Two days after the decrees of Heaven Court, the punishments for the gods were carried out with unerring resolve. Dik and Sen Ruyon were dragged into the great river of time — the Soul Stream — and cast into the mortal realm. The world they were to be born into was far from the divine splendor of Heaven. Instead, it was a realm where mortal hearts knew nothing but suffering and longing.
For Dik, this was to be the beginning of a life stripped of divinity, beauty, and ease. For Sen Ruyon, it was a life that would twist his pride and desire into something far more dangerous.
Dikun and Dijun's Conflict
Before the process began, Dijun and Dikun stood in silence under the pale light of the Heaven Gate. Dijun's expression was unreadable, but Dikun' gaze was sharp and troubled.
Dikun: "Dijun, you are such a rascal. You never cared about your own brother. How could you think I can see Dik going through such trouble? I will not forgive you."
Dijun's eyes drifted toward the sky, her voice soft but edged with something colder than regret.
Dijun: "You are right. I have changed… you have changed… Dik has changed. It is the natural cycle of life. We survive or we perish. We forget the faces of those who once cared for us. Even family becomes strangers. This… this is what the heart demands. Dikun, I will not apologize to you, nor to Dik, for causing this mess. I have changed… most likely, I had to change."
Dikun's shoulders stiffened, but he said nothing more. His hands clenched into fists, knowing there was no changing Dijun's mind.
The Mortal Birth of Dik
When the veil of time parted, Dik was reborn into the mortal realm under the name Di k. His life began not in grandeur but in sorrow. Born as the youngest son of a king, Dik's birth was marked with misfortune — a vast birthmark running across half his face. That single mark overshadowed the beauty that still lingered in his divine soul.
From birth, Dik was frail. His lungs were weak; even a breeze could scatter his breath. Illness clung to him like a shadow, and his childhood was a prison of sickness and solitude. His father, the king, loved him dearly, more so than his firstborn. But the ministers of the realm whispered that Dik was unfit to rule, a weakling who could bring shame to the crown.
His elder brother, born to a concubine, was his protector. Driven by a hunger for his father's approval, the elder brother adored Dik and shielded him from the cruelty of the court. He made sure Dik never left the safety of the royal chambers, except under the care of servants. Dik was never seen without cloth wrapped across his face during public appearances. Rumors spread through the kingdom: some said he hid a deformity; others claimed he was unbearably beautiful.
The truth was simpler: Dik had learned that beauty could be a curse, and weakness a lesson. He learned to guard himself — not only his body but his soul.
The Mortal Birth of Sen Ruyon
Sen Ruyon was reborn in a world far different from Dik's. He came into the mortal realm as the son of the nation's most revered general. His name became Ruyon Shen, and his life was painted in indulgence and arrogance.
From his first breath, Ruyon was spoiled. His father's prestige made him untouchable, and the boy grew up believing the world owed him everything. He was a heartless playboy, skilled in combat not to protect but to dominate. At the age of twelve, Ruyon had already taken more lives than most generals took in a lifetime. Yet he bore no remorse. His life was one of excess — drunken feasts, brothels, and bloodshed.
The people despised him, calling him a disgrace to the nation, for a general's son was supposed to embody honor, not debauchery. But his father, blinded by pride, indulged his every whim. Ruyon became accustomed to taking what he wanted without question, never thinking of consequence.
This life shaped him in ways that mirrored his immortal soul — stubborn, reckless, and possessed of a hunger for control.
The Bond of Mortal Fate
Though their lives began in separate worlds of privilege and pain, fate had tethered Dik and Ruyon together once more. Years passed before they crossed paths. Dik, withdrawn and weak, lived within the shadow of royalty, never daring to step fully into the light. Ruyon, reckless and free, lived without restraint, a predator disguised in charm.
Their meeting was neither chance nor accident. It was fate — woven into the strands of punishment and rebirth by the decree of Heaven.
When they finally met, neither could have imagined the storm their reunion would cause. Dik saw in Ruyon a spark of the past he could not forget. Ruyon saw in Dik something worth possessing.
Dijun's Silent Observation
Far above the mortal realm, Dijun watched the unfolding of their mortal lives with a cold heart. She did not follow them, but she felt the ripples of their rebirth in her soul.
Every step they took in the mortal realm was a lesson — a punishment for their past sins and a trial for the future. But she knew her punishment was yet to come, and the threads of fate were pulling her toward them, whether she wished it or not.
Dikun remained silent, watching Dijun's distant gaze. He knew she was torn between hatred and regret. But the truth was that heaven had changed them all — and nothing could undo that.
The Beginning of the Mortal Test
The gates of mortal life had closed behind Dik and Sen Ruyon. They were now bound to live without the power of gods, to taste hunger, pain, betrayal, happiness, aging, grief, and sadness — the Seven Mortal Feelings they were condemned to experience.
And as their new lives began, the world seemed to whisper to them: the trials had only just begun.
In the far reaches of Heaven, Dijun's punishment loomed. Dikun's anger smoldered quietly. And beneath the mortal sky, Dik and Sen Ruyon stepped into a future none of them could escape.
Because in the mortal realm, pain was the only truth, and fate was the only law.
Sen Ruyon — now reborn as Ruyon Shen, the spoiled son of the nation's most powerful general — strolled lazily through the bustling streets.
His sharp eyes wandered over the painted portraits displayed in the shops along the boulevard. Portraits of women in flowing gowns, their faces adorned with delicate beauty — yet none stirred anything in him. None ignited his curiosity, his desire.
Ruyon was used to beauty. In his immortal life, he had seen realms adorned with goddesses, queens, and warriors whose elegance could shatter kingdoms. But in this mortal world, beauty was common, and his heart had grown hardened.
He sighed, bored, and turned away from the art stalls. That was when a soft murmur in the air caught his attention — whispers of something unusual.
"Have you heard?" a merchant was saying to his customer. "The most beautiful girls from the southern lands are coming to the city's grand brothel. They say they are unlike anything seen before."
Another voice joined in, "They are from the Kingdom of Su Yao. Their beauty is said to be unmatched — their skin like porcelain, their hair like ink, and their eyes like the moon's reflection on a still lake."
The words wrapped around Ruyon's senses like an intoxicating perfume. His steps slowed. For the first time that day, something in the mortal world had caught his interest.
He followed the voices to the entrance of the grand brothel, a building of gilded wood and crimson banners that fluttered in the autumn wind. The air was heavy with the scent of jasmine and sandalwood. Laughter, music, and soft singing drifted out from inside, pulling him forward.
Ruyon entered without hesitation. The brothel was unlike anything he had ever seen its halls draped in velvet, golden chandeliers glowing softly above pools of warm light. The scent of rare perfumes lingered in the air, and the laughter of beautiful women intertwined with the soft music played by unseen musicians.