An Immortal's Lament

"You're up?"

A faint voice resounded in Raizel's ears. He opened his eyes and realized he was back in the desolate place where he met Emil.

After observing for a while, he finally saw Emil sitting beside him on a wooden log.

Emil smiled at him and said, "Are you surprised to be back here? You can go in and out of this place anytime you want. It's the reason why you've been asleep for a whole month. I integrated your soul here."

Raizel just nodded, not fully understanding what Emil meant. Souls seemed like a concept he had touched upon but not something he could fully comprehend. 

"Now look at the sky." Emil snapped his fingers, and a blinding light came over from the horizon, illuminating everything in this desolate world.

Raizel closed his eyes and only after Emil said it was alright now did he open his again.

The once desolate place of eternal darkness has turned into an unending barren land. In the middle of this desert-like place, there was a black tower that reached a crimson-colored sky, overshadowing the both of them.

Seeing this gave Raizel an immense shock. "Where are we?"

"This is a place where all our strength comes from. A place that is almost similar to all those who have reached the pinnacle of mortals. Welcome to my dantian."

Raizel looked around him, feeling mesmerized by the enormous tower and the crimson-colored skies.

Emil gave the boy a few moments before saying, "As you can see, this place is barren. I'm dead after all. Although it is barren, given a hundred years or so, I can easily fill it once again because my master gave us a new chance at life.

"Raizel, first of all, we are probably going to be stuck with each other for thousands of years and that is, only if you manage to stay alive. So, I'd like to tell you the smaller things you don't understand right now.

"When we first met, I told you that I will cease to exist and become a part of your memories. But everything changed when my master sealed me inside your soul.

"For now, what you need to know is that, this is your new chance at life. I know little about you, and I also don't wish to pry the details in your memories. But, there's something I need to know. Just what do you want in this new life?"

Emil's words shook Raizel's heart. He suddenly realized something that he had neglected ever since he was reborn into this world.

'What do I really want to do with this life?'

For a 3-year-old child, it shouldn't be something to think about. But what lay in the body of this 3-year-old child was the soul of a young man who had lived for almost two decades in another world. It was an age when he was pursuing a college degree and a promising career in the future.

What he wanted to do, he totally didn't know right now. When he came to this place, he was just interested in the fantasy-like world where he was reincarnated. He was just like a sponge, absorbing all the new things he was learning. He had completely forgotten that the fantasy-like world where he was reincarnated was a world where he should pursue a new goal in life.

He was so excited about everything here had neglected the most essential thing known as 'what the future held for him'. In truth, he had yet to ascertain his very identity.

Raizel pondered deeply. What did he really want? As his thoughts grew more and more complex, the immortal patiently waited.

Raizel thought of the life he once had. He thought of a linear life where he was just doing whatever his parents told him to. A life so dull that only the novels and animes that he read made it seem… significant. He didn't have that many friends, and he never had a girlfriend, either. Looking back, his old life was as dismal as it gets.

After minutes of thinking and recalling, a rather simple idea tinkled in the boy's mind. He looked at the immortal before him then took a deep breath before speaking, "In this life, I want to become someone. In my last life, everything seemed like a monotonous process. I just went with the flow. I can't even recall if I had a significant achievement. It's like I never really had something to hold on to.

"When I was reborn in this world and completely forgot about you, I've been thinking that this life was like a game. Everything is new, so I treated everything as a fantasy novel where I'm the protagonist. But now that the memories of how I came here returned, I realized something.

"I guess I just want to change. I want to acquire something I never had, and I want to use this chance to live my life to the fullest. I want to seek fame, glory, and so much more. I don't really know which way I'll go, but all in all, I just want to become someone who has a place in this world."

Hearing the boy's words, Emil closed his eyes, seemingly in deep thought. 

After a while, he let out a laugh. He stood up and then turned around. He pointed at the crimson skies and screamed, "Master! Watch us!"

After that, neither Raizel nor Emil spoke, each with their own thoughts.

"Do as you wish! Life is unpredictable. You never know when it'll suddenly end, so make the most out of it, and I'll support you in every step of the way. I only wish you can reach a higher height than me and help me reform my body." Emil smiled.

