Glowing Devil!

<<<[system reboot]>>>

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[Do you wish to continue?]

[yes/no]

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[{input/sequence}//no selected//]

[Are you sure?]

[yes/no]

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[{input/sequence}// yes selected//]

[digitalizing...transmigrating]

[loading_world]

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{//loading complete//}

//.Status.// satisfactory

//.device.agnostic.//...running

//.security.//.secure

<<firewall_breached>>

System~~ Greetings host. It's nice to see you in full consciousness.How may I assist you?

Host.name_unavailable: What is this? Who are you? And um...where am I?!

System~~ Let me assist you. I'm gathering information...information gathered. Username not available. What is your username?

Host.name_unavailable: Username...you mean my name?

System~~ Affirmative. What is your name?

Host.name_unavailable: My name is Xuhuan. Now...what is this? I still seem to be alive despite my request...

System~~ [updating database...] Xuhuan. You were confirmed deceased on December 1st. 10:05 pm. Cause of death...gunshot. Alright, Xuhuan, you are neither alive nor dead. This is the Nudiempyrean Realm. Or dimension if that's what you prefer. It simply means the day before yesterday's highest heaven. You may call it Past heaven, I guess.

Xuhuan: I'm still confused. I'm pretty sure this is all in my head... None of this makes sense in the first place.

[Transmigrating system]

System~~ Well, Xuhuan. Now that I am in a physical form, does anything make any more sense than before?

Xuhuan: No. I don't understand how you suddenly becoming "human" or whatever physical form this is would help me understand anything. Please elaborate for the sake of my sanity.

System~~ Ah- Um...well. Regarding your wishes to not perpetuate life, you were transmigrated into a virtual world. Albeit this is a physical world, the best way I am able to describe it is virtual. To the realm of the living, this world simply does not subsist. One can only fathom its existence without concrete proof. This realm is currently inaccessible to such a minuscule minded species of man. Only those who are culled may enter and perpetuate thriving in the luscious life of Nudiempyrean.

Xuhuan: I'm sorry, what? Dumb it down a bit, please. And why was I chosen?

System~~ Sigh- Since you've been given a second chance in life and you've refused it, I've decided to bring you here. Death is far more frightening than this. Trust me. And I've just chosen you because you're cute. Also, off-topic, but please give me a name. I am your personalized system. Feel free to do as you please with me. But be gentle o///o

Xuhuan sat down on the ground and stared at the system. He furrowed his brow and stared at the oddly saturated grass beneath him. He observed the dew on the blades of grass. He ruffled his hair and looked at the system.

Xuhuan: You want a name? How about Rashi. Short for Kawairashi. It's gender-neutral if you're comfortable with that.

Xuhuan smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth and pointy canines. His baby pink cheeks can be seen from underneath his bangs. The light reflecting off his hair.

Rashi~~ To my understanding that can be roughly be translated to 'adorable', right? I like it. Although with the shimmery scenery and the wind flowing, this is starting to seem like a boys' love, is it not? Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with it...but I just didn't expect it to go like this with you just meeting me. Or am I reading too much into this?

Xuhuan: I don't know, Rashi. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. But yes, your new name does in fact mean adorable. I think it's your eyes. They're really pretty.

Rashi~~ o///o Oh. Well, thank you. I appreciate it.

Xuhuan smiled and looked into the sky. The scarce clouds, the stars brightly shining despite it being broad daylight. Everything here was so ethereal. Instead of calling this place Nudiempyrean, you might as well just call it Etherealm. Cheesy, but it fits it so well.

Xuhuan: Hey, Rashi...take me to the city. I wanna see what we're working with...

I don't really care what I'm here for, I'm just happy to be here. It's...so calm it's almost perfect, but I can sense that it's nowhere near that. It's different...very different. I think I already love it though.

Rashi~~ Xuhuan. Are you ready to go? I can take you to the city. Just stand next to me, or hold my hand- uwu

Xuhuan stared at Rashi for a moment. Then he stood up and brushed himself off, and took Rashi's hand.

Let's go.

