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Phantom Samsara: Path of Deva
Chapter IX: Into the Shangri-La

Chapter IX: Into the Shangri-La

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They have arrived in the Floating Restaurant of the Gods, which Izayoi tried to scan everything around his surroundings. There's so many antique and oriental theme with nostalgia, from the spirits playing traditional Chinese instruments and businesses--even golden imperial Ingots are shown in the shelves and glass cubes. "For real, how would this thing able to float...? It's like 42,000 feet high from the ground..."

Prime snapped his fingers at Izayoi's sight and he grunted from that, then it flashed to reveal a mathematical explanation how the restaurant floating down the large lake and a bit difficult to reach for humans but normal for androids like them. Izayoi slapped Prime's hand and glared at him for that, making him muttering something. "We can actually see magic exist and this is probably not magic but we are far too advanced from them. Instead of trying to understand our world, we're here for hospitality... remember that, we need a place to stay too," Prime paused to observe the view around and started to see if there's any traps laid around the landscape. "Can I build my lab here?"

"Other pavilion."

Sadana said with a grin, pointing the direction where his best colleagues usually do the workshop on forging and welding--this place is more suitable for a tech-lover like Prime. "Might as well we help ourselves to eat, since he have 'cooked' food and they're nice..." he said, causing Prime to sigh. "We need to change some clothes too, shit..."

Ren was relaxing at the high platform of the floating restaurant-like palace, he enjoyed the sight of the moon above the ocean and overseeing the cities above him. He fixed his black and silver changshan with batik motifs of Vermillion Bird, underneath is his black sleeveless turtleneck bodysuit, black pants tucked into his knee-length boots with laces and back heels. As he ran his fingers through his amber-brown hair, leaving his bangs fell over his olive-blue eyes; his eyesight becoming clearer so he only wears a frameless rounded spectacles with chains. He heard a sound of yueqin's strings played across him, turns out it was another god like Sakura--the God of Creation; Ruanyi,

Ruanyi is a young woman who has ahas a sea-green blue eyes, fair skin and long dark hair with green streaks that is loosely tied with a silver hairpin, golden flower ornament on her temple and bangs over her sea-green blue and cheeks. Wearing an elegant, short qipao colored dark-green, brown, and white with gold highlights on her uniform's sleeves and hem. She also wears a pair of black heels and pink flowers on the centre-left side of her hips, hair clips on both sides of her bangs and also a belt below her waist that holds her musical instrument, and finally a small jade necklace.

Ruanyi simply an elegant scholar-god with sweet-temper and expressionless gesture when she uses her sacred weapon. She's composed and doesn't emit any energy around them but most of the time, she use that calm feature of hers as her advantage. She merely playing with her instrument until she sensed someone's presence and it was one of her 'creative subjects' by her own, turned to see Ren. She only smiled, she could feel the darkness emerging in Ren and the god couldn't deny the overwhelming and chaotic power that were controlling in him.

"Can you... play it slower?" Ren asked.

Ruanyi heard his small request, the melody slowed down and it shows the peaceful energy on him. Ren could feel an air of calmness being around him, like a candle light from a burning flame. He recognized she was one of the gods like Sakura, she's truly gentle and kind-hearted despite her age and true power. He watched the pink petals were flowing from the cherry blossom and surrounding her while she's playing the yueqin, some of them flew to his hand and the remainder was blown by the wind. "Like a river in heaven and floating cloud of autumn, those dreams would never be stay the same and would be pass by... the true creation comes in a rhythm, and after every storm... there comes a sunshine from the broken dawn," she uttered, plucking the strings and formed a tune within.

Ren doesn't even know what to say, the serenity between their time, and the softness she is truly doing by playing her instrument while using music as her way to open the power within the teenager himself. "You have moved on from the God of Wealth and God of Pledge, yes?" she guessed, referring Nanda and Kuran, Ren nodded--he still didn't really have time to tell the entire story since he still cannot remember most of his memories. "I can sense negative emotions from you, one of your past personality doesn't sit well, right? Ever since the change..."

