3 A Coin For Your Soul {II}

A gaping void of silence hung in the air as the troubled Fei Hong pondered on his situation in sadness. his young mind was finding it difficult to process the events unfolding before his very eyes. However, it was clear to his that he was somewhere in the Anjin Ageless forest, dying. he knew there was truth in the words of the Shadow Herald, yet, he couldn't bring hisself to accept the option of death.

The young boy knew if he failed to make it out of the forest alive, and soon, his parents would simply bid farewell to the world of the living. And his own unawakened soul would never reach reincarnation. How would he be at peace with that, even in death?

After what appeared to be an eternity, Fei Hong slowly raised his head, and cautiously glanced at the observing herald of Souls who was floating silently beside his. Chills ran down his spine in quick succession as he imagined the enormity of the hovering figure beside his. The unspoken words caught in his throat as he returned his gaze to the floor.

As Fei Hong closed his eyes and was returning into his state of sadness, a gentle breeze of air grazed his soul, calming his mind significantly while the words came tumbling out.

"But I don't want to die."

After a few seconds of silence, the body of the herald vibrated gently. The remaining primordial aura dissipated, and a layer of dark scales covered his eyes, providing protective shades from the images within. Shifting his focus onto his right-hand side, the Soul herald looked into the eyes of Fei Hong who cowered in fear, but couldn't divert his eyes from the soul-locking gaze of the Eternal herald. "Death is your fate."

How could this young mortal know the strings of fate on his soul? Strings that existed beyond his own power as a manifestation of Pangu. Yes, he had seen this before. Only if the could see what was bound to his soul.

With a slight shake of his head, the Eternal One let out a soft easy breath as he released the soul lock after seeing the realization on the young boy's face. At the least, the boy had realized there was a protective layer on his eyes. he could feel the peace radiating from him since there were no longer images of nightmare being displayed in his eyes. He felt a bit of sympathy for the little boy who couldn't see beyond his little mortal eyes.

"Why, child?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you want to live? Tell me why you are refusing the hand of death."

Why?

Fei Hong closed his eyes and became lost in his own thoughts. he ruminated on his short, but eventful years of existence. He was well aware of the terrible and threatening things in his young village life as an unawakened soul. The enormity of all this awful thing could make the world seem devoid of light.

Nonetheless, there were beautiful things worth living for, although they might be few for his. Foremost were his parents. The true faces he had known from his birth.

Fei Heng, his wonderful father who had been providing the necessity for his family. Despite being a low level farmer who could hardly bring out the energy of the soil to enhance his farm produce, he was always happy to work harder. No matter the situation, they were having food to eat which was the most important. Even when it was a little difficult for them, his happy mood would bring happiness to the rest of them.

He remembered his father's words. "Contentment comes from many great and small acceptances in life. Even when there's little or nothing, appreciating the life you have will bring you true happiness."

Then his mother, Fei Mei Xing. The most amazing woman in the whole universe. A low level herbal gatherer with a great ambition of becoming an alchemist, and at the same time took care of his family basic needs. A great ambition he had despite not reaching the level of medium-level gatherer, talkless of a high or pure ones. Regardless of not being able to make anything worthy of his occupation, he had been using most of his herbs to take care of his family which always made his joyful. Even the village alchemist was always happy to ask for the assistance of Fei Mei Xing. A beautiful soul who never complained or got angry unnecessarily.

"Never overlook the little things that can mean pure happiness to someone else. It's always the little things that make the big things happen."

Fei Hong recalled the beautiful times and the sad experiences they had shared together as a family. But in all those moments, it was the happiness on his parents' faces he remembered. The only people to care for his, along with the few remaining members of his clan.

He remembered his niece, Fei Yi Min, who was a few years older than his, but was always ready to defend his despite being outnumbered and outranked, only for his to get beaten with a smile on his face.

"Because there are people I love." With part of his consciousness still in recall, Fei Hong answered with a bright smile on his face.

The Soul herald waited for Fei Hong to finish having his time of reverie and regain hisself before speaking. "That's commendable, child. You may want to live for the people you love. After all, love means a whole lot. But what happens when the people you love are taken from you? Will you still want to live?"

Fei Hong shook his head as he tried to remove that thought from his head. he had no answer for that. What was the point of living if he was to lose his loved ones? his head began to ache from the pressure of his thoughts making his sway on his lotus position. he was about to collapse when another gentle breeze of air caressed his soul, relieving the pressure as he returned to his old self.

It was at that time he realized the breeze was coming from the Eternal herald. he quickly bowed his head as he cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Eternal One."

"En." The Soul herald dismissed his thanks, and continued. "You don't want to die, yet, you went into an ancient forest, ignorant of the outcome. Fate? Perhaps. However, I can see your determination to live. So child, I will ask you one more time, and I want you to be careful with your answer. Do you want to live?"

"Yes, the Eternal One."

"Then, I'll do you a favour child, but I'll have an oath on your soul. This debt, I will collect in the future."

"Ok, eternal one. I accept." Replied Fei Hong. As long as it wouldn't have damning karmic sins, he should be fine.

"Very well, child. We have a pact." Then suddenly, the body of the Soul herald began to glow mildly as he turned mid-air to face Fei Hong. Golden strands of energy left his body, and entered Fei Hong. "Now, think about all the reasons you find life worthy of living, and push them into the thread of your life-force. Only the thread, if you still want to live."

Fei Hong did as he was told, and his life-force began to get stronger.

"Farewell, young mortal. May we meet in the future if you are strong enough. And remember, when you wake up, you will be in the domain of life, and you will know true pain. But beware, death still lurks. However, if you survive the day, you will live. But the life you'll live will certainly make you regret this decision you made. This is the life you have chosen."

As Fei Hong opened his eyes, a slight pain coursed through his recovering body making him groaned mildly.