Thud

The hoe struck deep into the soil, the blow was mighty and strong like an ox. A simple strike had the force of ten men and it dug itself deep into the soil.

The boy that was not quite a man stopped and slowly wiped the sweat from his forehead.

His dark brown hair blew against the wind, sweat dripped down his golden brown skin. The sweat glistened, reflecting the sun's yellow rays, making him look like a chiseled statue of a golden God.

He stood with a proud look on his face. His hazel eyes gazed over the freshly turned soil in triumph. The surrounding girls whispered as they admired his flawless body while the boys snickered in contempt.

His face was quite fearsome when he worked, he was extremely focused. His solid body was formed from tireless hours of hard labor and training. It was like a magnet that drew their eyes and made girls stomachs flutter in excitement.

He reached towards his sweat soaked t-shirt and slid it back on. It didn't feel very nice wearing a sticky shirt but he felt more comfortable when people weren't ogling him. He wasn't too serious and he took out time to play but he couldn't afford to be distracted when he was farming. He was a very disciplined person.

The farm lands were his domain, he could work ten times faster than the average man. In fact his nickname was Cultivation Bug Fuyo. He earned this nickname thanks to his peerless talent in farming. He was like a little bug that could fertilize soil and cause the crops to grow strong and powerful.

He ignored the giggling girls and sneering boys then continued to plough through the soil.

"Nothing like a hard day's work to get the blood pumping. The weather is good, the forecast is great and the crops are growing nice and strong."

His gaze fell upon the rest of the fields. From one horizon to the next, everything the light touches was his domain and responsibility.

From the distance an old man slowly made his way over.

"Greetings, Young Lord Fuyo." He clasped hands and bowed.

"We have an amazing harvest this month and it's all thanks to your hard work and leadership."

"If it wasn't for hardworking farmers like you, how could I possibly manage this all by myself?" Fuyo smiled.

"You flatter me, if it wasn't for you our village wouldn't have had half the success it has today. There is no Lord in the world that is as kind and as hardworking as you. The village would still be suffering if you never took the leadership position. You empowered the villages to take their lives into their own hands. You taught them and gave them the strength needed to stand up against the evil Lord and take back what was theirs." His words held unspeakable pride but behind his eyes there was also a tinge of sadness and longing.

The villagers who heard his words nodded in agreement as a smile spread across their face.

"With your leadership the village has prospered, words cannot express our gratitude."

It sounded like an extremely formal conversation almost like they wrre acting it out, because they were. In reality they were very close and didn't use such niceties, but in public they would act the part. After all, Fuyo was now the Young Lord of Wsc Village and Yama was the grand elder. No matter his rank the villagers wouldn't tolerate any sort of disrespectful talk even if it was a joke. Because to them, Fuyo is a God.

"You speak too highly of me, but thank you for your kind words." He nodded in respect.

A villager whispered to a new farmer who just joined the work team. "Unlike other Lords he is humble and doesn't flaunt his power or abuse it unless his hand is forced."

"Young Lord, I have a gift if I may." He stretched his arm and reached into his side bag, a few seconds later he pulled out an ebon-gray box. It was Fuyo's 18th birthday yesterday so this his birthday present. He took the box and held it in his hands. He looked it over one more time then took the small ebon-gray box and gave it to Fuyo.

"I would like to offer this to you. It is but a small token of my appreciation for your help over the past few years." His hands seemed to shake slightly as he passed it on to Fuyo.

"Thank you venerable Elder, I accept your sincerity and I will treasure this gift for the rest of my life." A wider smile spread across Fuyos face.

This Elder had a tragic life; he lost his entire family in the war, along with all his 6 sons. The years had not been kind. Their meeting could be considered a stroke of fate. Fuyo was wandering the borderlines of his new territory when he ran into a bandit group. The group was mercilessly beating down the old man trying to rob him and kill him but before they realized it they had entered into a fierce battle with this seemingly ordinary child and eventually lost their lives.

Fuyo didn't draw his sword often, but when he did it tasted blood.