Ruanyi spoke with a calm and collected tone, and this made Ren's expression turns sullen as if those words were forcing to come out from his mouth. "After Nanda and Kuran's death, many gods were surprised at your unexpected change. You have lost your memory once you underwent the 'dual cultivation' on your own. Everyone was too afraid to see the new you... they didn't even hesitate to ask questions and they thought you might be dangerous. Good thing that Sakura convinced them about you, so they went to this Floating Palace Restaurant of the Gods that you owned."

"Does... the other gods know about me?" Ren hesitated to ask, she nodded. "Those gods gave an impression that I was on a holiday from the palace, after I have been offered for a dual cultivation," he didn't question if Ruanyi was interested or curious about himself as he looked at the mountains with beautiful scenery from far away, making him melancholic. "The other gods asked for Sakura's presence, and she asked the other deities to take a chance to get to know you as if they're ashamed to hear the news. Despite my neutrality at humans, Sakura treated you as her friend; even she's one of many gods that gave you pity and help."

Ruanyi explained, which made the latter surprised. Sakura has been so kind to him, when the situation was settled down. "Really?" he asked, which the song stopped as it played its sweet melody perfectly--how can she got any better at her part? "Of course, she even took good care of you since you were a human... your father entrusted her to take care of you and your late-grandparents' before you met Hakuren, Izumo and Kaizo," she explained, recalling every incident before and after the teenager became a Vidyadhara.

It was just he let them taking their time to have a little chat, which means Ren still listened to the sounds of instruments as he continued with a cheerful tone. "So, how did those two died? I don't remember what happened when I got possessed by Kuran back then," he asked, Ruanyi hummed. "I was the witness back during the Phantom Eruption, when your got possessed by him and when Sadana battled against Kuran--you have a soul of resistance as Kuran control your body but also giving him the 'warning' that it shouldn't go further. Of course, I was there for you and Sadana. It must have taken a lot of your spiritual energy while absorbing theirs before it weakened him," she explained her version of what she saw so far, Ren could feel a flurry of emotions that he could not get a grasp of for a moment before it faded away. Ren gulped a heavy lump in his throat, when he sensed the negative energy suddenly surrounded him.

"Let me remove those negativity from within you first, before we talk again," Ruanyi suggested, as Ren closed his eyes--feeling relaxed when she used her spiritual power to removed all negative energies around him. A single touch, a look in the eyes and a kind smile can bring joy to every inch of his heart. With the presence of kind friends and loved ones, just a single hug--the comforting hugs with a song and a sad tale. She noticed his depressed face, giving a sign as if he has a nightmare about the sad part in his life. No, the voice is not his--the sound was rough, vicious, and cruel as it grunts and mumbled incoherently but she couldn't decipher to the point if it was an evil spirit--it must have affected him on a horrifying scale as if they were controlling him for something malevolent.

Ruanyi used her ability to extract the negative force by her fingers playing her yueqin, making him flinched a bit and choked a little when his mouth opened--revealing a black mist of shadows that extracted by the God of Creation. She clutched the black mist within her palm, burning the intense energy was slowly turning into bright light and fading into black smoke, dissipating in the air before the negative force that created a voice of a dark persona disappeared. They didn't have any intentions to torment or attack anyone else who have an innocent mind, even Ren gasped to stare at her action before the atmosphere are calming down and he began to feel less suffocated with every bit of emotional pain. "T-That was unexpected," Ren muttered.

Shenlan was eating like usual, while she watched Ren's friends observing the customers while playing in the pavilion. Sitting on the chair with pillows were placed nearby, she was munching on potato chips while petting the puppy. The German Shepherd puppy barked softly after it lied on the lap, Shenlan was singing a cheerful tune while watching the employees of the restaurant serving and cooking for the gods with a form of their true bodies. "How's the food?" Sakura asked the Vidyadhara with a cheerful smile, seeing that Prime and Izayoi were eating as their own comfort after they received a welcoming party for the gods and more important, for Ren himself.

