Chapter 116 – Abrupt return, heavenly lightning.

"FELLOW DAOIST!," a voice nearby shouts in my direction causing me to awaken from a daze, "FELLOW DAOIST! MOVE!"

A young man looks at the voice with an odd expression, one of confusion and bewilderment as his eyes scan his surroundings, a shove on his back forces him to stumble several steps forward where shortly after a flash of light and;

*KABOOM*

The young man stares at the charred black land of where he was standing speechless, he looks up towards the sky and spots countless of colorful lights dancing across the grey cloudy sky, every single one some sort of unique shape or pattern banding across the clouds in beautiful patterns. Mostly white yet there are many in purple, yellow, blue, red and even some incredibly colourful rainbow ones that last for only a moment.

He looks at the crowd around him, thousands of young men and women wearing tattered clothing worn out and sweaty from their movements.

"Fellow daoist, if you have received the blessing then please move so we don't have to watch you on the blessing fields," a voice comes from nearby.

"I've received the blessing?," the young man asks still with a confused expression on his face.

"Yes, do you have memory loss?"

"I think so… is that normal?"

"Yes, now come along," a large man wearing a robe ushers the black haired young man towards a crowd of people that look much more battered and tired than the rest sitting around lounging, some even laying on the ground as if they're dead but their chests heaving up and down show that they're not. The black haired young man stops in the crowd of people and looks around for a moment hoping someone would explain to him what's going on but after a moment no one else and someone else arrives behind him.

"Can you move it," the young man says to the black haired one with an aggressive tone.

"Where are we?"

"We're at the blessing ceremony, if you don't remember that much then lay down and fall asleep like the rest of the idiots!," the young man strikes a palm towards the black haired young man.

The black haired young man reaches beside him yet finds his hand empty, he raises his arms to intercept the blow.

A crackling fist of purple energy lands on the black haired young man's arms, the crackling and sizzling sound is distinct.

Three blurry shadows appear and part the two of them, three masked heavily robed people have appeared to separate them before too much damage could occur but the young man still is without the upper portion of his robe while his upper body has been heavily charred by the purple sizzling energy that was emitted from the man's fists. The three masked people look towards the young man who struck out.

"Junior, you have been blessed with the Emperor's Minor Purple Lightning. We offer you a position as an inner disciple, would you like it?"

"Junior graciously accepts," the young man cups his hands towards the masked people and speaks with a respectful tone.

"Good, good."

"You shall be perfect to train with the Emperor's lightning even if it is minor."

"That is very true, whoever gets him as a student will be privledged."

The young man scratches his neck, "What about this person?," he says while motioning towards the black haired young man.

The masked men all face towards the black haired young man who is struggling to stand up, his wounds appear to have been much more severe than previous looked at.

"I don't think we can save him," one of the masked people speaks and raises their hand as it crackles with golden light.

"True."

The finial masked man uses his hand to lower the attack, "We cannot do that, besides I think you're miissing something important, look at his wounds."

The masked men look towards the black-haired young man, they peer closely at his wounds.

"My God."

"He has it?"

"We cannot be sure, keep quiet for now. We need to treat his wounds."

The black haired young man stares off into space unable to hear any of this as he wonders about his own survival but the bigger question over his mind is, what's going on?

"His wounds are fine, we need to see if it's real. The test is simple."

"Yes the test is simple, let's get him to do it now."

The final masked man lets out a sigh, "Ok, we can see if he can awaken his powers. Young man, we need you to focus for a moment," he speaks slowly as the black haired young man looks blankly into the distance blinking slowly a few times before turning his eyes towards the masked man speaking.

"Connect your heavenly meridians through this stone and learn the basics, the awakening will tell us," the masked man throws a simple looked smoothed stone with a white symbol painted over it.

The black haired young man takes the stone and closes his eyes, an incredibly bright sparking light appears in his fist for a moment before it dulls and shines in all sorts of colours without any sort of meaning or pattern to it. This only lasts a split moment but everyone around was able to observe the bright lights leaving them stunned and speechless, the young black haired man is now falling to the ground unconscious but no one moves to help him fall to the ground simply letting him crumple on the ground.

"What do we do? There's no way that is correct."

"We have to inform the elders, they will know what to do."

They all turn towards the final masked man, "We are in for some trying times, inform the grand elder."

"Is it truly the Fallen Heaven's Lightning?"

A black darkness comes across the space as everything disappears, a soft femine voice makes itself heard instead.

'Master… Master… as if I'd call you Master like that, get the fuck up you useless bum!"

A dark space surrounds a young black haired man as he floats in nothingness, he feels no pressure on his body yet also no clothes as he floats about in some sort of free space, "What?"

'You are back. We are running out of time, you are lucky that bunny girl has such a large storage bank on her after these thousands of years… Did you get it?'

"Get what?" the young man asks.

