Innerbalance Stories

Everything was so quiet that it overwhelmed me. I didn't know if I was breathing or just trying to survive with minimal effort. My breath may have been the only thing keeping me in this world, but it was also what made me feel suffocated. Every moment felt heavy, and every breath carried with it a sense of chaos I couldn't escape. I lived in this void, where everything seemed to breathe for me, as if I were merely observing the things happening around me, catching my breath and trying to hold on to something tangible. But deep down, I knew I was about to lose control, as if I were in the moment before my final breath, when everything would stop. But I had nowhere to go, no escape from this heaviness. My breath was my only guide, and every time I thought I'd found some relief, another breath would remind me that I couldn't stop, that I simply couldn't escape this endless cycle.

Power in balance.

(Said to be transcribed from the lost writings of the wandering immortal Qian Zhou, who vanished atop Mount Duyi three thousand years ago. No other copy has ever been found. This is the first translation, offered in silence and humility.) Translated from no known tongue. Attributed to Qian Zhou, the Vanished Immortal.