“Where is he?”
At this, there was a blink – a fleeting look of pretend confusion that quickly sharpened into vicious glee. “Where is who?”
How it happened was anyone’s guess.
Actually, no, Hongyan knew exactly how it had happened – more or less. The point was, he’d been extremely drunk and ended up making some highly questionable decisions – decisions such as heading down into the Abyssal Shaft and trying all the doors he could find. But even that got boring after a while, and so Hongyan had decided to up the ante, deciding that if he’d be stuck waiting forever, then he might as well try and figure out how this place worked.
And this was, more or less, how he’d initially ended up in some parallel dimension.
Incidentally, this was also the starting point of a whole other adventure.
As it turned out, there was a whole bunch of different worlds out there – and Hongyan was pretty sure that there had to be many more than the ones he’d stumbled into. He hadn’t found Jixue either, so he kept on looking.
Among others, there was a world of sands and great heat. It reminded him of some of the deserts that could be found in the Demon Realm. Those deserts didn’t have the sort of things that could be found roaming here however – those strange metal lumps that moved over sand and rock. At first, Hongyan had nearly mistaken them for actual creatures, but upon closer inspection, he’d realised that they were in fact vehicles of some sort – and armed vehicles at that, and the beings manning them looked decidedly human. Hongyan didn’t linger long however, quickly moving on.
Next was a world that smelled strongly of blood and rot. There was plenty of death there; Hongyan could immediately tell that much, not just from what he could smell but also from what he could see and hear and otherwise perceive.
There appeared to be a number of people meandering about. However, they didn’t feel like people, not quite – in fact, they felt vaguely similar to some of the things created and controlled by certain demons and “demonic” cultivators back home; corpses or near corpses, corrupted and controlled. These ones seemed slightly different though. Still, Hongyan didn’t stick around to investigate further and instead retreated to a nearby rooftop.
The houses here were strange though – mostly just square buildings covered in what appeared to be glass and metal and some strange rock. Hongyan didn’t pay an awful lot of attention to the architecture though, because due to a sudden noise, he found his attention drawn elsewhere.
A human?
Indeed, there was one; a young woman from the looks of it. She was dressed in quite weird garb, and carrying quite a few things – some sort of weapons from the looks of it, although they were nothing that Hongyan had ever seen before. She also seemed quite harried, which made sense, because she appeared to be pursued by some of those... things.
A series of loud bangs followed, originating from one of the metal things in her hands. Apparently, they fired off some type of small projectiles at high speeds. And while the majority of these projectiles seemed to hit their marks, the young woman seemed to be running low on ammunition. She also appeared to be cursing, but that was largely Hongyan’s speculation – because although he could hear her, he could understand absolutely nothing of what she was actually saying. He could tell one thing though; she did seem to be in trouble. Her fate was really none of his business though, but⸺
Hongyan looked inwards, then gaged the distance in-between his own rooftop and hers. The distance wasn’t large, but definitely far beyond what any regular human could traverse. A cultivator would’ve likely been able to, but the woman clearly wasn’t one, even though she did seem to be a fighter of some sort. She would also be a very dead fighter soon unless someone interfered.
Looking around, it seemed as though there was no one in the immediate vicinity capable of such – no one, except for him. Still, Hongyan wasn’t a native in this world, and thus, he was unsure of whether or not he ought to get involved in this world’s affairs. And yet, seeing the woman getting closer to the ledge, he thought that it probably wouldn’t hurt.
Thus, a very surprised survivor of the zombie apocalypse found herself grabbed and dragged backwards. Then, following a moment of immense disorientation, she found herself stumbling and crashing to her knees onto a rooftop that was similar yet definitely a different one from where she’d just been. Looking up, she managed to confirm it as well.
“What the Hell⸺?” Tina muttered, then abruptly twisted around, her eyes scanning the rooftop. At first, she saw nothing, but then she immediately brought up her gun and took aim.
The stranger didn’t even turn around to look though, and for a good moment, all that Tina saw was a cascade of crimson red and an attire that would’ve looked far more at home in one of those period dramas.
‘Cosplayer’ was Tina’s first thought. Then she wondered what sort of person would be running around in cosplay at a time like this. She didn’t really have to wonder though, because the answer was perfectly obvious – a crazy person, that was who, and although such people did exist in the apocalypse, Tina had never seen this particular one before.
“Hey!”
The weirdo turned, confirming that despite the long hair, it was indeed a man and a fairly good-looking guy to boot. And Tina was annoyed to find blood rushing to her cheeks, because honestly, she was long past such things. Still, this guy looked quite clean and well-groomed and since that whole zombie apocalypse thing, most had grown decidedly less meticulous about their washing and grooming habits. Like, sure, Tina could understand that such options weren’t always readily available and that top priority was always to ensure that there was enough drinking water for everyone. But still⸺
“Uh...” She hesitated, wavering just one moment. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot. Who are you?”
No answer. Hadn’t he heard her?
“I’m Tina of the Ryder Raiders. This is our territory. Which group do you belong to?”
