Darkness—a silence so deep that even a scream would die. This was a place where neither time nor life could move. Calling it "The Infinite Void" was perhaps an understatement; it was the very edge of existence where souls evaporated into vapor.
Zian and Suya, two souls that were once each other's entire universe, were now reduced to mere flickering fireflies in this vast darkness. The air around them wasn't cold, but rather, there was a strange numbness that was hollowing out their souls from within.
"Zian... are you feeling?" Suya's voice trembled. She held Zian's hand tightly as if it were her last resort. "My lower part... I can't feel it."
Zian looked down, his heart pounding. Suya's legs were slowly turning into smoke. She was fading away. And not just her, even Ziyan's own hands were turning translucent at the edges.
"Don't worry, Suya. I'm here... I won't let you go anywhere," Ziyan tried to comfort her, but the fear of death was evident in his own voice.
Just then, an echo pierced the eternal silence. It wasn't a human voice, but a heavy, lifeless noise like thousands of machines operating simultaneously. The air in front of them was torn apart like torn paper, and a huge, blue digital screen emerged. Its brightness was so intense that it momentarily blinded both of them.
[Warning: Existence Erasure 90% complete]
[Soul Energy Level: Critically Low]
A web of words began to appear on the screen. Ziyan and Suya stared at it in stunned shock.
[Divine Protocol Activated: The Eternal Soul-Link System has selected a worthy Host]
[Name: Suya | Ability: 99.9% (Energy of Pure Love and Sacrifice)]
Suya faltered and asked, "This... What is this? Can you save us from here?"
The system's mechanical voice echoed: [Host Suya, I am a higher-dimensional consciousness. If you accept to become a 'Host,' you and your fellow soul will be lifted from this void. You will be given a new life and unlimited powers in the world of 'Murim.']
A flash of hope flashed in Ziyan's eyes. "Suya! Accept it! We're getting another chance to live!"
But the next line in the system reduced that hope to ashes.
[Condition: The system can only provide a 'protective shield'. Only the host (Suya) will be protected when entering the portal of reincarnation. The other soul (Xian) will have no protective shield. Due to the portal's tremendous energy, Xian's soul will shatter into thousands of pieces upon entering. His existence will be erased forever.]
A complete void fell upon Xian. He could see Suya alive, but he couldn't be himself with her. "No..." he whispered.
Suya's face hardened like stone. She looked into Xian's eyes—the same eyes she had loved all her life. "Is there another way?" she asked, shouting at the screen. "Can't I send her in my place? Can I give her my 'host' position?"
[Processing...]
[Answer: Yes. A forbidden way exists—'The Ultimate Sacrifice']
The screen's color changed from blue to a deep, blood-red color.
[The price: If you transfer your 'host-ship' to Xian, Xian will become the master of the 'System of the Infinite Void.' However, upon entering the portal, Suya (the soul without the system)'s memory will be completely crushed. Your memories will be scattered across the world of Moorim in the form of thousands of 'Soul Fragments.' You will remain alive, but your soul will be like an empty vessel. You will completely forget Xian, yourself, and your past.]
"No, Suya! Never!" Xian grabbed Suya's hand. "I won't let you become a living corpse without memories! Let me fade away, at least you'll retain your identity!"
Suya slowly shook her head. Tears fell from her eyes, freezing like pearls in the cold of the void. "Zian... what are memories? Just some past images. But you... you are my future. If you survive, perhaps one day you can give me those memories back. But if you disappear, what will I do with those memories?"
"Suya, please... listen to me..." Zian burst into tears.
Suya ignored his plea and placed her trembling hand on the red part of the screen where 'Transfer Ownership' was flashing.
[Protocol begins... 10... 9... 8...]
Suddenly, countless streaks of golden light began to emanate from Suya's body. Zian watched helplessly as those streaks were Suya's memories. Their first meeting, that first rain, the promise they made to stay together until old age—everything was being pulled from her chest and shattered into this cold void.
"Suya! Stop! I don't want this life!" Ziyan tried to grab her, but he couldn't touch Suya anymore. An impenetrable translucent shield began to form around Ziyan.
[5... 4... 3...]
Suya's face slowly grew expressionless. The yearning for love in her eyes was now fading into a strange haze. She gathered all her strength and, looking into Ziyan's eyes, said her final words:
"Zian... I know... you'll find me again."
It wasn't a question. It was the unwavering faith of one soul in another.
[1... Transfer complete!]
There was a terrible explosion, as if thousands of glass mountains had shattered simultaneously. Suya's soul was drawn towards the portal like a lifeless moth. As soon as it hit the portal's surface, it exploded like a supernova, and thousands of golden fragments of her memories scattered like constellations across the world of Moorim.
"Suyaa ... Ziyan's scream pierced the eternal silence, but Suya was no longer there. She had been swallowed by a vortex of light, where she had no identity, no name left.
[System Binding Successful: Host Ziyan]
[New Main Mission: Collect the scattered Soul Fragments of your better half]
[Welcome to the world of Murim, Lord of Death.]
Zian too was pulled in by the portal's tremendous force. Tears welled in her eyes and a burning vengeance burned in her heart. The light grew so intense that her consciousness vanished.
Now there was neither emptiness nor silence. Now there was an unknown journey, a new world, and an unfulfilled promise that Ziyan would have to fight even the gods to fulfill.