Chapter 119 - 119 - My World

"...Why do I feel like the places I transmigrate to are getting weirder and weirder?" Xin Yu surveyed the pitch-black surroundings, somewhat unsure of where he had ended up this time. Moreover, the environment was saturated with a copious amount of a special energy, a completely new energy different from Honkai energy and the Imaginary energy representative of the Paths. Xin Yu absorbed a portion of this energy. After discovering it could integrate well with his own spiritual power, he cast aside any inhibitions. He closed his eyes, brought his hands together in a prayer-like gesture, and it seemed as if three prismatic wings materialized behind him. Two pairs of illusory arms extended from his back—one pair as tender as an infant's, the other as withered as an old man's. A dim, gray halo appeared above Xin Yu's head, with a purple spherical object at its center, coldly observing the surroundings like an eye. Xin Yu opened his eyes, his pupils a mixture of red and white. The clothes he wore transformed into a long robe adorned with depictions of the sun, moon, stars, and all phenomena of heaven and earth. Unconsciously, he had also become a giant a hundred meters tall. This was the Heaven and Earth Dharma Form that Xin Yu comprehended after reaching the Nascent Soul realm, the appearance he took after manifesting his true self. Illusory, resplendent, and distorted curtains of light spread out in all directions, causing the surrounding pitch-black environment to vanish as if a curtain had been drawn back. Light began to fill this world. First came light, illuminating this world of darkness and void. Then, soil appeared beneath Xin Yu's feet. Next, water vapor permeated the air, and a river materialized from the void, coiling and meandering upon the soil like a living creature. Subsequently, a blue sky appeared above Xin Yu's head. The sun, riding a chariot made of white clouds, emerged from the darkness. It ascended to the heavens, radiating light and heat upon the land below. A gentle breeze arose from nowhere, seeming to carry life with it. Tender sprouts broke through the earth, and in but a moment, these sprouts grew rapidly—some becoming trees, some grass, some flowers. Xin Yu lowered his gaze, a gentle smile on his face. He bent down and scooped up a handful of earth and water. He mixed the earth and water, then scattered the mixture across the land. When it landed, it gained life. Two birds spread their wings and soared high. A rabbit lifted its head from a sea of flowers and then scampered off into the distance. A mischievous fish leaped out of the water, briefly glimpsing the world beyond the river before falling back in. A herd of Sika deer, traveling together, slowly crossed the grassland and disappeared into the forest. A green snake suddenly darted out from the grass and bit a scurrying mouse. In no time, the green snake swallowed the mouse into its belly. Satiated, the green snake lazily basked in the sun. A tremendous roar echoed, causing the sunbathing green snake to immediately flee. Then, a fierce tiger leaped out from the forest and pounced on a sheep drinking by the riverside, proceeding to enjoy its prey. The extraordinary phenomena around Xin Yu vanished, and he returned to his normal human size. He leaned against a large tree, looking at the blooming flowers nearby. "Lei'anmi, the sea of flowers. I've planted it for you." Xin Yu gazed at this expanse of flowers, but alas, the deceased child could not witness this scene with their own eyes. And he himself currently had no way to go to the Priest's world, no way to rewrite the Priest's tragedy. "Moo!" The sound of a cow mooing rang out. Xin Yu saw a water buffalo, chased by a lion, run to his side. It sat down directly beside him, as if it had no energy left to run. The lion, however, slowed its pace and slowly approached Xin Yu's other side. After sitting down, it rubbed its furry head against Xin Yu's body, as if it had sensed Xin Yu's melancholy and was intentionally comforting him. Birds landed on Xin Yu's shoulders, a rabbit hopped into his lap, the green snake coiled around his arm... The animals didn't know why their creator was sad, but they could sense it. So, they came to Xin Yu's side. They lacked human intelligence and didn't know how to make someone happy, so they comforted Xin Yu in the most simple and unadorned way. Companionship. Xin Yu smiled and patted the lion beside him. He began to hum a soft tune, not a song from memory, but music hummed instinctively, following the inclinations of his heart. No melody, no rhythm, no lyrics—just the most unadorned, gentle humming. Yet, it was this music, which least resembled music, that captivated all the animals. They all listened intently to this music. Though they were animals with no understanding of music, they could discern Xin Yu's contentment and relaxation from it. A bird chirped softly, harmonizing with the music. Subsequently, all the animals began to join in with different sounds and tones, accompanying the music. Strangely, the calls of these animals, which should have been incredibly noisy, blended perfectly into the music, giving this simple tune a rhythm, giving it lyrics. This chorus of animal calls rapidly spread outwards, across the sea of flowers, across the grasslands, across the jungles and rivers, propagating towards the outermost void. In that darkness, in this void devoid of the concept of time and space, a young girl who had been slumbering heard the animal ensemble drifting from afar. Her eyelids trembled slightly, and then she opened her eyes. She had blackish-blue, shoulder-length short hair, and her sea-like pupils revealed the茫然 (mángrán - bewilderment) of someone just awakened. The young girl heard the song, and her initially bewildered eyes quickly cleared. She said with pleasant surprise, "It's a song!" "Strange, how could there be a song in this godforsaken place? Be careful, Seele, it might be some monster luring you into a trap." "But, Other Me, we've been here for too long. Seele... Seele doesn't want to miss any chance of leaving." "What, didn't you say your Bronya-oneechan would come to save you? Why aren't you planning to wait anymore?" "...Bronya-oneechan must be trying to find a way to save me. She's still working hard." "Alright, alright, I really can't do anything about you. Go on. If there's any danger, I'll get you out of there immediately." "Thank you! Other Me." The young girl named Seele began to head in the direction the sound was coming from—or rather, in this place without up, down, left, or right, a more accurate description would be to "swim" towards it. After Seele swam for some distance in the direction of the sound, she noticed a faint glow in the distance. Overjoyed, she used all her strength to rush towards it. Finally, she passed through a barrier emitting a weak fluorescence and entered the place from which the song originated. The moment Seele entered, she felt a long-lost sense of gravity. She landed on the ground, looking at the grass beneath her feet, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She raised her head and looked around, seeing towering trees, a gently flowing stream, and the sun and white clouds hanging high in the sky. "Other Me! We're out!" Seele cried, her words filled with unconcealable joy. "No, we're not." These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Seele's head, causing the girl's initially happy expression to gradually turn sorrowful. But the song in her ears didn't let the girl's sorrow last too long. Curious, she followed the sound and walked forward. After crossing the grassland and emerging from a patch of forest, Seele saw a sea of flowers. Countless vividly colored, blooming flowers formed a sea of blossoms. And in the center of this floral sea stood a tall tree. Beneath that thick, tall tree, a young man was surrounded by animals. The young man hummed softly, and the animals gently accompanied him with their calls, forming the song Seele had heard earlier. This sound, which should have been a cacophony, had truly become a song, and a beautiful one at that. Seele stared blankly at this scene, as if witnessing a fairy tale manifest into reality. Xin Yu stopped singing. All the animals dispersed, returning to their original rhythms of life. He smiled at the uninvited little guest and said, "Hello, guest. Welcome to... My World."