Dancing on the golden ashes

The voice in my head terrified me. It felt familiar, yet I'd never heard it before in my life—or had I?

"Gaon, wake up, this is not the time to play around. You must come back fast!"

"What? Where? Who's talking?" I looked around desperately, hoping to spot a camera or some sign that this was all just a bad prank—a TV show or a metube stunt. But if this was reality, I must have gone completely mad from being alone for so long.

Then the voice vanished, leaving me with an unsettling message that something important had slipped my mind. But what in the world could I have forgotten?

I sat down on my bed and hugged my knees, unable to stop the tears from flowing. "I'm afraid..." I whispered through my trembling voice. I couldn't stop shaking—this was too much, far too much! Yet something deep in my heart urged me to pull myself together. What was that feeling? It was as if I had been brave before. When had I ever been truly brave? Sure, I had been bold during the tournament, striding out with my head held high, but fate had shattered my hopes. It had crushed everything I once believed in. So why—why was it like this now?

"Help... somebody help me... I can't go on... I—I can't..." I pleaded with the empty room. Part of me longed for the release of death, but I was also scared to take that final step. I glanced out the window. The outside was starting to darken, with only a few distant lights still fighting against the night. Overall, everything looked shrouded in darkness. I was utterly alone... Why?

I wept all night, unable to shake the tumult of emotions that gripped my heart. It held me captive, as if I'd been thrown into a dark prison—a realm where no light shone. This place was within me, a shadowed corner of my own heart that gripped and shackled me. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire

I suppose the fear of being utterly alone was buried deep inside, and no matter how hard I tried to deny it or convince everyone, and even myself, that I was fine on my own, at the end of the day, I couldn't escape the loneliness. I was just me—a broken soul, teetering on the edge of madness for months, even forgetting who I was or what had transpired... Hahaha... How pathetic you are, Gaon.

Just look at yourself, huddled in the corner, crying your heart out. For what? Hoping that someone might come for you? No—nobody ever did, and nobody ever will. You're alone; that's your fate, and you'll remain this way forever. So why not accept it and move forward? Yes, that's it—I've got to accept it. I will accept that I'm alone, but if fate ever offers me a friend, I'll treasure them with every breath. I'll live and die for them.

Something in my heart vibrated at that moment—unfamiliar faces rushed into my mind, though I couldn't place where I'd seen them before. What were their names? I wiped my tears away and looked ahead. On my desk sat a cute figurine of a fox—I love foxes; they're so adorable. But then, why did I feel like I was forgetting something? Why did the word 'Malrang' keep repeating in my head like a broken record? It was just a single word meaning 'squishy,' yet somehow it compelled me to step away from my bed.

I stood up and examined myself again. My hands felt different—perhaps even stronger. Why was that? I could sense that something deep within me was begging to be released, though I had no idea how to set it free...

What am I missing? I tried to remember—what did I even forget? I could swear that some important piece of information had vanished from my mind...

Remember... remember...

"You're too far gone..." Suddenly, that eerie voice echoed in my mind once again, and this time I knew I wasn't hallucinating.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I asked desperately. For some reason, my instincts screamed that this voice held the key to my memories—the key to untangling this mystery.

"Finally, you've calmed down. I suppose I've misjudged you once more. It's time to go back—the system is slowly recovering. And know this: this world will crumble if you accidentally release your power here, so I've sealed your cultivation base for the time being. At your current strength, you might not survive the impact of a planetary explosion."

"Excuse me, what? Okay, no, I've gone crazy. What system? What powers? This must be the side effect of playing video games all day—there's no way I'm hearing voices that claim I have some secret powers, haha." I laughed loudly to myself, even grabbing my belly. Yeah, I was clearly losing it.

"I wish I could just slap you right now, but it seems the situation is more dire than I imagined. You've lost all your memories... Is that my fault or the system's fault?" The eerie voice echoed in my mind, its tone unnervingly familiar—as if it were speaking in my own voice. Why else would a voice speak inside me unless I was completely insane? Or unless it belonged to someone else?

Suddenly, something inside me exploded; I could feel a force rising from within.

"Let's try giving you 1% of your soul powers back... hope that won't break this place..."

After those words, my head began to spin, and soon the walls of my room started to shake. It was as if a strong earthquake had suddenly hit, causing everything in my room to fall, while I felt my body growing lighter with each passing moment.

BOOM!

The windows exploded, and I felt the power wash over me—as if the gentlest spring water were cascading down, cooling me off. And then it hit me: the word 'Malrang' wasn't just any word. It was a name!

"Malrang!" The image of a purple fox burst into my mind, and in that instant, everything became clear. I hadn't gone crazy at all—I had simply forgotten the world I truly belonged to...