The Undying Drama Chapter 44: Starfall
My sight was gone.
No matter how much my eyes moved around in their sockets, I was unable to make out anything.
The piercing wind whistled past my ears as the surrounding air raged around me.
It felt like my entire body was in a quagmire, slowly melting into the muddy depths with every move I made.
This…
I suddenly recalled the scene of that fateful day:
The looming waves that stood before me like a water mountain, piercing the skies and blocking my view.
Even as I extended my neck to its maximum, I was unable to make out the crest of the wave. As the giant wave engulfed me, I violently curled up.
...Right now, I felt the exact same way as I did that day. It was as if I was embroiled in a giant wave, unable to control my body.
Am I...going to die?
...
No.
I could still feel the earth on my naked feet.
In the midst of the screams of my confused senses, only this feeling of earth beneath my feet grounded me to reality.
---this isn"t the same as that nightmarish day. This is your new reality in a different world, Di Qi Ju.
Di Qi Ju: Roar------------!
A thunderous roar tore through the air as if a giant demon had just made its appearance.
This can"t be my voice...how could I make such a noise?
After several fervent attempts, my eyelids finally pried open. Within the spinning mess that was my vision, I managed to spot a dense white layer.
What"s that? Why can"t I see anything else? And...my body seems so heavy.
The earth beneath felt like a quagmire, slowly devouring my body as I sank into it.
There shouldn"t be anything heavy on my body...why I do feel so weighted down. Not used to this...tired...must lay down and rest…
I slowly bent down and tried to find the ground with my arms.
Di Qi Ju:...---!!
Suddenly, the white mist disappeared and a vast scenery entered my sight. A rolling carpet of greenery covered the land, the trees poked up like the furs on a rug. Within it, I saw the rocks, the rivers and the landscape, their minute changes all visible to me from this height.
This scenery...it reminded of a view I witnessed on an airliner, descending from its lofty perch in the sky.
----So high!
Wait, my feet are still planted firmly on the ground so why am I so high up? Was that white layer a layer of clouds?
I lowered my head and glanced at my arm.
Di Qi Ju: ...
Sandwiched between two rivers of red and blue was an unpleasant dull purple ma.s.s that looked like a layer of bruises. It covered the entirety of my body but for some reason, I didn"t feel any pain or warmth.
Judging by my bone structure, it"s definitely not a human"s. It was probably more suited to be called a beast"s limb.
My hand…
As my gaze travelled down my arm, a white hand suddenly shot into sight and grabbed me. It was roughly half as thick as my waist and felt like a rough piece of cloth as it brushed over me.
That white rock, with its undulating patches of green and mud-brown, don"t tell me…
---Starfall??
This was the same Starfall that was able to blot out the sun with a finger? How did it get so small?
No...that"s not right, I"ve just gotten bigger! Exactly what have I...become? Is this the real me?? That monstrous white hand that could"ve only been described as a work of G.o.d is now merely the size of a handkerchief? I"ve only released 50% of my disguise ability!!
...wait.
That giant hand isn"t the entirety of Starfall.
The extremity of that hand seems to extend even further back like a scorpion"s claw; continuing onwards until it finally reached a towering mountain range.
That"s not a mountain range...it almost looked like a piece of sushi from the way it covered the slight rising and falling of the ground. Was this respiration?
By my estimates, it must"ve been around my current height. Was this giant organism its...true form?
A craggy exterior covered in greenery, shaped liked a scorpion without a tail but instead has a human-like palm as its claws?
One of its hands was currently latched onto my left forearm, while the other was still hidden underneath the ground. So this is the true form of Starfall!
I stood there, almost in a fetal position with both my hands on the ground, seemingly at a loss as to what to do.
Half of my mind was still reeling from the shock of my current appearance while the other was mesmerized by the truth behind Starfall.
Starfall: ……
Starfall: ...Di Qi Ju……
Di Qi Ju: ---??
A strand of energy flowed through its arms and right into my arm"s nervous system all the way up to my brian.
It wasn"t an attack, rather it was akin to a message transferred via electrical impulses. This was how it communicated with me.
Di Qi Ju: Rawr rawr---!!
I tried to reply but all that came out was a monster"s roaring. My ability to communicate...it"s no longer able to accommodate this body of mine!
Starfall: Di Qi Ju...
It sent forth another message.