Elder Yama was saved but giving a man a fish doesn't feed him for life. So Fuyo offered him a job on the farm he recently purchased. Due to his old age he wasn't able to work much and he had no sons to support him but he did his fair share and Fuyo paid him slightly more than the others. This helped to ease the burden of survival and daily necessities. That was until the old man started teaching him martial arts. Then he moved into Fuyos courtyard and helped him hone his abilities. This elder could be considered the closest person to Fuyo. He was always emotionally alone until he met the grand elder.

He accepted the gift and slowly opened the box. A shining light burst forth from the inside completely blinding him. His eyes slowly adjusted to the sudden brightness, shortly after the light faded into obscurity.

The inside of the box was lined with white silk and in the middle of the box was a seemingly ordinary wooden seed.

"What's this? Perhaps, it is a type of tree seed." He thought to himself.

"You are probably wondering what this is right?" asked elder Yama. Fuyo nodded.

"It's a special medicinal seed that can strengthen your body, eat it. It is very beneficial. Some would even say life changing."

Fuyo looked it over once more and then happily scoffed it down. He had never heard of such a seed but he didn't think too much of it.

A stabbing pain assaulted his entire body. Is this part of the strengthening process? He grabbed his chest and then fell to the ground. He started coughing involuntarily. Black blood sprayed from the 7 orifices of his head.

Elder Yama stood in front of him with a smile on his face.

"I wish you a safe trip to the next world."

He paused for a bit before turning his back to Fuyo, and then he said.

"Farewell."' His words were filled with melancholy and also joy.

"Next world? What's going on? Will I die here? NO!" These were the first thoughts that appeared inside Fuyos head. He had aspirations to become King of this world. How could he die in such a boring way?

The villagers ran over, attacked Elder Yama and then pinned him to the ground. Despite this forceful action he appeared very calm.

"What is going on? What's happening to the Young Lord!" They cried in panic as Elder Yama's head hit the dirt.

"What did you do to the Young Lord?!" They yelled viciously. Their eyes filled with hate and panic. They held him on the ground and started stomping on his hands and feet. "What did you do?" They yelled desperately. The Young Lord was no less than a God to them so when they saw him in distress they lost their minds.

He pulled them back from drought, overthrew the previous Lord, saved the farmlands and grew it to a state where they could comfortably eat three meals a day. This was a great luxury for many people in this barren world. How could they accept to see their Young Lord in such a state?

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Blood gushed from the 7 orifices of his head.

Fuyo wiped the blood from his eyes. His whole body felt like giving up, its like his energy was being sapped away.

The village Doctor Yixue arrived in an instant and started to treat the poison. The villagers were uneasy. He pulled out a sharp scalpel and took a blood sample.

After 3 or 4 minutes a concerned villager asked. "Grandmaster Yixue, what's the diagnosis?"

A look of shock appeared on Yixue's face. "I've never seen this poison before so I have no idea how to treat it. It's a strange poison, rapidly eating away at the Young Lords flesh and blood. The royal physicians of the capital might know of this poison and have a cure for it."

"How long does he have doc?" Anticipation and hope was written on their faces. But that was quickly destroyed by Yixue's next sentence.

"No more than a 60 minute cycle before the poison reaches his heart and cuts through his arteries."

Gasp

The crowd grew silent. Some children started to weep. From here to the capital would take no less than 3 days by horse.

Fuyo calmed his breathing and held in the blood he was about to cough up. His hands and arms started shaking as he pushed himself up off the ground finally spitting out the blood he held in his throat. His head was thumping and his vision was obscured and fuzzy.

Elder Yama lay on the ground, his face and body was bruised from the stomping.

"Why?" He asked with difficultly, as he mustered up the strength to speak.

Fuyos whole body shook and his veins bulged. All over his body his veins were now visible through his skin. They were growing thicker and thicker with each passing minute. The pain was unbearable; it felt like his soul was being torn apart. The moisture in his skin was slowly draining away. One could only imagine what he would look like an hour from now.

