.

Dark.

Everything was shrouded by eternal darkness.

Where am I?

A question—a question that seemed to continuously echo inside my mind.

I tried to move, but somehow, I can't feel my body.

Uneasiness crept over my body.

Then I remembered...

I died?

"Greetings."

A voice resounded in my mind—a calm, serene voice as if a sea without waves.

I wanted to find the source of the sound, however…

Swishh!

A blinding light engulfed everything.

For a few moments, my eyes shut close, and once it opened, a silhouette of a young man appeared before me.

"Hmmm… not bad. Not bad at all," the young man said.

I cautiously watched him as he slowly tread his way toward my direction. Once he was directly in front of me, he smiled as he said, "You and I, both of us shared the same cruel fate. We died at a time when we haven't even reached any of our goals, and it really isn't something that I could accept wholeheartedly. On the path I once tread, there lies a goal that needs to be done. With my death, I won't ever achieve it."

He turned around as a flicker of light suddenly burst out from his body. He lifted his hands as he said, "And so I wished for another chance from the heavens. Even at the cost of my soul, even at the cost of my very existence, I willed it. And because of that certain wish, you…" He looked back at me and continued, "You are here."

A number of thoughts appeared on my mind. I was held speechless by his words, and then it came to me…

I died! I really died!

Memories I seemed to have forgotten entered my mind. I remembered that day when I decided to go to the mall and watch some movies. When I was about to go home, a certain event led me to, perhaps, my death.

While I was walking my way home, I saw some thieves robbing one of the neighborhood stores. At that moment, I instinctively hid out of fear. I felt that I should've run away, but somehow, a vague feeling prevented me from going away. I felt like I had to watch the events that were unfolding before me.

And then it happened… While the criminals were about to escape, a little girl blocked their path and said, "What you guys are doing is bad! God will get angry at you!"

Of course, the criminals didn't mind her as they immediately pushed her aside. After all, what can such a small girl do against grown-ups?

But what the young girl did next truly astounded me as well as the criminals. She bit the arm of one of the robbers, causing the latter to wince. That robber grabbed the little girl's hair before throwing her away. The little girl flew a few meters away, and then… one of the robbers pointed his gun toward the girl.

It was at this moment of fight-or-flight that I seemed to have lost all reason and acted only by instinct. When the robber was about to pull the trigger, my legs suddenly moved, and what came after was perhaps the most vivid memory that exists in my mind—the sight of a bullet passing through my chest as I shielded the young girl.

Just now, it occurred to me, was I a hero or a fool?

I held my chest before smiling wryly. That vivid memory stuck to me like a song on continuous replay. What if I had just ran away? What if I didn't try to protect her? Just why did I do that?

I asked myself again and again as a deep feeling of regret overwhelmed all my senses. What could've been… was now nothing but a curious thought.

"Perhaps, I really was a fool," I unconsciously muttered. At that moment, my gaze suddenly fell on the young man in front of me. His calm demeanor seemed casual yet domineering. It was this moment that I recalled the words he had just said.

"And so I wished for another chance from the heavens. Even at the cost of my soul, even at the cost of my very existence, I willed it. And because of that certain wish, you… you are here."

Questions were raised inside my mind. Knowing that I couldn't get any answer just by thinking about it, I mustered all my courage and asked, "Where am I? Didn't I... or we die?"

After mustering all that courage, these were the only questions I was able to speak. Maybe I'm in the place where all souls go after the deaths of their body? Who knows? All I know is that I have already died, and yet, I'm still here. I have never believed in the afterlife. I wanted to, but during my life, all the research that I did only gave me a vague understanding about god or the heavens. If I really died, then perhaps this is it?

The young man before me suddenly reached his hand toward my face, causing me to wake up from my reverie. I instinctively jumped back at the thought of his hand touching my face. Afterward, the young man suddenly let out a boisterous laughter that seemed to tell me that he was really amused by my actions.

After a few seconds of laughing, the young man smiled at me and said, "Do not be afraid. We, the both of us, shall become one. However, because it was my very wish that led you to this place, soon, I'll be gone from this world. All my memories will be given to you. Everything that I am, will also become you. My emotions and my dreams, as well as every single part of my mind, will fuse with your soul."

As those words escaped his lips, a jolt of shock coursed its way throughout my body. His words were spoken as if it was something trivial, but in truth, the words I heard brought nothing but more questions.

It took me a few minutes to take in his words, but in the end, I still didn't understand a thing.

