The ultimate chaos God

Second chance

Deep in a forest, a boy's body was lying motionlessly.

His mind drifted through the darkness without knowing whether a seconds or a thousand years had passed. Then a voice pierced the silence. "Li Tian!" "...Li Tian!"

His ear itched, and he let out a groan. "Uhg."

He gasped as air rushed into his body, and his eyes flew open. Blinding sunlight poured through a canopy of emerald leaves, forcing him to squint.

Li Tian froze and his breathing becomes ragged. "...Where..." He forced himself upright, and pain surged through his body. Immediately his eyes drifted toward the part of his chest that had been pierced by the Dragon Lord, but to his surprise, there seemed to be no sign that his chest had been cut open. "...I'm alive?"

"Finally!"

The sharp voice startled him, and Li Tian looked up.

A young girl stood before him with both hands planted firmly on her hips. She looked to be around his age, dressed in plain blue training robes with patches sewn along the sleeves. Dirt clung to the hems of her clothes, and loose strands of black hair had escaped the knot behind her head. Her face showed equal parts relief and irritation.

"I told you not to provoke Li Wei again!" she snapped. "Do you enjoy getting beaten half to death? You scared me!"

Li Tian stared blankly. Li Wei? The name was strange to him.

The girl's expression softened for only a heartbeat before irritation returned. "Say something."

Li Tian couldn't provide any answers, confused as to who Li Wei could be. Instead, his gaze drifted toward the polished bronze mirror hanging from her belt. Without thinking, he reached forward.

"Hey!"

Before she could react, he had already taken it. The cool bronze trembled in his hands as he slowly raised it.

The reflection stole the breath from his lungs. "...No..." He noticed the face staring back at him wasn't his. Instead, a pale sickly youth stared back at him. His cheeks were hollow while his lips were dry and cracked. A swollen bruise stretched across one side of his face, and another darkened his jaw. He looked as though a strong breeze might knock him over.

Li Tian's fingers tightened around the mirror. "The Chaos Heart had given me another chance."

"Li Tian?" The girl frowned. "You're acting strange."

She stepped closer and grabbed his shoulder. The instant her fingers touched him, pain exploded inside his head.

"AHH!"

He clutched his temples as the world around him tilted violently. Images of what happened at the Heavenly Gorge flashed through his mind.

THUMP!!

The current body he was occupying couldn't handle the memories flooding it.

"Guh!" Everything turned black.

A-Ning stared in disbelief. "...Seriously?"

Li Tian had collapsed face-first into the grass. Again.

She rubbed both temples. "I spend half the morning dragging you out of Moonshade Grove..." She sighed. "...and you faint the moment you wake up."

She nudged him with her foot, and there was no response. "You really know how to make people's lives difficult." She folded her arms.

Despite her complaints, genuine concern flickered across her face. She crouched beside him and checked his breathing. "He is still alive."

A-Ning felt frustrated, as she could not leave Li Tian alone in the forest. "You owe me for this."

With a grunt, she pulled one of his arms across her shoulders before lifting him onto her back. She adjusted her footing before beginning the long journey home. Li Tian's head rested limply against her shoulder as they made their way through the forest.

The towering gates of the Li Celestial Clan slowly appeared in the distance.

***

When Li Tian opened his eyes again, the forest was gone. A cracked wooden ceiling greeted him, and the scent of fresh leaves had been replaced by the bitter smell of boiled herbs, while rain tapped softly against the roof.

Before he could gather his thoughts, the wooden door burst open, and a woman hurried inside. The moment she saw him awake, she ran forward. "Tian'er!"

She threw her arms around him, and warm tears soaked into his shoulder. "You're awake... I thought I'd lost you..." Her body shook uncontrollably.

Li Tian sat frozen, his mind going blank. "Who is this woman?" he muttered to himself.

He instinctively tried to pull away, and the memories of the body he was occupying surfaced in his mind. "This is my mother, no, the mother of the body I'm occupying now."

Li Tian looked at the woman. "Seems I have to play along with her for the time being."

The realization settled heavily inside his chest. Awkwardly, he raised one trembling hand and rested it gently upon her shoulder. "I'm... alright."

Li Yuer cried even harder. "You frightened me." She wiped her tears before looking him over. "I told you not to provoke Li Wei."

Li Tian repeated the name to himself. "That girl was also talking about this name back in the forest. I need to search through this boy's memories, to prevent people from being suspicious of me."

[1 hour earlier]