As Shen lay bloodied on the ground, he suddenly found himself standing in the all so familiar dream.
Just like before, it continued showing the slaughter of millions of warriors effortlessly by the two sword wielders.
Just like before, when every single life had been extinguished the white haired man turned towards him and extended the sheathed blade in his hands outwards.
But, something was different today. Before, the man had a face of longing as if he hoped Shen would take it of his own accord.
Now, his gaze was cold as he looked at Shen, his eyes emitting a deadly purple glow.
The tall woman joined him, grabbed the sword and walked up to Shen, who found himself stumbling backwards from the pressure she emitted.
"Stand firm. Do not let the heavens see you in this pitiful condition."
Her voice was powerful, stern but...it contained a hint of sadness.
Shen, unable to deal with the emotions building up within due to recent events, lashed out with a shout even though fear had gripped his being.
"Who are you?! Why do you keep showing this to me?! Why...?! Why...did this have to happen to my...mother...?"
BANG!!
Grief overwhelmed Shen as he fell to his knees and smashed the ground beneath him with both fists, causing the dream world to shake.
The two figures walked up to him and slowly stood next to him, allowing him to grieve.
The man's gaze softened as he heard Shen's cries.
The woman, despite her overbearing appearance, seemed as if she had lost all sense of aura as she knelt down, laid the sword down to her side and pulled Shen into her embrace.
A sense of familiarity washed over him, causing his tears to increase as he grabbed onto the woman's bloody robes. Her cold, metallic arms felt incredibly warm at this moment.
Clasping his hands behind his back, the man said, "Do you want revenge? Do you want to destroy those who have destroyed everything you hold dear?"
He didn't shout, but his voice felt like it came from every direction. It was like space itself was his voice.
Hearing the man's words, Shen already knew the answer.
He wanted revenge.
He wanted to inflict the same pain he felt on those responsible.
But he knew that his mother would not approve. He knew that she wouldn't want him to harm a fly.
Alas, that soft hearted-ness played a part in her demise. Maybe if she had raised Shen a bit differently, the outcome would have been better.
"I...want to destroy the Xiao Sect and everyone affiliated with them. No one will remember their names. Even their records will be removed from history."
Eyes still filled with tears, a cold expression appeared in them as he spoke.
But, the man didn't seem happy about this. It was as if he wanted more from Shen.
"Good. That is not enough though. What if...let's say, a Ling Clan or some Mighty Heavenly Sect wanted to kill you? This world is filled with people like the Xiao Sect. Today was the worst and probably most memorable day of your life. For the Xiao Sect, it was just any other day."
Wiping his tears from his eyes, Shen clenched his fists and stared at the man as he thought about what he said.
A small smirk appeared on the woman's face as she grabbed the sword and stood up, lightly rubbing Shen's face before she did.
'He's...right. I'm just a poor boy from a destroyed village. To the Xiao Sect, I'm nothing. To every other Sect stronger than them, I'm nothing. Before, they could manipulate my life however they see fit, and I would unable to do anything about it.'
BANG!
Shen smashed the ground again, causing fissures to appear.
"I understand it now. Wanting to just make sure my mother lived a good life...? Just wanting to see her smile...? How could I have achieved this in such a world without my own strength! I was weak! Naive! Foolish! If I was stronger, then no one could take anything from me!"
His eyes took on a similar purple glow to the man standing before him, causing a small smile to appear on the man's face.
"No matter if it's the heavens themselves, I swear-"
"Swear upon what? You have nothing, not even your own life."
This time, the woman interrupted him.
WHOOSH!
She threw the sword into Shen's grasp, surprising him greatly.
The sword felt...familiar somehow. As if he had been wielding this weapon since birth.
Slowly unsheathing it, the weapon's blade sung the moment he laid his eyes upon it.
It was as if it was greeting an old friend.
"This is Magatsumi. A katana crafted to exude pure power.. It is yours. It will be with you for the rest of your life and even in death. Cherish it."
Feeling the companionship between him and the sword growing, Shen unsheathed the blade, pointing it towards the sky as he continued, "I swear upon my sword, that I will cut down those who seek to destroy and trample the defenseless for their own gain. Even if the enemies are the gods themselves."
The smile upon their faces widened as they heard this.
"I see. Remember those words, little Shen."
WHOOSH!
With a flick of his finger, the man brought Shen to him, the latter's body unable to move a muscle.
Placing a finger on Shen's head, the man continued, "After today, you will never have this dream again. It has served its purpose. The last thing you need...is the knowledge of how to 'Cut'. Everything related to swordsmanship that I've experienced in my lifetime will be transferred to you. Do what you will with it."
The man's entire body turned into a purple light that surged into Shen's forehead, filling his mind with a plethora of information.
At this moment, he could make no sense of it, and the man seemed to have completely disappeared within the purple light.
Now, all that was left was the woman.
"Forgive my husband. He's always been like this. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, Shen. To keep you safe, we won't reveal who we are for now. Just know...that we love you. We apologize for not taking care of you when you needed it most. I...I'm sorry for being such a bad m-...person."
Shen couldn't speak anymore since the man had captured him with some form of telekinesis. But, he could still hear them perfectly.
'They...love me? Who are they? This sense of familiarity...the strange resemblance to that man from earlier...could it mean what I think it does?'
Walking up to Shen while drawing her sword, the woman placed the tip of it over his heart and looked at him, her armor covering her eyes.
"Erlang. That is our clan name. Your name...is Erlang Shen. Our greatest creation, and the pride of our clan. Remember this well. Our divine power is called 'Sword'. Believe it, and you will 'Cut' anything. Simple and straightforward as it sounds. My husband engraved the mental aspect of our divine power and the culmination of his own swordsmanship into you."
Pushing the blade into Shen's heart, the woman hardened her expression as she continued, "I will be responsible for engraving the physical aspect. Just like him, I will leave my own swordsmanship behind. I know you can master it."
The sound of his own flesh being punctured entered Shen's ear as he started to faint from the overwhelming pain.
"The next time you awaken, you will have gained a new lease on life. Use it well. Make us proud, Erlang Shen."
-------------
[1 year later.]