A week later-

After a week of living here, in retrospect, things arent so bad. Rashi and I are roommates, we managed to find a nice apartment and we share it with another guy. His name is... what's his name? I apologize, I'm terrible with names so please bear with me.

Anyways, the city that I'm currently living in is called Shenghuo City. It's extremely beautiful here. The vibrant colors of Chinese magnolia and blue cherry blossoms complement the undertone of the dark colored scenery. There is an old wisteria tree, in the center of town. Rashi told me that it symbolizes love and is the heart of this realm. The tree is over 245 years old and has been here before the town was built around it. There is a strange glow to it, its very alluring. I think it has something to do with it being the heart of this realm. Shenghuo is also very tight with security, maybe it's because people are stupid and do dumb things. Matter of fact...

I sat up on the couch I was laying on. The living room isn't huge, but it's a suitable size for at least 5 people. So, I guess it's pretty big. I sat up and stretched my arms. I yawned and ruffled my hair, pulling it back into a ponytail and letting it go. My hair decided not to cooperate and went back to its original position.

"Hey, Rashi."

Rashi appeared behind me and laid his head on mine.

"Yes?"

He ruffled my hair with his hand.

"What is the wisteria tree for? Like, why is it there? I meant to ask you about it yesterday. I think it was glowing too."

"Oh, the Wisteria tree is the heart of this realm. It's what allows this realm to thrive. It was sealed here with the soul of Zheng-Ye, a mage, and creator of Nudiempyrean. The glow is proof of her powers to protect the tree itself, and all those in this world. (Not that I've seen it myself) It's what allows everyone to live in peace, under her magic and a contract made hundreds of years ago. Of course, there will not be eternal peace. There will be negativity floating around and people being plain stupid and ignorant. Anyways, without the tree, the seal is broken, and, from what I know, black rukh will flood this realm."

"And rukh is our energy, right?"

"Yes, yes it is. Black rukh is pure evil. The grey rukh that you see here and there is just plain negativity."

"Negativity huh..."

A few hours later I found myself lost in my thoughts. I stared at the home screen of my phone and sighed. I wasn't sad or anything, I was just thinking. I kept thinking about the wisteria tree. It kept repeating over and over in my head for whatever reason. I picked up my phone and bit my thumb on my other hand. I went to Googal but forgot what I was supposed to be searching for. I silently thought to myself while biting my thumb.

Hm...should I try to see what the glow is about? Or should I just explore... I don't know. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the pillow. I sighed out of boredom and finger-combed my hair. The apartment was pretty quiet, except for Rashi taking a shower. The droplets of water hitting the porcelain tub calmed me. It reminded me of home though. I remembered the stormy nights when the rain lightly tapped on our stone steps. The leaves rustling in the wind. The stormy gray clouds swirling with excitement, releasing everything they've built up for weeks.

I'll admit it, I miss home. I miss my dysfunctional perfect family. They were so focused on being perfect, they were so hard on themselves...I wish they could just relax. Maybe they could've created a world to escape...a world to escape...? This..world-

"Yo."

I was startled by my other roommate.

"Oh, hey." I raised my head and my hair fell in front of my face. I don't remember his name clearly. Even after a week of knowing him...somewhat.

I looked at him and mustered up a smile. "Hey um...would I mind telling me your name again? I apologize for not remembering it."

He looked at me as if somebody had just destroyed the Wisteria tree. I think I may have pissed him off. Or maybe he's just Confused? I don't know. I hate feeling like I accidentally pissed someone off and not know how I did it. "D-did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to offend you."

He still stared at me blankly, almost in disbelief. Maybe it's because people don't forget his name? I don't know. He walked away, leaving me on the couch confused. He went into the kitchen, grabbed a soda, and came back. He examined the soda before opening it. He smiled at the sound of the pop once it was opened. He took a sip, then put his gaze back on me. He closed his eyes and sighed before speaking.

"The name's Deodan. And you're Xuhuan." He looked off to the side while taking a sip of his soda. "At least I remembered your name. After all, I am living under the same roof as you. It's just disrespectful and rude not to, in my eyes at least." He took another sip of soda and choked this time. His eyes widened out of embarrassment and surprise. He coughed into his arm and repeatedly hit his chest.

