Chapter 31: Lucid

Dao Wei groaned as he tried to gather his bearings. "Urrhh... I don't think I'll ever get used to this..."

His eyes fluttered open, revealing a scene that was both mesmerizing and puzzling. It didn't resemble Zara World, nor any place he'd ever been. It wasn't the paradise he'd imagined, but it wasn't a despicable hell either. The first thing that came into focus were a pair of tender legs on either side of his head. His gaze traveled upward, taking in black panties and a relatively short skirt.

"Hrrr... What's taking him so long..." a melodic voice reached his ears. "If he doesn't wake up in the next five minutes, I'm going to feed him to Zur..."

"No, I can't. He's my neph..." The voice trailed off.

Dao Wei's vision was still blurred, making it hard to discern his surroundings or who was speaking. 'Am I not dead? Or maybe I've reached the best Heaven...' he mused as he tried to collect himself.

Gradually, the blur resolved into a clear image of a woman. From his position, lying between her legs, he couldn't see her face, but he had a clear view of her ample chest.

"Look who's finally awake! About time too! I was getting bored!" A playful face suddenly appeared in his line of sight. She had small fangs in her mouth, slightly pointed ears, and skin that was a deep red. Her black hair contrasted sharply with her glowing eyes, and dark marks adorned her forehead.

"Ehhh... How long have I been here? And who are you, exactly? Where are we?" Dao Wei asked, still trying to make sense of his situation. He remembered dying from blood loss, and now he was in the presence of a... vampire? A cute, little vampire at that.

"Two minutes!" she replied, sizing him up. "It's rude to keep a lady waiting, you know?"

"A lady? Is that what you are?" Dao Wei teased.

She rolled her eyes, looking utterly adorable. "Do ladies usually greet their guests like this?" Dao Wei asked with a smirk on his face.

Sighing dramatically, she said, "I believe I offered you a pleasant view..." Her tone was mischievous.

'That she did,' Dao Wei admitted to himself. "Sorry. You're right, it was quite a greeting."

"Glad you liked it! I thought you might!" Her smile was enough to erase any lingering shadows in his mind.

"Now, tell your aun—" she caught herself mid-sentence, "Ahem. Tell me, what can I do for you?"

Dao Wei sighed, "I suspect it wasn't just the view that prompted this meeting."

"No... It wasn't..." she admitted, her voice softening.

Dao Wei's mind was in chaos. "I clearly remember dying a few moments ago... and now I'm here, talking to a cute, red-skinned girl."

She giggled. "True." Standing up, she gave him another glimpse of her panties. "Come! Let's go somewhere better suited for talking!"

With a snap of her fingers, the scene shifted, and they found themselves in a majestic hall suspended in space, resembling a fiery void. The room had the feel of a living room, but without walls or a roof.

Dao Wei half-reclined on a couch that was almost bed-like, while the girl settled onto another, with a small fountain between them. Her curvy form lounged on the couch, one hand supporting her head, the other resting gracefully beside her. If this wasn't the perfect afterlife, Dao Wei couldn't imagine what was.

"Much better! Don't you think?"

Her smile, closed eyes, and soft voice made the place feel like Heaven.

"Sure... But where are we exactly?" Dao Wei's curiosity got the better of him. "I assume we're not in the same realm as the three worlds, considering it looks like an endless void?"

She giggled. "Correct! We're in my own little corner of the cosmos. You can call it the Inferno Isles."

"Do you like it?" She watched him closely, clearly proud and eager to impress.

"I haven't spent enough time here to say." Dao Wei's honest response wasn't what she had hoped for.

Mhph. "We'll just change that." Her bright smile returned. "I'll take the blame for not inviting you here sooner."

"But not today! Today there's no rush. You can stay as long as you want." Her voice softened with warmth. "We're long overdue for some quality time."

"I appreciate that. But I still don't know why I'm here... alive." Dao Wei's unease grew, not understanding what was happening. The feeling of being lost was unsettling and not something he was accustomed to or planning to get used to. His expression reflected his confusion.

"Uh-oh. That face simply won't do! As your aun—Goddess! I will explain." She hesitated, adding to Dao Wei's curiosity.

"Well... let's start with some history—your history. What do you know about the Cosmic beings?"

"Not much, really. I wasn't one for history," Dao Wei admitted, despite having read many books, though mostly about fighting rather than history.

She giggled. "Hopeless! Anyway, the cosmos isn't just made up of the three realms you know, nor is it governed by the 'gods' as you might believe."

"It's vast and endless. The gods are the highest beings in your realms, but they are just that."

"It all started after the Abyss War, some 3000 years ago... Much was lost, and in the end, the Seven Heavens were completely separated from the three mortal realms, leaving the gods in charge."

"I lost many of my children then... All my creations are like children to me. My children."

Dao Wei listened intently, noticing a subtle change in her tone and expression.

"Succubi, Dragons, Pixus, Hellhounds, Eyes of Inferno, and many others..." Her voice faltered as she recalled the past. "They were slaughtered by the Dark Lord and his Abyss lords. So, I created new children who wouldn't die so easily... Vampires."

A fleeting moment passed, and she sobbed lightly. "Then I'd never have to feel the pain of losing them again." Her voice trembled with old wounds. "And hopefully, the nightmares of hearing their screams would fade."

"But vampires can still be killed, can't they? It might be difficult, but I've heard stories." Dao Wei had encountered a few vampires in the Abyssal Chasm.

"My siblings... the other Divines. They decreed it so..." She made a funny face as she mimicked them, "'Lucid, you're tampering with mortals, it's forbidden.'"

She continued sobbing, "They didn't even try to understand my pain! All they cared about were their precious rules...Tsk" Her voice trailed off, filled with sorrow.