4. The Purgatory Abyss

PART I

As Yuanming awoke he found himself enveloped in darkness, the feeble glow offering only vague outlines. Seated in water that lapped at his belly he discovered his torso jointless and an eerie sensation sent shivers through him and bewildered he attempted to sit up, a task that seemed impossible.

Surprised, he blurted out, "Ah, my heart is beating!" His voice was a hoarse whisper.

Desiring to check his pulse he was met with the realization that he had no arms, yet a peculiar sensation convinced him he could still feel his fingers. Gazing at his unseen hands he flexed his fingers experimentally confirming the uncanny truth.

"Is this the effect of the Purgatory Abyss?" he mused aloud.

Surveying his surroundings, he beheld unfamiliar trees, bushes and other exotic flora surrounding what appeared to be a boundless lake. A perplexing headache pulsated in his temples as he used his arms for support to rise from the watery depths.

*Plop*

The water dripped from his clothes, his white robe clinging to him. Stepping cautiously, he discovered that each step lifted him above the water's surface allowing him to walk on liquid as though treading air and for amusement he dipped his foot back into the water.

*Plop*

An imperceptible force dragged him beneath the dark water.

Panic surged as he swam upwards, his body buoyed to the surface by an unseen hand and once more standing he marveled at the silver hue of the water below with mist playing tricks on its surface. Bending down he saw his reflection on what now looked like an icy lake, yet his touch revealed the liquid water.

A quizzical smile played on his lips. "Heh. How mysterious but it's thrilling. Nothing makes sense here but perhaps that's the point."

Contemplating the possibility of this being purgatory, a serene grin adorned his face as the silence of this enigmatic realm appealed to him. However, his tranquility shattered as he caught sight of a pair of colossal red-glowing eyes stirring a flutter in his stomach.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed, his heart racing.

The disconcerting part was not knowing if those eyes had always lurked beneath the water's surface.

"Ha ha ha." Echoed a deep chuckling laughter creating a disorienting cacophony that forced Yuanming to scrutinize his surroundings with paranoia settling in.

A dark smoky shadow materialized before him evolving into an elderly man draped in a black robe cinched with a golden belt adorned with intricate zigzag patterns and long black hair cascaded down framing a lengthy beard and mustache. The man's pallor and pitch-black eyes resembled an abyss unsettling Yuanming despite his usual fearlessness. Attempting to meet the gaze he quickly averted his eyes, an unusual sensation coursing through him, a feeling even the most formidable individuals hadn't induced in him before.

Humbling himself he bowed, "Hail Almighty."

The man hands folded behind his back walked closer stopping a meter away to inspect the water beneath them.

Yuanming's brow furrowed, chills running down his spine as he observed the red eyes lurking below.

The man apparently the keeper of this eerie creature noted, "My pet hasn't eaten you. It's the first time this has happened."

Yuanming's heart raced. Pet? He dared not fathom what lurked beneath.

Attempting to lighten the mood he quipped, "Perhaps he sensed my kindness."

Shaking his head, the man disclosed, "Nah, he probably sensed your lack of greed. My pet reacts to emotions."

Yuanming intrigued touched his chest.

"Is it good or bad that I lack greed?"

"It's something only you can answer; we are all different." the man replied scrutinizing Yuanming.

Proposing a diversion, the man asked, "do you want to play a game?"

Perplexed Yuanming inquired, "Excuse me but how does one play here?"

Was this man a guide a mentor or the ruler of the Purgatory Abyss?

"Whatever I ask you to do you must obey or that's what those from your world would say. Hide and seek. Children in your world play it." the man explained with a cryptic smile.

Yuanming still uncertain nodded. "Okay shall we find each other?"

The man gestured toward the surroundings. "No, we must find the one who has already hidden."

Perplexed Yuanming sought clarification. "Which one?"

"Okay what are the rules?"

"If you find it before me, I will of course reward you." the man chuckled before disappearing with a soft poof leaving only silence.

Approaching the bushes cautiously Yuanming commenced his search mindful of the eerie water below.

"The Purgatory Abyss isn't as bad as everyone says." he mused.

The plant life felt like silk beneath his fingers some with sharp edges resembling reeds. Time passed but his efforts yielded naught worse than searching for a needle in a haystack, there was an endless expanse of water and elusive hiding places.

