𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥$ (Shangri-La) - Taegyu✔️

XLVI The Fight 1

A giant door made of rocks and a long queue before it–

God damnit, I remember this place.

Taehyun rolled his mental eyes towards the back of his head.

According to Tibetan tradition, a transitional space was laid between death and rebirth– the 'bardo'. But Taehyun knew he wasn't exactly in the bardo yet since he was at the entrance.

Despite impatience, Taehyun joined the line as he had no other choice. The procedure was awkwardly familiar to him since it was not his first visit.

At the front, the underworld judge– a little girl with her face hidden by a black cape awaited them. Every visitor had to pitch themselves at their turn for a better reincarnation.

"My wife is a celebrity, my son graduated from Harvard, I owned 12 brands—" A middle-aged man flexed his prosperity when he reached the head of the line. In contrast to his expectation the judge shook her head, clearly not buying it, "Boring~" She sat back and made up her mind.

A ticket was drawn out from her organized cases on the desk and handed to the man. "Next!" She commanded.

The man's eyes widened at the ticket to 'Hell' in his hand. He gripped the girl's cape harshly and yelled at her, "I'm a Celestian! You nasty little thing, how dare you treat me like this!?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. All souls receive the same judgment here. Next!" She didn't spare an eye for the man when the underworld staff forcefully pulled him towards the door.

"I don't mind going to hell as long as my sister is free from that monster." Next was a boy around Taehyun's age.

"Elaborate please."

"That Celestian was a bastard. He harassed my sister but there was no justice... So... S-So I killed him! And then I was sentenced to death..." The boy gritted his teeth, just by recalling the man made him furious.

The judge sighed. This kind of story was not new to her. She gave him the best of what she could offer– a ticket to "Purgatorium".

The boy thanked him and moved forward, making Taehyun the first in line now.

"Oh-h! You're–" The judge was exceptionally high-spirited when she met Taehyun. The underworld staff had been gambling over when this boy would finally lose his life.

"The infamous Kang Taehyun, let me check– Huh!?" She turned to the page of her notebook that was about Taehyun and gasped, "You're here for the 11th time! Hey, life is precious, treasure it."

"Yeh, I treasure my life so give it back to me." Taehyun responded to her sassily just as he always did when he arrived here after any lethal injury.

She continued to read the details about Taehyun which were written in the book. "You have a bullet across your chest this time. But don't worry, I'll give you the best offer." She closed the book and picked a ticket for him.

Taehyun looked at the ticket to 'Reincarnation' in his hand and clicked his tongue. "I'm not going."

"Why? You will be reborn in a warm family, sounds like a great deal, right?" She crossed her arms, hoping the boy would accept her terms. However, Taehyun shook his head.

"Okay, is it about your lover? We will make sure you reunite with Beomgyu in the next life."

Taehyun shook his head even harder.

"Why do you have to make things difficult? Do you understand this situation? If your spirit collapses before the next sunrise, you will be stuck in this place with us, forever! Unless you take the train to reincarnation now." She reminded him.

"Does that mean if my spirit is safe, I'll survive?" Taehyun, the quick-witted boy, reversed the logic.

"There is no way you can do anything about it." She pointed at the mountain far-far away which was veiled by thick curtains of fog. He could feel his spirit was there, yet visibility was highly restricted.

Ignoring the warning from the judge, Taehyun let go of the ticket nonchalantly and took the dangerous course.

In a typical Hollywood movie, the plot always peaked at an enormous fight between the hero and the final boss. In Taehyun's case, the fight was between him and his fate.

His steps were limited immediately when he encountered a lake in the dark forest. To reach the mountain, he must first pass through the water. There was no other way.

However, the lake was no ordinary one. It was full of resentful souls who failed to cross this lake and drowned themselves in the past. They were roaring at their new target, keen to drag this boy underwater and make him join them.

Taehyun found an axe on the ground which might have been left by the previous challenger. He looked around the woods and figured out the only way– he must build something that helped him travel across the water.

He gathered all his strength to cut the woods, binding the logs with vines. It took him like an eternity to complete his first raft.

Afraid his spirit might perish in any minute, he hastened to sail off.

Unfortunately, it didn't take seconds for the raft to start dismantling itself. Taehyun jumped off the woods and landed on the coast safely before the evil spirits in the water laid their hands on him.

He watched the raft that took him so much effort disassembled. Even a hard-boiled guy like Taehyun couldn't conceal his tears. He kicked the axe on the ground like a discouraged child before sitting under one of the trees, curling up, sobbing alone.

"Taehyun-ah, why're you crying?"

Taehyun lifted his head hearing that voice of nostalgia.