Elder Yama looked up at Fuyo, his eyes wide open.

"I had 6 sons in my life, each one made me extremely proud. When they died I wandered the lands in grief, I had no direction and nowhere to go. In the end you saved my life and gave me refuge. In my heart I consider you my 7th son. I am proud of what you have become. From an orphan to a Lord you are the leader and inspiration of a generation. I have lived a long life and it is time for me to see my sons on the other side." He sighed and slowly closed his eyes. His pulse faded away and he entered the deep sleep never to open his eyes again.

Did this crazy old man want Fuyo to join him in death? What madness! Its true when they say "A wise man in life, an eccentric in old age."

Because they were all focused on Fuyo none of them noticed a shadow forming in the bright blue sky.

It continued to grow bigger and thicker, the blue sky started to grow darker and finally it was obscured by the shadow. This darkness felt uncomfortable like worms wriggling beneath your skin.

It felt like the darkness was welcoming venerable Elder Yama.

Fuyos heart felt pain. Even though the Elder had poisoned him, he still held great affection for this Elder. He must have gone senile and lost his mind. It's the only explanation and if that was the case then he could not hold it against him. After all, its better to die with a clear mind than a hateful one. Even if he came back as a ghost, there was no revenge to be had. Elder Yama was already dead.

Fuyo was a strong person but he couldn't stop himself from crying.

The world started to tremble ever so slightly, it wasn't anything noticeable at first but the shaking grew more and more profound with each passing second. After 15 minutes of subtle vibrations it felt like a 6.0 Earthquake had struck.

Trees tumbled down, mountains quaked and crumbed, oceans surged and the winds whipped the lands.

If one calamity wasn't enough they were now facing another. The shaking ground to a halt and the villagers gathered their wits, it seems no one was hurt too bad from the earthquake. Only a few light injuries here and there.

It was at this moment that they noticed the farm lands had collapsed in on itself. Their crops were ruined.

If the Young Lord was to die they would find it hard to cultivate the land once again. The smarter villagers instantly realized the situation and they were in shock. It seems that many of them will starve to death and only the lucky and strong will survive.

Bad things usually come in threes. Fuyo being poisoned and knocking on deaths door was the first, their cultivated lands and crops being destroyed was the second, then what was the third calamity to befall them?

That question was quickly answered by the Universe when an invisible wave spread across the surface of the planet. The wave was akin to a sonic boom, it traveled invisibly but everyone felt it. It was as if God himself was in the heavens and peering into their souls. All their secrets and machinations were seen through instantly.

It's like this wave of power could read their thoughts and see into their soul.

Accompanying the invisible wave was the tolling of death bells. This wasn't a real sound but a sound they felt deep inside their souls. It was an instinctual fear, a fear that was deep rooted in the annals of human history. This was not a God, this was more like a Demon. But even a Demon wouldn't give off this type of fiendish feeling. This was a fear unlike any other could match. They didn't know why they were afraid because this wasn't their own fear but the fear conjured up by their ancestors. It was a fear being forced out through their blood. It was a fear so deep rooted in human history that it was passed down through thousands of generations.

Never to be forgotten.

At this moment one word appeared in their minds and every able bodied person on the planet said in unison "Kishin!"

They were prey being eyed by a vicious predator.

A Kishin was an ancient creature. It was neither Demon nor God. It was an existence beyond both of them. A creature so fearsome that even Immortals would turn tail and run.

The skies started to change again; the darkness that filled the sky was cut open and split apart by dazzling 9 colored lights. A giant aurora spread across the sky forcefully vanquishing the darkness. The lights danced around manically, it was like a lovers quarrel. The shaking stopped, the oceans settled, the forest returned to tranquility and the sky returned to its former blue glory.

The light gathered and formed into massive symbols and halos. Nine rings with nine different colors. Another strange event occured. Over the North and South Pole appeared two massive characters. It was written in an ancient language. At the South Pole was the "Earth Seal" and at the North Pole was the "Heaven Seal".

