Beginning Beyond The Horizon

Hajime found himself alone in the darkness, he didn't dare to stretch out his arms to touch his side, because he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to touch anything. Just when he thought this might not be over, he felt his foot hit the ground. He reached out and felt around and found a rough wall. In front of him, there was a small sphere floating, leading him away. He followed that small sphere and continued to walk towards that small sphere. When Hajime reached the entrance, he was entering a cave full of light. A few feet away from him stood a woman, perched on a lotus flower, floating in the air. He looked down at the clear blue bottomless cave and saw a young man floating freely in the air. He wondered why the young man slept in the air, and where the cave had taken him.

Looking at the woman, Hajime had many questions in his mind. Hajime hurriedly asked, "Where is the little girl? Who are you? Where am I?"

Avalokitesvara smiled and said, "I am Avalokitesvara. You are in between life and death. If you chose one path over the others, it could be the choice between life and death. As for the little girl, if you carefully listen to and observe the things in front of you, whether they are big or small, they are young or old, you will understand that it makes no difference, because it is all an illusion."

Hajime looked at Avalokitesvara and asked, "Why is this person sleeping here?"

Avalokitesvara said, "He is not sleeping, but waiting. The person in this body has long since disappeared. This body was put here to prevent the body from rotting."

Hajime asked, "Why did you put a dead body here?"

Avalokitesvara said, "Although he is just a dead body, if you want, he will bring a deeper meaning to the people of Tangzang."

Hajime asked, "If I want, what do you mean?"

Avalokitesvara smiled at Hajime and said, "Come forward."

Hajime hesitated, unwilling to step over the edge and enter. He stood there for a while, looking at Avalokitesvara, but he thought, this must be some kind of dream and there is nothing to lose. He stepped up into the air, slowly fell, and stood beside the young man and Avalokitesvara.

Avalokitesvara said, "He is the last of the four hundred original mages of the Kakungga tribe."

Hajime asked, "What does that have to do with me?"

Avalokitesvara explained, "If you are willing to transfer your soul into this empty body to help all living beings in Tangzang, then I will grant you one wish, just like our previous promise."

Hajime asked, "You want to implant my soul into this person's body?"

Avalokitesvara said, "I have heard the voice of the Tanzanies, and I ask if you are willing to help them. It is entirely up to you to decide. Not everyone who walks this earth will have the same opportunity as you are given. A chance to start over."

Hajime looked at Avalokitesvara. He muttered to himself, "A second chance in life...?"

Avalokitesvara said, "Hajime, although you didn't yell at the world, how much you hate being born in this world, but deep down in your heart, you have been blaming others. Now is the time to change your fate. Fate will not change its course, it's the person who are breathing that can change his own fate."

Hajime asked, "What will happen to me, if I agree to implant my soul into his body?"

Avalokitesvara said, "Once your soul is implanted in his body, you can know all his past. You will have the power to create gaps between time and space. That is to say, a mage can only create two gaps per their lifetime, so use it wisely."

Hajime asked, "Why? Aren't mage powerful being?"

Avalokitesvara said, "A mage is powerful, but he is not immortal. Every time he uses powers to create a gap between time and space, his lifespan will be shortened by fifty years."

Hajime said, "I see."

Avalokitesvara said, "You see, everything in life has its value. Before you decide whether to help the people of Tangzang or not, do you want to know about this person in front of you?"

Hajime said, "Yes."

Avalokitesvara said, "Let me tell you a little story about this man in front of you. Maybe after you get to know him, your mind will change."

Hajime sighed and said, "Okay…"

After listening to Avalokitesvara telling the story of the unknown person and the Kukungga tribe, Hajime felt that they were very similar. The nameless man has been hated by more people than Hajime all his life, and the only person who cares about him is his mother. He must live alone in a dark cave for years until his last breath. To some extent, Hajime felt that he was much luckier than the nameless person. At least, in a short period of time, he experienced Kenjie's love, Keiji's friendship, and his father's love, so after all when he thought that he was the saddest person who walk this earth, there was another person living in a different universe have a more miserable life than his.

Hajime looked at Avalokitesvara and muttered to himself, "I thought there was no one in this world who was more pitiful than me."

Avalokitesvara looked at Hajime and said, "Where there is life, there must be death, and where there is evil, there must be good. Life is inherently fair, and it depends on what good deeds you have done in your previous life. The merits you have accumulated may not be remembered by individuals, but It will never be forgotten by time."

Hajime asked, "What benefit will I get by possessing this body? I don't belong to this world."

Avalokitesvara said with a smiled, "How could you belong in a place, when your heart doesn't believe it? Possessing his body is something that many people could only dream of."

Hajime said, "I'm not a mage. I'm just an ordinary person. I can't be the savior of the other's country."

Avalokitesvara said, "It's because you and him shared the same first breath. With your similar character traits, his body will not reject your soul. If you decide not to continue, then you will return to your world and die alone in that back alley." She waited for a while, but Hajime didn't answer her. "You know, the last descendant of the four hundred mages decided to dedicate his immortal soul to a lost fox because of his stubbornness. An empty body without a soul, is what remains of him."

Hajime looked at his own reflection reflected off the walls of the crystal cave, and he knew that someone like him, hated by everyone, would never be able to bring peace to a land filled with great military power. He looked at Avalokitesvara and said, "I don't think I can do it. I'm not a mage, and I don't have any power to help anyone." He laughed. "First of all, I couldn't even help myself."

Avalokitesvara said, "Why do you already determined your fate without trying?"

Hajime said, "I know for certain that I will only bring failure mainly to these people. I've failed my mom and myself, and I don't want to give hope to anyone and end up letting them down."

Avalokitesvara looked down at the emaciated corpse, and said, "Your fate is similar to his, but you are willing to die without even trying, but he is different from you. He is not willing to be defeated by anyone even until his last breath." Looking down at the corpse. "With nothing but his determination, he defeated a goddess."

Hajime was taken aback. "He defeated a goddess. How?"

Avalokitesvara nodded. "When the goddess cursed him to live forever, he gave his soul to the fox fairy. Although he became a living corpse, the goddess who cursed him will never forget him."

Hajime looked at the corpse. He asked, "I wonder what he wants?"

Avalokitesvara asked, "Hajime, what do you want?"

Hajime's lips trembled, and tears flowed slowly from his eyes. He said in a trembling voice, "All I want is someone, at least someone who loves me the way I am."

Avalokitesvara said, "What he wants is at least one person who loves him for what he is." She looked at Hajime. "If you are unwilling to accept it, then you will die within the minute and his body will turn into dust."

Hajime said, "What's his name?"

Avalokitesvara said, "The son of shame has no name."

Hajime looked at the young corpse, then at his own reflection on the walls. He said sadly, "Even if we have no name and no existence in the eyes of others. We can still feel the pain...like everyone else. We are no difference than them." He wiped his tears and floated to the corpse. "I will take this opportunity to start a new life and live it to the fullest for the two of us."

Avalokitesvara sighed, "Amitabha..." She snapped her fingers and turned Hajime into a gleaming soul. She raised her hands, guided Hajime's soul, implanted it into the corpse, and she vanished.

Hajime quickly opened his eyes. Hajime didn't see the beautiful crystal cave but was sitting on a stone bed in the dark, foul-smelling cave, with a burning candle at his feet.

(Past Life End)