As the familiar cold emptiness crept into Zhung's soul, the chill wrapped around him. Yet—something deep inside stirred, something he couldn't name.
A voice echoed in the void where nothingness rang between and around his soul.
"To see who you are is to see what you are. To see yourself is to see ourselves. We are the same… We are Zhung Hang."
It was his own voice—his oldest companion, the one that had always followed him. Without it, he was nothing.
The darkness began to warp. His soul **glowed**, a faint ember at first, then **flared**, pushing back the black. The voice repeated:
"To see who you are is to see what you are. To see yourself is to see ourselves. We are the same… We are Zhung Hang."
The light steadied. His voice grew calm. He answered himself.
"I am Zhung Hang—grandmaster of the Heavenly Sect, security guard, first disciple of Shin Luo the Great."
Everyone he'd met, in every lifetime—real or false—carried their own answer to one question:
**Who is Zhung Hang, truly?**
To his disciples, he was the model, the kindest mentor, the loving gramps.
To his parents, he was useless, a deadbeat, a selfish disappointment.
But to Zhung Hang himself?
He was just… him.
A character in two worlds—one false, one true.
"I am myself. Nothing more. Nothing less. I'm just me."
At the center of his soul, a mark appeared—an unknown symbol, pulsing like a dying coal.
The glow **intensified**, no longer soft light but **white-hot iron**.
He asked the void the same question he'd whispered before ending it all:
"Would I be a demon?"
The question echoed.
His soul **burned hotter**.
"No," he answered. "Because deep inside, something wants me to be **just me**—not a demon, not a saint.
If I choose demon, I'll be demon.
If I choose saint, I'll be saint.
But I choose the **middle**."
His soul became a **star**, blinding, searing the void.
He stepped away from the spotlight and onto the **Broken Path**—the balance between light and dark.
Thus, his soul blazed through the cosmos, passing worlds, scenes, and shattered timelines.
A new river formed in the space between realities: the **Enlightenment River**, granting a soul rebirth.
Zhung Hang drifted toward a gray light.
"Why did I say I'd be a demon? That was just anger. Despair. Even if this world is false—I'll live it fully."
Warmth filled his soul.
The void didn't fade.
It **followed**.
With Zhung Hang's soul began to lose the light the rebirth was complete.
"Only survival in my next life await!"
**End of Chapter 1 to 3 As Introduction**