"It was delicious. Do they plan to build a colosseum here in Floating Restaurant of the Gods, because I could use this place to battle in the air while flying," Shenlan replied happily, her cheeks stuffed with rice cakes. Sakura giggled at her reaction, Ren could be seen having a conversation with the God of Creation herself; this place is filled with many strong and powerful beings. "And the view here's pretty nice. I could stand here and enjoy the sight of the world..."

"There will be a stage to put the 'trade show' demonstration of the most important events."

***

Kaizo and Izumo discussed about the last two remaining Vidyadharas to be found, while Hakuren eyed surroundings and Ren yawned when he kicked the rock below him. Shenlan was sitting crisscrossed on the flat rock, being a lazy-ass because she wanted to eat or sleep for hours as she grumbled. "Urgh, why are we in Bintan now?" she asked the four of them, mumbling softly as she continued. "I could've stayed in our temple and slept for weeks, why now? Like seriously, who's Farlan Adtmadja and when did he arrive?" she asked another question, causing the four looked at her with scowls. Not only her mind is like a 'newborn' (not entirely but could've understood enough), she has such a heavy weight on her heart. "Where's your curiosity, huh, you dumbass? Did you have a memory loss when you're traveling to the east?"

Hakuren scolded, flicking her forehead with her fingers which made Shenlan yelped from that small pain. Kaizo could probably hear some rumbling noise and sounds below his feet, like it was something was awakening; he felt there's something off about the place. "Over there, guys," Ren pointed out, seeing the temple known as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Temple--it has a majestic outlook on the outside known as Buddhist shrine with thousand faces. They sensed an energy from within the temple while there were many tourists looking up at it, while Shenlan saw Sakura was following Ren behind him; accompanied by Sadana.

"Fuck, I need to chant some mantras and shit."

It was a curse word that was obviously not appropriate to her and the current situation. While the group was approaching into the temple, one of the Chinese tourists bumped into Shenlan which made her growled at the human. "(Watch your steps)!" she spoke in Chinese, before she sighed when she felt it was a woman who was chatting excitedly on the phone while walking without knowing the surroundings. Kaizo has joined in along with Izumo and Hakuren, with a warning glance. Ren could see 1000 statues were aligned in rows, while the others observed them. "Let me ask them."

Ren spoke, before he unleashed his Cosmic's Wrath polearm and slammed the tip to the ground--chanting the mantra in Chinese language, and his spiritual energy started flowing through his veins. The mantra was focusing the five elements within: earth, fire, water, wind and metal--each of them responded to his spiritual energy. "(Immortal guardian spirits from the purest order, the Vidyadhara calls upon you. Arise, I order, show yourself.)"

The power of the mantra seemed to come from his glowing light around the magical spell circle surrounding him, revealing the deities who were from the statues have woken up and heard his calling. Sakura gasped at this power, he could feel a strong energy that emanates from his body--it seems like Kuran's spiritual energies had took an impression on the past his personality (possibly from his grandfather) once the aura has emerged from the flames. Did he learned the technique from his grandfather? Or the former previous self had left a small reminder? However, the mantra felt familiar and powerful despite its rough-spoken words. "(Show your grace, to the ones who is going to venture the journey to the unknown.)"

He released his polearm, as the two spirits walked towards the warriors. Ren was using a dark-forest, full-body Chinese changshan with red, white, silver, cyan and black strips of colors on the robe's collar. "(Riyanda Tjahyana, Vidyadhara of Four Heavenly Beasts of Balance, calling upon the Vidyadhara of the Earth Dragon of Wisdom)," the patron gods responded by showing their true forms: either a human dressed in oriental clothes, or a spirit with true features and pure aura. There was the human who was using a rich garments and held a staff, covered with jewelries; while one deified spirit is a Chinese dragon with its heavenly yellow color and white horn. "(Guide us to one of the two remaining Vidyadharas, Farlan Adtmadja; the Vidyadhara of Mahakala, God of Destruction.)"