"Ahem. Ugh...excuse me."

He wiped his mouth with his hand and walked back to the kitchen to get a napkin. He came back out with the crumpled napkin. "I'll be going to my room. I forgot what I had wanted to ask you in the first place." "It's fine. And sorry about forgetting your name, deodorant." The way he turned around-

It was like he teleported in front of me, that's how fast he moved. "Don't call me deodorant. It's Deodan. D-e-o-d-a-n." I snorted trying to hold in my laugh. "Ok boomer."

"I'M 18!! I'M NOT A BOOMER! WHO ARE YOU TO CALL ME A BOOMER?! oK bOOmEr!"

I waved my hands around frantically. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was a joke." He sheepishly smiled and finger curled the tips of his hair. "I'm just messing with ya. No harm is done. Apology accepted though." He walked upstairs to his room.

Well...that was a bit weird. Deodan huh... I repositioned myself on the couch so that my head was on the arm again. I took my phone out, checked the time, and closed my eyes. In my head, I said 'Rashi, I'm going to sleep.' If you didn't know, Rashi and I are telepathically connected, but only if I mention his name. It came with the whole host x system thing...Not as a ship!! >.<" I swear! It's just...some type of connection thing.

I think that I'll be able to explain it better in the future. I'm still figuring out things myself.

* * * * * * *

"Hey...who are you? W-wait!" I stretched my arm out in front of me. My vision was blurred and foggy. The figure in front of me left me on the ground, confused. They walked away as I called for them. They were ignoring me. I stood up and tripped off of my own foot. I ran towards them, calling them to get their attention. Everything was fuzzy, and I couldn't tell where I was. I'm pretty sure I was laying on the couch...so how...just how did this happen?

"Hey! Wait!" I yelled the loudest I could...yet they still couldn't hear me. I ran after them, and they finally turned around and smiled. She mouthed something, and I'm pretty sure it said 'Sing me'. Don't ask me what that means because I have no clue. It didn't even make sense. After that, she disappeared... like how everybody basically disintegrated in Endgame. I stood there in disbelief and awe. All that was left of her was a silk hanfu and a jade hairpin.

I picked it up and folded it neatly, and put the pin in my pocket. I sighed and closed my eyes for a second. My vision was still a bit blurry, but not as much as before. I played with my hair while thinking about what my next move should be. I couldn't tell where I was, everything was unfamiliar, and it was dark. I turned my body to look behind me and the wisteria tree was there.

"Okay, okay, I have been sober for a month...what the hell is going on?! Maybe I hit my head...everything is so...trippy." I stared at the tree for a minute or two. Just observing it. A wind blew its long branches, and soon enough, it too had disappeared like the woman. Everything was falling apart. The tree was withering away, it no longer had its glow, everything became covered with this pitch-black darkness. And then it dawned on me.

My heart began racing and so did my thoughts. "The...the rukh?!" My hands and legs were trembling. "S-sing me...no...that doesnt even make sense. Zheng Ye. Zheng Ye...now how the hell...ugh. This isn't good." I have to leave. Now.

I looked around, but there was nowhere to go, the darkness was engulfing everything, and soon it'd take me too. I yelled for it to stop, but I knew it was pointless. What could I possibly do against any of this? I fell to my knees almost crying. What...what is this?

I closed my eyes and accepted the inevitable defeat.

Maybe I should've just stayed home, where I belonged. No...I hated it there, I'm happy now, right? I think I am...

I watched everything around me disappear as I also disappeared myself. It was so dark that I couldn't see my own feet. This...can't be the rukh Rashi mentioned, can it? Speaking of Rashi... can't I summon him?

I took a breath and closed my eyes. I tried to summon Rashi, but I couldn't sense him. A hot tear streamed down my face. I started overthinking about the various possibilities, like what if I never leave this place? Would I just rot here? I don't even know what brought me here...I must've done something wrong. Ugh...it's probably because I left home. I lay down on my back and stared into the neverending darkness that surrounded me.

