[Seven Days Later — City of Stonia, Principality of Nerovia]
The storm was long gone.
But in a quiet home at the edge of a hilltop city, its echo still lingered—deep inside him.
[Interior – A Small, Candlelit Room]
He stirred.
Jin Wei's breathing was uneven. His fingers twitched, fists clenched by instinct.
To anyone else, he might've looked like a regular soldier—shirtless, wrapped in bandages, stuck in a rough sleep.
But behind those shut eyes, something far deeper raged.
[Vision — Fragmented Dream Realm]
A red moon.
Blood.
A crown tumbling through space like it had been ripped from history itself.
The Queen—crying… or was she laughing?
A dagger.
And a voice like thunder in his bones.
"There can only be one Absolute of Reality..."
[STABB!!!]
He felt it again. The betrayal. The pain.
The final breath that burned like fire and froze like regret.
And then… he died. Again.
[Room]
Gasp!
His eyes snapped open.
Sweat clung to his skin. His chest rose and fell like he'd just run for miles.
He sat up fast—too fast—and braced for a threat that wasn't there.
He blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Wooden walls. Low candlelight flickering across the floor. The soft scent of dried herbs in the air.
For a second, he just sat there, dazed.
Then he muttered under his breath, rough and low:
"...A dream…?"
He looked down at his hands.
No blood. No wounds.
Just hardened skin, wrapped tight in clean bandages.
No armor. No sword. Just a thick blanket and unfamiliar silence.
His eyes narrowed.
"Where… am I?"
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Cold wood touched his bare feet. A sharp jab of pain shot through his side—
"Tch…"
Yeah. His injuries were real.
He took in the room—simple furniture, uneven shelves, a few clay jars, a small window glowing with morning light. He could hear birds outside. Distant voices. Peace.
No war.
No Qi.
Just… life.
And then—
The door creaked.
His body tensed. He reached for a weapon that wasn't there.
But instead of enemies…
An old man stepped in, hunched a little, but not fragile. His gaze was clear, his steps steady.
And beside him, gripping a stuffed rabbit, was a small girl—maybe six. Big eyes. Bigger curiosity.
Old Man (smiling gently) : "Well now… didn't expect you to wake up."
Jin Wei didn't reply immediately.
He glanced between them—guarded, calculating.
Jin Wei: "Who are you? Where am I?"
Before the old man could answer, the girl gasped like she'd just seen fireworks go off.
She sprinted up to the bed with no hesitation.
Little : "Grampa! He's talking! He's not a dead anymore!"
She leaned in way too close—practically nose-to-nose with him.
Little Girl : "Hey, Mister Bloody Guy! You snore real loud, y'know that?"
Jin Wei (taken aback) : "…What?"
Old Man (chuckling) : "Riri, give the poor lad some space."
Riri (stepping back, still staring at him) : "He made weird faces in his sleep. Like this—"
She puffed her cheeks and crossed her eyes, mimicking some kind of demon-possessed fish.
Old Man (shaking his head):
"You're in the Stonia city, lad. Small place. We found you a week ago—burned up, bleeding, and wrapped in what I can only call… lightning."
Jin Wei (still trying to process): "…Lightning?"
Old Man: "Aye. Looked like the gods had a brawl and dropped you from the heavens as the losing bet."
Riri: "Grampa says you're lucky you didn't land on the cow. I think Daisy would've squished you flat like a pancake."
Jin Wei (finally exhaling, something like a laugh escaping): "…Thanks for saving me."
Old Man: "Didn't save you. Just stopped you from dying sooner. Whatever force kept you alive… wasn't my doing."
He walked over and placed a hand on Jin Wei's shoulder—solid, calm.
Old Man: "Still. Welcome back to the land of the living."
Riri (grinning, holding her rabbit by the ear): "Do you remember your name? Or should I call you Mr. Thunderpants?"
Jin Wei looked away for a moment. His thoughts were a tangled mess, but that question—it grounded him.
Jin Wei: "Sorry for late introductions, I am, Xhao Jin Wei."
Riri (gasping again, dramatically): "Wow… that sounds cooler than Thunderpants. But just a little."
The room had gone quiet for a while. Riri had lost interest in serious faces and retreated to a corner, making her rabbit "fight" a pillow knight.
Jin Wei just sat, head down, thoughts tangled.
Elias finally broke the silence.
Elias : "…Were you a cultivator, boy?"
The question hit like a soft knock—casual in tone, but heavy in meaning.
Jin Wei looked up, his face unreadable.
Jin Wei:
"…Yeah. I am."
Elias let out a slow breath. Not relief.
Disappointment.
Not in the man.
In the truth that had to follow.
He sat on the edge of the bed across from Jin Wei, his expression suddenly serious—no warmth, no smile.
Elias: "Then… I'm sorry."
Jin Wei raised an eyebrow.
Jin Wei: "What for?"
Elias hesitated. He looked Jin Wei in the eyes.
Elias: "Your condition when we found you… it wasn't just physical. Your Qi channels, your aura—it was all wrong."
"I've lived long enough to sense the damage even without a cultivation core of my own."
He looked away for a second.
Elias: "Boy, I don't know if you're ready to face this, but… I need you to try something for me. Just… try circulating your Qi and Mana. Just once."
Jin Wei didn't respond.
Didn't speak.
Didn't blink.