Starfall: Are you...my long-awaited "homecoming"?
Di Qi Ju:???
Di Qi Ju: ...
After a period of silence, I tried replying to it with my thoughts.
Di Qi Ju: Who are you?
Starfall: Who am I…
Starfall: I was born with Westrealm from the heart of this world…
Di Qi Ju: ...?
If this "heart of the world" is that same as the "center of the world", is it referring to the...Divine Hall?
Starfall: Ever since Westrealm left...I"ve given up on returning…
Di Qi Ju: ......
Di Qi Ju: What do you mean?
Starfall: I was wandering around back then...slowly distancing myself…
Starfall: It wasn"t until the birth of creatures...that I began to understand his actions…
Starfall: He dispersed himself amongst them...co-existing in this manner with the land and the sky…
Di Qi Ju: So you"re saying Westrealm...is "Wish Points"?
As I listened to its slow, sonorous voice, it sounded like an old man, lightly gripping my hands as he recounted his life.
Starfall: Compared to Westrealm"s greatness...I was nothing but a tiny grain…
Starfall: Even after all that wandering...I wasn"t able to mature to even a fraction of his level…
Starfall: I miss Westrealm...I admire him…
Starfall: I began to collect him...hoping for a reunion...hoping for a homecoming…
Starfall: Returning with him to the heart of the world...
"Collect"...I guess he means robbing others of their wish points.
Di Qi Ju: You wish...to return to the Divine Hall?
Starfall: Yes...but it"s...too slow…
Starfall: I don"t know how many years...it will take before I return…
Starfall: So...I sent a message to Westrealm…
Starfall: "Please grant me a homecoming"...
Starfall: So...Di Qi Ju...are you the "homecoming" sent by Westrealm…
Di Qi Ju: ...
Di Qi Ju: You...how many wish points did you spend?
Starfall: Numbers...I"m not too sure…
Starfall: It should be the equivalent of 100,000 lifeforms…
Di Qi Ju: !!??
That---
---was the same amount of people who got caught up in that disaster.
That illogical disaster, that illogical chain of events; the lack of a rescue team, and that final illogical tsunami.
That tsunami that only struck ten days after that earthquake...it simply didn"t make sense…
...and my transmigration.
Back then, I had a sneaking feeling that I had already been thrown into a different world from the moment that earthquake began.
And that final tsunami was merely the welcoming party.
Welcoming...my arrival to this world.
Which means, Starfall---that might not be your true name---but…
You"re the one who initiated that chain of events, aren"t you??
Starfall: So...Di Qi Ju...are you the "homecoming" sent by Westrealm…
Starfall repeated itself once more.
Di Qi Ju: ...
Di Qi Ju: ......
Di Qi Ju: That"s right.
Di Qi Ju: However, it"s not the return journey you"re thinking of.
Starfall: ...
Di Qi Ju: The path to the Divine Hall is full of human kingdoms, if you were to pa.s.s through them, the consequences would be dire.
Starfall: Why...do you care about that…
I gritted my teeth and spat out a simple reply.
Di Qi Ju: Because---I"m a human.
Di Qi Ju: I"m a human made out of flesh and blood, a human that used to have a family.
Starfall: You...a human?
Starfall"s sonorous voice was tinged with a hint of confusion for the first time.
Di Qi Ju: Being a human isn"t about our appearance or fleshly bodies, rather it is about a higher will that governs our bodies.
Di Qi Ju: An ordinary human, as long as he has aspirations or desires, possesses this kind of will.
Di Qi Ju: While I respect your determination to wander alone, I won"t allow your return as it will spell a horrific disaster for the humans in your path.
Di Qi Ju: I"m thankful for the welcome you"ve given me, but wish points...aren"t enough to make up for what I lost.
Starfall: ......
The telepathic communication ended and I felt the hand tighten its grip on my forearm.
Di Qi Ju: After making that wish, your acc.u.mulated wish points must"ve already been spent.
Di Qi Ju: Even if you"ve managed to absorb a smidge of wish points in the meantime, it shouldn"t be enough for your gigantic body.
Starfall: You...wish to hinder my return?
Di Qi Ju: ...no.
Di Qi Ju: I"m just sending you off in a manner that I know of.
That"s right…
So what if I had wish points? So what if I couldn"t die?
There were countless tangible and intangible things in this world that were more valuable than the wishes I bore.
