The Dream Intruder.

Chapter One: Emperor Quang-Trung (Continue)

This seventh zone is the place of souls' arrival and departure from the bodies of all species, including humans. It is also a replica of the Earth, but it exists in a higher form of matter that I temporarily call the high-energy form. I can liken the image that we see on the television screen.

This environment is perfectly adapted to the next life of souls because it is in the same physical form as ours. That's why we often hear, "How is the living world, the underworld like that?" The underworld has a life and a living environment like ours. Therefore, I saw life here as the same as the reality of the Earth.

But there are fundamentally different things; nature is untouched. Traces of industrial development are not seen, and the ecosystem still exists beautifully without any sign of pollution. Unintentionally, someone said: "It's even better to die than life." That is true.

Life here is painless, so there is no medical community. However, it is not entirely carefree because the spirits still remember the past life they have just escaped.

- Nguyen-Han, Nguyen-Han, are you alright?

Ha-Mi worried about me, so she used her mind to communicate. She especially did not need to meditate. But I was the only one who could telepathically communicate with her because we had a connected sense. The Master could not; even he taught us how to practice to attain special abilities.

The most important thing was each individual's effort. The Master also had a connected mind object, but that person was discovered and destroyed forever. The Master suffered a critical attack. It had been a long time since he had collapsed. However, in the end, he had overcome it, and now he was at a higher level.

- I'm alright, but I haven't realized where I am.

- So, do you realize any particular traits?

- Let me see; it’s so dense around the forest that it’s hard to see. Oh yeah, there is a rock mountain that is distinctly taller, higher than the surrounding mountains.

- That’s right; it’s the Roo top on the map.

- Alright, Ha-Mi, I know. Goodbye.

We could talk for a long time, consuming a lot of energy. I headed straight to the mountains. Reaching the base location was an important milestone.

Near the foot of the mountain, I suddenly saw the appearance of sparse houses and Champa towers. Coming closer, I knew I had entered the Champa village.

But different from what I had ever seen, they were not the impoverished and dirty Champa people, but a rich, prosperous, and wealthy Champa town. The Champa people here were beautiful, wealthy, luxurious, and gentle. People recognized my difference, but they still calmly continued their daily tasks. Finally, I met a young man with a pig in his hand passing by and asked:

- Excuse me, may I ask a little bit?

He first stammered a few sentences in the Champa language but somehow immediately answered in the Kinh language:

- Okay, what do you need to ask? You don’t know the way, do you?

- Can you tell me where this place is?

He looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes, but I didn’t look rude, so he continued:

- You must be a person from far away. That is our revived Champa Kingdom. This place has a king and a prime minister. Although the territory is not large, it is a kingdom.

What he said surprised me. I never imagined things like that. After thinking for a while, I asked again:

- The truth is, I am looking for someone.

Before I could finish speaking, he interrupted me:

- Are you looking for Emperor Quang-Trung?

- How do you know that?

- You’re not the first one to ask me. But that guy looked like a bandit, so I didn’t answer him.

- Can you tell me? I hurriedly asked.

- You are okay. But I only know that your Emperor Quang-Trung is a monk now because I heard that. The truth is I don’t know where he is.

- Thank you so much.

- By the way, near our temple is a good resting place, you can go there. Bye.

Bye, thank you very much.

- You are welcome.

Listening to him, I went to the Champa Tower to find the resting place. Unlike the ancient structures under the Earth, the Champa temple here was magnificent. People flocked in and out to worship, offering flowers and fruits respectfully. In the middle of the main hall was a statue of Shiva with six arms and three majestic eyes, standing on Singha lion’s back. I also lined up with everyone to bow down and pay my respects to a god who had also been the king of Champa since the foundation of the world.

The park surrounding the temple was full of fragrant flowers and strange grasses. I felt like I was lost in paradise.

I wanted to find a place to rest, and the guide instructed me to go only through the back gate of the garden. Walking in, I was surprised. There were no beds or mats; all there was a vast green lawn with warm, harmonious light. Many people were resting, so I imitated them to find a place to lie down. I have not known when I fell asleep peacefully since.

Nguyen-Han, Nguyen-Han, I heard Ha-Mi waking me up. I woke up to find her looking at my face.

- Ha-Mi, why are you here? Aren’t you watching me?

