It stinks.

I always hoped I could end my life on my specifications. It didn't have to be anything fancy, somewhere nice, clean, and quiet would have been enough. And painless, it definitely should have been painless.

But no. 

Here I am, bleeding out atop of a hill of corpses that stinks to high heaven because I stupidly eviscerated the bastards instead of killing them with clean quick strokes to their vitals. If I was some fancy ninja or samurai I would've done exactly just that with barely a scratch, but unfortunately for me, I was just a stronger than average mercenary that ran out of bullets facing a horde of angry primitives. So I now have quite a few sticks impaled on my back and through my-- you know what, let's not poke into that. Let's just say that even if a team of master surgeons appear out of thin air with all their drugs, equipment and a decent generator to try and fix me, they'd have a better shot at playing frankenstein than keeping me alive. 

Damnit, if  only these dead bastards were actually smart enough to even distinguish uniforms, they wouldn't have been dead and I wouldn't be dying. Still, dying has always been part of this job, but then again, not a lot of people are keen on dying. I have met exceptions sure, but those guys were never quite right in the head.

Ah Christ, everything hurts.

If only I could still move my limbs, or have enough strength in my jaw to bite my tongue... 

At least the sky looks nice. A brilliant light blue with clouds here and there. Clouds are rare in this hellhole. It would've been more suitable if it was raining, but hey, blue skies are nice too.

This should be the point where I close my eyes and die. But now that I'm dying, rather than letting myself go into the darkness, I want these blue skies to be the last thing my eyes would ever see. Unlike the life I've lead, they're so clear, so beautiful, so---

Bright.

...

Why is it so bright?

It's as if someone turned on floodlights in front of my face while I am wearing NVGs.

But it doesn't hurt, I know for hell that my eyes are supposed to hurt but they don't. In fact, nothing in my body hurts anymore. The stink's gone too. I still can't move though, can't feel my entire body either. Is this what purgatory's like, then?

Well, considering all the shit I did, I'm surprised I'm even here. Still, nothing for eternity seems like a hell on its own.

 "Is this it?" A disembodied voice inquired in an aloof manner. I tried to locate its source but I still couldn't move. Who was that? It didn't sound angelic nor demonic. Was it another dead guy? If so how the bloody hell can he speak and I can't? 

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Yes. Well done, brat. Yet for all our efforts, it hardly even looks worthy." Another voice, this one clearly that of an old man's. The disdain and arrogance oozing from the few words he uttered. And I had a peculiar and unpleasant feeling that he was referring to me...

"The young miss insisted on this one. Ours is not to question why." The aloof voice once more resounded.

"I swear to the Ninth Heaven that if the compatibility doesn't even reach at least thirty percent I will personally shatter this soul." The old voice muttered, sending chills up in my... well, everywhere actually. I'm not even sure if I had a spine at this point. 

Shit. Aren't there some sort of guards in purgatory!? Dying once was painful enough! I know that I was a shitty person but haven't I already recieved my comeuppance?

"Just get it over with. Our intrusion has not gone unnoticed."

A string of curses resounded from the old man, but they were replaced with silence as abruptly as they were uttered.A tingling feeling encased my otherwise numb body, and that was when I was certain that they had been talking about me. 

"Shin Ling, get over here."

"What is it?" Shin Ling, huh? Finally a name, I was getting tired of calling him aloof guy in my head. And also, guessing by the old man's tone, my soul is saved from utter destruction. Now if only I was told just what I was exactly compatible with...

"I guess the young miss was right after all." He stated.

"Right? Right?! It just jumped from compatibility to amplification! That's impossible!" If the old bastard wasn't spouting shit about destroying my soul earlier, I would've been a bit worrried that he'd have a heart-attack, but now I was actively hoping he'd get one. 

"How in the Divine Emperor's name is this mongrel even hold this kind of ability?"

I am getting pissed off of your constant degradations old fart! I going to shove a bloody cactus up your ass if you don't fuck off! 

"And yet, here it is. It must've been quite close to her in a past life or two." Shin Lang replied, as lax as ever,

"Just begin the binding process. They're already closing in." He continued, and that's when the same inexplicable sense that kept me alive for decades suddenly woke up and began sending off waves of alarm in my metaphorical head.

Binding?

Oh no. 

Dear Angels, I know that I've been a bastard, but please close in faster. Nothing for eternity is sounding bettter than getting involved with these asshats. I'd rather--

ARGHHHH!!!! 

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

IT HURTS! 

"Bah. Rejoice mongrel! This precious fossilized chaotic primordial egg is simply too precious for the likes of you. But as our young miss requested, this body is worthy to stand beside her!"

"Wasn't it suppose to be a humanoid one, though?

"Standing on all fours is still standing!"

I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna--

ARGGHHHH!!!!

Mercifully, the world turned dark.

When I came to, I found myself in darkness. The pain remained as a dull but constant throb all over my body. The pain was nothing like I have ever felt before, and I had been burned, shot, stabbed, and even flayed. But hell, all of those felt blissful compared to that. For a moment, I thought that that was what triue hell tasted like. But unbeknownst to me, I was wrong. I was so fucking wrong.

And then, as if from far away, I heard the voice of Shen Ling, and then that of the old bastard's. 

"Now all that's left is for you to open the rift, and we're good."

"Hmph! You didn't even do anything, brat! What did they even send you for?"

"For that."

A wordless cry echoed, glorious and musical. Hearing it gave me an inexplicable sense of awe and hope. To me, the sound seemed familiar and comforting. 

But then an irresistable force pulled at me from my very core. And I was plunged into unconsciousness once more.