“One more thing.” The beautiful Sect Master carried on. “If he comes back, he stays.”
“If he comes back? You don’t really expect him to, do you?” asked one of the Grand Elders.
“Of course not,” she giggled mischievously.
“I have no qualms about that,” the Grand Elder said with a shrug. General mumbles indicated no one really cared about such an unlikely outcome. She thought I could survive, and judging by the way she was looking at me, I knew why.
She knew, she absolutely knew. Which meant Safi had saved my life. I had spent my time in the cell considering outcomes. Losing my cultivation meant no more reincarnation. Therefore, the best option was to end my own life and force a reincarnation as I doubted I was powerful enough to escape.
I would have to think of some way to repay the girl.
The commune ended with my punishment agreed upon. I knew that I was taking a risk by trusting the Sect Master but when I thought about it more, the one I was trusting was actually Safi. I trusted Safi with more than just my life, so I swallowed some of my saliva nervously and allowed my Master to escort me up the tower.
My separation from the Sect Master did not last long. We reached the top of the staircase and entered a large, smoky room where the Sect Master was waiting, pacing back and forth. She turned to me immediately and approached hesitantly.
“I had a chat with your friend, she did rather impress me,” she said, her confidence slowly rising as she got closer.
“She has impressed me too,” I admitted. I should have known she would be bold enough to share my secret and yet I had not expected it.
“Can you confirm that what she said has any merit?” she asked, unable to hide her abundant curiosity.
“If it’s something that Safi said, then I am sure it is accurate,” I said, unperturbed.
“What she said was rather damning.” The words seemed to drip from her mouth like honey from a jar. I had noticed it earlier but the woman had definitely practiced a speech technique. Even I was being swept into its embrace.
“I’m already damned, what’s the worst that could happen?” I said.
“I hope you survive, reincarnator. I am desperate for this conversation to continue.”
“Then I will,” I said, I was never someone to let a woman down. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
“It is my pleasure. Besides, we haven’t sent anyone through the Illen door in a long time.”
“Can you tell me what to expect?” I asked hopefully.
“The judge is said to reside beyond the Illen door. A being like you, I cannot so easily put my faith in. You understand, this is as much for my sake as it is for yours.”
“If I do not return, take care of my friend. She is worth nurturing.”
“Be at ease, Mele and I will look after Safi.”
It was time to enter the door. It stood threateningly at the back of the room. It was not a subtle threshold, though the patterns did not represent the Sect. They were far more primal, and they seemed to have been carved differently. I could feel dao reverberating from each crevice, it was a strange dao. Nothing that I had encountered before could compare, although it was distinctly inhuman.
I slid the door across and stepped through into the blackness.
No light, but no dark either. No floor or roof. I knew this place.
“Boo!” came a shout from behind me making me jump, all my hairs stood up. It was not just the fright, it was the overwhelming power that drowned me like a swirling current.
High-pitched manic laughter bounced off non-existing walls loudly, making me have to cover my ears.
“Oh, you are little. But soul is big!” said the happy voice. Suddenly a humongous, pitch-black eye opened up. It could see everything I was. From beginning to end. “Familiar?” It was asking if I remembered it.
“Yes,” I said, trying to keep my voice still.
“Big soul, big mind, little body!” it giggled. All of a sudden a mouth appeared under the single eye. It did not have teeth or a tongue. Just a line where lips should be. “Not your door,” it said. The voice grew in intensity by many times now that the mouth was right in front of me. I barely managed to stay conscious.
“I’m sorry,” I said resolutely.
“Forgiven!” replied the voice, back to its jovial self. Although with the mouth present it felt like it was speaking directly into my body.
“Who’s door is it?” I asked.
“Milly’s door!” I had not heard of anyone called Milly in all of the Hall of the Mountain Gods history, at least from what I had managed to study. “Milly’s door, but never visit!” The voice sounded sad.
“Milly is missing?”
“Missing Milly.” It echoed.
“Would you like me to find Milly?” I saw my chance at getting out of here alive, I was not going to lose it.
“Find Milly! Need body?”
“Need body.” I confirmed. It grumbled a little at that.
“Tell them. Not their door. Milly’s door!”
“I’ll tell them.”
“Big mind!”
“Thank you,” I said as I waited for it to eject me from its domain. Before I knew it the deconstructed face was gone and the door stood before me.
