Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 185

Chapter 185: Die or Fly

In the middle of the vast ocean, a lone body drifted aimlessly, sprawled across the surface of the water. The gentle waves rocked it back and forth, the salty brine lapping softly against its sides. The figure, a young man, lay motionless, his limbs splayed out as if he had been tossed carelessly by the sea itself. His clothes were soaked through, clinging to his body, and his hair was matted against his forehead.

His eyes were open but unfocused, staring blankly at the dark sky above. The night was deep and starless, the heavy clouds blotting out any light that might have filtered through. The only illumination came from the occasional flash of distant lightning, casting fleeting shadows across his pallid face. His expression was one of dazed confusion, a mix of exhaustion and bewilderment etched into his features.

The ocean around him was eerily calm, the usual roar of the waves subdued to a mere whisper. There was an almost unnatural stillness in the air, broken only by the faint sounds of water splashing against his body and the soft rustling of his clothes in the gentle breeze. The scent of salt and seaweed hung heavily, mingling with the cool, damp air.

As he lay there, his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, each one felt as heavy as mountain. His hands floated limply at his sides, fingers occasionally twitching as if grasping for something just out of reach. Despite the warmth of the ocean, a chill seemed to emanate from him, a coldness that belied the temperate waters.

His gaze remained fixed on the sky, the dark expanse above seeming to swallow him whole. There was a sense of profound isolation, a feeling of being utterly alone in the midst of the endless sea. The horizon was a distant memory, lost to the inky blackness that surrounded him. Time itself seemed to stretch and distort, moments blending into an eternity of drifting and waiting.

In this state of daze, he seemed to be caught between worlds, suspended in a liminal space where reality and dreams intertwined. The occasional roll of thunder echoed his inner turmoil. And yet, beneath the surface of his dazed expression, there was a flicker of something else—perhaps a spark of hope or a remnant of determination—that hinted at the possibility of awakening from this surreal nightmare.

“What is this?” Aiden lifted his hand and watched as the dripping water turned into motes of light, each reflecting a different scene from his past. Some were sad moments, some happy.

“What is this place?” Aiden sat up and, defying the natural laws, weirdly sat on the water’s surface. He looked down and then put his hand inside the water, which swallowed his arm up to the elbow.

“Weird,” Aiden mumbled, often looking around.

It was an endless ocean; no matter where he looked, he saw only water, a dark sky, and stars. The stars also reflected his life.

“How did I end up here?” Aiden mumbled to himself and then remembered. “I was testing the sword and then I felt… a closer connection to the sword, and then I woke up here,” Aiden muttered, feeling strangely calm about this.

“What is this no-emotion-like feeling?” Aiden mumbled to himself.

“You are inside the place where you can find true desire or lose yourself,” said a raspy voice.

Aiden looked back, raising his brows. “You are me from my past life.”

The figure had purple hair, purple eyes, and the same face as Jake, or himself from his previous life.

“Hmm, am I?” The figure chuckled, stepped forward, and vanished.

“Jakey~~, why did you leave your mom behind?” Once again, hearing the voice, Aiden turned around and found his mother.

“Mom?… No, what are you?” Aiden, momentarily dazed, snapped out of it. He manifested his sword spirit and pointed at the figure disguising itself as his mom.

“Is she really your mother?” The figure chuckled and then took another form.

It was an old lady with amber eyes and chestnut hair, a kind look on her face.

“Mother?” Aiden blurted, seeing the kind old lady, she is his mother from his first life.

Unconsciously, a tear slipped past his cheek, and then tears started to stream down his face. Aiden touched his face and then clenched his hand in anger. “Stop messing around!”

Aiden vanished from his place and swung his sword at the kind old lady, but stopped his sword just at the figure’s neck.

“What happened? Continue, come on,” the old lady chuckled evilly and placed her neck on the blade. Aiden hurriedly retracted the sword.

“What do you want?” Aiden asked, gritting his teeth in anger.

“Didn’t I say already? You entered this place of your own accord, but to leave, you need to find what is Truth,” the old lady said, now transforming into his father.

His father patted his head and then added, “Oh, almost forgot, you have to defeat me too.” He appeared in front of Aiden and punched him hard.

“Kuack!”

Aiden’s mouth widened as he coughed out blood, mixed with bits of his organs. Falling to his knees, Aiden clutched his stomach and then, summoning his spirit sword, began to heal himself. The pain was intense, but his anger was even stronger. He knew he had to find the truth and overcome this challenge to return to reality, lest he gets beaten by his father more.

Gasping for breath, Aiden glared at the figure of his father. “I won’t be defeated by illusions,” he spat, his voice filled with disgust, as due to him possessing Akashic Eyes he never had fallen into Illusion, he felt disgusted by himself.

The figure of his father smirked. “We’ll see about that. The truth isn’t easy to find, especially now that you no longer access to your Authorities as this test is about you solely with out any other help of any kind.”

Aiden stood up, his body glowing with a soft, healing light from his spirit sword. “Bring it on,” he said, readying himself for the next attack.

The illusion’s form shifted again, morphing into his girlfriend, Emily. Her eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Aiden with a pained expression. “Aiden, why did you leave me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Aiden’s resolve wavered for a moment, but he quickly reminded himself that this was just an illusion. “You’re not real,” he said firmly, tightening his grip on his spirit sword.

Emily’s form shifted into that of his best friend, Mark. Mark’s face was contorted with anger and betrayal. “How could you abandon us, Aiden?” he shouted, charging at him with a fierce punch.

Aiden blocked the punch with his sword, the impact sending a shockwave through his arm. “I didn’t abandon anyone,” he retorted, pushing Mark back with a powerful thrust.

Mark’s form melted away, replaced by Jimmy’s. Jimmy’s eyes were filled with disappointment. “We trusted you, Aiden. How could you let us down?” he asked, his voice heavy with accusation.

Aiden gritted his teeth, parrying Jimmy’s swift attacks. “I haven’t let anyone down. I’m still fighting,” he declared, his sword movements becoming more precise and powerful.

Unknows to him, he began to slowly lose his grip on reality.

Jimmy’s figure shifted into Dio, who looked at Aiden with a cold, calculating gaze. “You think you can fight your way out of everything, Aiden? You’re delusional,” Dio said, launching a barrage of energy blasts at him.

Aiden dodged the blasts, countering with a series of slashes that cut through the air with fierce intensity. “I’m not delusional. I’m powerful enough to achieve what I want” he shouted, his spirit sword glowing brighter with each strike.

Dio’s form dissolved, transforming into Melina. She looked at him with sorrowful eyes, her voice soft and accusing. “Aiden, why did you choose power over love?” she asked, stepping forward with a dagger in hand.

Aiden felt a pang of guilt but shook it off. “This isn’t about power. It’s about survival,” he said, disarming Melina with a swift movement and sending her illusion crashing into the water.

The illusion changed again, taking the form of Tista. She was crying, her voice filled with heartbreak. “You promised to protect me, Aiden. Why did you break your promise?” she sobbed, reaching out with trembling hands.

Aiden’s heart ached at the sight, but he knew he couldn’t let himself be deceived. “You’re not Tista. She would never try to manipulate me like this,” he said, slicing through the illusion with a swift strike. The image of Tista shattered into a million pieces, disappearing into the molts of light ” And she is strong and powerful enough that she won’t ask for my help? ” Aiden added.

The figure morphed into Sophia next. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of love and disappointment. “You always think you’re the hero, don’t you? But you’re just running away,” she accused, her hands crackling with energy.

Slowly the figure kept morphing again and again with more and more accusations causing Aiden to almost forget he is fighting illusions.