Rumble!
As though heaven had collapsed and earth had split apart, all manner of strange phenomena appeared here.
Great flames blazed up, igniting the being's rotting flesh, bones, and hide. Even the most terrifying substance turned to ash, purified until it was utterly annihilated.
At the same time, the chaos near the being turned into grains of sand. Like the stars filling the heavens, they all sank into and beneath the surface of his body, filling the rotted places.
Immediately afterward, dense vitality poured forth, shrouding the entire area. There was so much that it almost liquefied, then surged toward the being like a vast ocean, absorbed by his newly regenerated body.
Only after a very, very long time, when even the being's pores were radiating boundless vitality, did all the strange phenomena cease. Everything returned to stillness, as though nothing had ever happened.
An unknown length of time later, the being seemed to show signs of waking. White mist, accompanied by peaceful rosy light, streamed in and out of his mouth and nose with his breathing.
His body also began to shine in different colors. From time to time, some utterly terrifying power flowed through it, turning his regenerated body golden one moment and pitch-black the next, while boundless life surged forth.
Crack.
Yet just then, a sudden, crisp sound came from within the being's body, as though a bone somewhere had cracked. Faint as the sound was, its force was tremendous: it shattered the void outright and summoned lightning as dense as a spider's web.
At the same time, several wounds inexplicably appeared on the being's body, which had been utterly flawless after its regeneration. No matter how the grains of sand tried to fill them, it was useless.
The sphere of light in the ancient temple seemed to have anticipated this. It dealt with the trouble directly, dividing off portions of its power to suppress the afflicted areas.
Before long, those places that still harbored problems subsided, no longer showing any outward signs.
"Mm..."
The being woke from his slumber and sat up. Vitality rippled through his deep eyes, as though he had just awakened from a great dream.
Pfft!
Just then, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a clot of stagnant blood. It splashed onto the ground, accompanied by a speck of black light concentrated to the utmost.
"What exactly is this black blood..." The being frowned at the blood stained by the black light.
He had seen this substance many times already. Although his "common knowledge" and subconscious instincts told him it was nothing good, he did not understand exactly what kind of harmful thing it was.
Whatever the case, there was no doubt that this black blood was something harmful.
It was the very thing that had afflicted his body. Even his prolonged failure to recover was because of it.
"Am I almost healed..." Upon waking this time, the being still felt some concern about his condition, but joy outweighed it.
He could feel that his body's condition had improved by a whole degree, and his control over it had become more effortless. Most importantly, his thoughts no longer had that disjointed feeling they once had.
In other words, he could at least behave like a normal living being now. He was no longer trapped in his former state, where he had thoughts in his heart but could not express them.
Moreover, during this slumber, he had gained still more new "common knowledge" and memories, coming to understand many things without instruction. The gaps in his memories showed signs of beginning to connect.
"It seems relying on it alone won't be enough to heal me completely... It looks like it's time to find another way." The being gazed at the sphere of light enveloping him, his thoughts leaping from one thing to another.
He had once considered leaving this place, but unfortunately, his "time outside" had been so brief then that he could not go far at all.
Later, although his "time outside" gradually grew longer, his physical condition made him realize that he could not venture far,
and whenever that thought arose, some instinct prevented him from leaving this cracked place. Now, however, he felt it was time to bid this place farewell.
For among the new "common knowledge" he had acquired, he had learned that the Rotten Wooden Box-or rather, this ancient temple-was not a suitable place to recuperate. Its functions were flawed.
In other words, he always had a feeling that the Rotten Wooden Box was less a place of recuperation than a place of self-imposed stagnation. Everything he depended on would run out sooner or later.
And signs of that had already appeared.
Furthermore, when the thought of leaving arose this time, that instinct did not stop him. It never appeared at all, as though some restriction had been lifted.
Thus, the being believed the time had come.
With practiced ease, he left the ancient temple. As though passing between two worlds, he returned to the outside and stood upon the hardened layer of earth.
"Where should I go..." The being pondered. He did not know where he was, nor could he establish a clear destination, leaving him torn.
Unable to make up his mind, he gazed at the sun. After wavering over whether to linger, he finally decided to head in its direction.
For that direction brimmed everywhere with flourishing life, utterly unlike this place, where decay and withering were all around.
Beyond that, another connection guided him, for the name Xi seemed deeply important to him.
When he had first set foot on this hardened layer of earth and looked up at that luminous body, the sun, he had unconsciously uttered that sound.
Perhaps he could find many answers there.
With that thought, once the being had settled on a plan, he naturally put away the Rotten Wooden Box. Then, accompanied by a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering boom, he leaped up, raising boundless scarlet waves.
"Splash~ Splash~"
The scenery along the red river's course was almost entirely the same. A lone layer of earth would give way to a cluster of several, or one immense layer would become several layers suspended above the river.
And so, after drifting an unknown distance, until the Red River could be called the Red Sea, the being finally reached the boundary of this region.
With a "pop," he seemed to break through another barrier. In an instant, the scenery changed completely, like a dream that ended before the millet had finished cooking.
Once everything became clear, the being could be seen emerging from a small pool as though passing through a mirror. Now, however, ripples spread across it, preventing it from reflecting anything.
As his gaze shifted, rolling mountain ranges filled his vision. The surrounding trees were exceptionally thick, and even the vines clinging to the cliffs were as thick as buckets.
Beyond that, deep within those rolling mountain ranges lay several great lakes, their emerald waters rippling beneath a gentle breeze.
"A world unto itself?" From his memories of "common knowledge," the being understood what had happened. His former location and this place were essentially two worlds, neither interfering with the other, yet connected.
Without a doubt, this was a world brimming with life, the complete opposite of the Red Sea-a land that could never be seen in a place of nothing but desolation and death.
A peaceful pure land!
"The sun... is different?" The being looked up into the sky. There was a sun there too, but this one felt entirely different to him, utterly unfamiliar.