'The manuscript, the first level is given out to all recruits of the thunder world. You need it, did you get it?'

The young black haired man frowns for a moment before raises out his hand, a rainbow sparkling light is emitted from it lighting up the black space in an beautiful manner.

'Master certainly is impressive.'

"What is it?"

'A fragment of the heavens, something that many sought and failed to obtain. Master truly was impressive.'

"How do I feel like you aren't talking about me."

'Of course not.' the voice says resolutely, 'now we need to prepare. You will have 1 chance at this.'

"I feel like you said that before."

'Well it's still true, be prepared.'

"For what?"

'Pain.'

"Huh?"

No response comes from the black space, the young man sits there waiting for something to happen but it doesn't take long for what she spoke of to occur, pain.

Pain truly occurs.

The young black haired man screams as his body feels like it's fried from the inside out with pain, his entire being fried from its very core until his own mind is thinking nothing but pain.

Pain.

Pain.

Pain.

The young man shuts his eyes trying his best to adapt to this pain, darkness begins to surround him again when a voice whispers in his hears, 'Good luck.'

"Connect your heaven meridian to your godly meridian."

The black haired young man looks at the masked man blankly while holding up his palm, "this?"

An incredibly bright blinding spark is in his fist, it begins to shine all sorts of colours without any meaning or pattern to them, all of them different. This only lasts a moment yet everyone able to observe it is stunned silent none of them moving to soften the impact of the black haired young man who is now falling to the ground unconscious in this noisy yet quiet field.

"There's no way that was real right?"

"It must have been the Opalescent King Lightning right?"

The group looks towards the final masked man who simply shakes his head, "No. It's real."

"Will the prophecy be fulfilled?," someone mutters before everything disappears into darkness.

A new type of pain hits the young man's body, "Ow," he says with a strange husky voice looking around in the smokey smelly space around him. He looks around taking a moment to remember, it's the warehouse but it's different with holes in the roof and no more furniture apart from a stack of mattresses in the corner making the place look bad.

"Bro. You're back?"

*Tom?"

"Yep," the young man says between coughs of smoke, "crazy stuff going on outside."

"What?"

*KABOOM* *CRACKLE*

"They say it's like end of times."

The young man with black hair looks up into the sky, it's black with lights flickering across it in all sorts of colours including a bright globe behind it indicating the time of day, pitch black yet still early, "Well it sort of is, how long has it been like this?"

*CRACKLE*

"A few hours, but really about as long as you have been gone. I'm glad you didn't miss it."

The young black haired man smiles, "Well… I kind of mind."

*BANG*

An explosion comes from a nearby building as lightning hits it, another one in the other direction but each one of the hits closing in on the two of them.

"Bro, if I don't survive this."

"Yea?"

"Bro, I have 100,000 bitcoins I bought in 2010 for $30. It was a rip off but you can have it."

*CRACKLE*

"I think we'll be fine so don't worry, besides that stuff isn't worth that much."

"Bro, I'm nearly a billionaire that's before the…"

*BANG* *CRASH* *BANG* *RUMBLE*

Nearby part of the roof comes crashing down, the sturdy roof iis lucky to be held up by now with all the impacts and holes that are present in the surface as bright flashes light the nearby space sending waves of electricity through the air.

The young black haired man looks up into the sky, "Think I'll survive it?"

"You'll be right I reckon."

The young man rolls his eyes internally, "Thanks for the encouragement."

"I think you won't get struck."

"Wanna bet," the young black haired man says.

"Sure."

"Fine, your bitcoins."

"Hahah," Tom takes a drag of his vape as the young black haired man shakes his head and looks in the sky.

The crackles and booms continue as the other young man coughs his lungs out, 'Maybe it wont it hit?' he thinks in his mind when a loud noise nearby catches his attention, he looks at it.

Tom has kicked over a bottle, the black haired young man opens his mouth when the hairs on his body stand on end, "Get down!," he yells."

"What Jack?"

"GET DOWN CUNT!" Jack yells forcing Tom to dive down beneath his fortress of mattresses.

*KABOOM*

A gigantic lightning bolt comes down from above filled with two colours, Jack screams out in agony as pain courses through his body. This colour is filled with the heavenly energies of two types of spirits and they're both angry at him for some reason. They're rejecting him, he doesn't know what they're rejecting him from but they're not permitting him forward. The lightning bolt only lasted a moment yet the energy is lingering in his body eating away at him.

Jack grits his teeth and focuses as the pain courses through his body, "Focus, I learnt that shit for a reason."

He raises his fist, a lightning spark accumulates in it, tiny sparks at first before becoming a mass of light emitting sparks.

A rainbow of lightning sparks comes from the young man's fist, it lasts a moment then disappears as he falls down on the ground sweating holding himself up in a struggle. He has nearly completed the requirements for the first step but he doesn't have enough power yet, maybe…?

