FINALLY- CHAPTER 1 OF TANG BEING RETURNED-
Thank you @ninauu @unspecified-expectations for supporting me on this :D
(also, @glitchbookss have the content bro)
This is my first time writing a fic, so some parts might sound missing, or rushed😭
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The once perfect ground, now murky, and ruined.
People, mangled by swords on their throats, lay lifeless on the ground.
The distinct smell of blood tainted by the demonic sect.
Mingling with dark, heavy fog covering the once bright sky.
Chung Myung's breath came in short gasp as he couldn't take his eyes away from his dying friend, despite the countless dead bodies scattered everywhere in the battlefield.
'Is this how it ends?' Tang Bo questioned.
But no one answered. Nobody could answer.
Only the frantic sound of Chung Myung's breathing filled the air.
With no thoughts, Tang Bo slowly gaze his eyes on Chung Myung who was trembling uncontrollably while gripping his hand. Desperately infusing his inner energy onto Tang Bo's body, but no matter how hard he tried, the blood flowed with no end.
Although Tang Bo was barely conscious, he withheld himself from closing his eyes, and calmly looked at his old, panicked friend that refuses to leave him.
Hearing Tang Bo's weak voice, Chung Myung quickly looked into his eyes with distraught.
And.. he sees Tang Bo.. Smiling...?
Is this really the time to smile, you crazy bastard?
Tang Bo let out a faint chuckled at Chung Myung's glare.
'Still the same...' he thought
Tang Bo knew he was dying, but he didn't want to see his hyung with such a stupid, helpless face. That face was unlike him after all. So he's glad to see that annoying face one last time.
Tang Bo grinned at him, and softly uttered his words
"Hyung-nim... I have a favor to ask for you.."
The words lingered in Chung Myung's ears as he slowly stared intently at Tang Bo, clutching his hands even further.
Tang Bo abruptly stops speaking, and lets out a deep breath.
He uttered his final words with a bright smile before closing his eyes.
With a void filled with darkness
It was just a vast emptiness
'Is this what death feels like?'
'This seems more painful than dying!'
'Do I have to be stuck in here for eternity?'
'Why am I even able to think if I'm dead?'
Tang Bo's mind was filled with question after question, But there was no one no reply..
That's pissing him off even more!!
With nothing more to do, and no one else to talk to.
all that remained was himself.
That doesn't sound good...
Tang Bo being all alone wasn't new
Especially, because he was born in the Tang Family.
There was a reason why Tang Bo was outcast in his clan. With their abundance of over-reliance on traditions, and poisons. He couldn't stand the idea of the Tang Family's ideals slowly becoming repressing. No, he hated it more than anyone.
'This is the pride of the Tang Family'? Sure, let those bastards call it whatever they like.
The ancestors of the Tang Family might come back alive, and shout at their blissful ignorance of the pride they once left behind!
Though, despite distancing himself from the Tang members,
All he experienced was bittering loneliness.
It felt as if he was a bird trapped inside a cage. Isolated, yet all of it was intentional.
He wouldn't leave the cage, even if the gate was opened. But should he leave? When the owner of the bird is standing right in front of him?
The bittering loneliness didn't matter. It was better to detach yourself than to suffer from oppression. The cage was better than the the people after all.
Besides, the only friend he ever needed was his Hyung-nim. That demon-like guy..
'Ah.. I miss him already..'
Who could ever replace Chung Myung? He was the guy that fought thousands of demonic cultist, the one who achieved many victories. The one that miraculously gave hope to humanity. The one that used to beat the shit out of other sects. The madman that causes problem everywhere he goes, the one-
Ah.. I should stop mentioning him...
He'll beat the shit out of me if I did.
Why is that I prefer getting my ass beaten by him than being stuck here....?
Again, No one could answered him.
Silence echoed through the void.
All alone in this pitch black oblivion.
Tang Bo vaguely remembers Chung Myung's face when he was about to die.
A face filled with despair, and emotion. A face he never seen before.
