Woke up

Painful!

Ouch...

He was abruptly jolted awake from his drowsy state, feeling disoriented and lightheaded.

Suddenly, a pulsating ache in his head shattered any remnants of sleep, as if someone had mercilessly struck him with a pole repeatedly, accompanied by a sharp sensation slashing through his throat.

In his stupor, Komba attempted to turn around, look up, and sit up; however, he was completely unable to move his limbs as though he had lost control over his body.

'Where am I?!'

'Did they save me?!'

'Am I in hospital?!'

'Why would I suddenly have such an excruciating headache?'

'It's really painful!'

While still in his reverie, whatever will he could summon was ethereal like a fleeting fog.

He found his thoughts difficult to control and introspect.

No matter how much he tried, he still lost his focus as random thoughts surfaced in his mind.

'I need to wake up!'

Warm feeling traveled from his abdomen to his whole body.

It felt comforting.

Suddenly, it doesn't seem to hurt like before.

He somehow saw the spark of red flame in the middle of an empty suspended space.

His pain started to subdue at an incredible rate allowing him to open his eyes slowly.

He finally broke free from his reverie.

His vision first blurred before it was screened by a faint crimson red.

As he looked around, all he could see was a run-down yard that barely covered thirty square meters.

He found himself lying in the middle of it, struggling to sit up.

In his right hand, he noticed a drop-pointed knife covered in a sticky red substance.

A strong, acidic smell filled his nostrils, making him exclaim, "Blood?!"

Komba was completely shocked and quickly stood up, only to be hit by a throbbing pain in his head.

The pain weakened him, causing him to fall back onto the wooden floor with a loud thud.

The surroundings seemed unfamiliar to him, nothing like a hospital.

Ignoring the pain, he managed to prop himself up and take in his surroundings.

The small hut had a worn-out brown door, and there was an old floor bed near one wall.

Between the bed and the door, he noticed a water tank and a bucket filled with calms some black-colored fish.

Right next to the water tank stood a mirror that had two noticeable cracks.

The frame was wooden and the design was basic and unadorned.

As Komba glanced at his reflection, he saw himself as he was now. 

Brown hair, dark brown skin, striking yellow eyes, snug attire, slender frame, attractive facial features, and a somewhat serious expression... a young boy who appeared to be around 13 or 14 years old.

'This...'

He gasped in surprise as various bewildered thoughts raced through his mind.

He noticed a new cut on his neck, with dried blood around it.

If it weren't for the pounding headache that made his thinking tense but focused, he might have thought he was in a dream.

'Relax, relax, relax...'

Taking a few deep breaths, Komba made a conscious effort to avoid freaking out.

At that moment, as his mind and body settled, memories started rushing back to him, gradually surfacing in his thoughts.

Chao Xiang, a resident of Celestial Thunder village, comes from the renowned Chao clan.

His father holds the position of patriarch in the clan.

Unfortunately, his mother passed away shortly after his sister's birth.

Despite being born into a wealthy and influential family, Chao Xiang's actions took a dark turn.

In a competition to secure resources from the sea for their village, he betrayed his teammates and attempted to steal their belongings.

As a consequence, he was caught and severely injured by Yang Li, a member of the Yang family, and his teammate.

The shame he brought upon his clan led them to abandon and disown him.

With his cultivation crippled and his spiritual heritage damaged, Chao Xiang found himself unable to progress any further.

He resorted to working as a butcher in the fish market just to make ends meet.

Despite his constant struggles and efforts, his cultivation remained stagnant.

Faced with despair, he ultimately chose to end his life by slitting his own throat.

'Suicide?!'

'Floating Island?!'

'Cultivation?!'

Oddly enough, those recollections gave him the sensation that they belonged to him, causing his mind to snap awake as he extended his hand to soothe his throbbing temples.

Shaking his head, he desperately tried to convince himself that everything was just a figment of his imagination.

However, his frown deepened as he noticed the blood stains on the floor.

Without even realizing it, he absentmindedly turned his right hand over, the hand that had been clutching the knife moments ago.

Clup!

He let go of his knife and it immediately sank into the wooden floor.

Glancing down, he was met with the sight of his palm and fingers drenched in blood.

Compelled by curiosity, he made his way towards a cracked mirror and took a second look.

"Is this me? Am I turning into this kid?!" Komba was momentarily stunned.

He had only read about something like this in novels, but now it was happening to him.

Transmigration!

Due to the lack of proper lighting at night, he couldn't see his face.

Nevertheless, he continued forward until he was just a step away from colliding with the mirror.

He began to examine his neck, and a clear reflection stared back at him from the mirror's surface.

He carefully inspected the cut on his neck, not missing a single detail.

After a few rounds of examination, he realized that aside from the dried blood stain, no fresh blood was flowing from the wound.

It seemed as though it had been expertly treated and bandaged, with the scar closing at an astonishing rate.

In just three to four minutes, it would only leave a faint mark.

'Healing ability?'

As he reminisced about Chao Xiang, he couldn't help but frown, realizing that this particular ability was missing from his memory.

He had no clue what it was.

'The restorative effects that transmigration brings?'

He was completely certain that Choa Xiang didn't possess any healing powers, so he couldn't consider any other alternatives.

He had a hunch that his reincarnation had a connection to a flame and the statues he witnessed beneath the sea before his demise.

***