The Creatures that We Are

Zhuang Mei’s consciousness returned. She hadn’t died, but had instead returned to the form of a giant bird getting restricted by chains. She was on the verge of death, but managed to barely hold on.

“Haha, hahaha…”

The weak giant white bird burst out laughing, the voice derisive and judging. “That’s it for the famed Overlord?”

“A mere human dares to try to be God?”

After the four judgments, Zhuang Mei lost her mind to a hysteria. “All humans are alike, prideful, foolish, ignorant, disingenuous, greedy, lowly, not knowing their place…”

“I don’t understand, Sister. What’s so good about humans…”

The giant white bird trailed off, realizing that the realm of Overlord showed no signs of dissolving.

The gray chair disappeared from behind Dragon. He hovered, his braid loosening and his long black hair flying in the air, his trench coat fluttering.

He looked unusually pale, his heterochromic eyes glinting brilliantly in a sacred way.

He lifted his hands to his chest with his four fingers pressed together horizontally, keeping his hands parallel and ten millimeters apart, crossing them slowly.

Lips parted, he brought down the fifth judgment.

“Sun and moon.”

Instantly, absolute darkness consumed the world. Zhuang Mei was plunged into a bone-chilling loneliness and fear. Then soon after, two spots of brilliance appeared on her two sides.

The one on the right radiated golden light like it was burning, while the one on the left glowed a cold blue like frost was forming.

The two celestial bodies started spinning and increasing in size. Zhuang Mei felt both an incredible heat and an incredible chill before her body started to dissolve into countless strands of energy, getting absorbed into the celestial bodies in burning form and frozen form respectively.

Like greedy black holes, the two celestial bodies ate away Zhuang Mei.

They grew larger and larger, taking the rough form of a sun and a moon, while Zhuang Mei’s giant bird form shrunk down further and further.

“No…no…”

“No!!!”

Zhuang Mei lost all shred of dignity as she shrieked in struggle. The last trace she left in the world was one of despair, but even her despair was quickly erased. Ŕἁ𐌽ȫᛒĘȿ

A blazing red sun and a cold gray moon hung alone in the boundless darkness; gone was the giant white bird that had been between them.

Then the two celestial bodies approached each other while spinning quickly, radiating brilliant light and entangling like a spinning pattern of yin and yang.

Finally, they started merging and became smaller and smaller, until they became one dim spot.

All the while, Dragon’s hands had been pressing toward each other until they overlapped before his chest.

The dim spot of light quickly flew to the small space between his hands. Clap. Dragon pressed his hands together, and the spot disappeared like a crushed firefly.

The world returned to absolute nothingness and darkness.

Zhuang Mei, the life monster, was erased.

Her existence had returned to the void of the beginning of the world, flesh and blood, soul, and causality erased completely.

Three seconds later, the realm of Overlord dissolved into countless light gray particles, scattering in the wind.

Mount Kei was visible again.

Dragon slowly descended before the torii. His face was pale as blood streaked down a corner of his mouth. His beautiful eyes dimmed like they were muddled by dust. And his silky black hair had gone all white—temporarily, of course.

He slowly sat down, resting her hands on his thighs and lowering his head.

Whoosh!

Having recovered some of his energy, Gao Yang rushed back as soon as the realm dissolved, dashing and teleporting to Dragon’s side.

“Captain.” Gao Yang supported Dragon.

Dragon didn’t open his eyes. He parted his lips slightly, barely making a sound.

Gao Yang paused before putting his ear to Dragon’s lips, finally catching Dragon’s words.

He was at first shocked. Then two seconds later, his shock melted into acceptance.

“I promise you.”

Hearing Gao Yang’s answer, Dragon finally allowed himself to fall unconscious, his head tilting as he fell into Gao Yang’s arms.

Qing Ling injected Officer Huang and Heavenly Dog with special adrenaline shots, waking them up and restoring part of their ability to move. The three of them slowly came up to Gao Yang. Officer Huang was carrying an unconscious Su Xi in his arms.

Officer Huang burst into tears of relief, coming up to Gao Yang with such strong emotions that he seemed to be short-circuiting. He couldn’t even speak properly.

“Thank heavens my wife didn’t die. My child, my child is fine too… And you all are fine. We live. We all live. I’m not dreaming. Tell me, Gao Yang, tell me I’m not dreaming…”

Gao Yang smiled tiredly. “This isn’t a dream.”

“It’s thanks to Captain.” Heavenly Dog glanced at Dragon, who was in Gao Yang’s arms.

Gao Yang nodded. “Thanks to Captain.”

Even the ever stubborn Qing Ling gave Dragon an admiring look. It seemed that she still had a long way to go to become the strongest being in the world.

Looking at the now unconscious Dragon, Gao Yang felt a mix of feelings. Who would’ve thought that the most powerful awakener in the Mist World worked like a phone that had to charge for two hours to make a five-minute call?

Dragon would enter a long hibernation again, and Gao Yang, to pay Dragon back for saving his life, had made up his mind.

If what Dragon foresaw would happen did happen before Dragon woke up from his hibernation, Gao Yang would honor his promise with his life on the line.

Tonight, they fought to the last inch of their lives and weathered dangers and twists, surviving a deadly encounter.

It was far from Gao Yang’s first time.

Once again, he felt keenly what it meant to be lucky.

The joy of victory was short-lived, leaving all of them with a bone-deep exhaustion and a melancholy and sadness that refused to melt from their chest.

Gao Yang gave them five minutes to rest before they would depart.

Going up to the torii, Heavenly Dog sat down cross-legged and opened the music app on his phone, putting on his earphones.

Coincidentally, the song The Reason Why I Thought I’d Die was playing again.

Heavenly Dog listened to the song quietly, going through all the time he had shared with his mother—the happy time, the sad time, the moments of content, the moments of hurt, when she was tender, when she was angry, when he felt afraid, when he felt wronged, when he was left in the dark…

Five minutes later, the song ended.

He heard his companions calling out to him. “Let’s go, Heavenly Dog.”

Heavenly Dog took off his earphones and slowly got to his feet. Braving the night wind, he looked at Mount Tamaougi through the torii, then at the deep night sky behind the mountain, seeing a yearning and sorrow that were even more distant than the sky.

I still love you, Mom, but I’ll never miss you again.

Goodbye, Mom.

“Right.”

Heavenly Dog turned around with a hand in his pocket and a hand scratching his face, looking lazy like he usually did.

He quietly picked up his pace, catching up to his companions.

Houseau3's Thoughts

Hmmmmmm Zhuang Mei mentioning a sister bothers me.

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