Moments of silence passed by, and I was finally unable to hold myself back from asking the questions inside my mind. "What do you mean? I honestly don't really understand anything you're saying."

With a nod, the young man waved his hand, and a blinding light once again covered my sight. I closed my eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again. At this moment, what I saw utterly shocked me. In front of us was a large white screen that was similar to the theaters.

A young man suddenly appeared at the white screen in front of me. That young man was... him? And then it occurred to me, is this his memories?

On the screen, the young man was standing at the peak of a large mountain—endless scenes of forests and wildlife can be seen below his feet. Beside him, there appeared a large and muscular man which held a huge axe in his right hand. He was clad in a golden armor that seemed to radiate a blinding light. He was just like, yeah, a knight in shining armor, except his face was a bit…

"You, haha, I didn't expect for you to die so early. You've got tricked by those stupid empyrean kids to fight against an overlord. Haha! How naive of you to believe that they needed your help when all they wanted was for you to die!!" A thunderous voice resounded. It was the muscular man speaking in a mocking tone while laughing.

Hearing the muscular man's words, the young man's expression was a bit unsightly. After a moment of contemplation, he heaved a deep sigh before saying, "I, I really don't know what to say. I still have so many things to do. She's still... Master, you know what I mean, right?"

The muscular man, whom the young man called master, turned stiff. His face filled with mockery suddenly turned sour as he gazed at the young man before him. "You do know I can't do anything about it. Since you've already lost your mortal body, you can only enter the cycle of reincarnation. Perhaps one day, you'll be able to reach the sky once again."

The young man kneeled before his master and said, "Is there really no other way? If I enter the cycle of reincarnation, I won't know what kind of world I will find myself into. There might be a chance to recover my memories, but with my current cultivation capability, it's almost impossible even if I found you again. At that time, Master, will I still be the same? Will I still be able to reach her?"

The master could only heave a sigh. "There is, indeed, a way."

The face of the young man brightened up a little, however, after seeing the face of his master, he immediately realized something. A wry smile appeared on his face as he asked, "But at what cost?"

"You choose, your soul or your memories?" the master said with a serious face.

"I..." Shock appeared in the young man's countenance. Finally, he let out a laugh and said, "Hahahaha. I understand, Master. I understand. Since I've already been defeated, then I choose the latter."

The master looked at his disciple in the eye. "Are you sure?"

The young man's somewhat gloomy expression turned serious. His eyes, filled with determination, stared right back at his master as he said, "Yes."

The master looked up to the sky and closed his eyes. He turned around and said, "Suit yourself."

Suddenly, the young man spoke, "Master, wait."

"Have you changed your mind?" The master stopped on his tracks but didn't look back.

"I have a request, Master. I would like to meet the person who will inherit my memories," the young man spoke fervently.

Finally, the master turned around. His eyes remained close as he walked back to the young man. He gave the young man a bear hug as he said in a gloomy tone, "Must you really do this?"

The young man couldn't help but become shocked. A twinkling light suddenly fell from one of his eyes as he said, "Yes, Master."

"Do you understand now?" the young man before me suddenly asked, awakening me from the state of deep contemplation.

Although I still have many questions in my mind, I have, at least, understood what happened. Since he chose to save his memories, that means I will be the one to inherit it. And this, this really feels a bit peculiar.

I looked at the young man, wanting to ask more, but he waved his hand and said, "You'll understand when the time comes. My remaining time is drawing to an end. In this world, your soul will be born anew. But because I have fused my memories within your soul, it is now fortified. Every memory in your past life and every memory in mine will remain even if you become a newborn child. Everything depends on fate. Well, since I did this much just to talk to you, I only have a few wishes from you."

I suddenly noticed how the place where I am was slowly crumbling. In front of me, the body of the young man slowly became lighter and lighter, as if he would soon vanish into thin air. Without any hesitation, I spoke, "What is it?"

"Avenge me, fulfill my dreams, and deep inside my memory, there is one more. When you reach the peak of the martial path, you'll know. I want you to protect… lia."

Before everything crumbled to nothingness, I screamed at the top of my lungs, "I promise you! Whatever you want me to do, I'll fulfill it! Thank you for giving me another chance to live! Thank you!"

Everything completely turned to smoke, and I was overwhelmed by a desire to sleep. Ah, I forgot to ask his name. But if his memories will fuse with mine, perhaps I can know more about the young man who gave me another chance to live.

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