The other tilted his head slightly at that, watching her with evident curiosity. There was no sign of fear though. If anything, then Tina was the one who felt a chill run down her spine as those eerie amber-coloured eyes turned towards her. It wasn’t all about the colour though. It was also about the slit pupils, and although Tina dedicated a stray thought to fools wearing such contacts in this a day and age, something about them made her keep very still. There was of course also how she’d somehow ended up on this rooftop to begin with.
“Are you alone?” she asked, and again, the other’s eyes flickered briefly towards her before once again shifting and settling upon something in the distance.
This in turn made Tina lower her own gun, because the other didn’t seem intent on harming her and she had no ammunition left anyway. Instead, she pulled out her pocket telescope to take a look for herself.
At first, she saw nothing – nothing but empty wastelands. But then, she finally saw it; just a small speck in the distance. It soon grew in size however, gaining a few but vital identifying features that made Tina’s heart skip a beat. Because it was indeed Ryder and the others coming to get her – well, her and the others, but Tina was the only surviving party member, so...
Tina honestly wasn’t too sad about that though, because the people she’d accompanied on this supply run had turned out to be the worst sort of people – and they’d managed to exceed her already low expectations. And if they’d gotten their way, then⸺
Well, in the end, it didn’t matter – not much at any rate. Besides, although Ryder and the others seemed to be heading her way, there was still that horde to deal with – both the one down below and the stragglers in the surrounding area. And Tina’s seemingly miraculous escape aside, there was no real guarantee that she’d be getting out of this one alive. Still⸺
She looked towards the stranger, and for a brief moment, he glanced back in her direction. Then, he looked back down, regarding the zombies with an unreadable expression on his face, and Tina held her breath, gun still in hand but no longer aimed. Because she felt something then; this strange rush of anticipation.
And as it turned out, her own miraculous escape wouldn’t be the only miracle she’d be witnessing today – because right before her very eyes, the stranger held up his hand and manifested a small flame in his palm.
It clearly wasn’t a normal flame either – bright blue and quite hot – and as the stranger flung it down below, it continued to burn. Then, upon making contact with the first zombie, it rapidly grew and spread until there was a sea of blue flames dancing down below, which proved an absolutely mesmerising sight, even with the stench of burning flesh – some of it fresh, but most of it rotten. It was a hot flame, purifying everything in its path, and this stranger, this wasn’t a cosplayer. This was a god.
Tina might’ve considered herself something like an atheist before all of this, but she put her hands together and bowed her head in prayer, keeping it up for a good moment before finally daring to lift her gaze. And once she did, she finally noticed the other’s expression – that look of surprise. It was quickly gone though, replaced by one of understanding.
Then, the other slowly raised his hand – the very same hand that had just spawned a sea of blue flames – and fired off a... lazy salute?
Then, while Tina was still gaping, the god promptly turned around and left, leaving nothing behind save for Tina’s memory and the smouldering ashes down below.
And she swallowed. Because honestly, what was that?
“Honestly, what was that?” Hongyan muttered to himself, once again in the Abyssal Shaft. “That world was seriously creepy.”
All things considered, he’d probably gone a bit overboard with the flames, but⸺ he really hated those things, and seeing so many of them in one place had made him a bit sick, honestly.
Well, he would take a break from his exploration and see if there was anything new that required his attention, and if not, well, hopefully, the next world wouldn’t be suffering a similar infestation.
The next world he visited proved quite tame, and it was the same for the ones that followed. As such, Hongyan didn’t really do much but observe. Sure, he still interfered on occasion, but not much and not very often.
To his annoyance, he also found that the situation was the same everywhere – no Jixue in sight and no one around who could understand what he was saying, if Hongyan even bothered asking. He didn’t understand them after all, so why would any of them understand him?
Then again, the same could’ve been said for a fair number of individuals in his own world, whether or not they shared a language. Hongyan liked to think that he understood them far better than they understood him though, but that was probably just wishful thinking on his part.
Well, all in all, there was little use dwelling on it, was there?
“Honestly though,” Hongyan said, shaking his head. “How many worlds out there are dealing with this sort of infestation?”
He was speaking to no one, because there was no one around to hear him – no one alive, that is. And even if such an individual had existed, it wouldn’t have made much a difference, since they wouldn’t have understood him anyway.
This world was yet another one with a language Hongyan couldn’t understand – he’d both seen and heard enough of it to know as much. He had learned a new word though.
“Those things are probably called Zombies,” he muttered. “Or perhaps Zombies is more of a warning?”
Well, be it as it may, Hongyan was getting rather sick of seeing them everywhere.
“Honestly,” he muttered. “How many more worlds suffer such infestations?”
[Sixty-two. Give or take a few.]
Startled, he immediately looked up, caught completely by surprise.
[That said⸺] said the other, watching him with glacial eyes from above. [You’re quite persistent, aren’t you?]
