"Is… this hell"
The question echoed in my mind as consciousness slowly crept back. The air around me felt strange too clean too artificial. There was no scent of spiritual mist no roar of heavenly energy no whisper of souls from the world of the gods. Instead there was the sharp smell of antiseptic and the low rhythmic beeping of machinery.
Beep… beep… beep…
I opened my eyes. A stark white ceiling greeted my first sight. A small lamp flickered above my head and beside me a clear tube dripped fluid into a line piercing the back of my hand.
"This is not the Eternal Realm… this is the place of mortals."
I raised a hand but the body was weak alien. As if the muscles and bones had just been newly sculpted. My eyes caught a vague reflection in the window glass across the bed. The image of a young man—pale messy hair deep black eyes with dark circles beneath.
That face was not mine. Ling Xuan The Eternal Flame no longer existed in this world. All that remained was the fragile vessel of a human named Lee Hyun.
Suddenly the door burst open.
"Huh! You're awake!"
A young girl rushed in. Short wavy hair a neat white and blue hospital uniform. Her name tag read Yuna Park intern student. Her face was a mix of relief and panic.
"I was just about to call the doctor! You—you're really awake!"
I stared at her for a long time. My lips trembled trying to speak but my voice came out hoarse and aged—a stark contrast to this young body.
"Where am I"
"Seoul University Hospital. You… you've been in a coma for three months Lee Hyun. Everyone thought you wouldn't wake up."
Three months. That was all. I who had once slept in the mountain's depths for a thousand years was now roused by a mortal after three months. The irony almost made me laugh.
"Three months… felt like a moment" I murmured softly.
"A moment" Yuna stared at me astonished. "Do you have any idea how stressed the professor was because you hadn't woken up"
I didn't answer. I just looked into her eyes. There was something familiar there. That gaze… I felt as if I had seen it in the past.
When Yuna hurried off to summon the doctor I closed my eyes. In the darkness old memories surged like a storm.
A blood-red sky. The sacred mountain collapsing. And amidst the ruin a woman in a white gown stood with a sword in her hand—a sword through my chest.
"Forgive me Xuan… but I want eternal life with you… even if I have to betray you."
I still remembered her voice. Still remembered the warm feel of my blood dripping from her blade's tip. And as my life faded I could only whisper.
"If the world spins again I will find you… and ask you why."
The sound of footsteps broke my reverie. The doctor entered with Yuna. The doctor checked my eyes pulse and pupils muttering in a language that now felt alien yet somehow comprehensible.
"Hmm… blood pressure normal reflexes good. You are truly a miracle Lee Hyun-ssi."
I merely nodded. I didn't know who Lee Hyun was. But from the scattered memories he was just an ordinary history major an orphan with no family no one waiting. Perfect. An empty body for a soul that should no longer live.
After the examination Yuna gave me a small smile. "You look… strange. Not bad strange but… like you're not yourself."
I looked out the window. The afternoon sun pierced the glass casting an orange light across the room. In the reflection I saw her.
The figure of the woman in the white gown standing behind the shadow. Long hair clear eyes and a soft smile—too soft for the one who had once plunged a sword into my heart.
"Xuan…"
"Our promise is not over."
I tensed. My breath caught. Yet in an instant the light vanished like a burnt illusion.
"Lee Hyun"
Yuna's voice startled me. I turned to her looking at her face more clearly for the first time.
And…
My heart stopped for a beat.
That face. Exactly the same as Yue Ruo's face. Except—her eyes were softer her smile more human.
I swallowed. "Yuna… you resemble someone I knew."
Yuna laughed softly. "Really I hope she's beautiful."
I wanted to say 'She is the woman who killed me' but my tongue refused to move.
"Beautiful" I said finally. "But also dangerous."
"Wow a compliment and a warning in one sentence." Yuna smiled placing a tray of porridge on the table. "Eat first. You need strength."
I nodded. White porridge metal spoon rising steam—simple mortal food. Yet somehow it felt… warming.
Night fell. Yuna had left the doctor gone. The city of Seoul outside the window sparkled—neon lights passing cars a distant siren. This world was bright but empty. No qi no guardian spirits no sects.
"Is this the future of humanity… or a world that has forgotten the gods"
My hand instinctively moved drawing a symbol in the air. A low-level fire mantra—the Flame Lotus. But the air around me merely trembled then fell still. No flame. No response from the heavens.
I bit my lip. "So… even the eternal flame is extinguished in this world."
But as I lowered my hand a tiny spark appeared at my fingertip. Small fragile but real. A red-gold flame dancing on a mortal finger. And for the first time in a thousand years I smiled faintly.
"There is still… a little left."
Suddenly a chiming sound came from the bedside table. A rectangular object lit up—a smartphone. The name on the screen Yuna.
Incoming message:
[Tomorrow is the new student welcoming ceremony at campus. If you're strong enough come. Everyone misses you Lee Hyun :)]
I stared at the message for a long time then typed a short reply.
[Will come.]
The shadow of Yue Ruo crossed my mind again. Her smile her betrayal and her final promise.
"If fate grants you a new body… I will find it too."
I closed my eyes. This world might be without qi but not without destiny. And if she truly had reincarnated too… then the fire in my chest would lead me to her—once more.
That night in the silent hospital room the faint light trembled. Inside the body of an ordinary student a tiny ember glowed—marking the rebirth of the Immortal.