Duality of Shadows-Chapter 1018: Trained By The Heavens
"Indeed..." The figure answered somewhat confused, staring at the whale, unable to understand why he sensed two souls or why that body was so striking.
"How the hell is this possible? Who are you?" the whale asked seriously.
He sighed in response. "It’s a long story, but I’ve waited for this moment, and luckily, you came... see for yourself."
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A knowledge rune flowed toward the whale, who absorbed it. Immediately, he saw something simple and ordinary: the life of a human who lived on Earth in a distant era.
This man lived in a library, reading voraciously day and night. He was the only person in the small village who knew how to read, making him responsible for anything involving intelligence, which made him quite useful to everyone.
Despite having no shortage of suitors, he never married. Perhaps because he read and overthought too much, he lacked social skills. Still, he had a simple family who lived together happily.
Until one ordinary day, his life was devastated by war. Everyone in his family and village died. He managed to flee and survive alone.
With no future or hope, he had to live in the forest, hiding from pursuers who wanted nothing more than to eliminate everyone, claiming it was a divine intervention and salvation for them.
One year later, he stumbled upon a bluish pearl in the middle of the forest.
His mind and soul were dominated by the pearl, subjecting him to a terrifying test that judged his imagination. He fought against endless unique monstrosities in an illusion where anything he imagined to win would materialize.
He had to identify the weaknesses of bizarre enemies and imagine creative solutions. The test explored his memories to awaken his worst fears and mess with his mind, but... he actually defeated them all.
He might have been a nobody, below average, physically and mentally weak, but he never gave up and wasn’t afraid to face his fears. His imagination was all he had left. After losing everything to the war, he lived alone, but before that, he had been a dreamer and avid reader.
After winning the test, he woke up. A green screen appeared before his eyes:
[You have been approved to become a missionary of the Heaven’s Will. Congratulations.]
He widened his eyes at the message, sensing his life was about to change forever.
[Your mission is to defeat a terrible enemy threatening all existence.]
"What? I’ve got enough problems already. What do I get out of this?" he asked, stunned.
Unexpectedly, the green screen responded directly.
[A missionary receives full support from the Heaven’s Will, along with a system capable of granting anything you desire, including immense power. No one in the world compares to a missionary, as they possess all knowledge and the best capabilities.]
"Anything I want... well, everything has a price. I have to fight some terrifying enemy. But I’ve got nothing to lose; my life isn’t worth much," he muttered with a sigh.
[Unfortunately, there is no power to transform you and keep you hidden from enemies. To become a missionary, you will have to start from scratch without any memory. Everything within you will be stripped away, all your past lives will vanish from your soul. This will make you a pure consciousness, a blank slate. A seed of the Heaven’s Will will be placed within you, taking a thousand years to bloom as it gathers power from yourself.]
"A thousand years? That’s insane!" the man exclaimed, bewildered, but the green screen continued changing.
[You will have to go through multiple cycles of death and rebirth. Since you will be empty inside, each death and rebirth will naturally nourish you with the laws, aiding the awakening.]
[Because you will be a pure soul again, your karma will be minimal, and the heavenly laws will reincarnate you in a special way. Normally, this is something only experienced in one’s first life. You will face a great and difficult test, pushed to the extreme. At the same time, it will be a significant opportunity.]
[Typically, this test corrupts the soul, distorting it and generating immense karma, which requires many reincarnations to repay, thus fostering much learning; hence it is always harsh. But you are different: you will be reborn multiple times, remaining pure each time — all to awaken the seed.]
"B-but... I’ll be pushed to the extreme in every life? Will I still be myself in the end? What if I become someone permanently twisted?"
[You will still be yourself. Even without memories, everything you have lived remains within you by pure instinct. Your memories are not only in your soul; they are engraved in a special place. Since you are their owner, you can recover them one day.]