I dried my face to no avail. Tears just kept streaming down uncontrollably.

"Mom...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you. It was incredibly selfish...given the chance to come back and I declined...I have no idea how you're coping with this, and I'm sorry...I... I'm sorry I wasn't perfect enough. I'm sorry for failing as a son...as a brother...nephew...as a decent human being. I-I'm sorry..." I facepalmed myself, still crying. "Tch. Look at me, so pathetic. I'm just rambling nonsense...it's not like she can hear me." I chuckled and wiped my eyes. I softly whispered to myself "It's probably better this way...maybe."

I closed my eyes again. I sighed and tried to calm my racing thoughts and nerves.

When I opened them everything was...normal. Or at least I thought it was. I was where I had first arrived...a week earlier. When I had first met Rashi. Something felt off, but I couldn't tell what it was. There wasn't any rukh. At all. This made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I was just about to be swallowed in black rukh...but now all of it suddenly wants to disappear.

Confused, I sat down and thought, 'Holy crap I must be asleep. What a weird dream...' I wonder if I can do anything special since this is a dream. If...it was a dream. I thought of myself being back home, with my family. Just seeing them there, it released some stress...even though it's fake, it still gave me some relief.

In the distance, I could hear my name be called, following a loud screech.

This is a dream...it has to be. I couldnt magically end up here if I was just asleep on the couch. In the near distance I heard my name being called. It was more of an echo, but I could tell that they were close. I looked around, but couldnt see anybody.

It was all so weird.

Everything fell apart.

The world simply disintegrated and I fell in.

I woke up in a cold sweat on the couch. I was a little dazed from waking up so abruptly. In the background I heard my name being called. It sounded like Rashi's voice. I took a deep breathe and exhaled. I was about to stand up when I noticed that Zheng Ye's hanfu was on my lap.

I stared at it dumbfoundedly. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. It made little to no sense, unless it had somehow transmigrated just like I did.

I hesitated to stand since I was stuck in my thoughts. How the hanfu got here is a mystery to me...it still isnt exactly clear to me about how I got here either.

As time passes, I guess I'll eventually figure it out.

I stood up and slung the hanfu over my shoulder. I walked upstairs to my room and placed the hanfu on my dresser. I placed the hairpin on top. I sat down on my bed, which is to the left of my dresser. I lay flat down on my back. I groaned and rolled to my side, where my tv is. It's also where my remote is. I reached for my remote and turned on the tv. I flipped through the channels until the news caught my attention. It had looked like the wisteria tree. Or maybe just a clone or something. It didnt look like it was glowing, or maybe it was just me that could see the glow. Who knows, I could be seeing things. That seems like a stretch though...Im literally in a world where I can summon somebody, and I just randomly ended up here.

I continued to flip through the channels and concluded that nothing worth watching was on. I stood up from my bed and grabbed my phone. I put it in my pocket as I walked out of my room to go to Rashi's. I knocked on his door once before opening it.

"Hey Rash-" I may have accidentally walked in on a half-naked Deodan...wearing a skirt?

He side-eyed me. "You've been living here for a week and you still dont know your way around the house? I don't know if you noticed or not, but Rashi's room is in the opposite direction. Unless you wanted to talk to me...?"

Now that I think about it I want to ask him why he's wearing a skirt...

"Are you deaf? Wait what are you staring at!?"

"Skirt..." I pointed to the skirt. "I was wondering why you were wearing a skirt."

Deodan pushed his hair back and slightly blushed. "Skirt- It's called a shendyt, you uncultured swine. A kilt like garment originating from ancient Egypt. I like to keep the tradition going, so I don't mind wearing this."

"Oh." I smiled. "I like it. I think it suits you."

Deodan fastened the belt around his shendyt and put on his sandals. "Yeah? I think it suits me too. That's why I wear it. Now uh...would you let me finish?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Sorry for barging in." Deodan waved his hand, almost shooing me away."Its whatever. Just learn the layout of the house."

I closed his door behind myself. I wonder if he knows anything about Zheng Ye, or the Wisteria. He's been here longer than me, so he should, right?