The Spiritual World.
The scene gradually began to shatter from the distant horizon, breaking apart like glass.
The sky, the white clouds, the lakeside, the frozen pedestrians, the dragonflies, and the willows swaying in the wind all cracked with a silent click. Shattered fragments fell into the dark, bottomless abyss below.
It was as if this spiritual world had been suspended in darkness, only to collapse now. The broken pieces descended into the abyss, flickering with faint light before disappearing completely.
Bardi and Raven drifted in the darkness.
There was a hint of unease on Raven's face, her eyes hidden beneath her hood, unwilling to meet Bardi's gaze. She had spent too much time in his past, experiencing his life as if it were her own. Now, standing before him again, she found herself uncertain, hesitant. Though they were the same person, the weight of time had subtly altered them.
For the moment, Raven couldn't adjust. And Bardi's gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering, making her feel even more at a loss.
Bardi's expression was calm as he glanced at Raven's slender figure, wrapped in her cloak. Only her delicate, pale chin was exposed.
Decades in the spiritual world, spent alongside Raven, had left an imprint on him. The silly, endearing things she had done... Now, faced with her again, he pondered how to handle their relationship.
Of course, what mattered more at this moment was how to make use of Raven.
There was no doubt that they had reached the deepest level of soul resonance. Bardi couldn't afford to let go of such a powerful ally. Once she recovered, she would be strong enough to contend with Jor-El or any other magical adversary.
Bardi contemplated for a moment. Perhaps he could establish a magical legion, with Raven as a general under his command. Her personality might not be suited for ruthless decision-making on the battlefield, but as a mage of profound knowledge, she was more than qualified to be an instructor, someone who could train future sorcerers for his cause.
Both her half-demon lineage and her extensive magical expertise held immense value.
Of course, even if she had no strategic worth, Bardi would not let her go so easily. After all, she had accompanied him through the spiritual world, guiding him out of his abyss of despair.
"Watch the memory with me once more."
Bardi turned away, his back carrying a sense of loneliness.
Raven was momentarily stunned.
Then, in the depths of the darkness, a meteor-like light emerged from the void. But what was descending upon them wasn't a mere meteor—it was an entire world. The past.
Before them, a church door suddenly swung open. Sunlight streamed in, illuminating the sacred space with a golden glow.
Bardi and Raven stepped into the church once more. This time, they were mere spectators.
They relived everything, the excruciating pain Bardi had endured, the love and sacrifices he had offered, only to be repaid with suffering. The happiness Raven had painstakingly cultivated over seventy years seemed to dissolve beneath the weight of his tragic past.
Behind Bardi, Raven could hear his slow, steady breathing. His tall figure radiated a quiet solitude.
Even after seventy years of shared memories, she still couldn't fully grasp his thoughts.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed.
Once again, Bardi's past reached its inevitable, tragic end. The world shattered and fell into the abyss of darkness.
Raven couldn't hold back anymore.
"Why do you keep reliving these painful memories? You already have happiness. You can live a peaceful life."
Her voice carried a tinge of bitterness.
Did those seventy years, the experiences they shared—mean less to him than the agony of that singular moment?
Even if, upon awakening, their memories of the spiritual world would blur and fade, the happiness they had built together should not disappear. The feelings in their hearts should not be erased.
Bardi turned to face her. He reached out and gently lifted her hood, revealing her pale face. Her dark purple lips carried an air of mystery, strangely enchanting. Her long eyelashes framed eyes that gleamed with clarity, black and white in sharp contrast.
She stared at him in confusion.
"Pain is what shaped me into who I am today," Bardi said calmly, meeting her gaze with an unwavering expression.
"Without pain, I wouldn't understand what I truly desire or what I need to do."
"If I used happiness as an excuse, I would achieve nothing. I'd indulge in comfort—playing games, reading pointless novels, wasting my days in idle pleasure. I would convince myself, and others, that as long as we're happy, nothing else matters." T/N: Oi careful there.
"But pain forces me to see my heart clearly. Even in the greatest joy, if I lack control over my own fate, if I cannot seize what I desire, then all that happiness is meaningless."
"Happiness brings comfort, but it also breeds complacency."
"To live solely in pursuit of happiness that is a lie, an illusion. It's temporary, fleeting."
"I etch pain into my soul, remembering my own helplessness."
"That is why I am who I am today."
"I am powerful now. This is the version of myself that I embrace."
Bardi suddenly smiled. It was a rare sight, like a flower blooming between the cracks of a stone. His posture was upright, his presence confident and commanding.
He radiated an undeniable charm that left Raven momentarily spellbound.
She had never seen him like this before.
In her memories, Bardi had been warm, like the sun. Yet he had also been cold, lonely, burdened with pain.
But now, he seemed whole. A man who carried pain, joy, hope, and light within him.
It felt as though she was seeing the deepest, truest part of him.
He bore his suffering, walked through his solitude, and emerged as the person he wanted to be.
And if possible—
Raven hoped—
That he would no longer be alone.
"Thank you, for pulling me from the abyss of despair and granting me happiness. I will never forget both the pain and the joy."
Bardi gently tilted her chin upward.
Raven's body stiffened. A blush crept onto her cheeks. She didn't resist; instead, she trembled slightly and closed her eyes.
Bardi leaned in, kissing her dark purple lips—mysterious, alluring, otherworldly.
In the spiritual world, the two once again became one.
The familiarity of their bond rekindled, melting away the small, awkward distance that had formed.
They didn't leave the spiritual world until they were both utterly satisfied.
—
"Huh?!"
Bardi's eyelids twitched as he slowly regained consciousness. Emerging from the darkness, his vision remained hazy.
A faint dimness surrounded him. Above, the sky seemed obscured by massive, python-like vines, twisting and coiling together.
As his vision sharpened, he realized—it wasn't the sky that was covered. Rather, he was encased within the entangled vines.
Bardi's brows furrowed. A wave of exhaustion swept over him. His limbs ached with a deep, uncomfortable soreness. His nerves struggled to reconnect with his body, as if he were suffering from severe sleep deprivation and a raging fever all at once. His muscles felt weak, his senses muddled, and even his heartbeat seemed frail, unsteady.
Yet beneath that frailty.
Deep within his body, he could feel something else. A force stirring at his very core not just within his physical form, but embedded in his very genes.
It was like a shadow, an echo of himself imprinted upon his genetic structure.
An unfamiliar sensation.
It felt as though he had... two bodies. Both of them his own.
And with that realization came a single, staggering thought.
He could transform.
(To be continued.)
***
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