He closed his eyes.
And tried.
[Internal — Jin Wei's Spiritual Realm]
He reached inward.
Expected the familiar hum.
The river of light.
The thunder in his veins.
Instead…
Nothing.
His Qi didn't flow. It stuttered—like cracked pipes struggling to carry water.
He focused harder.
The lines that once lit up like constellations across his body—his Veins of Qi—they were broken.
Fractured beyond recognition. Scar tissue had replaced cultivation channels.
He pushed deeper, into the center of his being.
His Mana Heart, once a brilliant cluster of glowing stars…
Now?
Just silence.
Darkness.
Dust.
Only one star remained.
Faint. Flickering. Weak.
Like the last ember in a dying fire.
[Back in the room]
Jin Wei opened his eyes slowly.
His expression didn't change.
But his hand trembled—just once—before he tightened his fist and forced the shake to stop.
Jin Wei : "…I see."
Elias watched him carefully. Quietly.
Elias: "Some might call it a miracle that you're alive at all. But for a cultivator… I know that kind of loss feels worse than death."
Jin Wei didn't answer. He stared at the floor. Breathing steady, but shallow.
Riri piped up, oblivious to the tension.
Riri: "Does that mean you're a baby cultivator now?"
Jin Wei finally looked at her. Then gave a small, tired smile.
Jin Wei: "…Maybe."
He leaned back against the headboard.
His voice was calm. Too calm.
Jin Wei: "What did I expect… after getting hit by lightning like that?"
Jin Wei had gone quiet. Still staring at the floor, processing the broken state of his Qi and Mana.
He finally spoke—his voice low, more curious than cautious.
Jin Wei: "…Where did you say I was again?"
Elias glanced over from the chair, brow raised.
Elias: "Stonia City."
That name…
Jin Wei furrowed his brow.
Jin Wei (thinking):
Stonia?
That's not right.
There's no Stonia in Shangtong, Mora, or even within Bongenian borders.
He looked back at Elias, something sharp flickering in his gaze.
Jin Wei: "…And which kingdom is that in?"
Elias paused, just for a second. He noticed the tension, the shift in Jin Wei's tone. But he didn't ask questions.
Just answered.
Elias: "Principality of Nerovia."
Jin Wei froze.
Not physically—but something in his mind buckled. Like a string snapped and every memory attached to it unraveled all at once.
Jin Wei (thinking):
...Nerovia?
That name doesn't exist.
Not in any map I've seen. Not in any border skirmish. Not in a single intelligence report.
His breath caught in his throat for a second.
"How the hell did I end up here?"
He could feel his heartbeat picking up. His thoughts tumbling over each other.
Where's Shangtong?
Where's the battlefield?
What happened to the War?
Did we win? Did we fall?
What happened to Ryun? To Zian? To Akira?
His fists clenched.
He was supposed to lead them.
He was at the front.
Did I abandon them…? Or did something tear me out?
Elias noticed the shift in his demeanor—something colder, deeper behind those eyes now.
But he said nothing.
Inside, Jin Wei's thoughts ran like wildfire.
"Did the lightning send me across the world?"
"Or through time?"
"Did I die… and this is somewhere else entirely?"
He tried to slow his breathing. Tried to bring his mind back to the room. To here. To now.
But all he could feel was displacement.
A blade of reality turned sideways.
Riri peeked over the edge of the table, holding her rabbit like a guard.
Riri: "You look like you just saw a ghost…"
Jin Wei didn't respond.
Because in that moment—
he was starting to realize...
Maybe he was the ghost.
Jin Wei leaned forward slightly, his voice quieter now—curious, but pressing.
Jin Wei: "…Old man. Have you ever heard of the Shangtong Kingdom?"
A pause.
"Or maybe Mora? Or the Bongenian Empire?"
Elias rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he mulled it over.
Elias:
"Shangtong... Mora… Bongenian..."
He repeated the names under his breath, like trying them on for memory.
A moment passed.
Elias: "No... Not around here. Not on this continent, far as I know."
That answer hit like a cold gust.
But then—
Elias: "Though…"
He tilted his head, voice picking up a thread of something distant.
"I've heard of Shangtong. Once or twice. Travelers from the Mastoshian Empire mentioned it… said there's a second continent. Beyond the Apocalyptic Ocean."
Jin Wei's blood ran still.
Jin Wei (thinking):
A second continent?
Since when? Why wasn't this known to us?
He stared at Elias for a long second, but the old man seemed honest—just relaying what he'd heard from others.
Jin Wei:
"…The Apocalyptic Ocean?"
Elias gave a short nod.
Elias:
"Uncrossable waters, far west. Storms that never die. Some say the gods cursed that sea to keep the worlds apart."
He paused again, watching Jin Wei carefully now.
Elias:
"Why do you ask, boy?"
Jin Wei didn't answer right away. His mind was running through everything—every campaign, every war map, every piece of intel his commanders had ever gathered.
None of them mentioned a second continent.
Not once.
Which meant…
Either they lied.
Or someone made damn sure the world forgot.
His fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket.
Jin Wei (thinking):
So I'm on another continent entirely...
Far beyond the reach of the three kingdoms.
Far from the battlefield.
Far from my people.
...My brothers.
He looked out the window, eyes narrowing at the horizon.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
But nothing about this was normal anymore.
TO BE CONTINUED.-----