Chapter 205: The Paradise

"...What... happened... to me?"

There was no answer.

Only the gentle breeze continued to pass through the field, carrying the sweet scent of the strange flowers around it.

Samu’dra looked toward the endless landscape, its expression becoming increasingly uncertain.

It had no idea where it was or why it had been brought here, but one thing was becoming clear.

Whatever had happened after its battle with Jake, this was certainly not the world it had known.

And somehow, its body had returned to the way it had been many years ago.

"..."

Samu’dra remained standing for a while, staring at its unfamiliar body and trying to make sense of everything.

Eventually, it slowly lowered itself onto the soft grass.

The moment it sat down, the warmth of the field spread through its body.

There was no pain from its wounds, no stiffness in its muscles, and no exhaustion weighing down its limbs.

Samu’dra closed its eye and simply sat there.

For most of its life, it had never been able to do something as simple as this.

It had always needed to move.

To hunt.

To fight.

To be caution.

When it was young, being weak had meant becoming prey, so it had learned to fight anything that tried to take its food or territory.

As it grew stronger, the fights only became more difficult.

Eventually, fighting had become something it sought out for itself.

Even when there was nothing left to prove, it had continued searching for stronger opponents.

Its body had accumulated countless scars because of it.

Samu’dra slowly opened its eye and looked at its smooth arms.

For once, there were no scars...no blood...no wounds.

Just the gentle warmth of these strange light (sunlight) against its skin.

A soft breeze moved through the grass, and the strange flowers nearby swayed with it.

Samu’dra had spent so long living in places where every moment of weakness could mean death that it had almost forgotten what it felt like to be completely safe.

And then...

It leaned back slightly and allowed itself to relax.

There was still a great deal it didn’t understand.

It didn’t know where this place was, why its body had returned to its younger form, or what had happened after its battle with Jake.

But for the first time, none of those questions felt urgent.

Samu’dra closed its eye again.

"Maybe... I can stay... here for... a while."

The thought surprised even itself.

It had always believed that there was nothing worth doing except becoming stronger and finding better opponents.

Yet sitting here, feeling the warmth of the light without having to worry about what might attack it next...

It wasn’t unpleasant.

In fact, it felt strangely peaceful.

A faint smile slowly appeared on Samu’dra’s face.

"Maybe... this place... isn’t so bad... after all."

Samu’dra remained there for a while, simply enjoying the strange peace of the place.

It wasn’t sure how much time had passed when it finally let out a long sigh.

"...But..."

It opened its eyes again and stared at its hands.

The peaceful feeling was nice; it truly was.

But there was still something missing.

Samu’dra slowly clenched its fist, and a familiar grin began to appear on its face.

"I still... want to swing... my weapon."

It wanted to feel the weight of a sword in its hands again.

It wanted to hear the clash of steel.

It wanted to feel its entire body pushed to its limits.

More importantly, it wanted to fight.

Not because it needed to survive or because something was trying to kill it.

Now... It simply wanted to find stronger opponents and test itself against them.

Samu’dra’s grin widened.

’There are... still so many strong... opponents I haven’t fought yet.’

Its thoughts naturally returned to Jake.

That ridiculous creature had pushed it further than almost anyone before it.

Samu’dra’s eye narrowed with excitement.

"And I... definitely want another fight with him."

The familiar excitement of battle was already beginning to return to its eyes.

After all, being able to rest was nice.

But for Samu’dra, nothing compared to the feeling of gripping a weapon and stepping into a real fight.

That had always been its dream.

[Then I will give you a chance to continue chasing your dream.]

A soft woman’s voice suddenly came from behind it.

Samu’dra’s eye widened.

It immediately turned around.

There, standing several steps away, was a woman it had never seen before.

She wore a simple, flowing white dress that moved gently with the breeze, while a thin white veil covered her face and fell softly over her shoulders.

Her figure seemed almost unreal against the peaceful field, as if she had simply appeared among the flowers.

Samu’dra stared at her warily.

"...Who are... you?"

The woman did not answer.

Instead, she slowly opened her arms.

The gentle breeze suddenly grew stronger, causing her white dress and veil to billow softly around her.

And the flowers beneath her feet swayed in unison, and for a brief moment, the entire field seemed to fall silent.

Samu’dra stared at her in confusion.

Then the woman finally spoke.

[Go...]

Her voice was soft, yet it carried a strange weight, as though it had echoed through the heavens long before this world had ever existed.

[You have known the taste of hunger, the weight of wounds, and the loneliness of standing against those stronger than yourself.]

[Yet even after all those years, you still reach for your weapon with a smile.]

The light around her began to grow brighter.

Samu’dra’s expression slowly changed.

Her voice carried a faint warmth as she continues.

[Then do not let that fire fade.]

[There are countless warriors beneath the heavens. Some will defeat you. Some will teach you. And perhaps, one day, you will find one who makes you wonder how much further your blade can go.]

[When that day comes, remember the feeling you have now.]

The light surrounding her grew stronger.

[The joy of holding a weapon. The excitement before a worthy opponent. The desire to discover what lies beyond your strength.]

She slowly lowered her arms.

[Those are yours. No one can take them from you.]

And at that moment, the light became blinding.

Samu’dra instinctively raised its arms to shield its eyes.

And just before the woman’s figure disappeared completely, her final whisper reached its ears.

[So go, child of Somā and Kauṇḍinya.]

[...Follow him.]

[Your journey has only just begun.]

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[Here is an illustration of the mystery woman:]