Ren spoke, allowing the gods to guide the five of them along Sadana accompanied them. They didn't seem surprised with Ren's change and the arrival of the deities--not intimidated with its natural power and strengths. "(In that case, I am offering all of you a good luck blessings with your adventure. Allow me to perform my traditional rites for all of you.)"

Their spiritual energies infused them with good luck, and blessed them with protection after they finished performing rites and prayers with sacred weapons. "Do we get merits?" Izumo whispered to Sadana, making him facepalmed with his black hat covering his face. 'Out of all questions he should've not asking,' he mused, turning to Kaizo's silence. After everything was settled, the gods returned to the statues before they resumed their job; finding the man they were searching for.

Farlan Adtjmadja; the seventeen-years old Indonesian Vidyadhara was standing on top of the temple near the railings, with his hands behind his back. He is a young man with fair skin and golden irises with navy pupils, a smooth, light blue shoulder-length messy hair with fringe swept up to the left and wears a dual-colored coat over his formal shirt--a white and dark-blue coat with gold buttons. Ties his white necktie with two tails hanging near the lower side of the coat and sleeves. Wearing black pants tucked inside a pair of black boots, black, fingerless gloves with a small wrist-watch on his right hand, and finally a military badge on the left of his coat and gold buttons on the end of his coats.

Farlan is a dignified, benevolent, and rational individual, though is quite quirky and determined at the times, seems like the ideal type of a wise, sophisticated and wise leader with his calm attitude. He is the descendant and successor to the current king of Indonesian royalty, so he must serve as the champion for the country. "So the five of you who have finally arrived, since we have no time to be fooling around. I am the next Vidyadhara of a chosen destiny," he gestured, smiling calmly before they witnessed the Vidyadharas are here (plus with two gods like Sakura and Ruanyi) before his eyes.

Kaizo narrowed his eyes, in anticipation before the chaos ensued. "But I guess you haven't introduced yourselves yet, have you? Please excuse yourself. I have readied the place to train you in the combat against the Phantom Beasts, and as a guide to pursue a man who's up to no good."

Now we're talking!

"(Vidyadhara, I have honored upon the God of Destruction to bless you. May you serve the will of the greatest force of the Destroyers that are to come, and will be respected by the humanity and the gods.)"

Farlan spoke, while he was performing ritual. Right after he finished offering his blessings with his sacred weapon; a wavy-edged blade axe in one hand that made them went silent from its horrifying appearance. Farlan could hear them were tensed and not disturbed, he was looking out at the city of the temple (Ornate Buddha Temple) and its view, ignoring the wind brushed lightly on his face. "Now, we're looking for the last one, but we don't know the last Vidyadhara to where she or he has been located," he said, his eyes closed as a smile appeared on his lips. His golden eyes opened, showing his serious expression.

"Unless... she's looking for us by now."

The last Vidyadhara is somewhere and said to be Indonesian, but the said latter was abroad and the coordinates that Prime had found about their location, he kept quiet and his colleagues except Sakura were wondering how did the androids know. Shenlan was skeptical, she still hesitant and doesn't have any clue how will find her--once Farlan realized there were lots of artifacts were destroyed on the temples, but due to her power as a Vidyadhara with the God of Sentience's power--she began to meditate. "(Oh sentience of energy and memories of the past, reveal the unknown truth from within--the dark powers.)"

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Shenlan uttered, just then the sudden dark winds were conjured around, blowing fast as they felt an overwhelming darkness-based energy spiraled around before it was slowed down. What shocked was that Prime and Izayoi sensed each other's similar abilities that Farlan also awakened, and it makes Shenlan opened her eyes. "The last one is in Tibet," she replied, making them flabbergasted by her response. "Hey, I'm serious! Her coordinates, you smart asses, learn a little bit to play with that system, use it in the right cause," she replied the sarcasm.