The rumbling once again returned. The seal shone even brighter than before and fought back against the Kishin. But it was no use.

Crack crack crack.

Large fractures appeared in the sky that stretched from one horizon to the next. Fragments of the nine colored light started to fall to the earth as it lost its binding.

In the darkness of the crack appeared an eyeball.

Gasp

A giant eyeball that covered the entire sky.

Reeeeehhhhhhhhh!

A loud roar echoed out as a sound wave shook the planet. It was like a 7.0 earthquake hit.

Two hands reached through the space and then forcefully pulled open the crack.

Crack crack.. snap. A piece of the sky broke off and was devoured by the giant Kishin.

Reeeeehhhhhhhhh!

It roared again as the cracks grew larger and more common. The second roar was louder than the last, everyone's ears began to bleed and the earth started to shake ferociously. It was now equal to an 8.0 earthquake.

Crack crack crack. snap!

Boom!

Finally, the seal was destroyed.

Reeeeehhhhhhhhh!

This last roar was equal to a 10.0 earthquake. Tsunamis surged across the planets surface with 100 meter high waves. Entire cities were buried beneath the water, mountains and countries split apart. The first roar killed ten thousand, the second roar killed ten million and the third killed ten billion.

The light shattered, the heaven and earth seal crumbled into pieces. The sky that they knew was destroyed and eaten by the Kishin. The true sky was revealed behind the Kishin. Millions and millions of stars lit up the void, it was a shocking scene. This was not the heavens that they knew.

The sky they grew up with and had seen their entire life was like living inside a painted egg shell. Suddenly that eggshell was broken and they got to see the outside world for the first time.

It seemed there was indeed a sky beyond a sky.

They looked out into the sky only to meet the fearsome eyes of the Kishin. It had three eyes, they were white like the moon and the third was vertical and in the center. They exuded the feeling of lifelessnessand oppression .

Click click click crack

The Kishin clicked its jaw as it opened its mouth wider and wider.

It seems its mouth wasn't wide enough to swallow the planet whole so it tore apart its own jaw as it turned to swallow the Planet. This Kishin is a monster, more shocking than anything they could imagine. Its head alone was twice the size of the planet.

Its skin was made of earth and that earth was filled with various lava mountains, small moons and even continents floating across its liquid like skin. Its teeth were made of sharp crystals and it had two horns protruding from its head. The Kishin to the world was like a Human to a grapefruit.

The Kishin put the planet into its mouth and then crunched down. The force of the crunch caused the planet to explode and everyone that lived there died. It was a tragic ending for the people of this planet.

Alive one moment and gone the next.

How did things escalate so fast? From their Lord dying to everyone dying. It was too sudden, they didn't even have time to lament about their impending doom. They came face to face with a creature they didn't know existed. It wiped out their entire civilization, women, children, men, dogs, cats, spiders, bees, everything. Absolutely everything was caught in the calamity.

It was an impartial judge that looked down upon all creation.

That's the cruel reality of the world. Only those with power have the strength to control their own destiny. Everyone is but a small cog in the great machine called life. If there civilization was more advanced then they could have built a rocket and flew away but that is neither here nor there.

Hold up... What's going on?

Fuyo clearly remembered dying. He saw the sky go dark, the seal breaking apart and the Planet bursting into flames. He remembered the intense pain he felt as the poison tore apart his heart and the flames of destruction finished him off. It was almost instantaneous but he remembered the pain clearly.

So what's going on? He could feel wind on his face like he was still alive and travelling through the air. Am I dead? Is this the underworld? What's going on?

He struggled violently to open his eyes and what he saw amazed him. He was flying through space but how was that possible? He looked at his body but there was nothing there. It seemed he was nothing but a spirit flying through the void of space. This was too much for a simple farmer boy like him to take in.

The grief he felt was unbearable. As those thoughts resurfaced in his mind he closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber. His body continued to fly through space endlessly and by the time he opened his eyes again, 10,000 years had already passed.

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