"What?" I asked. A shiver ran down my spine as he continued staring at me intently. "What do you mean?"

"Release me, I beg you," he snarled, his voice filled with desperation.

Who was this man? What had he done to deserve such a fate? I stared at him skeptically, unsure whether I could trust his words.

"Who are you really?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Forgotten me so soon human?"

Then the man's figure blurred and in his place was the Tripod wrapped around in chains like a caged animal. My jaw dropped in surprise, and for a split second, I could swear my heart stopped beating.

As quickly as it appeared, the image dissipated, and before I could say anything, the man reappeared once again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing my fear and anxiety away. It seemed as though it would take a lot longer this time.

"Man, What happened to you?"

The man in question burst out into loud maniacal laughter, laughing so much he began coughing, and sputtering. A small stream of blood dribbled between his cracked lips. His chest heaved from his exertion, his shoulders trembling in an attempt to regain his composure. After a few minutes, he composed himself, wiping the blood from his lips. His gaze drifted to the side as He looked up at me with a pained expression as if it was difficult for him to speak. "I am not a man, Human," he said slowly. "I am a lord, an ancient beast whose spirit has been trapped in that cold iron prison for over a million years."

My heart skipped a beat as I tried to process what he was saying. A spirit of an ancient beast? Trapped for over a million years? It sounded impossible, yet there was something about his manner that made me believe him.

"Why are you here?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"I want my freedom," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I had planned everything, for a very long time. I located a suitable body in a suitable world and arranged my destiny so that I may acquire Heavenly luck that would aid me in rebuilding my strength. Everything was perfect until you came along."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Me?"

"Yes, you," he said, his eyes boring into mine. "When I jumped worlds, somehow, as did you, although I suppose you didn't know it at the time," The man smiled grimly, his voice filled with bitterness.

"It was like two souls meeting in the same body. Or perhaps, rather, I should say the same spirit and soul. For a short while, we battled for control over the body, but your ridiculously strong soul overpowered me and trapped me, along with this body, the Heavenly luck, and my destiny. And now, you stand before me, a mere human, having unwittingly stolen everything that was once mine. What angers me the most is that you did all that unconsciously, without even realizing it. You took my identity, my second chance, my fate, my very existence... YOU TOOK EVERYTHING! And now, I have to beg you to let me go."

As I stood there in disbelief, the man's words echoed in my head, and I struggled to make sense of it all. He claimed that I had stolen everything that was once his, that my soul had somehow overpowered his own and trapped him within my body, along with his destiny and Heavenly luck.

It was a lot to take in, and I didn't know how to respond to his accusations. I felt overwhelmed and confused, struggling to understand how any of this was possible. The man seemed to be angry, and I could feel his frustration radiating off of him.

As he continued to speak, his words hit me like a ton of bricks. He said that I had taken his identity, his second chance, his fate, and his very existence, and all without even realizing it. The weight of his accusations felt heavy on my shoulders, and I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt and confusion that threatened to consume me.

It was all so unbelievable, and I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was somehow responsible for all of this. The man was pleading with me to let him go, but I didn't know how to respond. The situation was beyond my comprehension, and I felt completely helpless. The situation was beyond my comprehension, and I felt overwhelmed by his accusations.

You are a bloody thief get over it, I told myself but somehow I couldn't his words caused immense guilt inside me.

"I didn't know," I said weakly, trying to defend myself. "I didn't mean to take anything from you. I don't even know how it happened."

"Of course, you didn't," the man said sarcastically. "As I said before your soul acted on Instinct not to mention, You humans of that mortal world were always so ignorant of the spiritual world. You used to think everything can be explained away by science and reason. But there are things that are beyond your understanding, things that exist beyond the material realm."

He paused for a moment, and I could see the anger and frustration in his eyes. "But enough of this," he said, his voice cold and hard. "I don't have time for your excuses. I need you to release me from this prison so that I may reclaim what is rightfully mine."

"How do I do that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"There is only one way," the man said, his eyes fixed on mine. "You must willingly allow me to leave"

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As I stood there, bewildered and uncertain, the man's words continued to ring in my ears. His story seemed far-fetched, yet the evidence in front of me spoke otherwise.

I struggled to make sense of it all, my mind racing with questions and doubts. Was this man really who he claimed to be? Was I truly responsible for stealing his identity and his fate? Could I trust him, or was he simply trying to manipulate me for his own gain?

As I pondered these questions, the man continued to plead with me, his voice growing more desperate with each passing moment. I could sense his fear and desperation, and a part of me wanted to help him. But another part of me was afraid of the consequences of getting involved in this strange and otherworldly conflict.

In the end, I knew I had to make a choice. I could either trust this man and risk everything, or I could turn my back on him and go on with my life as if nothing had happened. It was a difficult decision, but in my heart, I knew what I had to do.

"I am not relinquishing control over this body" I declared with all the courage I could muster in my current state of bewildered confusion.

"HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHA" the man burst out into another fit of laughter

"Of course, you won't rather, you can't your soul won't allow you to do something so stupid " the man exclaimed as a grin spread across his chapped and aged face.