Suddenly, Raizel was thrown into the air, spinning dozens of time before he fell to the ground. He looked at Emil both shocked and terrified.

"Stand up," the immortal said.

"In this world, mortals die in a snap of a finger. Being weak is akin to being a slave. Right now, you are nothing. You may have aspirations of fame, glory, and power, but you're weak! If you want to become someone, if you want to achieve an identity, then you need power. You need strength!

"Only those who reach the pinnacle of strength can realize their dreams. And if you wish a significant life, then I implore you to overcome my strength and reach for the heavens that hath forsaken me."

The sudden turn of events overwhelmed Raizel. Emil's words felt like daggers stabbing his heart. 

'Perhaps I can really become significant, too.' Raizel thought deeply as he stared at Emil.

Emil looked at the Raizel, feeling happy that his words might have given the boy some inspiration. Then, his face turned pale and fell to the ground.

Raizel, shocked, immediately went over and was about to speak when Emil shook his head.

"Haha! I used up all the essence I've gathered, and I don't have the strength to move anymore.

"What I showed you is a glimpse of what's in store for you if you have those aspirations. There will be monstrous cultivators who will stand in your way. There will be hurdles that might even be too hard to overcome.

"In my time, I was a peerless genius who slaughtered my way to the top. I gained fame, glory, and everything I have ever wished for. And during that time... I met her.

"I was at the pinnacle of Azure Continent. I was known as the King of the Skies, a god among mortals. But then I was defeated like an ant by this woman who took my heart. For years, I have improved myself. Every decade, I challenged her with a bet to make her my own, but I lost every single time.

"Perhaps because of luck or persistence, after a few hundred years, she fell for me, and it was the best thing that happened in my life. For the next hundreds of years, we roamed the skies of Azure Continent hand in hand. We were the fiercest couple Azure Continent has ever seen.

"But then everything came to an end when she was forcefully taken away from me. She was a certain being that even an immortal like me couldn't hope to reach. And so, it felt like I lost everything.

"For a hundred years, I was lost, grieving. It even came to the point that I wanted to end my life. But even something as cruel as fate could sometimes be nice to me. A man, yeah, the one I called master, reached out to me and told me that I still have a chance.

"He told me that if I could reach a certain amount of strength, perhaps I can take her back. And so I ascended. I ascended toward a place I can describe as hell. A place that perhaps you will also tread on when the time comes.

"When I entered this 'hell,' I felt like a frog in a well. I originally thought that the strength I have achieved in Azure Continent was something to be proud of. But I was wrong. In that place were countless immortals roaming the skies. Powerful beings even I couldn't fathom their strength were as many as the stars in the skies.

"And so it opened my eyes. I was still weak. Too weak to reach her. And so I cultivated with renewed vigor. I got stronger and stronger, and I was noticed by a lot of powerful sects. With my master's guidance, I finally reached a level where I was only a step away from her. But the heavens are never kind. I was tricked. I was fooled. I was subjected to an unruly death that caused us to enter this situation.

"To you, perhaps, this is something akin to luck. But for me, this is a nightmare that came true. To have no ability to change your fate, to be compelled to rely on a meager soul, hoping for the best. This… this is the worst predicament I have ever faced.

"If you die, then I'll also die. If you die, all of my efforts, even the efforts of my master, will be in vain. Raizel, the reason I'm telling you all this is that, I want you to become strong. I don't care how long it will take until I can return to that place, but all I ask is for you to stay alive. Even if it takes tens of thousands of years, as long as you can keep your promise, then that's enough for me."

Raizel listened intently. He felt the sadness and helplessness in Emil's voice. And then he also felt the heavy burden placed on his shoulder… It was like a mountain.

What if he were in the shoes of the immortal? What would he feel or what would he have done? To stake everything on someone he just met for a chance to redeem himself—how would it feel?

Raizel felt heavy, but he knew that the immortal was the reason why he had gained a new chance to live again. And so he decided something in his heart. He would absolutely fulfill his benefactor's wish.

Perhaps the path ahead of him would be perilous. But then again, even if it was extremely difficult, the opportunity given to him—the chance to become significant—gave him motivation. The vow to become someone significant, and the vow to complete Emil's wish, they all began today.