As the morning sun rose, Ray Black was singing in the shower with an expression of joy on his face. Ray Black, an average student at the University of Kentucky, is about to go abroad for the first time in his life. He’s a business major with a physics minor. His ‘International Business’ course will travel to Japan to view business meetings and processes from an international perspective. Although Ray doesn’t usually read what he considers ‘weird nerd shit’, a friend recommended a cultivation and magic-based novel saying that he may find them interesting and, if so, they could go to some shops related to them during their free time. So, he read a few parts here and there, finding the concept of immortality and magic interesting but the flowery writing to be obnoxious to read.

Half an hour later, Ray could be seen walking out of his dorm with some luggage in hand as he got on the bus to the airport. Most Americans don’t have a chance to study abroad so the students were pretty excited and spent the bus ride chatting about how they would spend their freetime in Japan. The busride lasted about half an hour before they reached the airport and, during that time, Ray did what any American would do, illegally download some movies to watch on the airplane.

Upon reaching the airport, the group, under the guidance of their professors, began the long and aggravating process of going through an airport. Beginning with check in, where the airport couldn’t find the registration for two students although it was eventually solved, the group also had some trouble finding the seating area for the plane. However, after a few hours they eventually found the seating and got on the airplane successfully. One he got on the plane, Ray took out his phone and started the long flight off with a horror movie.

About five hours into the flight, the captain spoke over the intercom, “Excuse me. We are receiving reports of some possible turbulence ahead so please remain in your seats with the aisle cleared until further notice.”

Once the captain finished speaking, the plane hit massive turbulence which only became worse with time. Panicking, Ray looked out the window and saw the wing of the plane hit what looked like a black crack in the air. Unfortunately, before he could even scream, the destruction of the left wing caused the plane to veer left and the black crack to hit him in the head. After that, Ray felt a searing pain in his head yet, as he tried to rub his head, he felt nothing. So, he opened his eyes but saw nothing except a deep, pitch black and felt absolutely nothing except the pain. He couldn’t feel his hands, feet, chest, or anything except the searing pain that he thought was in his head. Ray was at a loss, he wants to panic but honestly doesn’t even know where to start. Should he panic over the strange, empty surroundings? The lack of feeling in practically his entire body? Maybe the searing pain in his head? After an indeterminate amount of time, Ray heard a couple of voices.

“Long time no see friends,” spoke someone who sounded like a female.

Replying, “Hey Melissa. My daughter’s birthday is coming up so let’s get this done quick,” muttered a male.

“Yeah, yeah. Brag about your hot wife why don’t you. Anyways, are you two ready to send my universe’s qi to Melissa’s?” The third voice sounded like a very deep male’s voice.

Once he heard these voices, Ray immediately came to his senses and tried to speak. However, he soon found out that, to his horror, he wasn’t able to speak. Or at least he couldn’t hear himself, was the problem with his mouth or his ears? Upon having that thought he realized that his ears couldn’t be the issue as he was hearing three people speaking.

Panicking, the pain in his head increased as he tried screaming, “HELP! I-I-I need help! Please, I can’t feel anything except my head and it burns!!” This time, he heard it, albeit faint sounding.

The conversation between the three abruptly stopped as they began looking around for the source of the call for help. Shortly after, one of them saw Ray and called out, “Hey guys, someone’s soul is here!”

The other two came over as Melissa spoke, “Lang, what the fuck. Isn’t this one of those that died on the plane wreck two millennia ago?”

Lang, panicking, replied, “I think so but how is he here?” Looking at Ray, Lang sent some energy towards him before continuing, “Alright child, you should be able to speak easier now. What happened to you?”

Imagining that he is tearing up, but unable to feel the tears, Ray began to explain his plane ride and how he was hit in the head by some black crack. Afterwards he appeared here, in this dark environment, without any feeling except a searing pain in his head but doesn’t know how long has passed as the pain in his head prevented him from being able to think. After hearing this, the three were in complete shock and began to speak amongst themselves.

“Lang,” spoke Melissa, “this is insane. I mean, your Earthlings have small, underdeveloped souls due to the lack of cultivation so, for the spatial crack to bring him here is just so unlikely. The plane having a flight route leading to the crack was already a major coincidence but we moved the crack slightly to avoid people yet according to him, the crack hit the left wing in just the right spot to tilt the plane so not only did the crack hit his body, but it hit him in just the right spot to suck his soul into this place?” Aware she was overexplaining, Melissa just couldn’t stop herself. This whole situation is just too improbable…

After a bit of silence, the third person spoke, “Yes, it does seem like such a big coincidence that it just isn’t possible but yet he’s here. So, it happened. Not only is he here, his soul has surrounded itself in some pure, non-elemental energy from this space and his world-mark is gone, just like the energy we took-”

