My Burden

The siren's call went out and Hao Xuan answered.

As he turned the page its sharp edge dug into his iron flesh and drew blood. It was just a 'paper cut' but the pain was worse than getting stabbed by a sword.

"Hng!"

Hao Xuan flinched and when he looked back the booklet had doubled in size.

He was not sitting in the field anymore but surrounded by an endless white ocean with nothing else in sight. The sky and the ocean could not be differentiated and with just one look he knew that this was a place somewhere deep inside his mind.

It was just him and the red book here. He didn't even have to think about it for very long to realize that this was a test of his resolve- no it was a battle of wills and he had already been pushed back.

Hao Xuan stood up. He could feel every aching part of his body just like it was in the outside world.