The Record of Orc Civilization

Where will we go after we die?

One of the main questions that is incredibly difficult to answer relying solely on human intelligence. Even Moku himself couldn't provide an answer.

He might be able to answer that when someone dies, they will be reincarnated into another world, just like himself. However, this wasn't the right answer because Moku himself felt that something had happened before he reincarnated as an orc.

Coupled with Garuda's words, stating that he was the Soul of The Old World, it indicated that the world in which Moku currently lived was not the same as his previous life. He didn't reincarnate into a planet within the same universe as his previous world, but into a new world, a new time, and a new universe.

That meant Moku's previous world and everything within it had been destroyed. So why was it only he who reincarnated? Or perhaps it wasn't only him who reincarnated, but he was the only one who remembered his previous life. However...

Was the question really that simple? Were there other questions that even he couldn't fathom.

Moku didn't know, and he didn't want to know. He was just grateful to be reborn in a powerful creature's body. With this new body, Moku could pursue his dream of becoming stronger. Yes, that was the only thing Moku cared about and pondered upon.

However, when the world suddenly turned dark, that question resurfaced in Moku's mind. He didn't sense any phenomenon caused by mana or any other energy. It was more like a law that suddenly reversed with Raiden's soul as the price.

An altar appeared nearby, made of mysterious black stone. On the altar, a dark blue flame flickered, emitting a chilling aura. Golden chains stained with blood slithered out from within the altar, resembling a writhing serpent.

The golden chains began to bind Raiden's body one by one. Moku tried to cut them with his Dawnshadow Blades, but the karambit blades merely passed through the golden chains without leaving a scratch. Even the dragon prana flowing within them didn't encounter any obstacles as it passed through the golden chains.

Moku was shocked and wide-eyed. It was the first time he saw the dragon prana being ineffective. He realized the uniqueness of the dragon prana, this peculiar energy that could even grow stronger by consuming mana.

But before he could ponder further, a long-lost feeling of fear emerged beside him. Moku immediately turned and faced a figure that had been standing on the altar, seemingly since who knows when. Moku couldn't even sense its presence; only fear called out to him to turn around.

The figure stood tall, wearing a billowing black robe. The aura emanating from it was so terrifying that Moku's body trembled. His trained animal instincts in life-or-death battles told him that there was nothing he could do except face death when confronted with that figure.

Moku understood with certainty that he was currently facing a being whose power was equivalent or not far different from Garuda. He realized that he was staring at the God of Death.

In the deity's hands, the God of Death held a large scale that symbolized justice and balance. The scale appeared motionless despite the cold wind blowing fiercely. The more Moku gazed at the scale, the more he felt his consciousness being absorbed into it.

The God of Death looked at Raiden with sharp eyes, holding the scale before him. Raiden bowed his head, not daring to meet that gaze. His arrogance had turned into politeness bordering on worship. Raiden felt a weight lifted off him as the God of Death indicated his approval to proceed with the ritual.

Suddenly, a dark aura enveloped Raiden, seeping into every crevice of his body and entering every orifice. Moku could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything to stop the ongoing ritual.

As if all the fluids in his body were being drained, Raiden's skin suddenly became wrinkled. His wide eyes seemed to scream in pain, but his gaping mouth made no sound at all.

However, to Moku, the screams were crystal clear. The expressions on Raiden's face conveyed his immense suffering. Even Moku, who considered himself cruel, felt pity for Raiden. He wanted to immediately shut off his inner eye, but the events that followed made him hold back his desire.

As Raiden's life force rapidly depleted due to the dark aura, the golden chains within him suddenly tensed. The golden chains seemed to be pulling back into the altar, but it wasn't Raiden's physical body being pulled by those chains. Instead, it was a figure resembling smoke emanating from his body.

The smoky figure struggled against the pull of the golden chains that bound it. It appeared to be in great pain, yet the golden chains continued to drag the smoky figure into the altar.

Moku understood that the smoky figure was Raiden's soul.

Leaving behind Raiden's slowly transforming body, Moku reflexively stepped back, unable to bear the horror unfolding before him. What he witnessed exceeded his imagination.

Raiden's body seemed to fade and weaken, his wrinkled skin gradually turning black like charcoal. His eyes, once filled with pain, turned white without a trace of blood flow. His cheeks sank, revealing only bones covered by skin.

His teeth fell out, replaced by new black and sharp ones. His beautiful blue hair, reminiscent of the sea, faded to a rough pale white. Some strands fell and turned into dust before disappearing into nothingness.

Raiden began to stand up, but suddenly darkness enveloped him, cloaking his body in a black robe. He walked slowly toward the altar, but when he was one step away, his body suddenly faded and disappeared like his falling hair.

But Moku, who clearly saw Raiden's new form, didn't ponder where Raiden had vanished to. Because the new form he saw wasn't unfamiliar to him. He had seen it before, not in the Astral Realm, but in the Mind Realm, specifically in Mak Lampir's library.

Raiden's new appearance resembled Mak Lampir's Wraith.

Why did Raiden transform into a Wraith?

What is the connection between Mak Lampir and the God of Death?

Moku wondered, but his thoughts were short-lived as the scale in the hands of the God of Death, which had remained motionless, began to move. At times, the left side became heavier, and then it shifted, becoming the right side that weighed more.

Suddenly, new golden chains emerged, not from within the altar, but from within the scale. Moku knew that the next target was himself, and he tried to distance himself, but his body suddenly felt frozen. He couldn't move at all, and the golden chains began to bind his body, just as they had done to Raiden before.

Moku struggled, unleashing dragon prana, reciting mantras, and using biofield, but it was all in vain. He remained bound by the golden chains, unable to move at all.

A black aura reappeared, flowing towards Moku's body. It enveloped every crevice and suddenly entered every orifice. Moku felt what Raiden had felt at that moment—his consciousness being pulled into a dark, empty, and void realm.

This was neither the Mind Realm nor the Astral Realm. So, was he now in the Spiritual Realm that Garuda always spoke of? But the answer was not that either, as the figure of the God of Death appeared right in front of Moku.

His hand rose and gripped Moku's head tightly. Moku felt as if his skull would shatter, and the hand gripping his head felt as cold as ice. But before Moku could experience further pain, the God of Death suddenly released his grip.

He took a step back and gazed deeply at Moku. No, he wasn't looking at Moku but at something behind him.

Who was it?

Moku couldn't turn around due to his frozen body. However, he suddenly felt warmth, a warmth he had longed for. It was a warmth that had been lost in his memories but remained eternal in his heart.

The warmth of a mother's embrace.

Moku didn't need to turn around to see who had come to him. She had made a promise. She had promised from the beginning when Moku wanted to open that door. She was always there and would always accompany him.

"Khodam?" a hoarse voice, sounding inhuman, came from the direction of the God of Death.

He tilted his head slightly in confusion at what was happening. He didn't appear afraid, only uncertain.

But quickly, he shook his head. Then he nodded as if understanding something.

Then... Maybe Moku was just imagining things due to the situation clouding his clarity of thought, but he felt as if the God of Death was currently smiling. A smile filled with immense joy.

"No... Not Khodam," he said, his voice filled with cheerfulness.

Then he pointed towards Moku. No... Not just towards Moku... But towards both of them.

Then his voice was heard again.

"Gog and Magog."

After that, Moku's consciousness faded, and for the first time since giving the Sin of Sloth to Garuda, Moku fell asleep. He fell asleep in the warm embrace.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝐫𝗲𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝐥.𝗰𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬.