Monster Paradise

”Mom and Dad are still alive…” I dropped onto the couch shaking, and my tears could not stop pouring. I finally calmed down after a while. It was past 10 a.m. when I rechecked the time. I stood up and went to the bathroom, peering at myself in the mirror. Besides my eyes that were slightly red, I looked perfectly normal. After washing my face with cold water, my mind was clearing up.

The heart-glimpsing rune was meant to bring one’s deepest fear to life. Unlike an illusion, you could not get out of it. Just like a movie that was 100-minutes long, the story would go on without skipping any second. Once the heart-glimpsing rune was activated, the person would not be able to leave the movie as the main character and had to continue until it ended.

I knew that activating the rune was not a simple act. To be exact, it was a test of the human emotion. Since I could not leave, the only way was to go on with it. However, I had no idea what kind of test I was given and how I would pass the test. All I could do was to go with the flow and allow the story to develop.

”Xiao Hei?” I whispered, but nobody answered me.

”Xiao Hei!” I shouted. This time, I even attempted to contact Xiao Hei with my consciousness, but my message was as though it was drowning in quicksand without any response. I panicked when my reliable Goldfinger did not answer me. I tried looking into my body, but that did not work as well. I attempted to summon Bloody, Bai, and the rest but there was nothing.

”It can’t be!” My heart skipped a beat as I knew that something was wrong. I tried using my Life Power, but I could not sense anything. The same happened with my Telekinesis. I could not summon my telekinetic flying daggers. My Sword Dao that was already on level-5 could not be activated as well.

”Witchcraft…” With my last hope, I tried summoning the Book of Sorcerer Dao, but there was only nothing. My body felt like it was dead. I was now an average, helpless person.

This terrified me. I had never felt like this before even when I encountered the Virtual God’s arm and the king sea monster as I knew I had everything under control. However, nothing was in my control now.

”I’ll definitely die if the rune sends that king sea monster or the Virtual God’s arm here now.” That was my biggest concern. I had no idea what was in the rune script.

”Forget about it! Since I’m here, I’ll just have to go with the flow.” I let out a sigh and looked into the mirror. I was in a blur as the face looked unfamiliar to me now. After all, I had been in another body for the past two years. Perhaps because my body was different now, everything that I had on the other side was not here with me.

I shook my head to get the thoughts out of my head after staring at myself. I then walked out of the bathroom after adjusting my clothes. Hailing a cab after leaving the house, I headed to see my parents. I could not wait to see them after so many years. They were still young in my memory, but I had no idea how they looked like now since I was already a young man of 25.

Half an hour later, the cab stopped outside a small, old village. I had not been in this area for many years. My fear was boiling in the pit of my stomach…

As I stood at the entrance, my heart became full of complicated emotions again. Tears were flooding my eyes, and my heart was beating fast. I had no idea what I should say when I saw them. I could not expose myself. After taking two deep breaths, I calmed myself down and walked in with as much courage as I could muster.

A couple of minutes later, I arrived at our old home. The door was the new anti-theft door, but the couplet was still the same pair that I remembered.

’The grind of stone makes a mighty sword. The bitter cold gives fragrance to the cherry blossom.’

The streamer was ’Spring comes after winter’. I had written the couplet the year my grandmother passed away as a reminder for myself. However, I could recognize my handwriting; what I was seeing was not the one that I had written. It had been bought somewhere else. Memories were coming back to me as I stood there. I prepared what I was going to say before pressing the doorbell.

A moment later, the door opened, and a person stood in front of me. My mind became blank. Whatever I had prepared to say evaporated. All I could think about was the middle-aged man that was standing in front of me. Father had not really changed, but he had gained some weight, and his hair was now gray. I recognized him right away. Rooted to the spot, I attempted to speak, but I just could not. All I felt was tears welling in my eyes.

”Get your sh*t together!” I kept telling myself that I had to suppress my emotions.

”You’re back.” Father smiled as he looked at me, but he soon noticed that something was wrong.

”What’s wrong?”

”Dad!” I snapped out of my own thoughts from the familiar voice. I tried to hold my tears back, but I could not help myself from going up to give my father a firm hug. The words just slipped out of my lips.

”Dad, I miss you.”

”What’s wrong, you silly boy?” Father was stunned. Although I was taller than him now, he patted my head anyway.

I let go of him after calming myself down.

”I’m alright. Where’s Mom?”

”She’s sorting the vegetables in the kitchen.” Father looked at me skeptically.

I avoided eye contact with him and walked directly into the kitchen. Mother was wearing an apron and sorting vegetables while perched on a chair. She plucked the leaves from the stems and threw them into the plastic basket.

Noticing that there was someone at the kitchen entrance, she held her head up and looked at me.

”Oh, you’re back?” Mother looked at me with a smile. She had lost weight, and there were wrinkles at the corner of her eyes. Although she was a little different from what I remembered, the memory was coming back.

”Mom.” I calmed myself down and walked over to her. I squatted down and helped her with the sorting.

”Nevermind, I’ll handle this. Go talk to your Granny.” Mother said.

”Granny?” My hands stopped moving when I heard her.

”Where’s she?”

”She’s in her room watching TV. She has been watching this ’Fighter of the Destiny’ and she’s basically been stuck to the TV every day.” Mother smiled while rolling her eyes.

”I’ll go see her.” I stood up immediately, not expecting Grandmother to still be alive in this world.

As I stood at her room door, I saw the old lady with gray hair on a wooden chair. She was staring at the TV, oblivious to my existence. My emotions were threatening to come up again although I could only see half of her face. She was the person who had brought me up since Father passed away. She took care of me from 13 to 18 years of my age all by herself. Unfortunately, she passed away before I started working and never got even to enjoy her life.

My tears started pouring as I said, ”Granny, I’m back.”