Chapter 373

Chapter 373

Ping Ping was the first to fall.

Alone and exposed, the big girl lets loose with a heartrending squeak as shes dragged into the depths. The sound cuts off abruptly and her massive form disappears into nothingness, leaving behind a surface so calm and still its as if she never existed at all. Roaring in fury, Guan Suo dives in after her without a second thought, plunging into the unknown to Follow current novels at novelhall.com)

Do nothing, it would seem.

There is no clash of fists or exchange of blows, no shadowy figures darting back and forth or staggering explosions of power. There is only stillness and tranquility as I peer into the waters and see nothing but my reflection peering back. Wearing a mirrored look of fear and incredulity, my reflection is so lifelike it makes me wonder if Im still inside my Natal Palace. Did I not only craft another Baledagh, but a second world for him to live in? Have I finally lost my grip on reality, and now my two worlds are colliding? Which parts of my life are real and which are imagined? How can I tell the difference? Have I been living in an illusion all this while, and now the dream is finally unravelling? What will I find when I fall through the looking glass? Will I be lying in bed back home, safe beneath my warm covers with my dog sleeping beside me, or will I wake just in time to catch a boot to the ribs, ready to go back to work in the mines after a single nights delusional reprieve?

I suppose Ill find out soon enough.

Rising on all sides, the waters of the Azure Sea block out the sun as they close around us like the jaws of a ravenous beast, devouring the Runic Barge and all its inhabitants with a single bite. Thrown from the ships surface, I take a deep breath before my world is engulfed in cold and darkness, unable to tell up from down or left from right as I tumble about the watery void. Clutching the mouth of my hip pouch, I pray the treated leather keeps the water out and holds enough air to keep poor Blackjack from drowning, and a part of me wonders if I should free the tiny black hare and hope he or she makes it out of this alive. Im sorry for getting you into this mess little buddy, and same goes to Mama Bun. If I had stayed in my yurt and slept in with all my floofs, then we wouldnt be in this mess.

Choking back my helpless despair, I hold Unity at the ready as I face the void, unsure if Im still tumbling about or have come to a standstill. The pitch black darkness does more than obscure my sight, hindering my other senses along with it. Complete nothingness is the only way to describe it, this unnatural murkiness suppressing the feeling in my fingers and even the sound of my beating heart, leaving me only with the sensation of cold isolation in this weightless imprisonment.

Its so... Peaceful. There is no fear or anxiety, only tired acceptance as I welcome Deaths embrace. No longer will I need to struggle and suffer in this hellish existence, for my time has come. Finally, I can lay my weary head to rest and let go of everything weighing me down, to shuffle off this mortal coil before I fuck up and ruin what little good I still have left in this life. Its not a bad time to go, truth be told, so soon after securing my place as Number One Talent in the Empire. This way, my family can remember me fondly as the little foundling they rescued, instead of as an imposter who deceived them with his stolen body and memories.

Its only a matter of time before they discover the truth.

Knowing this, its as if a burden has been lifted off my shoulders, because in these last few moments of life, I no longer have to hide who I truly am. How many times have I frozen in fear because I thought I accidentally revealed my deepest, darkest secret? How many nightmares have I awoken from where I was discovered for the fraud I really am? How many days have I spent in self-loathing because I know Im living a lie and dont deserve anything I have?

Too many to count, and for good reason.

My loving family? They took me in and cared for me, but would they have done the same, been as patient and loving, open and accepting, if I didnt have the body of a child? I doubt it, and I wouldnt blame them for it either. Pragmatism is vital to survival in this world, and a broken and battered adult is far less likely to recover and much more susceptible to Spectres than a child. Case in point, me. After all this time and all the love and care Ive received, I still cant let go of the past and adapt to my new surroundings, a stubborn, set in my ways outsider who never gets anything right.

Number One Talent in the Empire? An utter joke. Im a grown-ass man competing with children, so of course Im gonna excel. Sure, the argument could be made I started training later than most of my so-called peers, but it's silly to take pride in learning faster than developing children. Take an average twelve-year-old and fully developed adult, then have them study a topic brand new to both, and its a given the adult will master it sooner. If you take pride in being smarter than sixth grader, then maybe you should set higher personal goals for yourself.

How would Lin and Mila feel if they learned they were betrothed to someone more than twice their age? Disgust and revulsion is my best guess, because thats what I feel when Im honest with myself. Ive known them both since they were little girls, but now Im eagerly counting the days before I marry them. Without a doubt, I am a rotten, lowdown scumbag, a detestable pervert preying on young impressionable women. Forced into marriage by Akanai? What a joke. I was thrilled beyond belief when she brought it up, and if not for Bekhai tradition keeping me at bay, I would have brought Mila to bed without question and used her to fulfill all my base desires, without ever considering if I truly love her and want to marry her. With Lin, its even worse because when I look at her, I see both the adorable, pig-tailed little girl she used to be and the beautiful, enchanting young woman shes grown into, giving rise to conflict between basic decency and primal urges.

And with every passing day, basic decency loses a little more ground.

