"What happened?" I ask out of reflex, not even noticing that I was talking to myself, I remember slowly but steadily blacking out just as I had gotten out of bed this morning. Looking around, I seem to be seeing all black-no, this feels different, its as if there is no black, to begin with as if there was 'nothing.' After curiously examining my surroundings, I took notice of a white spherical object floating around in the space not too far from me.
'What is this?' I thought, intrigued, I slowly approach the sphere as I had nothing to do and as I was around the range where I could touch it, the ball suddenly exploded with a blinding light, illuminating the nothingness and erasing the feeling of void around me.
"Ahhhhhhh!!!" I screamed, I suddenly feel pain in my head as if I was having a migraine except for it being multiplied a thousand times over.
Not having any clue about how much time had passed, the pain slowly subsided, giving me a chance to finally think clearly. 'What the hell was that?' I had never experienced such extreme pain until now and thinking back to that terrifying experience gave me goosebumps all over my body. While I was thinking, I suddenly found a new set of memories in my mind. It was a weird feeling, hard to describe as I feel like I've just known all these things all along as I had experienced them, it was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Thinking even harder onto these memories, I found out that these memories were about a book, it was an even weirder feeling as it felt like I hadn't read it but it was just imprinted in my mind.
Looking at the contents, they seemed to be a chant? or a scripture? Whatever it may be, it was confusing nonetheless. I continued reading? thinking? experiencing? This feeling is weird to describe but I continued on. On the side were some instructions that were in a language foreign to me but familiar at the same time. It read 'Read the passages and gain power, contemplate the world and control the laws.' Looking at this, my eyebrow slightly twitched, this was like something from those novels that I had read, plus what was up with these cheesy lines?
Despite this, I was still intrigued, after all, what have I to lose? I am stuck in this place and there is nothingness as far as I can see, so I might as well try this. I had read enough novels to know what this might be leading to, so inside, I was also slightly expectant and excited as well.
Imitating those main characters in the novels, I sat cross-legged and began chanting the words on the page. There were around 5 to 6 paragraphs of chants in the page so I planned on taking my time as I slowly read through them, unconsciously thinking about their meanings as I had said the words. Half-way through the first paragraph of chants, I began to feel a warm feeling in the middle of my stomach, just a bit below my belly button. This warmth slowly began to turn even warmer but it never felt painful. This warmth then spread throughout my body, making me relish the comfort. I continued to chant and stopped abruptly as I had realized that I had finished the whole page, and I was already feeling the warmth slowly recede back to the place where it originally gathered- my stomach.
'Holy shit!!!' I thought, 'This is a real cultivation manual?' It suddenly dawned on me that what I had just experienced was similar to what I had read in the novels. I wondered if the warmth I had felt was Qi like in those Xianxia and Wuxia novels, or if it was a different energy.
Whatever it was, it was something good. Feeling my current body, it was as if I had been moving in water the whole time, and now that I had gotten out, it feels extremely easy to move. 'Damn, so these are the effects of the manual?' I had never experienced a feeling like this before, as such, I had wanted to feel it and try to strengthen my body even more.
Curious about the next page, I tried to look at the next page in my memories, but it seemed like it was blocked, no matter how hard I thought I could not see it. It felt hard exerting my self in my own mind and after numerous attempts, I was exhausted, mentally.
After realizing that I could not look at the next page, I gave up and then started to look around my surroundings again. Spotting the white ball of light that gave me the memories, I approached it and tried to see if something unusual happens again. However, much to my disappointment, I was only able to touch it and feel it around. The texture of the sphere was unique, it felt that there were numerous tiny lines unexposed to the naked eye running around the sphere. Trying my hardest to trace the lines, I figured that they were some sort of language. It was similar to the language I saw in the book's first page in my transplanted memories. Despite this, I was not able to make sense of what it was trying to say, as the lines were too small for me to see and discern.
Now finished feeling out the sphere, I figured it was time for me to find my way out of this place. I wouldn't want to be stuck in this place forever, I still had my family and friends. Even though it was dull living life the way I did, it was life nonetheless, and I didn't want to leave behind the people I knew.
With the determination to find my way out, I quickly start walking in one direction, hoping to find something that would help me get out of this place.