Chapter 22
"Where… am I?" Han muttered as he opened his eyes.
His vision slowly adjusted to the surroundings, and what he saw could only be described as divine—a heavenly garden. The air was filled with the fragrance of fresh blossoms, and towering trees swayed gently under an unseen breeze. It was serene… almost too perfect.
"How did I get here?" Han wondered.
He wandered aimlessly, eyes scanning the endless beauty surrounding him, yet not a single soul was in sight. No sounds. No birds. Nothing but the gentle rustle of leaves. It didn't feel real.
"Am I still in the portal? No… the last thing I remember was stepping out."
After hours of searching with no answers, Han finally sat down, frustrated and exhausted.
"Where the hell am I?" he growled to himself.
Just as despair began to settle in, a blinding light suddenly illuminated the garden, so bright it forced Han to shield his eyes. The air around him felt heavier, sacred, alive.
Compelled by instinct, Han got to his feet and moved toward the light. Hours passed—or perhaps seconds, time felt warped—and finally, he arrived.
There, amidst the glow, stood a figure.
It looked like a man… but also, not quite.
The being wore robes that seemed woven from clouds themselves, shifting and flowing with ethereal grace. His hair floated as if weightless, formed of mist. But it was the eyes that stole Han's breath—pure white, glowing, infinite.
"Who is that?" Han wondered. Strangely, he felt… connected. As if some ancient thread tied them together.
"Is he the one who brought me here?"
There was only one way to find out.
"Hey! I'm lost. I can't find my way out of here," Han called out, his voice echoing strangely in the void.
No response.
He tried again—this time in every language he'd learned over the years. Still, the figure remained still, facing away, gazing into what could only be described as a void beyond the garden—an endless darkness broken only by this surreal paradise.
Anxiety began to crawl up Han's spine.
"There has to be a way out."
Desperate, he decided to approach. If words wouldn't work, maybe proximity would. He crouched, preparing to dash forward using his Fourth Jungle Art: Cheetah Stride—
But he couldn't move.
A crushing pressure dropped him to his knees. His breath caught. It felt like gravity itself had turned against him. Every muscle locked in place, his lungs screamed for air.
Then, for the first time, the figure turned.
"You are too weak," it said.
The voice echoed not just in the air—but inside Han's mind. It wasn't loud, yet it was everywhere, as if existence itself had spoken.
Still gasping, Han forced his head up. "Wh-who... are you?"
The being gazed at him, eyes void of emotion.
"Get stronger. Much stronger," it said, its voice more command than suggestion. "Then you will be… useful."
Useful? Han's mind raced. He wants to use me? Why would I allow that?
As if reading his thoughts, the figure raised a hand.
Suddenly, Han's vision changed.
He stood in a vast plain of corpses. Men, women, children—millions—strewn across the ground, lifeless. At first, they were strangers.
Then, familiar faces emerged.
S-Class heroes. Fallen.
The people of Serenya. Slaughtered.
Han's breath hitched as horror clawed its way up his throat.
"No… this isn't real."
But it continued.
He saw Aiden—half his body ripped apart. Clara—dead, a gaping hole in her stomach.
And then—someone different.
A man who seemed to have taken his own life. Two broken blades protruded from his chest. A soft smile lingered on his pale lips.
Han didn't recognize him, but something about the man felt… off.
More faces—strangers, yet deeply familiar—piled into his vision, and then… the sight that made his world shatter.
A white-haired man clutching a black-haired woman—both dead.
His parents.
He staggered back, heart pounding, throat clenched in agony.
"No… please, no..."
Then he saw her. A white-haired girl, around 22. Frozen in time, her lifeless eyes brimming with frozen tears. Two others beside her—also dead.
Laura,Xin,Rin.
Han fell to his knees, pale and breathless. He couldn't cry. He couldn't scream. It was too much.
It felt like hell.
Suddenly, at the peak of the mountain of corpses, a lone figure stood.
Wearing gleaming white armor, black and white hair cascading and split in the middle, body riddled with holes bleeding endlessly.
Han collapsed.
Tears he didn't know he still had fell freely as a deep, crushing pain choked him from the inside.
"Make it stop… make it all stop!" he screamed.
