Deviant: No Longer Human

Chapter 353: Graveyard of Gods (4)

Following Yin Yue's urgent words, Wang Xiao's expression grew dim.

Not from what she had said, but because he felt utterly drained, as if not a shred of strength remained within his worn frame.

"Why... don't you have much time? And how did I end up here?" Wang Xiao mumbled, his thoughts drifting away from the dire state of his physical form, seeking answers to the deeper mysteries that had led them to this moment.

Yin Yue replied with a sense of urgency lacing her voice, [Ugh... just listen to me. The soul eater behind us, it's been constantly exerting pressure on our souls. It's almost done separating them. You understand? It will consume both our souls if you don't free yourself.

We hell Spirits are extremely vulnerable in our spirit form—I won't last a second, you... still... have ti—!]

"Huh? Yue!?" Wang Xiao's voice cracked with sudden panic as her voice abruptly cut off.

[...]

Silence followed. No voice returned, leaving Wang Xiao suspended in the void.

"Yue! Are you there?!" Wang Xiao called out into the nothingness, his voice echoing unanswered in the chilling expanse.

His heart pounded against the eerie stillness, a lone drum in the vast silence.

"..."

As the oppressive silence stretched on, Wang Xiao's expression, once clouded with despair, began to harden into a resolute mask.

Days melded into one another unnoticed as he continued his attempts to heal.

With each effort, he sensed his veins pulsing with a strange force, an uncontrollable power that defied his commands.

Just when he thought he had harnessed it, the Aether within would surge erratically, slipping from his grasp yet again.

In truth, he felt drained, as though he lacked the essential strength needed for the task at hand.

An even more perplexing thought struck him: How was he still alive without food or water after all these years?

The answer lay in the very Aether he sought to expel.

It was this substance that sustained him, paradoxically offering life while binding him to this torment.

Each attempt to rid himself of it resulted in his body reacting involuntarily to retain it, a never-ending internal tug-of-war.

As he gazed at the three setting suns, his eyes half-closed from exhaustion, a wry smile touched his lips.

"You better kill me now... Else... Hehe..." he murmured, a faint, weary chuckle escaping him.

The target of his words was an imaginary enemy he dubbed 'God.'

Wang Xiao made a silent vow to himself: if he survived, he would find this god and place a statue of it in this very graveyard.

He fantasized about stripping everything this celestial being ever owned, burning it, subjecting it to horrors unfathomable even to devils...

Yet, all he could truly do in that moment was vent.

He needed an outlet for his anger and frustration, a focal point for the rage that simmered within him.

Anger is a canceling emotion; it is life-preserving.

It mutes and overwrites all other feelings, offering a shield against despair.

However, as Wang Xiao's eyes finally closed, darkness enveloped him once more, drawing him back into the void where his monumental struggle continued silently, unseen and unheard.

Darkness enveloped everything...

It was a profound, impenetrable dark...

He couldn't see a thing...

As if he were cocooned in a sanctuary...

Far removed from the burdens of existence...

Time drifted by, unmeasured and indistinct...

He knew not how long had passed...

In fact, he understood nothing at all...

It was a state beyond description...

Like the quiet void that exists before birth...

It was as if he had never existed at all...

Until—

Splash!

Suddenly, the stillness shattered with jarring abruptness.

"Gasp!—haaa... Where is it!?"

Wang Xiao's eyes snapped open in an instant.

He looked around, finding himself completely drenched and stark naked, standing waist-deep in a lake shimmering with a mysterious dark blue liquid.

Positioned in the heart of an enormous lake, he surveyed his surroundings—the glowing forest encircled him, isolating him in what seemed like an otherworldly realm.

Above, the three suns blazed brilliantly, casting a surreal light over the scene.

Whooooosh!

At that precise moment, from the murky depths below, a colossal beast surged upward.

A serpent, its body massive and undulating, broke the surface.

It bore shimmering yellow eyes and scales of a deep, iridescent blue, which glinted menacingly in the light from the triple suns.

The creature towered over Wang Xiao, reaching an intimidating height of more than twenty feet.

Hiss!

Its massive jaws parted, releasing a thunderous hiss. Instead of the expected fangs, rows of sharp, beast-like teeth filled its gaping maw, poised to rend flesh from bone.

"Don't scream in front of me!" Wang Xiao yelled, his voice echoing over the waters.

His disorientation from awakening in this strange place had already touched his nerves, and the appearance of this surreal entity pushed his temper to its limit.

"!!"

The blue serpent barely had a moment to register its opponent's when when driven by an unseen force, it's body floated upwards—and then—

Hiiisssaaah!

The serpent let out a scream of terror, a sound that was half-hiss, half-shriek, as its body was violently rent in two.

Splash!

Green blood erupted into the air, showering the lake and tainting the water with its alien hue.

Wang Xiao grimaced, his expression twisting with disgust.

Thud! Thud!

With a mental shove, he flung the torn halves of the serpent towards the forest, his actions swift and decisive.

As the heavy thuds of the serpent's body parts hitting the forest floor resonated through the air, Wang Xiao steadied himself, planting his feet more firmly in the muddy lake bed.

"Was this your guardian? Some sort of test?" Wang Xiao muttered to himself, scanning the horizon for any more surprises. "If so, your guardian is no more."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions raging within him. "This place... what even is this realm? Am I still caught in a dream, or is this another layer of reality?" Wang Xiao pondered aloud, his gaze fixed on the luminous forest and the eerie tranquility that seemed to have settled once more.

As he stood there, the remnants of his anger slowly faded away, replaced by a wary curiosity about his strange surroundings and the potential dangers they harbored.

"Whatever this place is, it's not done with me yet," he concluded, squaring his shoulders as he prepared for whatever came next.

"Yue!? Are you there?" Wang Xiao called out, his voice tinged with desperation as he tried to reconnect with Yin Yue.

Memories of their recent conversation weighed heavily on him.

"Yue!?"

"Hey!"

After several fruitless attempts, he paused, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Slowly, he turned toward the water, his gaze falling on his own reflection mirrored in the dark blue liquid.

To his astonishment, he appeared young again, as youthful as he had been before this entering this damned place.