The Radiant Light - [English Version]

More than two years had passed, and finally, Zebraem woke up inside a containment tank. Ganoderma and the overseers were utterly shocked and immediately reported this to Diego. He came to visit Zebraem right away.

Diego: Hey, Ganoderma, when can we take him out of that tank? 

Ganoderma: Lord Zebraem has only just awakened, but his body has recovered very well. We can take him out now and proceed with some special treatments. 

Diego: Alright, bring him down. Begin the treatment and let him rest for the next few days.

Ganoderma slightly bowed as Diego left. A few days later, while Zebraem was lying in a hospital bed, Diego came to visit.

Zebraem (Zeb): I asked a few people about Dande's group. They're doing fine, right? 

Diego: Their condition isn't as serious as yours. After a few months, Ralanka and Dande were able to walk normally, and Elena has returned to Apat. The environment there is better suited for her recovery than here. Lately, Ralanka and Dande have been going in and out of Renacer nonstop. I guess they don't want to experience that kind of defeat again. 

Zebraem (Zeb): They truly are determined. 

Diego: What about you, Zeb? Aren't you angry? 

Zebraem (Zeb): Me? Why would I be angry? Everyone was saved. Only the escorts from the convoy perished, but this is the best outcome we could achieve. 

Diego: Are you really Zebraem? 

Zebraem (Zeb): Why are you asking that? I'm still me. (He seemed genuinely surprised by Diego's question.) 

Diego: The Zebraem I know isn't this merciful. Has something happened to you? I can sense a lot of Immortal Power lingering around you. That must have come from the Fairy Dragon King's attack. The shockwave from the strike even caused the ground to tremble here. If that's true, then answer me. ZEBRAEM! 

Diego: How did you survive? (Diego asked menacingly.) 

Zebraem (Zeb): I will tell you everything I know. 

Diego: Fine, I will cast Truth on you. If you lie, I'll consider Zebraem dead. 

Zebraem (Zeb): I can assure you I am Zebraem, but only in a different life. 

Diego: What!!? Are you telling the truth? How is that possible? 

Zebraem (Zeb): My name before I met you was Lou. As you already know, I was once a human. What you didn't know is that I had met Aykon in a previous life. 

Diego: Explain that to me! 

Zebraem (Zeb): According to the memories I received from Aykon, in my previous life, I was a human boy living in a village named Avano in the north. I was abandoned at the doorstep of a church in that village and was raised by the priest. 

Diego: That's why you told me you follow Christianity because of your father. 

Zebraem (Zeb): Yes. 

Zebraem (Zeb): He adopted me, and he was highly respected in the village. As I grew older, the priest's health deteriorated, and that might be why people started to shun and despise me. One day, after the priest died, I was chased out of the village. I fled into the deep forest, and that's when I met Aykon. He taught me many things, and I abandoned my old village to live in a new one with Aykon. The people there were kind, and I had a happy life with my new family. But one day, when Aykon and I were on the mountain gathering herbs for the villagers, I had a bad feeling and returned early. 

Zebraem (Zeb): When I arrived, the first thing I saw was... 

As he spoke, Zebraem's pupils contracted, and his body began to heat up and tremble. After a while, he returned to normal.

Diego: What's happening? Are you alright?

Zebraem (Zeb): It's nothing. I'll continue.

Zebraem (Zeb): It's nothing. I'll continue.

Zebraem (Zeb): The first thing I saw was the village engulfed in flames. I rushed to the place I called home. Everyone there was dead, and… that girl had stopped breathing as well. I held her in my arms. At that moment, something within me changed. When Aykon returned, he came to me. I clung to him, begging for help, but my throat was choked, and tears streamed down my face. In just a brief moment after that, something began to sprout inside me.

Diego: That was the demon seed . Those who endure too much suffering will gradually develop a seed that sprouts when their endurance reaches its limit, turning them into a demon.

Zebraem (Zeb): At that time, I lost all reason. Aykon infused me with a strange light power, and then he ended my life. When I reincarnated, I had no memories of my past life and lived a new life, an ordinary human life. But then fate intervened. I was forced into some kind of machine, and it brought me back to this past.

Diego: You mean you came from the future?

Zebraem (Zeb): Yes. I returned from the future. The ones there gave me a mission: to kill the one called the Dark Emperor in the past—whom we know as Aykon.

Diego: Your chance to kill him was during the ceremony to awaken Irene, right?

Zebraem (Zeb): You're well-informed.

Diego: So what happened next?

Zebraem (Zeb): We fought, but during the battle, I gradually regained memories of Aykon with every clash. Slowly, I realized who was standing before me. I accepted my identity as Zebraem once again.

Diego: A few days later, I sought out Aykon, and that was the first time I met you. Quite an intriguing story. But you still haven't explained how you survived the Fairy Dragon King's attack.

Diego: So, that's the gist of it.

Diego: Since you are the good part of Zeb, you were able to learn the Buddhist Sutra Mantras. You used it to attack the Fairy Dragon King. As for how you withstood the Immortal Power in the Fairy Dragon King's attack, it's because you possess a portion of angelic power granted by Aykon. That power neutralized the Immortal Force within the attack.

Zebraem (Zeb): That's pretty much it.

Diego: Well done, Zebraem. This story is full of surprises. (Diego clapped and laughed.)

Zebraem (Zeb): Do you believe me?

Diego: I believe in Truth. It doesn't lie to me.

Zebraem (Zeb): Do you want to ask anything else?

Diego: No, I've learned what I needed to know. There are many things from that future I'd like to know, but I'm sure you don't know them. I am very curious about the one called the Light Emperor.

Zebraem (Zeb): She is a very intelligent and strategic person. My being sent back to the past was probably her doing.

Diego: Rest now. I have some things to think about.

Diego left the room with a mind full of information to process, while Zebraem continued resting in the room.