Chapter 2

  "Beasts and Rebirth"

  The day the world came to a stop. The day that I wished at this moment that I had done things differently. That I could have been stronger. Maybe if I would have been given the opportunity to learn from my father at a younger age, this, none of this would be happening right now. There is also knowing that even if I learned at a young age there would still be nothing I could do at this moment. Im too weak, too fragile, I couldn’t even protect my siblings.

  One moment we were cooking dinner, preparing to do as we had always done. Eat, play some games and once everyone was down for the night I would go out in the woods and practice the things grandfather had left me. This was not like any other normal day though we would soon find out.

  TANG-JIUNG’S POV

  We all heard it as we were eating dinner, some dumplings that were homemade, everyone’s favorite. Blood curdling screams, loud enough to make all of us stop eating. I instinctively jumped up and told everyone to stay inside and do not come outside no matter what they hear. As I walk through the threshold of our front door, I was stopped in my tracks. There was nobody there stopping me from moving. The view I could see would cause fear to shake me to my core, as I gasp for air and realize that I stopped breathing out of fear I quickly came to senses. What am I seeing, why is the sky bright red? ARE THOSE DRAGONS!?!? As I see people running down the street in horror, some bleeding, some missing limbs, blood scattered all over the road.

  Rain drops? Now its raining, but how theres no clouds? As I look down at my arm and see that its not rain, it is blood that is raining down from the sky, I look up and see what I can only assume are dragons with people hanging out of their mouths. I hear people screaming to head to the Tang clan. Is this a war with the demonic cult? Did the unorthodox and demonic cults use some type of withcraft to summon these creatures? What the hell is going on? What do I do?

  Running seems useless, there are wolf like creatures, huge beasts that are green with huge tusks coming out of their mouth, skeletons, things that look like birds with human faces. All sorts or beasts that I don’t recognize wreaking havoc, chasing people down. I turn back inside and tell my siblings to all hide and be qui…..*STAB*

  I look down and see it, a sword sticking right through my chest. My own blood covering the tip of the sword dripping slowly down on our floor.

  RUUUUUUNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  I scream to my siblings as the sword is slowly pulled out, I hear the screams of my siblings, as I turn around and fall to my knees. Hands covered in blood I pull the hair out of my eyes and look at up, and there it is. A thing I can only describe as a black shadow, bright red eyes only visible through the slit that is on his helmet, deep black hair flowing out from under the helmet, body armor black as night yet shining. This man made my grandfather look like a toddler. A long broadsword the being shoved into the ground in front of me. I couldn’t speak, the being also didn’t speak. This isn’t a man, this is a monster! All I can think about right now are my siblings, did they get away? I hope they can survive and live on and accomplish the things they dream about. I wonder if this is how my father...*you hear slice of a broad sword swing across through air as Tang Jiung’s head goes flying off*

  Death is quiet, there is no parade, no party with other relatives. Just silence, an eery silence that is worse than hearing the screams from all the people dying at the hands of those beasts. So this is the afterlife huh? I hear those old monks talk about reincarnation, but if I’m being honest I don’t know if I want to be reincarnated into world full of what ever the hell those things were. I’ll pass on that. This isn’t so bad though, I feel like I am drifting down a river, although I cant see, smell, hear anything.

  In that moment Tang Jiung sees what could only be described as a bright white light in front of him. In this moment Jiung is reincarnated, but not into an infant rather a young boy that was in the hospital and had just recently passed due to pneumonia.

  *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*

  What the hell was that? I was just floating in nothingness after getting my head sliced clean off. I saw that light and now I feel like im laying in a bed. Was it all a bad dream? *Tang Jiung opens his eyes slowly* What and where am I? This isnt my home, in fact I don’t know what any of this is. What is this thing stuck in my arm. I pull out the needle stuck in my arm and all the sudden I see these people rushing into my room. “OH MY GOD!” “THANK GOD YOU ARE OKAY!” “How did this happen?” “How is he awake?” “Doctor is he okay?” “I thought you said that he wasn’t going to make it?”

  Not going to make it?!? What the hell is this lady on about. A doctor? Since when was I in the hospital. Why does this lady have her arms around me and crying into my stomach. Why the hell are they shoving this needle back in arm. Wait WHY AM I SO DAMN TINY?!?!?!? Okay, let us calm down and try and figure out exactly what is going on. Although I cant hear whats going on with this woman acting all frantic and crying. I’ll just shut my eyes again and see if it all goes away maybe this is a bad dream. “OH NO NURSE I THINK HES GOING BACK INTO COMA!!!! Good lord lady would you stop screaming in my ear.

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  I guess ill just open my eyes again so this psychopath quiets down, shes giving me a headache. I want to ask questions, but seems like I can talk when I have this PIPE DOWN MY DAMN THROAT!

  The next two days went on like this for Tang-Jiung, doctors and nurses in and out of the room he was in. His now parents crying and constantly checking that he didn’t fall back into coma every time he shut his eyes. He did learn some important pieces of information. His name wasn’t Jiung anymore. His name was Blue, and that lady, well she isn’t a psychopath but rather his mom, and that man that usually stands emotionless in the corner with his arms folded was his father.