In time, my secret will get out and ruin everything, so maybe its better I die now before things go too far. My family will grieve, but theyre strong and will make it through this, even sweet Tali and Tate. Mila and Lin are both young and... mostly untouched, theyll have no trouble falling in love with someone else, someone far more deserving. This is the best ending I could expect. For a long time now, Ive known this life was not for me. I knew it when Vivek Daateis Demon showed me thousands of lives, thousands of possibilities which didnt even remotely feel right. I knew it back in Sanshu, while pretending Baledaghs dreams were not my own, dreams of being a normal child without all my mental baggage and hang ups. I dont belong in this body or this world, and regardless of what cosmic twist of fate brought me here, it was undoubtedly an accident of epic proportions. In a way, my death will be a correction of sorts, a balancing of scales in the universe, removing what never should have happened in the first place. I only hope Taduk, Mama Bun, Ping Ping, and the others make it out okay, but it looks like poor little Blackjack is destined to share my fate.

Tired and confused, I set about rescuing the comatose Experts one by one, a task made far more difficult without Chi to Reinforce my body. Saving the Tyrant and Guard Leader is simple enough, as even though theyre both Martial Warriors, theyre still women with somewhat delicate frames. Carefully keeping my hands from straying to inappropriate places, Im tempted to take a peek under Guard Leaders veil, but after a moments thought I respect her right to privacy and leave it covering her face. I do, however, take a moment to ogle their tantalizing bodies, prominently displayed since their clothes are soaking wet and plastered to their supple bodies. The way I see it, even though I got them into this mess, I also saved them from it, so I deserve to look from afar for a second or two.

...I knew it. The Tyrant totally has nipple piercings, which is super hot until you consider theyre Runic Nipple Rings which probably fire lasers or something. Still, Id put em in my mouth. Assuming she consents, of course. I may be perverted, but Im no molester or rapist.

Storing the mental image for later use, I move on to the unpleasant task of saving the men. Lei Gong and Guan Suo will undoubtedly wake with a few bumps and bruises, but in my defence, one is a rotund, burly bastard who reeks of wine, while the other is a deceptively heavy half-red panda, so heavy I cant actually lift him. After multiple attempts each ending in failure, I make do with draping Guan Suo over Ping Pings shoulder, hoping the big girl doesnt come to with a start and the grumpy old man doesnt freeze to death. Though lightheaded and feeling the onset of hypothermia, I head back into the water one last time to grab my cooking pot. Dragging it back onto Ping Pings shell, I peer in and find Sir Inky curled up in a ball, unharmed and untouched throughout this endeavour. Sighing with relief, I poke the octopus to make sure hes still alive, and Sir Inky responds by slapping my hands away, his eyes still screwed shut in fear.

Well, I dont blame the poor guy.

Ready to collapse where I stand, I take one last look around to make sure nothing is awry, though Im pretty sure theres nothing I could do about it if there was. Finding nothing amiss in the waters, its Mama Buns thumping paws which draw my attention. Unusually spirited considering she just almost drowned, the tangled mess of soggy fur darts back and forth along Ping Pings shell, leaving poor Blackjack to shiver alone in the cold. Wondering if its her way of dealing with near-death experiences, I tuck Blackjack into my shirt to share warmth as I head over to calm the poor Mama Bun down.

Silly rabbit, I call, crouching down with arms open. Come here. Its okay, youre safe now.

My words go unnoticed as the crazed rabbit lunges forward with a crazed look in her eyes, sliding to a stop before turning around to try again. Following her line of sight, I notice a tiny, oval stone sitting on Ping Pings shell, no larger than a pocket watch and covered in green, grassy moss. As luck would have it, weve somehow found a second stone covered in Spiritual Algae, and driven wild by the tempting treat, Mama Bun is so excited she cant even walk up and eat it, failing to approach her stationary target time and time again.

No wait. Shes not missing, theres something keeping her away, a gentle force leading her away. Is the stone Deflecting her? Or is that the work of the Algae? Holy shit, is this all the work of an intelligent plant? My god, the implications of -

A head pops out of the stone and the world makes sense once more. Not a stone, but a shell, with a tiny, adorable turtle hidden inside. Not a jagged, armoured dinosaur like Ping Ping, but a round-shelled, smooth-skinned regular turtle with the most adorable little eyes, yellow lines running down its neck, and so much moss on its head it almost looks like it has hair. Craning its neck, the tiny turtle blinks once and its Aura surges out, enveloping me in a familiar sensation of warmth, safety, love, and acceptance, tinged with a hint of hope and shrouded in plenty of hesitance.

Home? it asks, using its Aura to communicate. Is it safe here?

Catching Mama Bun on her next pass, I hold her close and lie down with my cheek next to the turtle, too drained and tired to use my Aura to respond. Instead, I pray my actions are enough and slowly place my hand over the tiny, but powerful creature. Gently stroking it between its eye ridges, I scrape the moss away and whisper, I dont know what youre running from, and I cant promise to keep you safe, but Ill do what I can, okay?

Im not sure if it understands my words, but the turtle presses its head against my finger and closes its eyes, a sure sign of trust as Ive ever seen. Withdrawing its Aura, the turtle ambles into the palm of my hand and retreats into its shell once more. Since it doesnt seem to mind losing the Spiritual Algae, I feed what little Ive scraped off to Mama Bun while stroking the turtles shell with my thumb to collect more, marvelling once more at the trust and affection of animals. I offered safety, and this little turtle came looking, simple as that. Sure, we had a little disagreement when he thought I was lying, but we settled it easily enough, and thats that.

Oh, I hope hes a boy, then he can fall in love and have babies with Ping Ping. True, theyre not the same size or even the same species of turtle, but true love overcomes all.

Welcome to the family Pong Pong. Sorry about your silly name, but its too adorable to pass up on.

Chapter Meme

- End of Volume 20 -