Huff, huff, huff...
Where am I? What happened to me?
I spun around in panic, but there was nothing—only endless darkness stretching beyond sight. A chill swept through me as I glanced at myself... and froze. My body was gone. In its place was a thin, flickering white line, drifting helplessly through the void.
I tried to move, but all I could do was float, pulled along by some invisible current. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't change my course. Time slipped away—or maybe it had no meaning here. Piece by piece, I felt my memories crumble into dust, until only one thing remained, clinging desperately to existence:
My name is Adarsh. I must never forget my name.
Bzzz…
Without warning, the darkness around me cracked open with a flurry of vibrant lights—shifting, dazzling colors that engulfed me completely. I felt my form, my fragile line-body, begin to merge with this swirling brilliance.
[Ding!]
[System has received pure energy.]
[System activating: 1%...10%...30%...77%...95%...100%.]
[Power system activated!]
Sensation returned all at once, crashing into me like a tidal wave. I could think. I could feel. I turned my gaze inward—and what I saw ignited a surge of fury.
I was no longer human. I had transformed into... a flower.
"What the hell is happening to me?!" I roared, though my voice barely carried through the empty void.
[Ding, ding, ding!]
A new echo stirred deep within my soul. I instinctively focused—and a series of notifications unfurled before my mind's eye:
---
[Host: Adarsh]
[Species: Divine Blood Lotus (Divine)]
[Tier: Final]
[Ability: Can host a virgin girl and be reborn as a child.]
[Status: Critical]
[Lifespan: 1 month remaining]
[Remaining Divine Power: 12%]
[Mission: Use Divine Power to be reborn as a human.]
[Reward: Control Power.]
[Time Limit: 1 month.]
---
I stared blankly at the floating text, my mind racing.
One month. Only one month left before my soul fades into nothingness.
With no other choice, I gathered my fragile reserves of Divine Power and began scanning the surroundings, searching desperately for a virgin girl who could act as my host. But all my senses found was an empty, shimmering void—an endless expanse of nothingness, save for the colorful light leaking from my own body.
Unwilling to give up, I pushed my Divine Scan to its limits. In the growing silence, faint blips appeared: a glowing white stone streaking across the blackness... a neutron star, tiny yet fierce... a medium-sized star burning millions of kilometers wide... a massive red giant bloated with fire.
Planets, stars, and lifeforms—endless and alien. Yet nowhere among them did I find a single human.
Ten days passed like a cruel whisper, draining 4% of my precious Divine Power. Despair gnawed at me.
At this rate, I'll vanish before I even find a chance.
Then—
A ripple.
Subtle and fleeting, but unmistakable. My Divine Scan shuddered as it brushed against... something. A disturbance in the Void. Curious and cautious, I focused on the anomaly, but the scan returned nothing visible. It made no sense.
How could something distort the scan without being seen?
Gritting my teeth, I spent another 2% of my Divine Power to stabilize my probe.
The truth revealed itself: a massive, unseen Void Shield cloaking a region from sight.
I swept over it again and again, searching for a gap, a tear, anything—but found none.
Another ten days slipped by. Another 2% drained.
Only ten days and a sliver of power remained between me and oblivion.
Then it happened.
Crack... crack... crack...
A hairline fracture spidered across the Void Shield, barely detectable. Without hesitation, I unleashed my remaining strength, pouring Divine Energy through the crack like a flood.
I couldn't see what lay beyond. No information returned. But hesitation was a luxury I could no longer afford.
"System, teleport me through the crack."
The system obeyed. A deep whooshing sound echoed as my power condensed, launching my fragile existence into the unknown.
---
The world I entered was unlike anything I had ever known.
Massive trees loomed like ancient guardians. Plants shimmered with unnatural colors. The very soil, the water, the air itself pulsed with unfamiliar energy, thick enough to taste.
I expanded my Divine Sense cautiously, searching for any sign of human life.
Animals prowled the land—strange and powerful beasts, infused with the same strange energy.
This isn't a normal world...
I must have crossed into a hidden continent, a forgotten realm.
I had little time to marvel. Survival demanded focus.
Then, far in the distance, something caught my attention: a mountain, impossibly vast. It pierced the heavens, nearly 10,000 kilometers tall, its base sprawling five times its height. At its summit, hidden within thick, swirling mists, stood a house.
It was almost invisible, veiled by layers of illusion and fog. Only my Divine Sense detected it at all.
Narrowing my focus, I carefully examined the structure. Most of it lay empty, abandoned. But at the heart of the house... there was something.
An energy barrier shimmered, faint and stubborn. I probed deeper—and what I found made my soul shudder.
Inside, lying still atop a luxurious bed, was a human woman.
She looked no older than twenty-five or thirty—beautiful, ethereal, fragile. She wore a flowing blue-and-white dress, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling in shallow, irregular breaths. Even at a glance, I could tell her body was failing.
She's dying.
And yet—hope flared within me.
At last. A human.
I hurriedly summoned my system panel:
---
[Mission Update]
[Mission: Use Divine Power to be reborn as a human.]
[Reward: Control over Divine Power.]
[Time Remaining: 1 month / 7 days.]
[Divine Power: 1.5%.]
---
Three days had already vanished.
My options were clear—and grim.
This woman was my only hope. There was no time to search for another.
Yet problems remained. Her physical body was weak, her soul flickering perilously close to collapse. Worse, I couldn't even confirm whether she fulfilled the one vital requirement: virginity.
And with only 1.5% Divine Power left, I couldn't afford mistakes.
Summoning my remaining strength, I steeled myself.
I have no choice. I must enter her soul realm directly.
But as I attempted to dive into her core, an unexpected resistance pushed back—a black mist, thick and malevolent, wrapped tightly around her soul realm. It lashed out, trying to devour my Divine Sense.
Fortunately, it lacked the strength to harm me.
Still, the situation was dire. The mist was corrupting her from the inside, dragging her soul into darkness. If left unchecked, she would soon die completely.
No time to hesitate.
I gathered my Divine Sense into a blade and began slicing through the black fog, forcing my way inward. Every cut, every advance burned through precious seconds—and precious power.
Finally, through the dense mist, a faint glow appeared—a warm, radiant pulse of white and gold.
Her soul!
Without pause, I surged toward the light, praying I wasn't too late.