《Somewhere》 Prologue: Here Reach Mountains. Home of three sects, consolidated into one, going by the name Roaring Wave Sect. A sect was a place where martial artists that cultivated special abilities¡ªharnessing their Qi¡ªcould learn a specific discipline of both martial arts and cultivation. Cultivation was what martial artists grew within them, absorbing it from their external environments and growing, purifying, and refining their inner energies to become more powerful. Cultivation was good for many things, from growing stronger in health and aging slower to throwing around massive waves of fire and leveling mountains. Reach Mountains was on the outer edge of the Empire, led by the strongest martial artist around, the Emperor Lavender de Rosei Dramen, with the surname first and the given name last. The Lavender de Rosei family had been a powerful clan¡ªor large extended family¡ªfor quite some time. That they took control of the lands with their power was a given, as in the Murim world¡ªor the world of martial artists and cultivators¡ªit was only a given that the weak were stepped on by the strong. The strong and long-lived immortal cultivators expected the weak and fragile mortal civilians to be grateful that they would be used as a stepping stone to the cultivators¡¯ growth. Mortals, in the cultivators¡¯ gaze, did not usually have rights to breathe in their presence, let alone be left in peace. It was thus normal for individuals with talent or great looks to be taken off the streets and from their homes to become cultivators¡ªthough usually with a great deal of gold being given to their grateful and happy-for-them families. The Murim realm¡ªa higher realm than the Earthian and Qi-restricted realm¡ªwas always embroiled in wars, battles of fate, and other such things, and thus was still stuck without modern technology, all of the weak geniuses exploited and tossed away, and the strong hoarding their information with excessive greed, some taking world-changing information to their graves. It did not take long for the Earthian realm to outclass the Murim realm, however long Earth remained Qi-starved. Thus was the setting of this grand and noble tale, full of¡­ not much of anything, really. You see, the Lesser Realm had grown too logical for what was mainly an emotionally driven Higher Realm¡ªnot to be confused with the Heavenly Realm, or the Spiritual Realm. So it was quite easy for an apathetic and usually logical individual to dismiss any emotion-based arguments made against them quite quickly. Or so it had seemed. This world was one of cultivation, where one could ascend to godhood. It was extremely violent, and everyone was scheming. Thus starts the story of Undine¡ªor rather, me. My story.
Life was great. My lifeless eyes didn¡¯t take in the surroundings as I walked, my breath fogging out. The roads were slick, the sky clear. Cold bit into my flesh, numbing the broken shards of soul that lay beneath. I looked up, staring at the stars. Tap, tap, tap, tap. ShhHHHHhhh. As I walked, a car hissed past, the gray of the car perfectly matching the surroundings. The world was gray. It was gray, and I was pathetically gray right next to it. I walked on gray sidewalks down gray streets, passing gray buildings. If only it would snow, I mused quietly, my breath fogging out as I looked away from the dark skies. Then the world would be white, and I could pretend that I was the only one hurting in the world. That I was the only one suffering in these gray lands uninhabitable by all life, us included. Life was great. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I repeated the thought like it was a mantra, hands stuffed deep into my pockets. My breath once more fogged out. Had I been breathing this entire time, or was that the second breath I¡¯d had since going on this walk? I didn¡¯t know. I sighed, looking up once more. Tires shrieked at me, and I glanced to the side, surprised. There, a very white truck blared its horn loudly at me, snow still covering its hood. I could move, I mused as the truck shrieked closer, its bright white LEDs focused directly on me. My legs felt weak, and I imagined myself diving to the side. The tires of the truck ran over my legs. Not fast enough, I noted, taking a step back, hands still in my pockets. The truck hit me. The world spun, all the grays spinning together until I saw the most beautiful thing in the world. Color. I stared at the deep red for a long moment as it pooled out from me. It was beautiful, in the cold white light of the truck. To my great delight and surprise, snowflakes delicately started landing within the puddle of crimson glory. My chest shook, and I felt a bit off. Tears fell from my eyes as I saw what looked to be roadkill at the top of my vision. My gaze shifted up, leisurely, viewing my own shredded, broken, and bent arm. The hand was smeared against the pavement in chunks leading up to a mush of pinks, reds, and stained yellowy-whites. I stared at a shard of bone closing a thin cord of wire. ¡­ No, not wire, I realized duly, eyelids shifting closed before quickly opening. I didn¡¯t want to close my eyes, I thought, a deep fear born within my chest. I stared at the hand for a moment before my gaze followed the trail of chunky red leading away from my hand, across the pavement. The bright white LEDs were coming from my feet, I saw, staring at my organs. They beat and pulsed on the ground next to me, my intestines writhing. My clothing and skin was torn, legs bent oddly. How fast had he been going? I stared at my legs for a moment, almost incredulous. Then my mind grew fuzzy, and my gaze returned forward. Red. Beautiful, wonderful red, in a world of gray. Snowflakes gently fell, warming themselves as they settled on my puddle. My puddle. Mine. I finally had something that was mine. My puddle. The thought made me obscenely happy, for a moment. I¡¯m dying, my mind whispered to me. My amusement faded, and a deep-set sorrow filled me. I didn¡¯t think back on my life, I just thought of who I was now. Of who I could have been, had I not wasted so much of myself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said to the flickering and pulsing blood. The snowflakes danced with color, both blue and red. ¡°You have nothing to be sorry for,¡± A man said as he crouched. I grinned, and I bet the sight must have been terrifying. More tears fell from my face, ¡°Thanks. Hey, man, can you do me a favor?¡± I asked casually. ¡°Sure, do you want me to call family?¡± I laughed loudly, the sound that escaped me not sounding very human at all. Or very alive, like a throaty croak you would hear from a rasping zombie on TV, ¡°I have no one to call,¡± My gaze flicked up, and I met beady black eyes focused on mine from a chubby, pale face, ¡°Can you put in the work for me?¡± The man hesitated, glancing up as he reached down, muttering something into his walkie, his gaze flicking back down to me, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Improve. Don¡¯t regret not being the best version of yourself like I do,¡± I said, my smile fading, my vision unfocusing for a moment as I looked back at the blood. It¡¯s quiet a moment, then I blinked, looking back at the man, ¡°C-can you do that for me?¡± The man¡¯s face had already been pale, but it looked even paler, the man as white as the snow gently settling within my blood, my blood too cold to melt the snowflakes anymore. He visibly swallowed, eyes wide and pupils tiny as the man stared at me. I stared into his gaze for a long moment. They were dark brown, not black, I realized quietly. ¡°Sor-ry,¡± I said, the word catching in my throat. I coughed really hard for a long moment, entire body heaving, something bulbous and shiny escaping my mouth. I swallowed, but it didn¡¯t work, and I stared at the thing for a moment before everything spun violently, going dark.