Shawn took a long time.
For anyone, having nearly twenty years of chaotic memories suddenly stuffed into their brain would make them feel as confused about their identity as he did at this moment.
Shawn or Sean?
Shawn!
I am Shawn.
As consciousness awoke from the torrent of memories, Shawn found himself standing in front of a dark room.
"Another Otherworld soul?"
The instant the door swung open, Shawn felt a chilling cold rush at him. A burly, massive man was staring at him, tall like a small Giant, with muscles coiling on his broad back like the face of a Devil, his skin gleaming with a hint of oil. He was dressed like a Butcher, face full of hostility, holding a Bone Knife, slicing and dissecting the meat chunks before him.
He glanced at Shawn, then focused on his task at hand.
Cutting meat, separating bones.
Extremely skilled.
"Yes." The woman turned to look at Shawn, and softly said, "He's your guide from now on."
Clang.
The burly man in front lowered the heavy meat hook, took off his filth-stained, blood-speckled gray apron, his bulky body like a door, glaring down at Shawn, then said to the woman beside him, "The remnants of the Pillar of Flesh and Blood have been dealt with."
"Take the things over there with you."
After speaking, he turned to gaze at Shawn, his fierce look swept over the monocle on his nose, and expressed slight surprise, reached out and said, "My name is Okein."
"The Anatomist here. They tend to call me Butcher."
Shawn nervously extended his hand and said, "Shawn."
The pressure exerted by this formidable burly man was immense, his muscles coiling like steel forged, and a pungent blood scent emanating from him.
The woman beside carried away the mottled, filthy black box from the long table in front, but left behind the sharp Ritual Dagger.
The Butcher didn't even look.
He opened a heavy cabinet, took out a Silver Wine Flask, swallowed a mouthful himself, then looked at Shawn and said, "Would you like a sip?"
Shawn shook his head.
But the Butcher still fetched another Silver Wine Flask and tossed it over.
The woman, delicate like a doll, had mentioned that his guide was also an Otherworld soul.
This Butcher left an oppressive impression.
The Butcher turned around, picked up heavy chains, and lifted the enormous meat hook, a meter in diameter, once more, hung with dark red meat chunks, very large, he turned his back on Shawn, stretched his muscles, gripping the Bone Knife, chopping at the meat hanging on the iron rack, banging loudly, and said in a deep voice, "Just like you, I am an Otherworld soul too, so if you have any questions, you can ask me now."
The sound of chopping meat was heavy.
"Where is this place?" Shawn couldn't wait to ask.
The Butcher's hand chopping meat showed no pause, replied in a low voice, "Bizarre Realm. As for this planet, Terra, Gaia, Blue Star, you can call it whatever you like."
"Most of the natives call the land beneath our feet Divine Terra."
Shawn was silent for a while, then proceeded to ask, "Are there many Otherworld souls like us?"
The Butcher glanced at him, then opened a morgue, single-handedly pulled out a strange, hunched corpse and said, "Many."
"Not so many before, but now increasingly more."
He single-handedly flung the heavy corpse in front of Shawn, saying solemnly, "This is one, but it was unlucky, reborn beyond the wall, when it awoke, it was already totally corrupted."
In front of Shawn lay a monster's corpse.
It had a nose contour like a dog's, full of sharp black fangs, three pairs of murky yellow compound eyes, a forked tongue, jawbone seemingly growing a fleshy tumor, its back covered with dense gray-black scales, its belly bloated and puffed up, as if something eerie wanted to break out.
Its entire body hunched like a sick old dog, a sharp black tail extending from the coccyx, limbs completely transformed, very apparent canine features on an almost human torso, the fatal wound being a knife scar on its forehead, an instant kill.
"What kind of monster is this?" Shawn hesitated.
The Butcher turned and continued focusing on cutting the meat chunks, said gravely, "No idea, maybe it used to be a werewolf, Jackal-Wolf People, Kobold, something like that."
"The Otherworld souls who enter this world are not all humans."
Not just humans?
Where on earth have I traversed to?
The Butcher pulled out a gigantic bone, seemed like the spine bone of a Giant, casually tossed it aside, and continued saying, "Outside lacks Soul Resonance, those resurrected across the high wall, within a maximum of three days, They will find him."
"No matter what their past lives were, demons, angels, elves, or even giant dragons, they will eventually be devoured by the evil objects in the mist!"
"You're quite lucky."
He gazed at Shawn and said, "Is that confusion in your eyes?"
Shawn nodded and replied, "Yes."
The Butcher's expression changed slightly, and he sighed, "Another troublesome guy."
"Did you see Them?"
Shawn hesitated a bit, then gently nodded.
"Then don't leave here from now on, don't leave my side." The Butcher resumed chopping meat and said in a deep voice, "You people with such high sensitivity are easy to attract evil objects."
"I know you have a lot of questions."
"But don't rush. As long as you're alive, things will become clearer over time."
The Butcher picked up a heavy bag and handed it to Shawn, saying, "Put this in the trash can in the hallway."
Shawn instinctively reached out to take it; it was very heavy, almost making him stagger.
"I'll arrange a job for you." The Butcher continued to focus on chopping meat and said, "As long as you stay here and don't wander off, you'll be very safe."
Job?
Shawn couldn't help but look up.
He had traveled to such a ghostly place, and he still had to work and get a job?
The Butcher seemed to know what he was thinking, continuing to chop meat, "Of course, you need a job. You're still an ordinary person, needing to eat, drink, and relieve yourself. Without a job, who will support you?"
It made a lot of sense.
Shawn nodded, picked up the bag, and went into the hallway to throw it into a black trash can.
"What should I do now?" Shawn returned to the room, not wandering around.
He decided to heed the advice.
He had read many novels and watched many movies before, knowing that running around in these situations would lead to a quicker death.
The Butcher continued working, saying calmly, "Sleep."
"After you sleep, you'll remember more things."
The Butcher put down the bone knife and said in a deep voice, "Soul Resonance."
"It's an ancient ritual specifically for otherworldly souls. It will set an anchor for you in this world, making you a part of it."
"Let Them temporarily not find you."
Sleep?
In this situation, how could he fall asleep?
The Butcher arranged a small room for Shawn, and when he closed his eyes, he indeed felt an unprecedented sense of fatigue.
But he couldn't fall asleep.
He listened to the sound of meat chopping outside the room, not knowing how long had passed before he finally fell into a very long dream realm.
In the dream, he was a young man named Sean, born in a remote small village, diligent and eager to learn. The dream was not continuous, as if spanning a significant length of time, with only those unforgettable memories being retained.
Eventually, young Sean bid farewell to his hometown, boarded a rumbling steam train, and headed to the distant big city to seek his dreams.
Dull twilight rippled faintly.
Amid the slight rustling, a bald, shriveled head, like a vulture, emerged from beneath the cold iron-framed bed. It had only a hunched upper body, with the lower half severed, leaving only gray threads trailing. It had a human-like silhouette, but no hair; its face was empty except for a narrow, slightly protruding mouth, with no teeth, only a noose-like oral cavity.
"Soul-Sucking Monster."
The Butcher, who had been focused on chopping meat, suddenly vanished on the spot. Before that hideous monster could get close to Shawn's ear, he almost teleportationally appeared in the dim small room.
A strong, large hand grabbed the monster's head and crushed its skull before it could emit a piercing shriek.
No corpse was left behind.
This bizarre, crooked creature dispersed in place like a gray mist.
"Another troublesome guy." The Butcher casually picked up a dirty blanket, placed it on Shawn, then turned and, with heavy steps, took a swig from the silver wine flask on the table and continued his work.
He was always very earnest when working.
.........