'That I have to leave you'
'That you have to carry my responsibility..'
' I wish we can meet one more time '
Slowly, and Surely his mind turned dark, and numb.
As if his existance started to waver
Being in this.. 'void', There was nothing Tang Bo could ever do.
Suddenly, A light was being shoned.
Every passing second, the light was getting brighter, and brighter.
With no words to say, the light swallowed him whole.
Awakened by a flash of light. Tang Bo sluggishly opened his eyes, and hears drips of water, and an overlapping, inaudible voices in the background.
Tang Bo slowly lift his upper body from the ground, and carefully observed his surroundings, even if his sight was blurry.
The grating sound of footsteps on the concrete, and the shouts of vendors promoting their products, loud enough to be heard from a mile away.
Although he was positioned in a narrow alleyway, he could illustrate a crowd of people walking back, and forth further down the path.
The sounds of water dripping into the bucket resonated next to him. He raise his head towards the spark of the dimly lighted sky with his hand blocking the light from his face.
Staring at the covered sky, his vision was still fuzzy. Everything he sees was like a fog that obscures his sight. The colors were blended together, and the blurry vision didn't help, However his eyes flinches when he shifted his focused into his hands. Instantly, the foggy vision moved away as if it was a lie.
Tang Bo blinks in surprise as he observes his hands more keenly. He move his hand in all directions, then blankly look at it with a hint of confusion.
Dumbfounded, He quickly probe his chest to see any wounds.
As he examined his body more intently, he realize that his body got.. smaller? and frail..??
He then, steadily observes his clothes.
He.. He's wearing a beggar's clothes...?
He swiftly looked at the bucket of water besides him.
The face that reflected in the water looked familiar.
No, rather, It looked just like him when he was younger, which was strange.
What's weirder is that he looked like a ghost.. Hold on, Forget that! What's happening right now!?!?
With little time to think, Suddenly a person behind him shouts.
Tang Bo quickly looked into the direction of the loud voice.
A slightly bulky person who appears to be his early 20s, with tattered, and ragged clothes was walking hastily towards him.
"What are you here slacking for, Myeong-suk!? We're about to leave!!" The beggar yelled.
Tang Bo tilts his head, and looked side to side.
then, he swiftly point his fingers at himself.
"Yes, you! Who else do you think I'm talking to!?"
"Don't even think of spouting excuses! You've been sleeping all day long, Just hurry up if you don't want to be left behind!"
In an instant, the beggar grabbed Tang Bo's hand, and briskly scurry their way out of the alleyway.
To think I have been dragged damn beggar!?
It wasn’t that Tang Bo let himself be dragged on purpose, but he couldn’t stop him because— God damn it! Why is he so damn strong?
Struggling to break the beggar's grip, he went to strike the beggars neck.
But it was futile..
Huh? Why was my strike weak?
It only seemed like a feeble poke..? The beggar didn't even notice that I stroke him!
Since when have I ever been delicate?
He opened his mouth to ask the beggar, but he was panting heavily that words couldn't be formed.
I've only been running for a few meters though? Wait, no- It's not even a run? It's much more of hasty walk than anything, and I'm getting breathless by this nonsense?
As they leave the narrowed hallway, the dim light slowly shined brightly above him. The shouts of noises grew louder, and louder as they walked passed through multiple people that has an appearance of both a merchant, and a thug.
He tried to focused his mind to the environment, but he could feel the fatigue creeping in.
'When is this walk going to end!!' Tang Bo screamed silence.
For what felt like an eternity.
The two beggars finally arrive at their destination.
"Gu Chil, Myeong-Suk's here" The beggar said.
The beggar named Gu Chil took a glance on Tang Bo, well.. Myeong-suk who looks to be on a verge of dying.
Gu Chil slowly looked at the beggar with a disappointed gaze.
"Ha jun-ah.. Why does Myeong-suk look crippled..?"
"What do you mean? We only ran in a minute, He looks fine-" as the beggar named Ha jun leisurely looked at Myeong-suk, His eyes widen in confusion.
