Nothing happened while Shang was flying southward.
The sun shone brightly in the sky.
People were doing their daily chores and meeting with friends.
Warriors were hunting in the wildernesses in teams.
It was a busy day like any other.
In comparison to 75 years ago, the current Storm Kingdom was much better off.
People didn't seem nearly as worried, and they had already returned to their previous selves before the Council had started to suppress the warriors.
The Kingdom had transformed into how it had been when Shang had just arrived in this world.
Growth.
Innovation.
Progress.
Prosperity.
These were the perfect words to describe the current Storm Kingdom.
Jerald had done an amazing job.
Just as expected.
Shang flew across the Thunder Horse Zone and looked down.
He could see the Thunder Horse walking around inside one of the cities, several children playing with it.
Shang remembered how Jerald had given his best to shield Shang from the Thunder Horse's eyes.
After a while, Shang left the Thunder Horse Zone and entered the Adamantite Behemoth Zone.
Shang saw a new city about ten kilometers away from the Adamantite Behemoth's horn, further away than the previous one.
Shang remembered how he had destroyed the city.
Back then, Jerald had told Shang that he was sorry. Jerald said that he was responsible for the deaths of all of these people and that Shang shouldn't blame himself.
After some time, Shang reached the Empress Cobra Zone.
George had died to the Council here, and Shang also remembered his conversation with Jerald while traveling to King Skythunder for the first time. A big part of the conversation had taken place here.
For the first time during his journey, Shang stopped in the air.
Then, he flew toward the west, toward the Ice Wyvern Zone.
Shang passed by the three-way border and entered the Ice Wyvern Zone.
Shang saw the city where he had exchanged the ice wood, Blizzard's Edge.
He saw the Southern Wild, where the guard had warned Shang of the bandits.
He saw the Central Wild.
Shang also saw the Northern Wild, the place where he had nearly crashed with his sled wagon.
Shang saw the place where the village with the ice wood had once been.
There was no village here anymore.
And lastly, Shang saw Jerald's garden.
The Earth Fruit Hedgehog was gone, but everything else seemed to be the same as back then.
Shang saw the boars, the wolves, the Pest Cats, and several other beasts and animals.
Back then, Shang had gone through tremendous physical pain in an effort to become more powerful.
He preferred the physical pain over the emotional one.
Shang turned his expressionless face towards one part of the mountains.
That was where he had met Jerald.
Shang had been careful of him, and he had looked up to his power.
This was where it all began.
No one would have expected that the little boy Jerald had found in one of his gardens would grow up to become his best friend and then his killer.
At that moment, Shang summoned something.
It was the emblem Jerald had given him when he had received the mission to find Duke Mithril's men.
After a while, Shang flew towards the southeast again.
He passed over the border.
He passed over the Farm Line, where he saw a couple of the Farm Dogs.
Shang saw the Wild Forest.
He remembered the Storm Eagle's offspring, the General Stage Vanishing Snake, and Chuck McGuiness.
Shang's youth had been painful, but it had also been filled with many people and exciting encounters.
Shang saw the Wasteland and remembered accompanying Sarah, Astor, and Elver in the Caves.
He remembered Soran coming to help Shang and putting the three of them under a Magic Contract.
Eventually, Shang reached Warrior's Paradise.
He remembered all the teachers.
Loran, the old man that guarded the gate during the night and taught the Caterpillar Class.
Teacher Niria, the teacher that taught about beasts and who had helped Shang with the Darkness Ore.
Vice-Dean Soran.
Viera.
Vice-Dean Ranos.
George…
All of these people were dead.
Teacher Mervin…
Shang remembered the conversation he had had with Teacher Loran and Teacher Mervin during his second Day of Chaos.
"Shang, power might be your primary goal, but you can't forget about a time after."
"And what should I do, in your opinion?"
"Get a team. Join a team of hunters. Take part in group missions. Try not to deny an invitation if an acquaintance gives you one. Just one thing, essentially. Be more amongst people."
"In the end, it's all up to you. It's your decision. I only suggest that you try it, and I won't force you. Even if you decide to ignore everything I said today, our relationship won't change. You are one of my students. I am one of your teachers."
Shang still remembered the conversation clearly.
Shang's future had not been set in stone back then.
He had all the options available to him.
For a while, Shang only looked at the Warrior Academy in Warrior's Paradise.
This had been his home for a long time.
Then, Shang continued flying toward the south.
He saw the Canyon and remembered the gigantic Exploding Mountain Turtle that had threatened the city back then.
Shang flew higher into the sky to avoid the Spirit Senses and reach of the powerful beasts.
Shang saw the Crater, the place where all the True Path Stage beasts resided.
He continued flying.
The Crater continued expanding for a while, and Shang even started to see humongous and terrifying beasts.
Archbeasts.
Shang avoided looking at them closely.
The beasts didn't pay any attention to him.
Eventually, there were no more beasts for a while.
And that's when the humongous Storm Eagle entered Shang's Spirit Sense.
The Storm Eagle was lying on the ground, terrifying amounts of Wind Mana coming out of its body.
It was truly gigantic.
Even after all this time, the Storm Eagle was still impossibly imposing.
Shang flew past the humongous Storm Eagle.
And two minutes later, Shang reached it.
The Abyss.
In front of Shang was only a bottomless cliff, and everything in front of him was covered in clouds.
It was like the world had ended.
For a moment, Shang stopped.
He turned towards the north.
The Storm Eagle Zone.
The Skythunder Kingdom.
Area 23.
He remembered the life he had lived there.
Area 23 had undergone tremendous changes, and Shang was responsible for many of them.
Shang remembered everything he had grown attached to in Area 23.
All of it had either disappeared, died, or changed tremendously.
Shang hung onto the memories he had made in Area 23.
And for the first time in a long while, he spoke.
"I do not regret my decisions."
"I only regret not realizing the truth of my path sooner."
Shang turned towards the Abyss again.
"I am the enemy of the world."
"There is no one in my life."
"I have abandoned everything just so I may gain a shot at Godhood."
"I want power."
"And power needs sacrifice."
"Goodbye, everyone that still knows me."
"My name is Shang."
"But I am not Shang."
And then, Shang jumped into the Abyss.
He left Area 23 and entered the outside world.