It seems like Shenlan's sentience is more effective to read the location she supposed to be, Izumo was convinced that the spirits were responding their call upon their own. "Then, we have to go back to the restaurant and headed there, shit..." Ren muttered, before he told his friends to go back to the Floating Palace Restaurant of the Gods; there was a moment of silence before he held up his Cosmic Wrath polearm and slams the tip to the ground, chanting in a furious and loud tone. 'And I have to reform the Floating Restaurant of the Gods with a portal to a distance to the country.'

Ruanyi watched the boys creating a portal with the mantra that came from an unknown source of power--they might have taken the lesson from something very strong but most of all terrifying when it is overpowering. "They're developing, right Ruan?" Sakura asked with a smile, floating beside her. The deity nodded, while Farlan was watching the others are getting ready. While the rest was busy, Ruanyi secretly wrote something on his coat's sleeve with her thumb with glowing golden spiritual energy with his favorite pen, and finally she signed it with her fingers. "It's done."

***

They have arrived in Tibet, the problem is the language barrier--so they have to bring Izayoi from the floating restaurant to translate Tibetan to English and Vice versa. It was fucking cold, they need to put their coats on for the chilly environment. But at least that doesn't mean they're going to lose their bravery and to pursue the mission, meanwhile Farlan, Ren, and Kaizo were looking at the temple of their location. Izayoi watched the monks while he stood with the puppy was crawling on the snow around, it didn't go far because he pulled the leash closer. "Chiko, stay here. We don't want you to run away, okay?" he said to the puppy, seeing him barked in agreement as he watched the puppy who was rolling on the snowy grounds. Right, the German Shepherd has a black-brown fur, and warm to prevent him from hypothermia.

Ren stared at the English words on the shopping board above, the characters and the translation did not match the meaning which made him gulped--before the Tibetan monk approached him and helped him translating--even Izayoi was puzzled as fuck at the temple, Kaizo wanted to protect his teammates if any enemy were after them--so does Izumo and Hakuren. "Some people says that this is where Shangri-La exists, so..." Hakuren trailed off, crossing her arms when one of the monks were leading the group. "It's like Shambala, some Chinese legend says that the paradise lies somewhere, hidden in the clouds and they're believed to have people with long lifespan."

Prime stated, making them yelled by his sudden appearance when he was reading a comic book. He yelled when Izayoi smacked his back, scowling. "Are you out of your mind!? I thought you're still in the Floating Restaurant of the Gods earlier today!" he ranted, when he was reading a few minutes ago. "Because... the energy feels familiar for me. I had knowledge, that 'SHE' was the one who unleashed this energy around," Prime tried to decipher, the android knew that it was 'her'. "Who do you mean by 'her'?" Farlan asked with suspicion, was waiting for a response to the android.

The monk guide them into the wide traditional temple, which they sensed energy that has been protected by the other deities and have prevented the Phantom Beasts to invade it; for this they have come here. "Be careful, we might encounter with the beast sent by the Scarlet Armband Army's," the old monk reminded, and this has made them got worried if the most dangerous being was going to step inside the holy temple. "How long this Scarlet Armband Army have been active, if you don't mind us asking?" Izayoi asked, even though he's an android like Prime before and after they were defected--they still don't know the existence of this paramilitary organization.

"Scarlet Armband Army, or Scarlet Legion... they existed long during the birth of Phantom Samsara by the gods. During the birth of Buddha, a certain seer known as Oracle's Eye began spreading miracles throughout the world and created a civilized age before the first reincarnation of Buddha. On their second era, they founded their order and they have recruited people who want to overthrow the gods who committed unfair injustices against humanity--one of which: the rule of immortality," the monk explained.

According to him, the Oracle's Eye Seer from the order was a mysterious figure, who was given a prophecy of an apocalypse known as the Prophecy of the Eclipse--each prophecies contains the events of the tragedies in the Old World: they foretold the Apocalypse where monsters are going to emerge and destroyed the land until blood flows through the entire planet. After that, the person continued the sentence and have vowed to destroy the gods and let the world fell in devastation... and then, a few days before the said day of apocalypse, they began hearing whispers and another voice that followed after her--the time between 11,000 B.C and 1900 B.C.

