The Nine Coloured Paragon - Chapter 2
“Finally”, Jianyu appeared on the banks of a green lake. It was the life essence of the Omniverse!
This was a key location for the existence of life in the Omniverse, hard to find in trillions of years, however fate had led Jianyu here.
The world that surrounded him was like a paradise. Slowly he reached into his fine robe and withdrew a pristine crystal.
Within the crystal stood a miniature girl in an ice blue dress. The fairy-like girl smiled when she saw his face peering into the crystal, giggling adorably.
He smiled back, sitting in the lotus position on the bank of the lake, he closed his eyes whilst his expression became solemn.
Holding both hands on the crystal, the green lake water began to churn and evaporate into the air. Slowly but surely it coalesced into a faint green outline of a child’s body.
Months went by, the bones of the body formed but Jianyu’s formerly youthful face soon turned to that of a thirty year old.
He remained unshaken as the little girl within the crystal stared at him sorrowfully.
She watched Jianyu’s body weaken as her body developed outside the crystal, causing a wave of helplessness to strike her heart.
More time passed and red blood vessels began to creep across the immaculate bone structure, then the organs, flesh, skin, hairs and nails developed over a short period.
At this stage Jianyu resembled a man in his late fifties. A dull, lifeless grey spread through his nine coloured hair at the temples.
The complete body of a four-year old girl was floating before him. It was an exact replica of the little girl within the crystal.
Sensing the body’s completion, Jianyu’s ancient eyes opened giving off a mysterious yet striking aura. He gracefully moved the body through the air onto the grassy bank.
Holding the crystal in one hand, he glanced at the little girl whose eyes were reddened yet she was smiling lovingly at his aged face.
Her painful gaze was heart wrenching to him. Seeing his reflection in the green lake he sighed gently, however he had no regrets.
“You have to understand Ling’er, this is my responsibility as a father.”
Xiaoling nodded faintly, holding back her tears she looked away helplessly, knowing what he was about to do.
Jianyu reached into his robe once more this time drawing a mysterious black steel dagger.
Jianyu unhesitatingly thrust the dagger deep into his heart without so much as a change in expression.
Keeping his warm gaze on the delicate figure within the crystal, he withdrew the dagger from his chest slowly.
The lifeless grey at his temples slowly flooded his nine coloured locks, his middle-aged features sagged as the wrinkles upon his face deepened.
Long grey hairs began to proliferate from his chin, becoming a long grey beard down to his now gaunt waist.
A line of golden blood spurted from the laceration on his chest, falling directly onto the crystal.
Jianyu ensured none of this precious blood was wasted.
Throwing the dagger back into his mysterious robes, the crystal began to glow a deep blue colour. Xiaoling shuddered lightly as her delicate apparition floated from the crystal across the air.
Lastly, her image grew to the same size as the body, superimposing over it before melding completely.
Once the process was completed, the crystal in Jianyu’s hand turned to dust and sailed away in the light breeze.
The Soul Transition had been completed successfully!
Jianyu could once more see his daughter, someone he lost long, long ago.
Coming to this realization, Jianyu lifted the sleeping Xiaoling from the grassy bank carrying her delicately in his arms, as if he would lose her again.
He waved his hand, erecting a simple wooden hut in the grassy plain.
There was a simple bed, as well as a table and chairs.
He lay her on the bed, his bony fingers sliding through her long glossy, green hair.
He kissed her gently on the forehead rising slowly.
Jianyu coughed lightly resulting in precious life-blood spurting into his palm.
His prior injuries and the Soul Transition had taken a toll on him.
His cultivation of trillions of years was dissapearing, and he could do nothing to stop it.
Everything had a price and this was the price for his daughter.
He turned slowly to face the doorway with a grim expression.
A figure stood not far from the hut glaring at the old man and child.
Update: Made the former first chapter into the prologue because I figured out how to.
Short but sweet chapter!
Do you prefer short chapters like this one more regularly (750 words) or long chapters like Chapter 1 (2400 words)
Let me know if you guys are enjoying this or if there is anything you think I could change to improve it.