Chapter 19:The World Consciousness

Inside the Mystic Realm

Gabriel Stone POV

"Th...th.. this...!!! " As he stood there, frozen in shock and disbelief, he felt a sudden tightness in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. The scene in front of him was nothing short of surreal, and it threatened to shatter everything he thought he knew. As a modern pre-adult, he was no stranger to the concept that lay before him, having read about it in countless books and novels. At times, it even made its way onto the big screen, if the writer was fortunate enough to see their work adapted for the cinema. But as he stared, wide-eyed and speechless, he truly understood the weight of what he was witnessing.

Now, seeing it happening with his very own eyes ( he don't even know how can see, since every bit of pieces he has on his body was turned to ashes) makes it more surreal to him.

In front of him, is a floating figure of a man 180cm in height, has tattered clothes with dried and fresh blood stains on them, has signs of being beaten all over his body and is currently cloaked in a golden light. In his lower right waist, gushes of fresh blood can be seen, and as an aspiring doctor, he can identify that the injury on this man's waist is caused by a very sharp object.

However, that's not the most shocking part, the most shocking part is that the two of them have a striking resemblance, no it's not a resemblance, the man in front of him looked exactly like him.

As he was lost in thought, numerous theories raced through his mind. From the plausible to the utterly ridiculous, he had entertained every possibility, including the existence of a lost twin brother. His mind was a jumble of conflicting ideas, and he struggled to make sense of it all.

Suddenly, he was jolted out of his reverie as the man sitting across from him lifted his right arm and pointed it directly at him. The man's lips moved as if he were trying to speak, but no sound came out. This unexpected gesture caught him off guard, and he sat there frozen, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"Li.. .li.. light ...I.....i.im..." As soon as the man opened his mouth to speak, a strange sensation started building up within him. It felt as if a powerful force was gathering inside him, and before he could even finish uttering his first word, a bright orb of energy rushed out of his body with a blinding flash. The sudden outburst caught him off guard, and his arm, which was pointing at him, fell to his side.

Before he could even react to what he is seeing, a voice suddenly spoke in his ears.

[Warning!

Detecting two similar soul energies around

Warning!

Warning!

Identical soul found.

Warning!

The Essence Harmony has a limitation that prevents it from being compatible with the presence of two souls simultaneously.

Initiating analysis, searching for alternate solution...]

As the robotic-like voice echoed in his ears, the first word that popped up in his mind was "System". He didn't even pay attention to the fact that the voice mentioned the phrase "identical soul".

In his childhood, reading fantasy novels was one of his favorite pastimes. Most of those novels revolved around a protagonist who died and then transmigrated to another world with a cheat-like golden finger, known as "System". The idea of having a golden finger and cheating his way through life made his heart race with excitement.

Although he was uncertain about his current location, he had a vague notion of what was happening to him, which filled him with an unexpected sense of thrill.

Then suddenly he heard the robotic voice again.

[Analysis completed.

Alternate solution found.

Essence Harmony upgrade needed.

Soul fusion needed.

Initiating Essence Harmony Upgrade

Upgrade Complete

Essence Harmony is upgraded to Yin-Yang Soul Harmony

Initiating soul fusion

Soul fusion failed.

Analyzing error...

Error found!

Pre-determined main consciousness must be set.

Main consciousness needed.

Choosing main consciousness]

Gabriel was lost in his thoughts, daydreaming about his future when he suddenly heard a robotic voice. It was a notification that interrupted his reverie, and he was jolted back to reality. However, reading the notification seemed to have caught him off guard, and he didn't know how to react.

He was visibly shaken and stuttered as he tried to form words. "Wh... Wh.... What! We... Wai.. Wait. D.. Do... Dont!.... .Do..." he screamed in fear, his emotions running high. His face was a mix of anger, confusion, and fear, making it difficult to understand what was going through his mind.

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, he heard a voice again, but this time it was different. The voice sounded human, and it was clear and concise.

" Greetings Young One"

Gabriel's excitement from his fantasy quickly turned into deep fear and anger as he heard a voice addressing him. "What is this? Who are you?!" he screamed.

Silence permeated the air for a few moments until the voice responded. "I am the consciousness of this world," it said. "Some call me God, some call me Guardian, and some call me Voice of the World. Regardless of the name, the mission remains the same: to guide the people of the world in their fight against strange creatures and monsters that threaten their existence."

Gabriel was perplexed as the world consciousness began to reveal the past of the world he had found himself in. He interrupted, "Where do I fit into all of this?"

The world consciousness responded, "To begin with, different realities should never interact with each other. Each universe in our cosmos is located on an isolated island of reality to prevent it from interacting with other universes. If a universe were to bump into another, it would be affected by the ripples from bubbles of that other universe. Your world has a theory that suggests the existence of many copies of you in each reality and I can confirm that there are indeed many different possible versions or replicas of you in other universes."

Gabriel's confusion was evident on his face. The world consciousness continued, "Let me simplify it for you. Imagine multiple versions of you in every Earth, all occupying the same place in space, but vibrating at a different frequency so they can't see or interact with each other. Therefore, you are not bound to meet the other versions of you in those other worlds."

As Gabriel tried to grasp the concept, he looked at the body of a man lying next to him. Before he could even articulate the thought in his mind, the world consciousness interjected, "Yes, indeed! Whatever you are thinking right now is correct. That man and the soul that floats above him is, in fact, the other you that exists in another reality."

Gabriel was stunned. "How is this possible when you just said that I'm not supposed to meet other versions of myself?"

The world consciousness explained, "There was an error when the plan was executed. You were supposed to die in your world, and at the same time, the other you in this world would also die. Then your soul would be brought here to occupy the dead body of the other you. The books in your world refer to this incident as 'Transmigration.' However, instead, you were summoned to this reality, including your physical body. This error must be addressed, hence the explosion."

Gabriel was feeling anxious and confused as he asked for the fifth time, "Why do those events have to happen just to bring me here, what is the reason why I was brought here?" Although he was trying to calm down, there was still a trace of agitation in his voice.

The world's consciousness replied, "For now, you don't need to know the reasons why you were brought here. Just always remember that you are brought here for a reason, and you will also know those reasons at the right time. As for the other person, even if this event did not take place, he was originally supposed to die at the hands of bandits a few moments ago. However, due to the explosion, he was saved. Though there's only a thin thread of consciousness left in him."

Gabriel was lost in deep thought, wondering what he should do. The world's consciousness continued, "No one escapes their fate unless they are strong enough to battle fate. The fusion of the soul is a must, remember that."

After speaking, the world's consciousness slowly faded into silence, and a few moments later, there was complete stillness in the surroundings.

As the world's collective consciousness began to fade, the process of fusion - which had momentarily paused - started up again. The surroundings were suddenly filled with bursts of light and explosions as if a switch had been flipped. It was a chaotic and bewildering sight to behold, as the energy of fusion coursed through the environment once more. And then, just as abruptly as it had stopped, a notification was heard once again - a signal that the process started again.

[Consciousness activated.

Initiating memory recovery process...

Memory retrieval successful...

Commencing memory preservation procedure...

Memories have been saved.

Transferring memories to primary consciousness...

Memory transfer completed!

Initiating the fusion of soul in 3, 2, 1...

Soul fusion in progress.]