Interrupting the third person, Lang said, “Lin, listen, rather than arguing, we need a solution because we have to get back to removing the energy from my universe. So,” looking towards Ray,” Ray, was it? Anyways, Ray this might be hard to hear and you probably won’t understand it all but you might someday. My universe is designed to see if humans can reach godhood without access to cultivation, so, to avoid it, every two millennia I send the universal energy built up two one of these two’s cultivation-based universes because we can only connect the universes after long preparations. Unfortunately it seems you got sucked in with it and have been here since then. I can’t send you back to Earth, it’s not an option because the spatial tunnels are only one way and I have to remove the energy from my universe again. So you’re going to be sent through the tunnel to Lang’s universe where you’ll end up in the body of a child being born somewhere, but, fear not. The universal laws won’t kill someone to save you so you’ll take over the body of a child that wouldn’t have survived as it’s soul dissipated. Cultivation talent is based on the soul’s ability to control energy and as Earth is deprived of that energy, your cultivation is just about as mortal.” Continuing to speak without letting Ray respond, “Anyways, your soul seems to be in a frozen state because of the pure energy stuck to it, so, the moment your new body reaches your soul’d age before being frozen it will absorb the energy and no longer age. Basically your cultivation talent is garbage, your body won’t age after twenty, and unless you reach the Nascent Soul Realm, which transforms the soul, your soul won’t age either. You will never die and even if your soul shatters or your body is destroyed, you will be reformed from the energy within you. There is no one to blame but your bad luck, neither of us will take responsibility for that. Now, I have to make this tunnel before our preparations are ruined, so Lin you need to take care of this.”

Melissa and Lin were stunned. Yes, he had to quickly form the tunnel but his word choices were harsh. Also, once the tunnel is formed Ray will either have to immediately go through the tunnel or have to wait for another two millennia, not giving them much time to clarify anything…

Sighing, Lin spoke, “Sigh, I apologize for what has happened. I truly do, but we don’t have much time to send you into the tunnel. So, the best I can do is form a soul weapon for you from some of the energy here. If you ever enter the first cultivation realm then you’ll be able to use it to defend yourself. You might live forever and heal but wounds will still hurt you. I wish you the best. My universe is split into three realms with one half-realm between the second and third. I wish I could send you to the third realm where cultivation is easier and people live longer so you don’t have to see much familial death but I can’t. Again, I’m truly sorry and wish you good luck.”

After speaking, Lin shot some ball of energy into Ray’s soul while Melissa simply sighed. Then, two cracks, even darker than the pitch black space, appeared. One of them pulled energy into this space while the other sucked the energy in and, as the second crack appeared, Lang pushed Ray’s soul into the crack, hoping to forget about this nightmare.

Ray felt like what he imagined floating in space would feel like, weightless and zero pressure. After a while, a mysterious force appeared, seemingly pulling him in a specific direction. However, as he was pulled farther he found thinking harder and his consciousness began to slip…

__________

Regaining consciousness, Ray wasn’t quite sure what was happening. He was unable to control his body, such as opening his eyes, but he could feel another pressure on him. However, this one felt physical like a group of muscles surrounding and pushing him. After multiple hours, the pressure suddenly disappeared as Ray felt the warm hands on somebody holding him.

Opening his eyes, Ray found that he had to squint as his eyes were too sensitive to light. ‘Sigh, I thought that was a nightmare but it looks like that Lang fellow was telling the truth as I definitely didn’t used to be able to fit in someone's arms like this…’ Thought Ray as he noticed the arms holding him.

After his eyes got used to the light, he looked in front of him to see where he was. Looking around, he saw a handsome man in his fifties and a stunning woman in her thirties. The man has short red hair, a chiseled face, a heavyset muscular body, and tanned skin. On the other hand, the woman has light purple hair, a body type Earthlings would describe as ‘ideally thicc’, and a pale-white skin tone. In addition to those two, Ray notices what looks like a couple of maids, one of which is the person holding him, and that the room seems to be the home of a wealthy family in middle-ages.

Ray was truly at a loss about what to do… He could hear those in the room talking but is unable to understand them and, for an unknown reason, the two he assumes are his body's parents look concerned. So, Ray began thinking back to the only experience with babies he has, watching hospital reality tv shows. The only thing he could think of is that babies cry when they are born but he didn’t, so he started crying only to realize the two seemed ever more concerned than before. ‘I can’t deal with this shit, this is so demeaning.’ Thought Ray as he stopped crying and just decided to comfortably lay in the assumed maid’s arms.

After a few hours, 2,020 year old Ray was so feeling so embarrassed he wished he could die, unfortunately his soul is indestructible and his body will be eventually. First, the maid brought him into a room with a crib as his parents followed behind with some younger people he assumed to be his siblings. Next the older siblings just kind of nodded and walked out while the younger ones rubbed his head and spoke in a demeaning baby noise. However, the worst part is when the assumed maid started breastfeeding him… As a previously fully grown adult he was unwilling to drink milk from this woman’s breast, it’s just unfortunate that his strength as a baby wasn’t enough to fight back. Finally came the exhaustion. It seems his baby body is unable to be awake for very long.