Jixue, Hongyan thought, opening his mouth to speak and then quickly snapped it back shut. Because that was⸺ that wasn’t⸺
[Hoh,] said the other, who had Jixue’s features but only that. [As expected, this one was what you were after, huh?]
Saying this, the other put a hand to its chest and smiled – and although it was seemingly a sweet smile, it immediately made Hongyan’s hackles rise. Because⸺ “Where is he?”
At this, there was a blink – a fleeting look of pretend confusion that quickly sharpened into vicious glee. [Where is who?]
“Where is Jixue?!” Hongyan growled.
[Ah, him,] said the other, as if there was ever a need to make sure. [This one doesn’t have the clearance to reveal such details to the likes of you. However, for old times’ sake, this one will tell you this much: He accepted his fate with far more dignity than most.]
Hearing this, Hongyan immediately saw red.
After that, everything became a bit of a blur. Hongyan did remember some of it though; the chase. He didn’t remember how many worlds he traversed, chasing the thing as it continued to taunt him. Indeed, he couldn’t quite remember everything the other had said to him, but it had definitely taunted him – not just in words but in actions, especially towards the end, when Hongyan’s exhaustion had finally caught up with him.
Even so, he’d pushed onward – he’d pushed and pushed and pushed until he’d found himself crashing right into a river or a canal of some sort. And by that point, Hongyan was so exhausted that he nearly lacked the strength to break through the surface.
His clothes were weighing him down, waterlogged to the point that they might as well have been made out if something far heavier. Thankfully, Hongyan still had some strength remaining, and thankfully, the waterway wasn’t particularly broad even though it was relatively deep.
Furthermore, the edges surrounding it were low, allowing him to anchor himself to one, just enough to make sure that he wouldn’t slip back in and drown.
Then, finally, he opened his eyes, blinking away the droplets clinging stubbornly to his eyelashes. This wasn’t the only thing that had him blinking however, because as his bleary vision gradually began to clear, he finally saw it; the distinct trees with their pink blossoms falling like snow.
The sight proved foreign yet jarringly familiar all at once. For a brief moment, Hongyan even believed that he’d somehow managed to return to his own world – to the Great Cherry Blossom Forest.
The moment passed quickly however, because although similar, the trees were not the same – these were far younger, and their energy was vastly different. And that wasn’t the only thing that was vastly different.
There was noise, so much noise; some of it familiar to him at this point. As such, Hongyan knew they belonged to the metal contraptions that passed for carriages, powered by some internal humming and roaring mechanism, as well as others, manually driven, whirring and pinging from time to time. There were also other sounds, distinctly human in origin, and some of them quite close.
Hongyan wasn’t alarmed however. Much too exhausted, he instead closed his eyes and surrendered to the beckoning darkness.
Someone was shaking him, talking to him. Hongyan briefly thought that it might’ve been Xunyun, coming to interrupt a well-deserved nap, and was instantly awash with a flash of irritation. Because why couldn’t she – she and the rest of them – why couldn’t they just let him sleep? Hadn’t he already worked hard enough? And for what, honestly? For what?
Hongyan was tired. They should just let him sleep. They should just let him sleep forever. Such would be for the best, honestly. Hongyan ought to have done this a long time ago. But⸺
For a brief moment, he felt something; a mere flicker of that hateful presence at the very edge of his perception. And the realisation had his eyes snapping open and before he knew it, he was sitting up, staring at a bunch of strangers surrounding him. And the group of strangers stared at him in return, and some of them were talking to him as well – to him or of him. Hongyan found that he couldn’t quite hear them though – that he couldn’t hear anything over the blood rushing in his ears.
It took a good moment before his hearing finally returned, and when it did, it proved to be of little use. Some of the humans were speaking to him, seemingly questioning him. Hongyan didn’t really understand them though, and he felt a bit bad about it, because they seemed to try a number of different languages to no avail – or, rather, to almost none.
Afterwards, Hongyan couldn’t quite recall which word it was. However, it had sounded familiar enough for him to react to it, something that hadn’t passed by unnoticed. And although Hongyan had stood little chance of understanding the rest, he had recovered enough to get a rudimentary read of the emotions of those surrounding him.
As such, he didn’t put up much resistance when he was guided towards one of those metal contraptions – a big white thing with flashing red lights. He didn’t resist, because he could tell that they meant him no real harm. Rather, they seemed concerned, if a bit exasperated when Hongyan didn’t prove quite as open to being divested of his clothes. They seemed to be healers of some sort, or at the very least assistants of such, because they brought him to some large structure where men and women in white awaited them.
Hongyan honestly didn’t pay too much attention to any of them though, finding that they all blended together with their similar eye and hair colours. He also found little interest in their voices, which uttered largely soft and unintelligible words. But then⸺
“Ài...yǎn?”
Hongyan looked up.
Gradually, one of those previously blurry faces shifted into focus, and while the face and the short black hair and the dark eyes regarding him all proved equally unfamiliar, upon closer inspection, there was undeniably something familiar about the latter. The colour was all wrong of course, but⸺ there was something beyond it.
“Ji...xue?”
