Deepest Desire

Javial took a step forward, his mind clouded with confusion. With each step, the world around him cracked like fragile glass, shattering into fragments until everything dissolved into an endless void. Then, without warning, he jolted awake—back in his bed, inside the familiar wooden hut. Morning light trickled through the cracks in the walls, casting faint shadows.

Was it all just a dream?

The mysterious dimension, the holy light, the suffocating darkness—had any of it been real?

Before he could dwell on it further, a voice echoed in his mind. This time, it sounded different—livelier, almost playful.

"Is this a dream too?" Javial muttered under his breath.

The voice responded, carrying a hint of amusement. "Didn't we already meet?"

Javial froze, his heart pounding. "The voice in the darkness… is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," the voice confirmed, clearly enjoying his reaction.

Javial frowned. "But that voice… it felt ancient, powerful, otherworldly. Now you sound… normal."

A trace of irritation crept into the voice. "Hey, brat! Are you saying I'm not superior?"

Javial blinked, then unexpectedly let out a chuckle. It was absurd—conversing with a mysterious entity that was now sulking like a child. But as the laughter bubbled out of him, he suddenly realized something.

When was the last time I laughed?

His past life had been drenched in blood. He had never laughed, only fought, killed, and moved on. The sensation felt foreign, almost unsettling.

"Stop laughing!" the voice snapped, clearly annoyed.

Javial cleared his throat, smothering his amusement. "Alright, alright, Mr. Superior. I won't laugh anymore."

The voice, regaining its dignity, declared, "From now on, you will call me 'Sensei.' I will be your teacher."

Javial's amusement faded, replaced by disbelief. "You… want to teach me?"

"That's right," the voice said with finality. "Didn't I tell you? You are my disciple now."

Before Javial could process the weight of those words, a voice from outside interrupted.

"Javial! What are you doing? You're supposed to be working as a sect servant now! You're already late! The seniors will punish you!"

Javial blinked, momentarily thrown back into reality. "Right… I almost forgot," he muttered. The sect's punishment was the last thing he needed right now.

But before he could move, the voice in his mind continued. "Your first test begins now."

A wave of dizziness hit him, and before he knew it, the wooden hut vanished.

Javial found himself in a vast, endless void. Unlike before, a faintly glowing portal flickered in the distance—the only beacon of light in the overwhelming darkness.

"Dammit," Javial cursed under his breath, his fists clenching. "Kangshuan just called me. What if he hears your voice? How am I supposed to explain that?"

The voice remained calm. "No one else can hear me. Only you. I'm speaking directly to your soul"

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Kangshuan shoved open the door, frustration evident on his face. "Javial! What the hell are you doing? If you don't hurry, the sect will make an example out of you!"

But It's Just javials life less body.

His consciousness was elsewhere, standing in the void.

A tense silence filled the space.

Then, the voice spoke. "Your test is simple."

Javial narrowed his eyes. "What test?"

"You must face your deepest desire."

A shiver ran down his spine. Deepest desire…?

The moment the words sank in, a flood of memories surged through his mind—memories of his past life, of the countless bodies left in his wake, of blood staining his hands.

The screams. The lifeless eyes.

Was that… truly my greatest desire?

The bitter thought left a metallic taste in his mouth.

The voice continued, "Your test isn't just to acknowledge it—you must embrace it. Only by walking through the portal with this desire in your heart will you be deemed worthy."

A cold laugh escaped Javial's lips. He had killed so many. Was the rush of bloodshed still what he craved?

Than Javial stepped into the portal.

Darkness.

For a moment, he floated in the void. Then—light.

He landed on a street slick with rain, the neon glow of signs flickering above. The scent of gasoline and damp concrete filled the air. The city.

His old world.

Javial narrowed his eyes. Why was he here?

Then, they appeared.

Figures emerging from the crowd, their faces twisted in agony. The people he had killed.

The man whose throat he slit in an alley.

The woman who had begged for her life.

The child whose sobs had echoed in his ears.

And then—the priests.

Javial's lips curled.

He had once sought them out, hoping for salvation, for a way to erase the sins clinging to his soul like rot. They had failed him.

No answers. No relief. Only meaningless words.

So he had silenced them. One by one.

And standing among them—his father.

The man who had created him. The man who had feared him. The man he had killed.

Javial's fingers twitched. His heartbeat slowed.

Then, the voice slithered into his mind.

"Abandon it, Javial."

Pain exploded through his skull.

His breath hitched. His body convulsed. It felt as though his bones were shattering, his flesh tearing apart.

And every second—the pain grew.

"Let go of your desire. Forsake your hunger."

Javial staggered. His vision blurred. His father's eyes bore into him.

The priests whispered, their voices echoing in his mind.

"You cannot escape your karma."

The pain burned.

His hands trembled. His body screamed for relief.

But to abandon his hunger—his very nature—was to die.

He exhaled.

And then, he moved.

His blade carved through flesh. A priest fell. Blood splattered onto his skin, warm and familiar.

The pain?

Gone.

A dark chuckle escaped his lips.

The priests shrieked. The city descended into chaos.

Javial turned to his father.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, there was silence. Then—Javial struck.

The blade drove deep into his father's chest. A strangled gasp. A flicker of something—regret? Acceptance? Then, the light in his father's eyes faded.

Javial sighed, rolling his shoulders. The world around him shattered.

And the voice—it laughed.

"You understand now, don't you?"

Javial's lips curled.

This was no test of restraint.

This was his willpower.

This was his true taste.