  Okay, so that’s my mother and father now. So I did reincarnate, damn old crazy monks were right. It doesn’t seem like I’m in murim though. I still have my memories from murim as well, I wonder if my siblings got away, or if they met the same fate as me. I can’t imagine anyone surviving that mess. I should focus on figuring out where I am, and try my best to assimilate into this new body. From what I’ve gathered from hearing the doctors and this body’s mom and dad. This body I’ve reincarnated into had been in coma due to pneumonia. So did this young kid die? Did I take over his body somehow? I have so many questions that I wont be able to find answers to. This is seriously annoying.

  A week later Blue is released from the hospital, and is confronted with his new life. New parents, new unfamiliar place, and a yet the same outlook and same aspirations and dreams as before.

  “Dinner time hunny!” my mother yells as I sit on the edge of this bed staring at the stuff in this kids room. As I sit at this table and eat, and seeing this woman staring at me and smiling, and this man being totally indifferent, I wonder if I can do this. This house is huge, the city we drove through on the way here were completely different from the murim I knew. Also I’m in my twenties and have to pretend to be some 5 year old kid. “how was the food darling? If you still don’t feel too good you can head on into your room, ill bring you a snack later.”

  I now sit here in this room full of toys, posters, and this black box sitting on top of a dresser. I still don’t know what it is or how it works. There are books though, maybe ill just read some of these books. There is not much else I can do trapped in this room. I can’t survive in this world on my own, yet I can’t get myself to call these people mother and father. I will have to figure out a way past that, they are my only means of survival at the moment.

  Comic books, these things called comic books are fun. A lot of pictures and fight scenes. Not too many words, I suppose this kid used to just look at the pictures and imagine himself in the stories. I think that’s enough of flipping through these things for now, maybe ill explore the house and see if I can find anything helpful. I guess I’ll go ask David if he can get me some water. I should probably call him dad though right? It just sounds so weird to call him dad when I can still picture my father. Would father want me to move on? Would he be okay with me now calling this man dad?

  Hey, could I please get some water? Ahhh a way to get what I want without making it weird for myself. “Sure buddy.” As David gets up to get some water I can see him also reading something. MURIM??? What the hell is this? Why is he reading about my world. "Ummmm...what is this?" Iask as I hold up the book hes reading. “Oh that, that’s called manwha, its something I like to read in my quiet time, go ahead and flip through some pages while I grab your water.”

  As I flip through the pages and read, this is with out a doubt murim. He’s reading about the heavenly demon. What in the world in going on? Did I reincarnate into the future, does murim exist in this world. Is this a history of murim? Wait, does this book talk about the gates and the beings that came out and destroyed everything? Nope, doesn’t seem like it. “Looks like martial arts caught your eye too huh?” my father exclaimed. The first time I’ve seen a smile from this man is when he mentioned martial arts. “Uhh, it looks fun” I remark.

  In my head though, Of course martial arts caught my eye you fool, I'm the son of the once young leader of the Tang clan...or i was. I cant call him a fool though, I also cant let on that I’m not 5 years old. “Uhh is this stuff real? Does this place exist?” I ask enthusiastically, with a slight glimmer of hope in my eyes that my home is near here. “No son, its all made up. There are people who come up with stories like this for fun. Its fun to pretend it exists, or think about being able to use qi and fight like this though. Here’s your water, why don’t you take it back upstairs with you.”

  MADE UP...FOR FUN…PRETEND!!!!!!!!

  These words wont leave my head as I walk back upstairs into my room with glass of water in tow. So I live in a place where they read about murim, and it doesn’t actually exist. I can not fathom how the hell I got to this place. Did others like me come from murim and reincarnate into this place. How would I even figure out that? I can’t just go around asking everyone, Hey are you from murim? They would call me crazy.

  Wait? Qi? Can I circulate qi in this world. I still know the breathing technique grandfather taught me. I suppose we can try, most children around 5 start learning how to circulate their qi into their dantians in murim anyway. I suppose it wont hurt to try.

  Tang-Jiung, or Blue as he is now known then decided to clear a place in the middle of his room, and sit with his legs crossed, eyes closed. He began breathing as grandfather instructed him, focusing on every breath and drawing the innate qi in his body and gathering and directing it to his dantian.

  HOLY SHIT! I yelled out loud. “Hunny, are you okay?” I can hear that psychopath yelling from down stairs. I guess I said that a little too loud. I’m fine I yelled back. I did it, it may only be less than the size of a pea, but there is a minuscule amount of qi in this body and I managed to gather it. If we aren’t in murim though, that means that there aren’t any elixirs, or refiners who can make pills to add to my qi.

  *Blue scrathes his head or tries to as his little arms barely reach his head* I guess I will have to continue breathing and gathering the innate qi in this body into my dantian over time. Although its very little it should still prove to make me quite stronger than anyone my own age. Also I can start practicing the basic martial arts of the Tang clan. Since it seems like this kid’s mom and dad leave him alone in his room and don’t really bother him.

  Maybe, just maybe I can live out my dream of being a martial artist in this weird place. I suppose if that’s the case I may have to give in and call these people mother and father. This is my chance at a second life, my chance to live out my dreams of being a martial artist like my father and grandfather. While I practice in secret, I should also try and get all the information I can about this place I’ve reincarnated to and assimilate myself to it. Since it seems as though I’ve been given a second opportunity I cant let it go to waste. Father, if you can see me or hear me i hope you wont mind if i call these people mother and father. They seem like good people who love their son, and i dont think ill ever get to see Chengdu or the tang clan ever again. I miss you and grandfather and all my siblings, *Blue clenches his fist out in front of him* but i am going to make the best out of the opportunity in front of me!