- I miss you. I can’t stand it, so I came here looking for you.

- Miss me? How could that be? Are we on duty?

- Don’t ask much. Follow me, and you’ll know.

After saying that, she stood up hurriedly, ran out of the gate, and waved her hand to call me:

- Hurry up.

I got up and ran after her. Running for a while, she stopped, and when I arrived, I found myself at the edge of the forest.

- Why did you drag me here?

She smiled. Her eyes seemed mischievous. When I realized, suddenly from above, an Atula swooped down, used its clawed feet to hold onto my shoulders, and lifted me into the air. It was not Ha-Mi down there anymore, but the previous Atula girl was chasing very fast. When I tried to escape, the Atula man slapped my forehead so that I could do nothing. He pulled me up high, and many other Atula were waiting there. Suddenly, he bellowed out loudly and threw me up high, throwing me like a ball.

I was caught high up, and I dived at a dizzying speed, causing me to scream in panic. My voice was echoing through the forest. Suddenly, one after another, Atula whipped up to grab me and soared again. Just then, they let me go and then picked me up again, making me a plaything for the Atula swarm, juggling among their horrifying screams.

At that time, there was no escape. One of the most muscular, as red as a beetroot, grabbed me, soared high, and roared, echoing through the blue sky.

Using all his strength, he threw me down with tremendous speed. I couldn’t help but close my eyes, surrendering to fate, holding death in my hands.

Suddenly, an invisible hand supported my back and gently placed me on the grass. Then I fainted, no longer aware of anything.

I dreamed that my Father rowed in front of the boat along the winding water on the roads back to the old town. Thuc-Oanh sat at the prow behind me, and I felt comfortable lying in the middle. The bobbing water made my heart feel peaceful. Because she came back, and we all belonged to each other. We would be together forever. But I suddenly woke up and found myself lying on a bed in a leafy hut. A burly man sat at a nearby table drinking tea; apparently, he was a monk.

- Are you awake? The monk asked me in a calm voice. But his voice was powerful.

- Why am I here? I did not answer; on the contrary, I asked.

- You passed out for more than a day, one night. So I took you to take care of you.

I suddenly recalled that Atula had surrounded me, so I asked:

- You must have saved me from that Atula herd?

- I did not save you, but you were protected by the god Shiva because you had a heart of mercy. He drove the other Atula away and handed you over to me. From now on, they will never search for you again. You can feel safe here.

- What about you?

- I am the one you are looking for.

- You are Emperor Quang-Trung?

I quickly got out of bed and knelt to respect the hero.

- It must be me, but that is over. I am a monk now, not an Emperor anymore.

- What does that mean?

He shook his head, sighed, and said:

- The world is a battlefield lost with illusions and fleeting. People fight for power, gain, and then kill each other. Once upon a time, I still considered myself a macho man who rebelled against the sky, kicked his feet on the ground, tried hard for righteousness, and practiced justice. But eventually, we were engulfed in a tornado of the cruel heart. The same race slaughtered each other because of the fragments of land that led to destruction. Eventually, I died and went down to the grave, but my body was not intact.

You helped many people who are no longer suffering from cruel, violent invaders. I uttered with all my heart my appreciation for an outstanding hero.

- Yes, but it doesn’t mean much if you see the world on this upper floor. No longer a great China, they have dispersed into small autonomous parts of the country and lived in peace and prosperity. No one desires to dominate and take over others—only those who wholeheartedly contribute to building peace and prosperity for community life.

I was once again overwhelmed by surprise. I suddenly realized the seventh superior floor was copied from the Earth, but the truth was that it only regained the quintessence. The bad and the scum were entirely removed.

- Sir, but it is so good. Why is there such a fierce Atula?

- Brutal? Ho, ho, ho! Sir Quang-Trung laughed cheerfully. Being fierce is only for you.

- It is only for me. Am I bad?

- You are a mundane mortal of the Earth and have not escaped the stinky body anyway. Although you have put in the practice of virtue and merit, as long as you live with that physical body, they still consider you by the Atula to be a bad guy to be punished.

- Oh my God! I scratched my head and plucked my ears.=

Sir Quang-Trung saw that he hugged his stomach and laughed. Perhaps he did not expect me to be so surprised. Seeing that he was so happy, I also burst into laughter. Unexpectedly, there was such a quick friendship.