One-Eyed Monster

No one expected such a thing to happen.

It seemed that this time, Igor had truly crushed the Dark Force, and the impact was tremendous.

These Puppet Soldiers had started to rout on their own. Their formation was crumbling without any need for an attack from Igor’s side.

Instead, the entire Inner World was suddenly filled with countless wails and expressions of sorrow, though it was unclear who or what was uttering them.

Previously, the Puppet Soldiers had been true puppets; they made no sound, regardless of what they experienced. They single-mindedly executed commands and were incredibly difficult to deal with.

But now, these Puppet Soldiers seemed to have come to life…

Instantly, wails filled the air, and all sorts of voices emerged.

”How did I get here? Why am I here? Wasn’t I on my way to gather herbs? How did I end up here?” This was a dazed voice, belonging to a Lost One who understood nothing of their situation.

”Hahaha, I’m finally free! After being imprisoned for so long, I’m finally free…” This was a voice filled with ecstatic joy, as if from someone who had been oppressed for far too long.

”Unbelievable, truly unbelievable! To think I was imprisoned for so long! Who did this? I’ll find out who…” This represented the defiant ones, unwilling to accept their fate, their minds instantly filled with old grudges and new hatreds upon release.

”Why is it so noisy? What happened to the peace from before?” came another, distinct voice.

Countless such voices emerged, a cacophony of rediscovered consciousness.

These were all souls that had been devoured by the Dark Force. At this moment, they were completely released, instantly returning from their previous state of imprisonment to their original bodies.

Hustace was one of them. He was patting his own face, not lamenting like the others but utterly bewildered. How did I suddenly end up in such a strange place? Where’s Igor? And why am I surrounded by all these bizarre figures?

And what was that memory from just moments ago? It felt like I was constantly resisting, but I was powerless, merely a Marionette, forced to move east when told east, and west when told west…

The Lost Spirit had devoured far too many souls. Over the years, these souls had been sealed by it within a confined space. Now that its control was diminishing, the souls it had devoured broke free from their prison one by one and emerged.

The sheer number of them was overwhelming. Tens of thousands of Puppet Soldiers had come alive all at once. The scene was utterly chaotic, a complete mess.

Every one of these devoured souls was expressing deep emotion. They came from different eras and different places. Having been bound for so long, they naturally had a myriad of sorrows and reflections to voice.

The scene was truly spectacular.

Although they had been imprisoned, time had continued to pass. The Lost Spirit could preserve a sliver of their consciousness, but it could not preserve their lives. Even if they had been full of vitality when they were devoured, they could not escape the ravages of time.

Time had turned these once dashing youths into white-haired old men…

The sight was profoundly shocking. As they lamented, those once indignant and vigorous youths found their hair had turned white. As they lamented, those once in the prime of their lives found their faces covered in wrinkles…

”We should have all been on our way to the Eternal Tranquility Realm, if only we hadn’t been bound until now.” After a wave of such expressions, these Puppet Soldiers regained their composure. The changes wrought by the passage of time forced them to confront reality. And now, reality was paramount.

Reality was cruel, for the moment they reawakened, they had to depart. Yet, reality was also extraordinarily precious, for they had been absent from it for far, far too long…

”Finally… finally, peace. Everything that happened seems like only yesterday. I truly don’t know how I endured all those years of imprisonment.”

”I never imagined I could still go to the Eternal Tranquility Realm. I always believed I was cursed!”

”To breathe the air of this world one last time before I depart… I am content!”

Having faced reality, their expressions of sorrow took on a different tone.

Even Hustace was influenced by them and began to sigh incessantly. He too had been devoured by the Lost Spirit, but only recently. Therefore, the passage of time had not yet claimed him, nor could it send him to the Eternal Tranquility Realm; such a short period was not enough to take him.

Hustace finally realized what had transpired. He was relieved to be alive and back in this place.

So many things have happened on this journey, he couldn’t help but reflect. Life is truly unpredictable.

He never imagined he would end up like this…

Fleeting and ever-changing, like the shifting clouds—this was the sentiment felt by all.

Kadi watched blankly as these lamenting Puppet Soldiers gradually faded away. It was the most natural kind of departure, with no external force involved; the mere passage of time caused them to drift into the distance, one by one.

Kadi thought he could see them waving, smiling, as they departed.

These Puppet Soldiers were free, completely free—though the price of that freedom was passage to the Eternal Tranquility Realm.

The sorrowful reflections of these Puppet Soldiers silenced everyone present.

Freedom… perhaps that was the most important thing to them.

The drifting souls were like a series of poignant tapestries, leaving all who watched somewhat mesmerized…

They, the observers, seemed to find a resonance with them.

Ultimately, doesn’t everyone embark on this same path in life? If it were for freedom, we too would likely be this joyful, they thought.

Consider how the Dark Force had constantly tried to devour us. Wasn’t our desperate resistance all for the sake of freedom?

If we were inadvertently devoured by this Dark Force, wouldn’t our ultimate fate be the same as these souls now passing on?

”May you remain youthful in spirit upon your return,” they chorused, a deep sense of resonance overcoming them.

”Thank you for allowing us to set foot on the path back. Though this moment is brief, the feeling of having returned is truly beyond compare.” The freed souls expressed their gratitude as they faded away.

In truth, none of them knew that their regained freedom was due to Igor’s efforts. That young man was, at that very moment, sending the Lost Spirit on its final journey.

Because of this young man, everyone had embarked on their journey home.

The journey home. It sounded like a simple phrase, yet it held an inexhaustible power.

This power made wanderers yearn for the past, warriors grow tender, and the timid become brave…

No matter who one was, everyone eventually had to embark on that journey home. Neither hardships nor obstacles on this path could deter them.

Perhaps they had left full of heroic aspirations, only to return as empty shells. Yet, no matter what, the land that nurtured them would welcome them back unconditionally. This, perhaps, was the greatest power of the journey home…

Therefore, even if returning meant stepping into the Eternal Tranquility Realm, these souls did so without hesitation, for that was where they truly belonged.