55 Awakening

"How many years has it been..." Eris 'murmured', as she gazed around her in a daze. Time had become a meaningless concept in her isolated existence within the cave. The pain of immobility and the absence of companionship had taken a heavy toll on her mental well-being.

Desperate for connection, Eris had attempted to befriend the creatures that occasionally stumbled into her cave over the years. Yet, they either fled in fear at her presence or attempted to consume her, leaving her with no choice but to withdraw into herself. Eventually, she relinquished her attempts at socializing, allowing her primal instincts to guide her actions as she resorted to absorbing anything and everything within her reach in order to survive...

As the ceiling of her cave grumbled open, Eris suddenly felt an overwhelming life force approaching. A white figure plummeted down and crashed beside her, startling her senses. Instinctively, she attempted to absorb the powerful life force, only to encounter unexpected resistance. Sensing her essence being drawn towards the figure nearby, she swiftly halted her absorption, realizing the danger of merging with the unknown entity.

Drawing closer to inspect the figure, Eris was surprised to find a white-haired young man lying nearby. "Huh?!! A human?! Finally!!" she exclaimed with joy, imaginary tears of relief streaming down her 'face'. After so many years of solitude, she had finally encountered another being, one who might be able to communicate with her.

As Eris examined the white-haired figure more closely, a sense of disbelief washed over her. "How is this guy even alive... wait, is he alive?" she questioned 'aloud', her 'voice' tinged with doubt. His form was barely recognizable now, with all the bones in his body having turned to dust. There was no sign of breathing or a heartbeat, leaving Eris uncertain of his state. If not for the overwhelming life force surrounding him, she might have mistaken him for dead.

"This life force... is it trying to heal him?" Eris mused, her mind racing as she observed the energy enveloping the figure. Life force manipulation was her specialty, and she couldn't help but notice something unusual. "Weird, with this amount of life force, he could have been healed in less than a second, but it seems to be taking at least five years" she noted in confusion. Then, 'realization' dawned on her, this must be somehow connected to its weird defensive mechanics that were designed to absorb anything that attempted to interrupt the healing process, as she had discovered herself some time ago.

"Do I really have to wait for five years?" Eris grumbled slightly at the thought before an idea sparked in her mind. "Wait, a defense mechanism that absorbs anything that tries to interrupt... then what would it do if it was something that would aid the process?" she pondered.

With determination, Eris began to channel her life force toward the white-haired man. She didn't mind expending a bit of her life force, after all, she had hit a sort of barrier lately. The euphoric sensation she once felt from absorbing the life force of creatures had diminished, and she sensed that her accumulated life force was being stored within her body for a specific purpose. Though she couldn't quite discern what that purpose was, she knew it was important.

Setting aside those thoughts for the moment, Eris focused solely on channeling her life force toward the white-haired man, hoping to aid his healing process.

"Oh! It really works!" Eris exclaimed joyfully as she sensed her life force flowing smoothly toward the white-haired man, without any resistance. The healing process began to accelerate, giving her hope for his early recovery.

"Uh... it seems it will take at least fifteen days of constant channeling of life force for him to wake up... *sob*, my life force storage" she muttered dejectedly, realizing the toll this continuous effort would take on her reserves.

…

Sheng Jun slowly blinked his eyes open, his body aching all over as he took in his surroundings. He found himself lying in a dimly lit cave, the walls looming around him. As his vision adjusted to the darkness, he caught sight of a strange glowing flower nearby, emitting a soft, ethereal light.

Curiosity piqued, Sheng Jun focused his attention on the flower, sensing that it was somehow supplementing him with life force. He felt the energy coursing through his veins, accelerating his healing and possibly even hastening his resurrection time. Gratitude welled up within him for this mysterious flower, which had become his unexpected helper.

Though uncertain of how many days or years had passed, Sheng Jun estimated that it couldn't have been more than two years since he began his resurrection. This was a remarkable feat, considering his original plan had called for at least five years. He marveled at the efficiency of the life force being channeled into him, grateful for the flower's intervention in his journey back to life.

As Sheng Jun's body fully healed, he rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on the glowing flower before him. With a sense of deep gratitude, he approached it slowly, his movements deliberate and sincere.

"Thank you for helping me" Sheng Jun expressed with sincerity, pausing for a moment as if to convey the depth of his gratitude. Then, a determined gleam sparkled in his eyes as he retrieved seven droplets of The Sun's Essence within him, leaving one for emergency.

"You seem to have consumed a considerable amount of life force to aid my resurrection just now. Please accept these" Sheng requested earnestly, as he began to drop the Sun's Essence into the flower one by one. Each droplet fell gently, infusing the flower with an enormous amount of vitality and energy.

Sheng Jun then reached out to impart the Heavenly Dao Sutra into the flower, but he was met with fierce resistance, causing him to cough up a small amount of blood. Startled but undeterred, he pleaded with sincerity, "Please, I don't mean harm. This is a technique I have created, and I'm sure it will help you somehow"

Feeling the resistance dissipate, Sheng Jun gently imparted the technique into the flower, retreating slightly once he was done. "Can I stay here for a while? Such a formidable entity as yourself should be in the inner or core area of the Great Star Dou Forest. I cannot get out of here alive on my own. So I can only signal my subordinates to come to pick me up...but that will take some time, so please" he requested earnestly.

Noticing the flower's flailing movements, Sheng Jun smiled gratefully as he retrieved an object from his Space Ring and pressed it, initiating a signal for his subordinates to come to his aid. With hope in his heart, he awaited their arrival.

…

As Eris continued to absorb the overwhelming amount of vitality from the golden drops and process the information about the technique provided by the white-haired man, she suddenly froze slightly as his words registered in her consciousness.

Eris's mind stirred with recognition. "Great Star Dou Forest? Where have I heard this name before?" she pondered to herself, struggling to recall memories from her past life. Despite the fog that had settled over her recollections after so many years, a spark of realization ignited within her.

"Ah! Isn't that the name of The World of Douluo game I used to play?" Eris realized, her memories slowly resurfacing. The realization brought a mixture of emotions

"I have been here for so long...hopefully, that bastard has either already become a god or hasn't been born yet" she mused to herself, silently praying for a favorable outcome.

Lost in her thoughts and prayers, Eris's body began to shake involuntarily, her attention drawn away from the white-haired man before her. Ignoring his happiness and gratitude, she remained lost in her contemplation, her mind consumed by memories of her past life.