Chương 457: Songs of Survival (IV)

Alright, you broken brain. Work with me here. I did not kill all those people and animals and whatnot. There was no intent, no aim, no want, no desire, no nothing but the sheer instinct to survive and random chance that it got reflected in that direction. Maybe if I'd been a bit more cautious in the approach, it might have been different, but I somehow suspect that the white ape would have detonated that thing no matter what we did, outside of killing it without ever being seen. Those deaths were not my fault....

well, it's kind of working, I suppose. I'm not going catatonic; I'm not losing my mind, merely feeling some guilt. And, hey, I'll take it. Alright, before losing it any further, let's distract myself with the rewards--except that specific one about intents and killing and such, which I'll shelve to the back of my mind for a good while. I fetched out the strange stone that I was given.... well, it was a rock. Not even a pretty one, to be honest.

Just a touch smaller than my palm, it was dark ashen in color, its edges rough and jagged, with not a touch of anything mythical. If I were at a carnival and paid the roulette for a reward, and somebody gave me this? I'd have thrown it right at their head. Not that I could throw it at the system's head even if I wanted to, but I don't think it would have given me just a random rock. Sensing within, though, revealed nothing else, either; it was just... a rock. Not even a pretty one.

Was the fact it somehow existed for so long the only unique thing about it? I'm not sure. If it were, the system would not have told me to study it. Yet, study as I may, I could glean nothing from it. Oh well. I did have a few monsters on my side; maybe they'll have more luck. The next up was the major trait--and boy was I happy to see it. The system explicitly said a singular blow--so it was likely that it literally had no restrictions.

Now that my primary 'Oh shit' item is effectively defunct for who knows how long, this is basically the last line of defense. When all else fails.... and now, there's this. The 'mirror' turned out to be a shell--now cracked. Or, well, a piece of one. A very tiny piece, from the looks of it. It was rather smooth and cool to touch (crack notwithstanding) and was starkly emerald in hue. Unnaturally so. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Holding it brought up quite a lot of emotions in me--it was one of the first things I 'earned' in this world, and it has not only saved my life twice now, but it has also always been that which gave me just enough confidence to go along with some of the more outrageous parts of our journey here. Though I had my suspicions that it wasn't just any random item, what it turned out to be was... heavy. But also dangerous. Because I recognized the name 'Xuanwu'.

I'd been noticing them here and there, but there were remnants of things clearly of Earth's origin in this world. They were rare, yes, but they existed. And this one's simply the latest of them. Xuanwu is one of the Four Symbols in Chinese mythology, a turtle entwined with a snake. Now, is it possibly just a coincidence? I mean, if it had just been the name, then maybe. But it was far too distinctive--both in the name as well as the way the system described the 'gift'.

I didn't think this place had any actual connection to Earth, especially when I first traveled through the wormhole and caught a glimpse of what lay beyond the blue skies. But now... I mean, no, there is an actual connection--me. Though I never marinated much on how exactly I wound up here (where and when it may be), I... might have to start thinking. Not that it would do me any good, honestly--the only one who might know the answer would be the system. Or whoever's behind it.

Was I just a random coincidence drawn up from some phantom memory of the Earth, where the dragged-out atoms of thought somehow were the exact match to mine? Was it just some magic that sought some half-broken figure from the distant past to come here and try? I do have one hint that I've been sitting on--back in the mines, when I met that King who was older than most things but younger than some concepts, he mentioned something in passing that rattled me: the term 'Travelers'. Not Traveler, but Travelers. Plural.

He also did mention that he never did know who would come, which meant that 'me' was a different person at different points in time. They all likely had the system, but did that mean they were all from Earth? Or maybe were just some of them from Earth? The connections are in layers of multitudes yet remain hidden. I can't really discern much (if anything) past just wildly guessing based on the few assumed facts. The same way King mentioned that none of us would exist without Dao.

Does that mean that Dao, in some form, existed on Earth, as well?... I don't know. Rummaging through my thoughts only caused the headache to balloon a bit, so I stopped. I needn't answers, not yet anyway. I know my role, and I know my wants, and I will live by them for as long as I can. Maybe Xuanwu is the same one as the one on Earth; maybe they have nothing in common. Maybe the world 'Travelers' had a completely different meaning to the King than it does to me. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

It's a song with a discordant melody and one that never seems to end. Packing away the thoughts that emerged, I stretched and recalibrated. At the very least, now I know where north is. Though I'm deathly worried about Xi Zhao, I don't think he's actually dead; I'm pretty sure that the system would have notified me if anything extreme happened to him. I'll just hope he'll survive the perils of this place and meet me.

This is sort of a crucible for all of us--now that they're without me and I'm without them, can we not only survive but also thrive? Well, I'm sure they can. I was merely the kindling to their fire--but that kindling could have been anyone or anything. All they ever needed was a small push, and they would have burned as brightly as they do right now regardless. That just leaves me. Shorn of Disciples, and now the mirror... can I participate rather than just observe? It's time, I think.

But first, there are some arts that I need to make before I once again get distracted and forget.