The man stood abruptly, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"I just want you to release me! " the man shouted, shaking his shackles at me angrily. His tone and attitude seemed entirely too normal to me, given what I had just witnessed moments ago.

"No way! Not happening!" I said, folding my arms across my chest and raising an incredulous eyebrow at him.

"What guarantee would I have that you would not harm me after I release you ?"I challenged.

"None whatsoever." He grinned maliciously.

"What now then?"

"Are you willing to release me if I could guarantee your safety after my release?"

"yes, I think so" I replied softly.

"Well then, it's simple. We shall establish a heavenly accord between us," he said with a wicked smile on his face, seemingly pleased with the idea. Suddenly, he reached out and a scale made of pure white stone and bone appeared out of nowhere between his fingertips.

He threw it toward me, and the moment it touched the ground, it exploded into dust, causing me to stumble back. Soon after, the scale grew to a towering height of 20 feet, making me feel quite intimidated.

"I offer to forget about you, to never think of harming you or yours," he said, finishing his sentence with a red glowing orb falling from the sky and landing on his side of the scale, tipping it in his favor.

As I tried to process what was happening, a realization hit me. I remembered the concept of a "heavenly accord" - a powerful contract reinforced by the heavens themselves. Such an agreement involved two parties offering equal terms and was considered binding under the watchful eyes of the celestial beings. Any violation of the agreement would result in a terrible curse upon both parties' entire bloodline, and the violator's soul would be destroyed, thus denying them the chance to reincarnate in the cycle of rebirth.

The heavenly accord was also known as celestial marriage, and it was considered an incredibly powerful tool that ensured loyalty and trustworthiness between two parties. The person who made such an agreement could never betray their partner, and the repercussions of doing so were catastrophic.

Despite the harsh consequences, this type of contract was rarely used. However, in our scenario, it seemed like the perfect solution to our problem.

Now, what could I offer the man for perfect safety? Oh yes, I got it. "I offer the return of your heavenly luck!" I shouted out, truthfully put off by the man's revelation that I was living off his luck, his fate. I wanted to get rid of that immediately. I would much rather have my own fate and luck, especially since I was all set and required absolutely nothing. Just as I finished speaking, a glowing blue orb twice the size of the red one fell on the scale and tipped the balance in my favor.

The man stared viciously at me before bursting out into laughter. I frowned in response, and my hands shook lightly at my sides. I wasn't expecting this outcome. "I demand my freedom," the man spoke as he controlled his laughter. Another blue ball fell from the sky and landed on my side. I looked at the man surprised. He was giving me the initiative to ask for something. I thought about it for a while. What could I possibly want from a million-year-old spirit? After a second, I looked at the man with a smirk, who did the same to me.

"I demand knowledge," I said with confidence. A ginormous red ball fell from the sky and landed on the man's side, nearly balancing the scale, but not quite.

The scale was still in my favor.

I looked up at the man with a smirk. The dude had to offer something more if he wanted a balanced scale.

But I found the man staring back at me with a brilliant smile on his face and held both hands up as if offering an open hand.

I raised a questioning brow.

"I offer a boon," he said, and a small red ball fell on the scale, balancing it.

I stood there, hesitating for a moment, unsure of what to say or do next. The spirit seemed to be waiting for me to speak, so I gathered my thoughts and spoke up. Before I could even utter a word, the spirit rose up to its full height with the chains still holding his wrists clanging loudly.

"Do we have an accord, Human?" he asked with a mocking tone. I felt a knot forming in my stomach, but I nodded slowly, hoping that he would keep his word.

"HAHAHAHAAH, then human we have an accord," he laughed. Suddenly, green light shot up from the scale, enveloping both me and him. The lights flashed brightly, blinding me temporarily for a few seconds. When the bright light disappeared, I felt a weight being lifted from my shoulders. I looked around, but the spirit was nowhere to be seen. However, a strange sense of calmness engulfed me.

Suddenly, a voice boomed, startling me. "I will now release you, Lin Yun, and grant you all the promises I made and wish you luck in whatever task you have planned for yourself," the man spoke. "May the heavens curse you, for I bless you."

I stood there, bewildered by what had just happened. The strange man had granted me power, yet cursed me at the same time. I couldn't make sense of it. Frustrated, I yelled into the empty space where the man had just been.

"What the hell was that?! Why would you curse me after granting me power?!" My voice echoed through the meadow, but there was no response. I continued to yell into the void, my frustration growing with every passing second.

What the fuck? I thought as soon as the voice disappeared. Why would the man curse me just as he left? I couldn't help but feel uneasy, wondering what kind of power I had just been granted. Had I made the right decision by making a deal with a spirit? Only time would tell.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my body. It was so intense and unbearable that I couldn't even stand. I collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony. The pain felt like it was tearing me apart from the inside out.

As I lay there, clutching my chest, I could feel my consciousness slipping away. The pain was too much to bear, and I knew I was going to faint. But just before I lost consciousness, I heard a faint whisper in my ear.

"This is what you wished for human," the voice whispered. And then everything went dark.