"They unleashed the horde of Phantom Beasts, even the portal to the other world by creating a mass destruction such as Phantom Eruption, illegal experiments, mass genocide or summoning the beasts," the monk spoke, telling them about the calamities that has caused harm to the places. "Even worse, these calamities were considered to be the first domino to fall with a certain trigger point, the other 'tokens' needs to be fulfilled before the final disaster came to be and destroy the world. They also believed in Phantom Samsara's existence to be unraveled, due to many bubble universes and many things can be either similar or different with its similarities."

Is that possible!?

"Can I have some further explanation of Phantom Samsara," Prime asked in polite manner, he was never the one to doubt on someone's past history of 'truth' before, judging on the memories. "Yes, you may... young one," the monk permitted, Ren wondered what the scientist-android think of the current situation of the Phantom Beasts' existence. "Phantom Samsara is a series of worlds that created by the Devas, or how we humans referred to them as gods. Each universe existed around, containing the multiple versions of the world from the past to future. These beasts that are known as Phantom Beasts are formerly sinners who would undergo the Wheel of Samsara--death and rebirth."

Now it made Hakuren think about the purpose of Scarlet Armband Army, she remembered that they purposely created the androids to destroy the whole world and build a 'perfect system'--this would have resulted in chaos that the whole world was in the risk of total destruction. Also, they did these international crimes just to lure the gods' attention from the heavens and lure Phantom Beasts out of their territories. "However, this particular Phantom Beast was more dangerous, because it had its original sin tainted--so the sin that it would commit to death is unstoppable unless we have been warned. That's why the government has been hired with the paramilitary organizations that sanctioned by United Nations from foreign countries to retrieve the stolen artifacts from temples."

Is their world facing a second, third, and fourth apocalypse soon? Are there any calamities that could lead the world to chaos? Izumo pondered, before he added. "Don't you think the World Government are the shadow government under the gods in cahoots, am I right?" he turned to his female friends, while Kaizo watched their backs. "It's a possibility."

Farlan nodded at his statement, causing the latter seemed unfazed as they slowly moved forward while listening to the old monk's tale. They encountered the sealed tomb of the deceased God, based on their legends she could have escaped from the Phantom Eruption before the Phantom Samsara was manifested and eventually transformed into a Vidyadhara thanks to her innate skills and granted with a boon to eliminate the Phantom Beasts. "Vidyadhara, who was God of Music's Core Wielder, is Adinda Haryadi. Here she is, we keep her protected from any sight of those who part of Scarlet Legion."

Adinda Haryadi or Dinda; the seventeen-years old female Indonesian young teen with Chinese descent and a Vidyadhara, standing in front of the large bell as she turn around to see the six Vidyadharas are here. She was a beautiful young lady with a long light silver-white hair with red streaks behind her ears with braids behind her ears and her bangs framing over her violet-blue eyes and cheeks, she has fair complexion and tall height--almost matching male's height. With a white-purple-gold chrysanthemum ornate accessory under her braids and gold platinum hairpin, she wears a golden earrings with jasmine petals on it. Her attire consists of white high-collared top with long sleeves that looked similar to furisode and has light violet batik patterns of chrysanthemum flowers with black borders, a gold brooch with golden dangles hanging to her abdomen and black sleeveless blouse with a straps with a black corset that has golden buttons and black shorts with the front of elegant, long black skirt with motifs of gold batik tapestry at the end. Lastly she wears black thigh-high boots with golden back heels, along black gloves and a black ribbon behind her back.