*CRACKLE*

Jack quickly scrambles to stand up and settle his breath, 'White? Xueli? Fenrir? Sleipner?'

*CRACKLE*

The sound of the tearing atmosphere comes from above as the lightning crackles, a power that is trying to simply terrify in a quiet rumble of quiet power. The quiet rumble builds up in the distance, one that cannot be controlled one that cannot be contented with and knows it.

Jack looks up into the sky, these feelings from above coming to him, "Fuck you, you're just clouds!"

The gigantic lightning bolt strikes down, this time numerous of them in a rainbow of light striking the same spot destroying the roof of the building.

Lightning bolt after lightning bolt, each one of them in various colours and each one changing.

This lasts as the heavens above roar as though they're determined to do this very action, there's no fighting it yet a roar happens.

A rainbow spark on the ground makes itself known alongside a young man's roar, he brings his palm up against the lightning bolt that is coming down from up above.

A quiet roar of a voice can be barely be heard among the lightning strikes that are coming from the heavens themselves yet there's no way to deny it, his roar can be heard through all of the strikes, the young man bellows with all his might as he raises his palm towards the heavens.

The lightning strikes all impact his fist covered with a rainbow coloured, all of them raging against his small fist as if they're angered that he'd dare rise against them.

The young man doesn't let up as the strikes continue downwards, the strikes continue to hit his fist for several more moments before they suddenly stop.

Jack's fist stops crackling as he pulls it back by his side, he's quiet as he stands there eyes shut breathing calmly as though his body is entirely unharmed and trained for this moment.

The distant rumbling of thunder kicks up again while the lightning begins again high in the sky among the clouds, each flash is accompanied by the sound of the sky tear apart as if the heavens are angry that someone would dare challenge them.

*CRACKLE CRACKLE*

An enormous wave of pressure comes down from above as a giant chunk of clouds splits from the other sending a chill through the air, Jack remains still with his eyes tightly shut.

A frosty breath comes from his nostrils as pressure builds and builds upon the ground, the building begins to buckle as the air itself becomes heavy yet Jack remains still with a calm breath.

"There!," he shouts while punching his first forward.

A giant wiggling line like cloud appears in the sky surrounded by a rainbow energy, a second line appears trying to engulf the rainbow energy in the dark grey energy.

Jack opens his eyes, a rainbow flash appears for a moment before turning back to normal, "Not enough!" he holds his hand in the air and grabs at it.

Jack yanks down towards the ground with his glowing hand. High above in the sky the wiggling solid worm like cloud has begun descending while the larger one is also coming down yet it's not able to catch up.

The smaller wiggling cloud worm crashes into the building causing the roof to collapse even more enshrouding the entire area in mist disguising whatever happened, the larger worm-cloud arrives before the ground yet it doesn't touch down.

"DEFYER, RETURN THIS ONE'S YOUNGER BROTHER!," a booming voice comes over the space, it sounds ancient and wise yet the fact that it's holding a distance shows that it's cautious.

"You're able to speak? Wow, I wasn't expecting that… umm. I can let you join him if you want?"

"Return him!," the booming voice speaks out.

"Come get him!," Jack yells out.

The gigantic worm-like cloud crashes down towards the ground making contact with the mist surrounding the young man on the ground, the booming cloud lets out a roar as it comes crashing down to the ground.

"You're just damn remnants of the dao, accept your fate!," Jack shouts as he collapses on a single knee holding out his hand with the familiar rainbow sparkle in it.

The cloud emits a roar of agony as it becomes smaller and smaller, Jack maintains his pose holding his hand with the spark in it.

The clouds above get thinner allowing some daylight to poke through as Jack holds up his hand, the roar gets quieter and quieter before iti begins to plead.

"No, no. I cannot do this. I promised them…"

"Shut up, accept your fate. If you didn't challenge me then I wouldn't need to purify you."

"I promised that I would grow, promised I would help her…"

"Shush," Jack says.

"You must help her, once you reach the centre, you must help."

Jack raises an eyebrow after standing up, "Who?,"

The cloud almost disappears, "Annabelle," it whispers before disappearing into nothingness calming the entire sky in an instant.

Jack lowers his hand after removing the spark of energy inside of it, the mist surrounding him disappears allowing him to take in his surroundings. Most of the building is destroyed leaving only the pillars standing, the pile of mattresses has been covered over but as it moves about seems to have served its purpose as Tom sticks his head out.

"Bro, was that cloud talking?"

Jack scratches his neck, "Maybe."

"Crazy times ahead,"

"Yep," Jack says before collapsing on his knee yet again, this time clutching his chest.

Tom gets up and scrambles over, "You alright?"

Jack grimaces his face, "Maybe, let me rest a bit," he says before passing out. His body going limp on the ground without moving. His consciousness fading as the entire scene before him disappears again leaving him disappointed, he feels weak like he shouldn't wake up after this, he can feel his breathing and heart slow down in turn.