After going through all those plot twists, I"ve ended up turning into a different existence.
...you"ve severely underestimated my will as a human being.
So---let my will send you off on your long-awaited "homecoming"---
---Starfall!!!
Di Qi Ju: Roar-----!!!
I gathered all the strength in my body and slowly raised my right arm.
While that monstrous arm might look slow, the blistering winds spoke of the violent battle my arm had with the sound barrier.
I wasn"t familiar with my current form but I could definitely feel myself closing in on Starfall. I can reach him...just like the way I can touch the back of my cla.s.smate seated in front of me.
There"s no way for it to escape now, nor would I allow it.
With this strike, I"ll return you to the embrace of Westrealm!!
Starfall: You...
Was that all you could do Starfall? Gripping my left arm? That doesn"t seem to have any bearing on my falling right arm now, does it?
Having reached its peak, I drove my right arm down, right through the layer of clouds and toward the earth below. I began to feel heat gathering on my arm; was that the result of air resistance?
It hurtled towards the ground like a tiny planet, slow yet terrifyingly powerful.
An unstoppable force that nothing in this world could match!
No matter what, this strike will end this unforgivable existence---right at the heart of Starfall!
Starfall: Stop…
Di Qi Ju: ...
Di Qi Ju: Westrealm will welcome your return, Starfall---
Di Qi Ju: ---goodbye!
My arm penetrated the rocky exterior of Starfall and continued its ceaseless descent down into the earth. I felt the formless shockwaves spread through the earth, extending ever downwards until----
----Boom!!!----bang----
A ceaseless rain of white rubble erupted from the ground like a volcano, shooting through the air as if it could reach the sun.
However, there was no way these flimsy shreds of paper could ever do that.
The fragments began falling back onto the ground, their pale white bodies taking on a brilliant red hue as they heated up, lighting up the sky in an eye catching display of lights.
Ah...it"s a rain of stars. This is...the real "starfall".
The giant white hand loosened its grip and fell limply to the ground, triggering a giant dust storm. The telepathic trace in my mind was nowhere to found.
Di Qi Ju: ...
Starfall…
Perhaps you weren"t in the wrong… from the perspective of a non-human existence, I"m sure that there was nothing wrong with your actions. However, you just to choose a human as your agent. And you just had to choose a selfish human such as me…
...are you satisfied now?
Did your wish make it to Westrealm?
Come to think of it, you have it easy, Starfall.
Exactly what am I going to do in this world you left me in…
Di Qi Ju: ...
Di Qi Ju: Reinstate...my disguise ability.
I still had to...live with this mask on.
……
……
Di Qi Ju: Breman.
Breman: .....
I swept my eyes over the wreckage in front of me. Having returned to my human form, I pulled out the half-buried Breman.
Throughout that exchange, I had constantly felt the presence of Breman hiding behind my heels. Thanks to that, he was spared from any lethal dangers.
From start to end, he had witnessed my transformation. As of now, his eyes were as still as ever.
Di Qi Ju: ...are you scared?
Breman: ......
Breman: If I was scared, I would"ve escaped on a wilderness eagle already.
Di Qi Ju: Then...what are your views...about me?
Breman: About you...
He stroked his chin and gave me an appraising look.
Breman: Standing there naked with a reserved look on your face paints a pretty different picture from that unknown creature just moments ago.
Di Qi Ju: ---!!
I instinctively went to cover my lower half, however...he had already seen it all.
I guess this was to be expected...it would be stranger if my clothes managed to survive the transformation.
Breman: Just put this on first---
As he said this, he took off his military uniform and tried to drape it over my body.
Was he...really not scared?
Even though he didn"t say much, this sensation felt familiar. It was the same feeling Mo Chuan had given me after that battle with the sorcerous insect…
"Unfathomable", "Unknown", "Lack of Understanding"...
All these were barriers to mutual trust.
And yet, Breman chose to trust me. This was the feeling I got from him.
And so, I should…
Di Qi Ju: ...err, I think I"ll pa.s.s on that.
I lightly pushed away Breman"s hand, rejecting the offer of clothes.
Di Qi Ju: If I had to accept a girl"s clothes in order to cover up my nakedness, it would probably be more embarra.s.sing than staying naked.
Breman: ...
Breman: ......
Breman: !?!?!?!?!
Footnotes:
Credits:
Special thanks to Steve Granger!!