Dinda is good natured, modest, and playful individual with a somewhat a quirky nature but sensible. This girl is one of a kind, she adores any people's lives and despises having them suffer even for an instant--which she's very mature for her age. Apparently, she was a longtime friend of Ren from his previous primary school--before he transferred into Surabaya Cultural School and she also transferred there. "Riyanda, it's been a while!" she greeted with a smile, calling Ren by his real name. She was waving her hand at him while approaching towards the Vidyadhara with the fire-element. She immediately give him a tight hug before turning to Kaizo, Izayoi, Izumo, Prime and Farlan as they were introduced to her by the monk.

Ren didn't know why but he started to feel nostalgic just by having Dinda around made him wanted to cry, she was the first person to make him open up during his struggles after getting bullied for having a Chinese blood in his veins and getting to the principal. Right, Dinda knows almost the most of everything; and now she is a Vidyadhara--hence, he let her tagging along while the rest have stayed to protect the place.

"It's been a while too..." he uttered, Hakuren chuckled when she could even tell he was breaking from his shell as she noticed that he didn't make an annoyed expression like Kaizo. "You never tell us you had a childhood friend, eh? As always, you never gave us a straight-forward answer?" she teased the leader with a question, causing Izumo to endlessly poking his shoulder and made Ren grumbled at this whole mess.

'Shut up... Haku...' he thought, Izumo was plotting to tease him while Kaizo prevented him from doing that shit. Shenlan was curious about her, along Farlan who happens to be surprised at the last Vidyadhara to be recruited in his team. Dinda appears to have a guzheng that was strapped behind her back, it has colors of black and purple orchid flower patterns and she could feel it's a sacred weapon. They headed to the training grounds where they will hone their skills for three days, after they collected all the ingredients to make medicine and traditional weaponry against the Phantom Beasts. This has given them a chance to train for their debut against the real enemy; the ones who doesn't deserve to be a deity's champion: Scarlet Legion and also the Devas in the afterlife.

Ren met his father Rihan who came with the others after Sadana called them here, the same time the Floating Restaurant of the Gods hidden far away from the site--they got to enjoy this place as the monk continued on the story--mostly, their way of dealing with their problems with the corrupted civilizations outside--compared to the floating island. "I want to name our team first, because we can't just stayed unnamed," he proposed, Farlan smirked. "Sounds like a good idea, any idea for the title?" he asked, Ren hummed as he was using his brainstorm ideas of their team's name--then, he perked as he's got an idea--but was unable to decide it yet. "Let me give it a few minutes. Maybe Izayoi got an idea," he suggested, making the android's eyes widened. "Huh, why me?!"

Hakuren shook her head while smiling, because this was usual for Ren. So she suggested the names she had in her notebook, there were already on the top of the list and she showed the team their name. Shenlan yawned as she watched Izayoi played with the puppy by pushing a rubber ball to the snow before the German Shepherd puppy chased after it to fetch the toy. "How about Fantasia?" Izumo guessed, the latter frowned. "No, I mean the Fantasia Resort... do you have another great name instead of that?"

"Well, we better find a good one then. Got some ideas, Farlan?" Kaizo turned to the young man, since the other four has ran out of ideas. "I think... Peacemakers?" he suggested, again Ren was unsatisfied with this. "That's not going to work either! That's a common name, Farlan!" he protested, as he crossed his arms; sitting on the wooden barrel while trying to think again. Then, the word came into his head--making him stand up and suggested. "I know it sounds ironic, but... how about SHANGRI-LA?"

SHANGRI-LA sounds nice, isn't it? Since it also means for 'Paradise' and possibly could have signifies their goal; to create a paradise that the world wanted--even Dinda nodded her head in agreement. "You might start calling ourselves as... SHANGRI-LA's Samsara Warriors, but for now, SHANGRI-LA sounds like a perfect name!" he added, allowing the rest of the members joining the club (which they're already), and the Vidyadharas, except Ren knew where's their origin came from: that was from the origins of Shambala; a mysterious spiritual kingdom somewhere in Himalayan Mountains and Gobi Mountains--according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition that are believed to be inaccessible to the average human that enters. According to the monk, it is a paradise founded by the Bodhisattvas and other deities from the heavens to protect the ancient lands.