“One more thing.” The beautiful Sect Master carried on. “If he comes back, he stays.”
“If he comes back? You don’t really expect him to, do you?” asked one of the Grand Elders.
“Of course not,” she giggled mischievously.
“I have no qualms about that,” the Grand Elder said with a shrug. General mumbles indicated no one really cared about such an unlikely outcome. She thought I could survive, and judging by the way she was looking at me, I knew why.
She knew, she absolutely knew. Which meant Safi had saved my life. I had spent my time in the cell considering outcomes. Losing my cultivation meant no more reincarnation. Therefore, the best option was to end my own life and force a reincarnation as I doubted I was powerful enough to escape.
I would have to think of some way to repay the girl.
The commune ended with my punishment agreed upon. I knew that I was taking a risk by trusting the Sect Master but when I thought about it more, the one I was trusting was actually Safi. I trusted Safi with more than just my life, so I swallowed some of my saliva nervously and allowed my Master to escort me up the tower.
My separation from the Sect Master did not last long. We reached the top of the staircase and entered a large, smoky room where the Sect Master was waiting, pacing back and forth. She turned to me immediately and approached hesitantly.
“I had a chat with your friend, she did rather impress me,” she said, her confidence slowly rising as she got closer.
“She has impressed me too,” I admitted. I should have known she would be bold enough to share my secret and yet I had not expected it.
“Can you confirm that what she said has any merit?” she asked, unable to hide her abundant curiosity.
“If it’s something that Safi said, then I am sure it is accurate,” I said, unperturbed.
“What she said was rather damning.” The words seemed to drip from her mouth like honey from a jar. I had noticed it earlier but the woman had definitely practiced a speech technique. Even I was being swept into its embrace.
“I’m already damned, what’s the worst that could happen?” I said.
“I hope you survive, reincarnator. I am desperate for this conversation to continue.”
“Then I will,” I said, I was never someone to let a woman down. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
“It is my pleasure. Besides, we haven’t sent anyone through the Illen door in a long time.”
“Can you tell me what to expect?” I asked hopefully.
“The judge is said to reside beyond the Illen door. A being like you, I cannot so easily put my faith in. You understand, this is as much for my sake as it is for yours.”
“If I do not return, take care of my friend. She is worth nurturing.”
“Be at ease, Mele and I will look after Safi.”
It was time to enter the door. It stood threateningly at the back of the room. It was not a subtle threshold, though the patterns did not represent the Sect. They were far more primal, and they seemed to have been carved differently. I could feel dao reverberating from each crevice, it was a strange dao. Nothing that I had encountered before could compare, although it was distinctly inhuman.
I slid the door across and stepped through into the blackness.
No light, but no dark either. No floor or roof. I knew this place.
“Boo!” came a shout from behind me making me jump, all my hairs stood up. It was not just the fright, it was the overwhelming power that drowned me like a swirling current.
High-pitched manic laughter bounced off non-existing walls loudly, making me have to cover my ears.
“Oh, you are little. But soul is big!” said the happy voice. Suddenly a humongous, pitch-black eye opened up. It could see everything I was. From beginning to end. “Familiar?” It was asking if I remembered it.
“Yes,” I said, trying to keep my voice still.
“Big soul, big mind, little body!” it giggled. All of a sudden a mouth appeared under the single eye. It did not have teeth or a tongue. Just a line where lips should be. “Not your door,” it said. The voice grew in intensity by many times now that the mouth was right in front of me. I barely managed to stay conscious.
“I’m sorry,” I said resolutely.
“Forgiven!” replied the voice, back to its jovial self. Although with the mouth present it felt like it was speaking directly into my body.
“Who’s door is it?” I asked.
“Milly’s door!” I had not heard of anyone called Milly in all of the Hall of the Mountain Gods history, at least from what I had managed to study. “Milly’s door, but never visit!” The voice sounded sad.
“Milly is missing?”
“Missing Milly.” It echoed.
“Would you like me to find Milly?” I saw my chance at getting out of here alive, I was not going to lose it.
“Find Milly! Need body?”
“Need body.” I confirmed. It grumbled a little at that.
“Tell them. Not their door. Milly’s door!”
“I’ll tell them.”
“Big mind!”
“Thank you,” I said as I waited for it to eject me from its domain. Before I knew it the deconstructed face was gone and the door stood before me.