Then, the figure from before reappeared beside him.
Emotionless. Cold.
"All of this will happen," it said.
Han's eyes widened in horror. "No… no… it can't…"
"There is only one way to stop it."
Han looked up, barely able to breathe.
"Get stronger," the figure said. "Stronger than anyone. Stronger than anything. Only then can you protect those you love. And when I say stronger… I mean beyond what you know of strength."
Han tried to speak—but before he could, the figure waved its hand. A white light enveloped him.
But just before he disappeared, Han shouted one last question into the void, "Wait! How can I see you again?!"
The figure's glowing white eyes pierced through the light.
"We shall meet again… when you are strong enough."
And then — woosh!
Darkness.
---
A hand shot toward Han's face.
It was caught. And squeezed — hard.
"Han! Stop! You're hurting me!" a familiar voice yelped.
Han's eyes snapped open. He was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, his heart pounding like a war drum. He looked around — Aiden? Clara? Nathan? Mia? All of them… alive?
"I said leave me alone!" came a frustrated shout beside him.
Han turned. Laura? She was glaring at him, her hand raised midair, ready to turn him into a popsicle. Normally, he'd be terrified.
But now?
Without warning, Han lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Huh?! B-Big brother?! W-What are you doing?!" Laura stammered, face bright red with embarrassment.
"It's okay. You're okay. You're alive… Thank the heavens, you're alive," Han muttered, his voice trembling.
He couldn't get the image out of his head — Laura, Rin, Xin, all of them frozen in place, lifeless. It haunted him.
Laura blinked, confused. She gently patted his head. "O-Okay, this is… new. But, uh, good to see you too?"
Ahem!
Clara coughed theatrically, practically vibrating with the need for attention.
Han let go of Laura and turned to the others, a soft smile breaking across his face.
"It's good to see you guys alive too."
The group stared at him, puzzled. Of course they were alive — Han had saved them, after all. But the look in his eyes told a different story.
"We'll… give you guys a moment," Nathan said, sensing the atmosphere shift. The old elder and the three siblings approached.
Han tried to calm his breathing. It was all a dream, he told himself. A terrible nightmare.
He looked at Xin, Rin, Laura — alive and well. Then at the elder.
Wait… he wasn't in the dream, Han realized. There were only two possibilities:
One, the elder had already died before the vision.
Two, he died so fast the vision didn't even have time to render him.
Either way — RIP, old man. A small smile tugged at Han lip.
The elder's brow twitched. He'd raised Han since he was a child. He knew that little smile meant nothing good.
He really wanted to beat Han up.
But looking at Han now… he couldn't. The kid had clearly surpassed him.
"You good now?" Rin asked.
Han nodded. His heartbeat was finally steadying. Xin inspected him from side to side, squinting suspiciously — then suddenly burst into tears.
"I-I was so scared you wouldn't wake up!" she cried.
Rin patted her back. "Relax. Big bro's a hero! …Even if he is still technically the weakest in the known world."
Han's eye twitched.
"Hey, if big brother ever dies," Rin added, "I'll bring him back to life just to kill him again! And then do it all over again! Resurrection! Murder! Combo move!"
He demonstrated his 'technique' with dramatic hand gestures.
Han sighed. "I swear… I'm going to Tiger Punch your brain back into factory settings."
Crack.
Han turned just in time to see Laura glaring at him like death itself.
"You dare make us worry again," she said coldly, "and I promise what I do to you will make Rin's little fantasy look like a love tap."
Han gulped. Apparently, his fear of ice still had some trauma left to unpack.
Xin quickly stepped in front of Han like a knight. "No one's hurting big brother!" she declared, then hugged him protectively.
"Hey! I was hugging him first!" Rin complained, diving in to join the hug.
Then Laura — sighing dramatically — joined in too. "Just… don't scare us like that again," she whispered.
Was it a warning? A threat? A heartfelt plea? Han couldn't tell.
But in that moment, surrounded by the people he loved, Han smiled.
I'll never let them get hurt. Never.
The old elder coughed. "So, what's your next plan?"
Han clenched his fist, determination flaring in his eyes.
"I need to get stronger. A lot stronger."
To be continued.