As it did, his robe ripped open, the fabric tearing around the injury as his skin bled and his essence flared.
The intricate, incandescent white tips extended down, devouring the fluctuating black flames... but nothing happened.
He was panicked but calm. He did not have a heart, so the injury was not fatal.
He was still alive, but his chest was painted a mix of red, black, and yellow. He was losing a lot of blood—too much blood—even though each speck of red on him was consumed by the elegant black flames.
''I'm out of touch,'' his eyes darkened. _Perhaps I've been asleep too long,_ he grumbled, his voice growing louder. ''Although I'm out of touch, I am still a deity. Do you think you can win so easily?''
From the darkness, a creature emerged smiling, its presence cold and unmoving. It was a shade of absolute black, its body fluctuating with black shadows in the form of flames just like the rods.
Where its eyes should have been were two white crescents—his eyes seemed to darken, as white as the stars in his old world.
The creature spoke: "No... hea... heart..., heartless."
Smiling, Oren replied, "No. Although I may be heartless, I have a heart."
The black flames were fully consumed, making the flames an incandescent white. The rod evaporated, and the white flames danced into his body. He shuddered—divine flames.
Using the chance, he caught a glimpse of his soul. His quick gaze landed on a line. It was of crimson gold color, thinner than all the others. Even though its minute size, it gave off an overwhelming presence—one of absolute authority.
But it too was fading... no, his connection to heaven wasn't fading; it was being overwhelmed.
Without his tether to heaven he could not go back to it. I can't get back to heaven.
He wasn't in pain or hurting, but he felt extremely fatigued.
His gaze loosened, and he saw his soul again. Something was different about it this time. Divine flames spread around the incandescent ball of energy, engulfing it, destroying it slowly.
It can't be... am I... being eaten? he thought.
A dumbfounded expression appeared on his face. He didn't know why or how he was fading, but he knew it was something to do with where he was... with nothingness.
His vision blurred. His mind calculated possibilities, but it was inevitable—he was going to fade into nothingness or die by that creature.
Just before he lost all hope well he didnt even have that, he remembered heaven. I need to get back.
But it too was too late. His tether to heaven had already been overwhelmed. He was not so dumb he would use it.
However, if he did, it would take him somewhere much worse than he was now—or so he thought.
loosening his gaze again he saw the incandescent white flame he had a feeling if he didnt get rid of it it would eventually eat his soul away so he expelled half of his remaining energy luckily the flames washed away in the river of essence disbanding and vanished
Oren looked at the ominous being, and the realms around them shifted. All of a sudden, the creature—it was like he was flickering in and out of reality. Too fast, he thought.
The creature landed a devastating punch to his rib cage.
"Strrtch."
Blood rushed out of Oren's mouth.
The force of the blow exploded through his ribs, a shuddering crack that stole his breath. His organs buckled under the pressure, a slow crumple like paper being wrinkled, unable to handle the weight bearing down on them but still he showed no pain
His pale hand instantly shifted, defending his ribs. Before he could fully recover from the blow, the black being was already upon him, attacking him viciously, ferociously, punching his head relentlessly.
A smile grew across the ominous figure's black face as he looked Oren straight in the eye. His voice crackled: "D...di...diee."
Black flames emerged from its fist.
He stared at Oren, and his smile changed into an insane one. But Oren was still calm.
The figure right-hooked him to the jaw, causing Oren to fall backward, spitting out blood. White ethereal particles came flowing out of the hole that was left in Oren's body.
Out of nowhere, he disappeared out of sight—vanished into thin air. All of Oren's essence had gone. Oren had successfully changed its perception.
The being had successfully destroyed Oren's soul, killing him.
Or so he thought.
The being thought right after he received two blows—one to the gut and the other to his ribs—making the being's perception return to normal.
Oren had successfully changed its perception. Oren had changed the being's perception, but just for a few seconds. It came at a cost, though—it nearly took all of his energy.
The being had a dumbfounded look on its face.
Before it could turn around, the air around its fist collapsed as Oren hit him square where its mouth should have been, knocking the intimidating figure backward.
Oren got a good look at the figure steps away from him. His enlightenment, his perception, made it so he could see everything.
He could see the being's frightening aura, its soul corrupted yet hints of purity, its emotions.
But Oren could sense it even without his enlightenment, his perception—the undying hate that the being felt towards him, the reluctant anger the being had towards him, and the depths of despair the being felt towards him.
He looked up and gazed at the being's face indifferently. Wiping his bloody mouth, he said:
"And accept you, I do. I accept your hate towards me, your anger towards me, and your despair towards me. I accept that my fate has brought me to an early grave. But just because I accept it does not mean I allow it."
Oren's eyes lightened as he asked a question: "But why? Why do you feel such emotions towards me? I have neither met you. How could I make you feel such things? Yet, even though I accept you, it seems you hate me."
Trembling in anger but still smiling intently, the black being ignored Oren and used his divine flames. The air around them distorted as it felt like the being moved, teleporting. The flames coerced his handsome face, missing—he was on the defense again.
Failing to defend, the being landed a right hook near the center of the hole in Oren's chest, and the being curled its hands, following up by hammering his hand down, smashing against his skull.
''Ckkr.''
The force of the blow made his skull feel as if it was collapsing inward, the bones crushing under the pressure, splintering with every passing second fracturing it his vision went blurry as blood flooded out of his nose and mouth.
In a daze, he mumbled, ''Crap.''
He didn't have enough strength to win, he didn't have enough energy to change the hateful being's perspective, but still, he was calm, not worried.
He felt something—it felt like a tether, but loose and weak. His eyes twitched, looking to the right, surprised to see that the being was not there. It looks like those flames use up a lot of energy, he thought. Otherwise, he would most likely have been in a worse state. The being was not there, but something else was—a tear.
"Oren's eyes, empty of emotion, whispered, 'Hate will push you through life. Hate will drag you through sorrow, and hate will carry you through nothingness. But it will never take you through despair.''
using his will, Oren reached out to the realm, his essence trembling as he bridged the gap. Vast, external energy surged into him, creating a new tether, an overwhelming tide that threatened to consume yet invigorated his fading soul. The nothingness around him twisted and warped, its oppressive silence fading as the connection deepened. His gaze locked on the ominous being, now moving toward him with deliberate steps, its presence radiating power and malice. A faint sigh escaped his lips—not of relief, but of quiet acceptance—as his form dissolved, vanishing from the abyss into the vast realm beyond.