Myeong-suk really looks like he's about to die..
"Are you constipated?" Ha Jun asks
Veins popped in Tang Bo's head as Ha jun speaks
'No, This crazy bastard! Are you looking for a death wish!?'
With Tang Bo's eye shooting fireballs at Ha Jun.
Ha Jun quickly looked away from his eyes, and picked on his ears.
Gu chil sighed at the situation uncovering in front of him.
Scratching his neck, Gu Chil spoke to Ha jun.
"Ha jun-ah.. You do know that Myeong-suk has an illness, right? you can't just let him run-"
But before Gu chil can finish his sentence a thunderous voice echoed.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT???????????"
Tang Bo with bloodshotted eyes suddenly lunges towards Gu chil, and yelled.
"ILLNESSSSSSSSSS???? MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE???????"
Eh?? Myeong-suk?? why are you surprised?
Shouldn't you be the one who knows it best?
Bewildered, the beggars can only stare at Tang Bo as he huffs.
Tang Bo wanted to talk, he NEEDED to talk, but he wasn't able to speak as he was out of breath.
He can only scream internally.
Me? MMEEEEEEEEEEE??????? The Dark saint!?!?!?!?
Tang Bo's eyes twitched at the thought of The Dark Saint, who was not only known for his sharp daggers, and deadly poisons, but for his knowledge on medicine that could save lives of a hundreds of soldiers, can have an ILLNESS?????????
Without any hesitation, Tang Bo quickly inspect his body. Other than being frail, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it.
No major injuries, no more blurry visions, Though he does feel exhausted.
Tang Bo's eyes widen in shock as he looked at the broken Dantian circulating inside his body.
The Dantian is not something you can recover from easily, let alone fix it.
What is Dantian?
It was something that fortifies the internal qi, and preserves it from leaking. but once it's broken, the individual would have difficulty properly gathering, or circulating their internal qi. Think of it as a broken vase. Keep pouring water, and it will continue to leak out.
An individual with a broken Dantian will gradually become weaker as time passes. They could still fight, just not with the same power as before.
People with the same issue wouldn't be able to display the full strength of the body that the qi lends them, and that being said, Tang Bo was utterly stunned.
Tang Bo quietly examined his broken Dantian. Fortunately it wasn't too shattered, but in spite of that, this can still be heavily injured in the near future if he wasn't careful.
However, could he really promise that?
After everything he went through?
After witnessing several deaths of his brethren?
After seeing the loss of countless families, and children?
Could he surely stay still, and idly?
' I don't even know if hyung is still alive'
Tang Bo flinches at his thoughts.
As if the world decreased it's speed, everything moved slowly. Every single one of them.
However Tang Bo didn't noticed. He shouldn't.
Beyond everything that had happened, He's supposed to be dead. He 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 be dead.
It didn't made any sense for him to be here, standing on his own.
Isn't this just an imagination?
Tang Bo slowly looked at the sky as the sun glowed vividly from above.
He couldn't deny it. This was neither a fantasy, or a weird dream.
Everything felt too real. His entire body was throbbing with pain, after all.
He closes his eyes, then laid his hands on the chest as he breathes the air.
A slight smile was formed as he speaks.
This must be the devil's work.. Was is it a resurrection? No.. maybe a buddhist reincarnation?
The question didn't matter, he has finally returned from the pits of hell.
The internal qi may be shattered, but panicking about it won't fix anything.
As long as he's alive, there's nothing that can stop him.
'I can just fix the qi as I move along..' Tang Bo thought
He quickly looked at Gu Chil with determination.
"Is the Heavenly demon still alive?" Tang Bo confidently asked
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Anyways- Sorry if the fic is too casual, or lacks vocabulary- I'm not that good at english, and idk how to write it formally sksksk
This is my first time writing a fic, so feel free to criticise me!!
Also have bonus sketch of Tang Bo, Gu Chil, and Ha Jun lol.
