Rebirth of the Crimson Fox

The searing headlights grew larger, then a deafening crash.

Haiyang Huohua's consciousness flickered back to life, not in a hospital, but a landscape of black earth under a sky of white and blood-red fire. Strange red-skinned figures moved among barren trees. Around him, translucent, pearly-white figures stood in a silent line – souls.

Panic surged, but a deep breath brought a semblance of calm. He was dead, and this... this was the afterlife. As he joined the slow-moving queue, his mind raced through legends of reincarnation, settling on a terrifying realization: the Six Paths. He was on a path, but to what end? Human? Animal? Or worse?

The line eventually led to a bridge over a river of lost souls and an old woman with a bowl of tea. Grandma Meng. Her tea made souls forget. Seeing others forced to drink, screaming in agony, Haiyang complied, but held the liquid in his mouth. A knowing smile from the old woman acknowledged his defiance, yet she spoke, guiding him to a specific cave – the path of the animal.

Haiyang walked towards the light at the end of the tunnel, spitting out the tea just before stepping into the blinding white. His vision swam, consciousness faded, a faint smile on his face. He was being reborn.