Darkness.
Heavy, suffocating, and absolute.
I don't remember how I died.
One moment, there was the scent of blood, the hum of the Void Lotus blooming under my feet, the world splitting like parchment around my sword.
Then… silence. And cold.
I thought I had ascended.
That I'd stepped beyond the Path of All Things.
But instead, I heard a child crying.
A sharp tug pulled at Jin Wushen's lungs. He gasped, or tried to, but all he could manage was a series of hoarse, squawking hiccups. His body felt small, no, not just small. Wrong.
He forced his eyes open.
A blinding white ceiling hovered above him, interspersed with moving shadows. His spiritual sense - dulled, or rather, not at all there, shackled, weak, he could barely pierce a foot beyond his skin.
He felt nothing. No Qi flow, no essence lines, no trace of Dao.
And then two faces leaned over him. One male. One female. Both unfamiliar.
They were smiling.
Their eyes welled with emotion, joy, relief - something raw and unfiltered. The woman clutched him gently, wrapped in soft blankets and the scent of milk and antiseptic. He tried to summon strength to move, to draw breath through his dantian, to repel them with a wave of divine might.
He raised his hand.
Except… he didn't. What rose was a stump the size of his old finger. Pudgy. Useless.
What in the Nine Hells is this?!
He flailed, panicking, trying to twist or roll out of the blanket. His muscles didn't respond. His core was empty. His spine was jelly.
The woman laughed softly. "He's strong already."
The man kissed her forehead. "Takes after his mother."
"You jest."
No. No, this couldn't be. I was Jin Wushen. The Pillar of Heaven. The Endless Blade. The man who killed gods and sundered stars.
I did not claw my way up the Dao of Eternity to end up a crying bundle of-
[DING]
A screen flashed into existence in front of him, bright and translucent, hovering just above his blurred vision.
Name: Jin Wushen
Level: 1
Age: 5 minutes (and counting)
HP: 5 / 5
Abilities:
- Burp
- Cry
- Toot (Passive)
...What.
What is this mockery? Where's my Heaven-Severing Sword Art? My Infinite Soul Flame?
He tried to speak, to form a thought out loud. He wanted to roar, to demand answers from the heavens that had betrayed him.
"WwwaaaAAAAAAHHHH!"
That came out instead. A full-bodied, red-faced wail.
The woman clutched him tighter, cooing gently.
"Shh, shh… He's confused. Just came into the world."
"You did so well, my little one," the man whispered. "Welcome home, Jin."
No. I demand an audience with the heavens. I was supposed to ascend!
This... this is not a reincarnation. This is punishment.
The system screen flickered again, like it was laughing at him.
Another line appeared under "Abilities":
[Skill Progression Unlocked]
A/n: This just the first chapter. Next oncoming chapters be big. Hopefully 2k-4k words . Can't promise but I'll try to keep the updates fast. Follow the story ;)