[As for the person you will become, this initial test of the laws for souls is intentionally severe and painful. Since everyone only lives once, it permanently shapes some people. Experiencing it multiple times could create a unique variable that has never occurred before. In the end, it all depends on your ability and courage.]
The man clenched his fists, thinking. "Damn... this sounds like a complete trap. There’s no way anyone stays sane after being tortured for so long without stopping. There’s gotta be a way for me to fix myself..."
[You are now the owner of the Pearl of Chaotic Imagination. Your imagination can shape the world with it. The decision to accept becoming a missionary is yours. Using the pearl and your imagination is possible — you can leave yourself a way to fix this in the future.]
The man read the message and thought seriously. How could he solve a problem of that level? He’d definitely become a vengeful, hate-filled person, turning the world into a living hell...
Then he remembered an old story he had read from a distant region.
There was once a monk who took care of his temple. One day, the Emperor’s Supreme General visited him and asked:
"Is it true that heaven and hell exist?"
The monk looked at the general, and in his eyes, there was only supreme arrogance, ego, and an uncontrollable desire to be the most powerful. Calmly, the monk asked:
"Who are you?"
The general narrowed his eyes. "Hmph, monk, I am the Emperor’s Supreme General..." He continued reciting his glorious name with pride.
"You? Don’t make me laugh. These days, any filthy beggar can call themselves the Supreme General? Get lost."
The General’s face immediately darkened. He had never felt so insulted in his life. Without hesitation, he stood up, drew his sword, grabbed the monk by the robes with one hand, and pressed the blade against his throat, ready to kill him right there.
Then the monk calmly opened his arms and said:
"And this is the moment when the gates of hell open."
The General froze. He might have been many things, but he wasn’t stupid enough to miss the meaning of those words. Slowly, he set the monk back down, sheathed his sword, and bowed in gratitude for the lesson.
"And this is the moment when the gates of heaven open," the monk said softly.
Back to the man, he snorted as he reflected on the story. It showed that heaven and hell weren’t physical places, as many imagined, but inner states experienced by each individual. Heaven and hell existed within each person; it was up to them to place themselves in one or the other.
"To heal myself and escape this inner hell... I need to create a chance to restore myself. If I can open the gates of heaven after living in hell, maybe..."
He felt the pearl in his hand and took a deep breath. He thought and thought. Considering the average lifespan of people back then, a thousand years would mean dozens of lives. In all of them, he would be pushed to the limit, driven to despair and distortion. What kind of abnormal monster would he become by the end of it all?
But at the same time, if he managed to stabilize himself and had the chance to resolve his inner struggles...
That’s when Alm and Bruno understood what that man had done. First, he created a will to transmit these memories to his future self.
Then, he used the pearl’s power to alter reality and the laws of time. So, when the seed awakened and he became a missionary, time would almost stop in relation to the outside world. If, upon reaching his true power as a missionary, he returned home, he would have the chance to settle his issues, whether through blood or otherwise.
That man was responsible for leaving this opportunity for Alm and Bruno to resolve their issues with their father, as he was their past reincarnation.
They lived a thousand years of mortal reincarnations, going through countless lives and being placed in extreme situations. These lives were never normal since it was a test, and they couldn’t be killed easily.
They were almost always born as children of powerful people and placed in morally—and in every other possible sense—questionable situations.
All of this shaped who they were today: people crazy enough to push the limits and take risks but, at the same time, capable of thinking to survive and never being afraid. Nothing blocking their path would remain just an obstacle; they would destroy it and make the most of it.
After living through dozens of experiences that most people faced only once, it was as if they had been trained by the heavens and the heavenly laws in the most rigorous way possible.
Of course, they later had to recover and avoid becoming bloodthirsty, insane monsters. They almost... well, actually did become that. But it wasn’t the Heaven’s Will that saved them. They received a lot of help: first from Isla, then from Ruri, and later from everyone who taught them to reflect on their lives.
And, of course, they accepted the help and knew when to stop and think. Afterward, they returned and resolved their internal issues as planned.