Seated on the water's surface Yuanming's gaze fixated on the unmoving red eyes below.

A shiver ran down his spine as he wondered, "Is it stalking me?"

Frowning he lowered his head until his nose almost touched the water's surface.

"There's fog but I can still see everything clearly."

The eyes blinked and suddenly the pet emitted a resounding roar jolting him to his feet and a flutter stirred in his stomach as he resumed his search starting once again with the bushes methodically combing through the surroundings. Time seemed elusive but in this peculiar realm the lack of its usual constraints provided an odd comfort. Would he be confined here for ten million years?

"It's good that you're so diligent. I hope we can find it soon. It's quite important to me." echoed the familiar male voice.

Turning around Yuanming couldn't spot the speaker furrowing his brow.

"Is it just something I imagined?"

He continued his quest grappling with the challenge of searching without a clear understanding of what he sought.

"If only he had given me a clue." he lamented, sighing deeply.

Each pause in his search prompted the pet to roar a persistent reminder of the hide-and-seek game. The voice of the man resonated in the surroundings guiding and teasing Yuanming in equal measure.

Squinting down at the red eyes frustration and fear battled within him as the eyes revealed nothing more than their eerie glow. Suddenly the pet emitted a whimper transforming its sounds into something akin to the Shiba Inu he had once owned as if it were attempting to communicate or sing.

"Are you trying to tell me something?" Yuanming questioned attempting to decipher the inexplicable sounds.

Yet the pet's vocalizations remained a riddle.

The eyes shifted and a reddish glow emanated from his right hand. Blinking in confusion he scrutinized his invisible hand.

"My hand? Is there something here?"

His attempts to touch it yielded no sensation.

"What am I doing wrong?"

Closing his eyes, he recalled the sensation of holding the magic staff hoping it could bring him some luck. As he envisioned grasping it a solid object materialized in front of his palm prompting his heart to skip a beat.

"What is this?"

Cautiously opening his eyes, he beheld a slightly worn brown stick floating before him.

"The magic staff?" he exclaimed, feeling a flutter in his stomach.

Furrowing his brow, he questioned the ethereal object, "How did you get here? Have you followed me even to death?"

Overwhelmed by emotions he couldn't contain the tears that welled up streaming down his cheeks as he sniffled. Feeling a vulnerability, he hadn't experienced before he pondered his own strength questioning whether he had been born into the wrong gender.

"Thank you for going into death with me. Are we now bound together for eternity?" he mused gripping the magical staff tightly.

PART II        >>>BREAK TIME<<< 

*Poof*

The man suddenly materialized behind him.

"Thank you for finding it. Now it makes sense why I couldn't locate it."

Approaching Yuanming with a kind smile the man took the staff from him.

Yuanming still recovering from the unnerving encounter with the dark eyes smiled back.

"I didn't know it was the one and don't ask me how it came with me. After all I'm dead." He sighed but found no sorrow in his emotions wiping his eyes and sniffling.

"You're a very emotional person. It seems your feelings are confused. If you don't learn to control them, you won't get far." the man advised taking the staff.

It vanished before them.

Nodding Yuanming sniffled wiping his runny nose with his sleeve and a realization struck him as he looked at his arm. Long sleeves adorned his robe, and his skin was visible. He examined his arms, hands, legs, and feet breaking into a smile as his heart quickened.

"Your body was damaged, and my staff was to blame. I apologize on its behalf. The Heavenly chains had to be removed before your body could heal but the process took some time," explained the man revealing a corresponding brown staff with a black crack along its length.

He handed it to Yuanming.

"Your finder's fee is your reward. Thank you for returning it to me. I misplaced it somewhere but had forgotten where. It's not every day people come and return my lost things."

Yuanming smiled, joy surging within him. Would the staff grant him powers? Unlikely if the other one was genuine. His gaze shifted to the spot where the magic staff had been, and he furrowed his brow biting his lip.

Chuckling the man noted, "You're right that I can't just give you a copy but it seemed like you had already bonded with it."

Staring into Yuanming's eyes the man's gaze became intense resembling a vortex. Extending his index finger to Yuanming's forehead he elicited a tingling sensation. Expectant Yuanming's heart raced but to his disappointment no unusual changes occurred.

