A young man with a pale appearance, sunken eyes, and dark circles sat on a lonely bench in the public square. He gazed at the starry night sky with a downcast expression.
This was one of the last times Xiao Han would be able to witness the night. His life was coming to an end. According to the doctor, he had throat cancer; without treatment, he would have at most one month to live.
Being poor, from an ordinary family, he had no money. And he lacked the courage to tell the truth to his parents, who worked in the fields.
'Forgive me.'
He stopped looking upward and placed his hand over his face, beginning to cry the next moment; tears wouldn't stop flowing from his weary eyes.
'Father, Mother, live well when I'm gone.'
Xiao Han, who could not speak, continued expressing his thoughts as he cried. He didn't want to die; he wanted to change his family's life.
'I hate this!'
He stopped shedding tears, showing a hateful glare, but it lasted only a few seconds. Xiao Han understood that hatred wouldn't change his situation. His fate was already sealed.
With a sigh and a faint, bitter smile on his lips, he closed his eyes. To him, the darkness he saw when shutting them was the same he felt in his heart: a void with no light. A puppet awaiting its end.
"RUN!"
A sudden shout echoed through the square. Xiao Han, who no longer felt emotions toward anything, was surprised by the sudden situation. Opening his eyes, he saw several people running, as if fleeing from a terrifying existence straight out of a horror story.
'What's happening here?'
Xiao Han had no idea. Looking back, he saw nothing, only hearing hurried footsteps and some people frozen, staring at the sky.
'Is the terrifying being up there?' Xiao Han's expression turned dazed at the thought. To confirm it, he looked upward without fear and saw thousands of blue stones, all the same size, falling like rain.
'My God.'
Xiao Han widened his eyes, almost regaining the ability to speak. He finally understood the panic of the people, afraid of being struck.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU STUPID KID? DO YOU WANT TO DIE FROM CRANIAL TRAUMA?"
'I'm already dead.' Xiao Han wished to tell that to the person who had just yelled at him. Looking at her, he saw a young woman with long black hair tied with a pin, wearing sports clothes. She was staring at him with blue eyes filled with fear.
'She's beautiful… what a shame it would be to die from a rock, just like that guy from the ninja anime.' To avoid that, he raised his hand and waved it left and right, signaling her to leave.
But it didn't work. Xiao Han saw the girl grab him and pull him from the bench in one swift motion. She was stronger than him; standing up, he found himself being dragged forward.
Forced to run, he wanted to ask why the beautiful girl was doing that. Out of kindness? Or pity, looking at his worn-out appearance.
"Run faster, stupid otaku!" she snorted, glancing at the corner of her eyes at the rocks that, for some reason, were falling in slow motion. "This is so weird."
She slowed her pace. Xiao Han, panting, was grateful for that; if he kept running with his frail body, he would die… not from cancer or trauma, but from asthma!
"Hey, otaku, what do you think of this situation? Do you think this is something from another world?"
"..."
Xiao Han stayed silent, wondering why she called him an otaku. It was true, but still, what made her assume that?
"Are you mute?" She began to lose patience. But seeing him nod, her expression changed to pity. "Sorry."
Xiao Han found her even kinder because of that. To keep her from feeling guilty, he gave her a thumbs-up and crossed his arms, mentally saying: it's okay.
"Okay?" The young woman more or less understood what the mute clinging to her meant. "What do you think of this situation?"
Her question repeated. Xiao Han, who hadn't answered before, raised his arms into the air and closed them like a crab catching prey.
"You mean, grab the stone?"
She blinked at that suggestion, making Xiao Han nod frantically. Hesitant, he pointed to his head and then waved his hands, indicating that since the stone was falling slowly, there was no risk of death.
"I feel like I'm learning a new type of communication." The young woman rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's wait."
She decided to wait, wanting to see the mystery behind the stone rain. Xiao Han, agreeing, stood still, focusing his attention just a hundred meters above.
'What the hell is this?'
He strained his vision to see better, but it was still the same sight as before. When the stone came within thirty centimeters, he couldn't stand it anymore and quickly raised his arm, hearing a voice.
"Wait!" The young woman wanted the mute to check the situation first, but his impulsiveness was too strong. Before she could stop him, he touched the stone's surface.
When that happened, Xiao Han felt his vision fade, everything before him turning into shadows, along with a pulling sensation from his hand. The stone above was dragging his body, lifting his feet off the ground.
'What the hell is this? Am I floating? This is so cool.'
Xiao Han felt no fear; on the contrary, his heart held anticipation, eager to see what would happen. For him, who was already at the limit of life, experiencing a fantasy was thrilling.
These were his last moments of inner monologue before he completely lost consciousness.
"Silent otaku?" The young woman called for Xiao Han, who, right before her eyes, vanished along with the stone. She was shocked, her pupils trembling. Terrified, she looked around and saw that everyone who had touched a stone had disappeared. It was terrifying, like the end of the world.
Taking a step back, she tried to avoid the strange stones… but by bad luck, her foot hit one lying behind her.
"Damn it!" she cursed, feeling her legs being sucked in.
***
Meanwhile, Xiao Han was in a completely white world.
'Where am I…' Before he could finish the thought, an emotionless electronic voice echoed in his mind.
[Welcome to Divine Cultivation]