The Brink of Death
The Brink of Death
Looking up at the clouds, an ominous feeling grew within her as they began to flash and thunder. And then lightning struck down, hitting all sixteen spires and the energy traveled down from the top to the bottom, gathering at the point where the blade was stabbed into.
"Shit, I made a mistake."
She watched as all of that power flowed down before coming back up, going through the sword and into her body. When it happened, Ming Yue didn't wince, she screamed in pain and agony, feeling the power of the Calamity run through her body.
From her meridians to her bones, nothing was spared from the agonizing torture of having such electric energy rampage within her. Her whole body convulsed to the point where she let go of Blood Moon, dropping it on the floor.
It was an unthinkable experience, pain that simply could not be described.
But it wasn't over, it was far from over.
Waves of pain came over the young woman as she tried to endure, falling to her knees and still grabbing tightly to the sword. Her head was ringing incessantly and her heart pounded like crazy as every fiber of her being screamed. Black lightning continued to strike into the spires again and again.
From the skies above, the remnant Calamity energy burned through the rest of its life, sending down bolt after bolt until nothing was left. By then there was a calm as all of it had been used up, gathered within this formation. But the sword still crackled and sparked, still crying out.
"Hah, hah, hah, is it over? All this because of the sword, what a dumb thing I did..." she reflected.
Her armor was burnt up and smoking as she lay on her knees, still holding onto the sword. Mustering her strength, she looked up and still saw the churning clouds still flashing out. The pain in her head and heart was stronger than ever as she realized that the answer was "no".
"Damn it, this is... the tribulation, isn't it?"
Still facing the sky, Ming Yue could sense the growing power in the clouds, seeing them darken over time whilst the lightning flashes grew stronger and stronger.
This was it, in this next moment, she would either reach the Sky Realm or fail.
"Will I even survive this? I didn't prepare at all, I didn't have time, I just didn't have time", she told herself.
And then, those words she saw a while ago came about.
"Time does not wait for anyone, especially not for the talented."
Thinking about it, Ming Yue realized what it meant as she found herself in that very situation.
"Everyone has a limited amount of time, even if they ask to wait or to stop, it won't stop. It is merciless and unbiased, giving preference to no one. For those who are talented, there's even less time, and rather than continued normally, time goes even quicker. So it didn't matter if I waited or not, this tribulation would've come to me no matter the case."
At this very moment, she couldn't help but smirk and chuckle.
"What is the point of knowing now? I'm about to be struck down. I might as well see how this goes", she muttered to herself.
Still looking up, Ming Yue watched as the energy gathered and coalesced into one spot, obscured by the darkening clouds. But she knew what was coming, she was far too familiar with it.
"A Heaven's Bolt..."
Squinting a bit, she watched as it grew in size and power before flashing out, signaling its impending arrival. Coming down from the clouds, it was a singular lightning bolt with an iridescent glow.
It wasn't as imposing as the one she saw come for Dai Mian, the leader of the Tao Feng. However, it wasn't something one could scoff at.
The young woman couldn't do anything else but welcome this tribulation of lightning. Her sight turned bright white as the lightning bolt came down. But that white light subsided as a warmth gently coaxed her to awaken.
"This..."
She was surprised and yet she shouldn't be, Ming Yue found herself back in the village. However, something was different, very different. Green Orchid Village had already been razed to the ground, its buildings were burnt and she was on her knees looking down at the shallow graves she had dug for everyone.
This tribulation didn't bring her to the happy memories and moments that she had, it came for the memories she never wanted to relive.
Back within the body of her younger self, Ming Yue stared at the graves, looking down at her dirt-covered hands before glancing at all of the bodies lying beside her. No matter how long it had been or how many things she had experienced, this was something she was not expecting. Her eyes widened and her breath quickened as she stood up, realizing this was exactly what she had to do.
"I have to bury them all over again."
The thought of it made her tremble ever so slightly, it was a dreadful feeling, perhaps worse than the pain that she already endured.
But Ming Yue let out a sigh and went to complete this task. One by one, she dragged the bodies, dropping them into their graves. Their dead expressions and cold bodies were things she could never forget. And as a child, her strength was as such, causing her to struggle, pulling and tugging with all her might.
There were dozens of bodies to bury and each one she knew.
"Hah, how many more?"
Ming Yue panted heavily, she was tired and weak, aching from the hard labor. When it came to burying them, all she had was a single shovel. She didn't cry or tear up, her face was quite emotionless as she shoveled dirt, covering the faces first.
By the end of it, there was only one grave left and one body as well, her father's.
She stood right beside him before kneeling down, looking at him.
"He looks just like the same."
Her eyes rested on his peaceful face before traveling down the rest of his body, covered up in bloody bandages. Her last-ditch attempts to keep her father alive, an effort made in vain. In the end, he was still dead, everyone in her village was still dead.
Without saying another word, Ming Yue took her father's body and carefully laid it in the last grave. Grabbing the shovel, she started to fill the grave with dirt, covering her father's body first and then his face.
She didn't stop until his entire body was covered up and then she dropped the shovel, looking at this clearing. Aside from the smoldering ashes of her village, she looked at the graves, going through them row by row.
"117... 117 graves."
Repeating the number in her mind, she sat down, wistfully looking at this scene. Itw as quiet, perhaps peaceful even, it was just her alone with her thoughts.
"What now, what is it going to show me next?"
This was what Ming Yue wanted to know, what else did this tribulation have in mind for her?
"If this part is about the village then what's next? The war or the doppelgangers?" she asked herself.
Strangely enough, nothing changed yet, she was still here in the remains of her home. But then she felt some droplets on her shoulder as it began to drizzle gently, wetting everything.
Sensing something, Ming Yue raised her head and turned around, seeing several figures emerge from the gathering puddles. Taking shape, they were doppelgangers, each one resembling her from the beginning of this journey to now.
Standing up to face them, she was still in her younger form and without a weapon.
Ming Yue took a deep breath and closed her eyes, opening them as she breathed out. Her hand opened and closed, grabbing into the hilt of her sword. And her body returned to her normal form once again.
Taking a stance, she gazed at them all, waiting for the doppelgangers to make their move.