The man sighed and smiled lightly.

Furrowing his brow, he commented, "You're not greedy but those eyes are truly hard to resist."

With a sigh he exclaimed, "Hei Hei."

A sudden whoosh enveloped them as the water stirred forming a black whirlpool. Red eyes emerged followed by a bear-like head and eventually the entire body—a creature with large round ears, black limbs, and distinctive black markings around its eyes. The rest of its fur was white.

Yuanming raised his eyebrows and exclaimed, "A panda?"

The panda named Hei Hei was the size of a full-grown elephant with fiery red eyes tinged with orange.

"This is Hei Hei who lives in the lake. He can sense people's emotions and intentions. It's time for him to learn a bit about other worlds. If he does something wrong, you can punish him." explained the man walking over to the panda and clenching his fists striking it hard in the stomach.

*Bang*

The impact echoed and a barely visible golden barrier appeared in front of Hei Hei.

Unfazed the creature remained still.

"As you can see, he's very robust." the man noted looking at Yuanming who stood in awe.

Nodding, he approached Hei Hei feeling his heart race in his throat. The creature appeared incredibly intimidating up close.

"He needs to be fed with first-class herbs preferably moon flowers and spirit plants will also do. He can only be bathed in spiritual water. You should preferably give him some hits a day to maintain his ultimate shield..." The man continued to list essential care instructions for Hei Hei.

Yuanming struggled to absorb the information his brain working overtime to grasp the details.

After a prolonged explanation the man stopped and looked at him.

 "Have you remembered it all?"

Attempting to repeat the instructions Yuanming was interrupted by a chuckle.

"If you can remember my exact words, you're not normal."

"I..." Yuanming paused, smiling lightly as he bowed.

"Thank you very much Almighty Being."

The man nodded.

"I'll come back to get Hei Hei when he's learned enough from your world. Since I was afraid your body couldn't handle too much, I've only given you a bit of power so I hope Hei Hei can help you a little."

As Yuanming looked up a bright object descended transforming into a white orb. The man placed it in the air creating a white round smoky portal that revealed lush mountains with mist on the other side.

"It's time for you to go back." he gestured toward the portal.

Hei Hei entered first and as Yuanming stepped into the portal he heard the man say, "I forgot one important thing..."

*Whoosh*

Yuanming was pushed forward, and he entered the portal which closed behind him.

"An important what?" He quickly turned around, but the portal was gone. "Really?"

Gritting his teeth, he looked at Hei Hei.

"Is he always this forgetful?"

Hei Hei made a small sound, its meaning unclear.

Holding the staff in his right-hand, Hei Hei on his left, Yuanming stood atop a mountain overlooking a wide river resembling a snake.

"This is The Serpent Mountains in the south. If I head to Celestial Ember City, I can find transportation to Arral." he remarked surveying the landscape.

However, his attention shifted to Hei Hei's large form prompting a furrowed brow.

Clearing his throat, he hesitated, "Not to be rude but aren't you a bit too big for a normal panda?"

"Awuwu." Hei Hei responded and gradually his body began to shrink until he resembled a typical panda.

Satisfied Yuanming peered down the steep mountain. Another dilemma struck him: how to descend? With no flying abilities or artifacts, he pondered his options.

Hei Hei however made a sound crouched on all fours and looked up at him.

Confused Yuanming furrowed his brow.

"Do you want me to ride on you?"

"Awuwuwu." Hei Hei grunted gesturing toward the river below.

Seating himself on Hei Hei gripping the panda's neck firmly Yuanming felt the soft fur and caught a whiff of its fresh scent bringing a smile to his lips. As they reached the edge Hei Hei leaped into the air magically hovering with Yuanming clutching onto him. Swiftly moving his paws Hei Hei emitted a bell-like sound creating golden rings in the air that resembled water-ripple trails.

*Ping. Ping. Ping*

Caught in the thrill Yuanming turned around feeling a rush in his stomach.

The adrenaline surged and he couldn't contain his excitement shouting "I'm flying!"

Laughter bubbled from him as he longed to stretch out his arms.

"Uwuwo." said Hei Hei accelerating their speed with the wind rushing past them.