"Well, we might gonna call ourselves as SHANGRI-LA instead but you didn't find more fun places to have good old vacation on beaches and parks, is it?" Shenlan asked, which made Ren tempted to kick her ass off. "Dumbass, SHANGRI-LA is actually a different paradise, probably you meant Shambala!" Ren retorted, just as he has made the young Vidyadhara groaned from that answer. "Damn, a 'newborn' Vidyadhara like Shenlan must've been wondering how's the Shambala looks like and how can we enter?" Izumo whispered to her, flicking her forehead.

Ren look up at the sky for a moment, scowling at the gods who created the Phantom Samsara when everything was perfect for living beings like him, and the world to strive without any malice or death; especially the Phantom Beasts in mind and the reason why the Oracle's Eye were always trying to kill off the gods in order to realize their so-called "ideals". The final attack--unleashing the full power of calamities: Phantom Apocalypse.

Did everything went unbroken in the past? The current 'age' are on verge of destruction, unlike the Oracle's Eye that came from the Legion's descendants they seek for 'freedom'; the Legion itself became an organized, lawless organization without the mercy from the gods of light and balance. All of these bastards could do is steal the treasures and massacre the entire cities without causing any damage or wrecking any pandemonium in any countries--they took everything that belongs to them and stolen by the Legion members who survived.

Back in the Floating Restaurant of the Gods, Ren stared at the horizon above the Himalayan Mountains, glaring with fury--and unleashed his Cosmic Wrath polearm. He loathed the gods because of Nanda, the God of Wealth who betrayed him just for his past life Kuran--who was once the God of Pledge and both of them ultimately died by his own power; how could these two betrayed him...? He tried seek for the answers why, but all he got is a false hope and broken dreams. Moreover, the last things he wanted to remember is the suffering of sins such as reincarnations, destruction of hope and prosperity and now, he has to overthrow the gods. "It's not like I wanted to hate them, nor I am trying to. All I wanted to know, is that both of them were my enemies or the other way around!" Ren answered, making his own resolve.

"Once you broke my trust, no second chance. You've already tasted my blade after what have you done, Nanda!"

He declared while he's in the highest point of the rooftop, as if he was taunting the gods and it struck through the heart--like an arrow shooting through the deities and its followers. "Deal me with your precious champion, I will not fall in his hands after both of you had casted my downfall, I AM NOT WEAK!" he yelled, his polearm felt the powerful energy had flowed through his veins and into the polearm. It has his own power, not Kuran's power... and... his own sword... his own soul...

"The world will burn in these flames, and I am taking back this world so no other enemies gets to interfere my path anymore!"

This might have the will become his last dying words in case he failed, if this was a repeat history--he would die, even he don't want his friends and family involved in his own battle. He swung his polearm and spinning it before he captured it, with his fist tighten as his chest tighten--while both his memories of his original life and other reincarnation lives combined into one. Each of their personalities mixed with his modern, teenage life form. All of his memory after death, and everything has changed for his life--they all made his soul to grow stronger into new his true form.

Rihan understands how his son suffered through the samsara, from poverty to being a common folk and bullying--causing Ren to seek for something he can protect with his strength. But even their whole relatives struggled to survive and finding the a remedy for the curse, the situation has changed beyond his control, they need to control the other things--including Phantom Samsara by themselves. "Riyanda... that's exactly what I wanted to say when that fool destroyed my life," his father spoke, Ren whirled to see the man next to him.

Prime could hear him from the distance, the voices and the strong aura emanates through the rooftop, startling the younger ones who were trying to prepare the weapons. "Father..." Ren muttered with a frown, his past memories might be one of the reasons why Ren won't bring them to fight. "It's alright, you've become a grown-up. You need to deal with your own goals for yourself. A person's fate and their choices depend on themselves."

Rihan approached to him, putting his hand on his shoulder while Ren kept a silence--and then, he wrapped his father into his warm embrace.

"Don't stay in pain, my child... release it, you're not alone."

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