Divine Ascension

Any beings that had developed self-consciousness had always wondered and pondered about what would come next, with humanity being no exception to that statement. So when these beings first experienced "death", the thought that formed in many people's heads was one and one only...

What next? What came after death? Was it the extermination of the soul? Reincarnation? Or was there a completely different world altogether? Well, people nowadays say that men create their own gods, and the best explanation is that, just like that, those thoughts turned into a place where rivers of souls and consciousnesses flowed incessantly. Countless souls of countless creatures, some would disappear, some would enter a new world while some would drink the old lady Meng's tea and forget everything about their past lives, allowing themselves another chance in the same world.

There was no ceiling and yet no sky could be seen. The ground was completely black; nothing would ever be able to grow in the black dirt, as it had been in the presence of Death for far too long to bear Life. Long rivers flowed. What flowed was not water however. After all Water, was also, in a way, the source of life, no water would be able to flow in a world of death. Countless bright ethereal bodies were what took the place of the water and formed those long rivers on the black dirt: souls. Countless souls passed every single moment on those yellow rivers of death...

It was such a place. Hell was. Indeed; those rivers... Were the infamous Yellow Springs, the rivers of the underworld!

In that hellish place though, 'He' was different. 'He' simply stood there, alone, in the dark, looking upwards towards where the sky should have been. 'He' was special. Souls had no bodies, thus of course they also shouldn't have eyes to see. And yet, 'He' could see, meaning that his existence was not that of a soul... 'He' was something else! At the same time though, 'He' also had no memories... No memories of himself or of any others. 'He''d just lay on his back and looked upwards, as the time flowed on, and on, and on.

When 'He' had first arrived in that place, a presence had appeared in his head, instantly wiping away everything else: this presence had then told him that 'He' simply... was not. 'He' did not and had never existed, nor would he ever, even in a far future. Although something should have made him suspicious then, as 'He' was clearly not 'Nothing', the same presence that had wiped away his memories had also took away his Logic and Intuition, leaving nothing left behind except for the one fact: 'He' was nothing. 'He'... was not.

And it remained that way for a long, long time... All was black and the darkness clouding in his mind showed no sign of going away. 'He' noticed the passage of time, but 'He' didn't give it a thought. 'He' couldn't. And indeed, all was the same for a full thousand years...

Until, Light finally reached 'His' eyes.

In the black dirt of this world of death, a crack appeared. From the crack, a pellet came out: completely golden in color, it couldn't be described as anything else but a Spark of Light for it was just so bright! It had appeared suddenly, a dazzling Light in the Dark... And it was such Light that would then proceed to dispel all the Shadows! With a flash, hazy memories that, according to the presence's claims, 'shouldn't have existed', memories that that same presence had wiped away and erased... those memories all suddenly reappeared as clear as the day!

After a full thousand years, 'He' finally remembered! 'He' knew where 'He' was!

'He' was in the world that came after Life, a World of Death, so to speak. 'He' was at the entrance of the Yellow Springs, cursed to never reincarnate nor pass on, cursed to watch the starless sky until the end of time... 'He' should have died back then, but such death had been sealed. Instead of death, 'He' had experienced the absence of life while still being very much alive.

He was alive, yes, but it was a life that was much more of a curse rather than a blessing.

But now! Through that spark of light, everything had changed!

Since his death was sealed meaning 'He' was very much alive, 'He' could had theoretically gone back in the world of the living, his world, any time 'He' wanted... Unfortunately, that darkness in his head had not allowed that, as it had taken away his consciousness, the knowledge that 'He' had once been, let alone that 'He' was. Then, that one Light had flashed and those shadows clouding his mind had been dispelled!

After a full thousand years, 'He' finally remembered! 'He' knew who 'He' was!

'He' was the one whom, one thousand years ago, had challenged the Heavens! 'He' was the one whom had brought chaos to the Nine Heavens of Tian!

Once again, golden flashes reached his figure as more and more shadows could only struggle for a while before they also finally disappeared!

A thousand years wasted, a thousand years stolen away...

A thousand years 'He' would pay back!

Because, right then, after all that time, 'He' finally remembered! 'He' knew what 'He' had to do!

'He' smiled with a mouth that his mind insisted wasn't there... Or was it?

'He' laughed even though 'He' should have long known that his vocal chords shouldn't exist... Because they didn't exist... rightjQuery21408685291972386021_1521025646230

'He' stood up on his legs when 'He' shouldn't have had any, and took the speck of golden light in his hands... And yet, back then, hadn't the presence insisted such hands had not existed Regardless, 'He' could hold that small spark.

Regardless of all, his 'nonexistent' mouth and throat had even just swallowed that same spark!

'He' didn't exist? 'He' clearly did! As for why, the Logic 'He' had just reacquired answered that for him!