The sword drew a beautiful arc through the sky, its gleaming blade slashing the neck of a shadow wolf. These creatures, born from darkness and the unfulfilled desires of the damned, were swift, deadly, and precise.

As the deep night descended, the shadow wolves gathered, described aptly as. . .

"Stubborn creatures," Eden muttered.

The wolves howled, launching a coordinated attack. One lunged at Eden's arm, only to be sliced in two. None of them were worthy of injuring a god.

"Flame Devourer!" Eden commanded, black flames erupting from his palm and incinerating the wolves.

"Sky Slash!" he unleashed another skill, reducing the number of night wolves by half.

"Let's end this. Land Spikes!" Eden shouted, and the ground obeyed, transforming into sharp spikes that impaled the remaining wolves.

"A waste of time and mana."

Eden walked away, leaving the creatures' bodies to be consumed by the mist from which they came. He followed a dirt path between mountain peaks until an enormous city appeared in the distance. Not even the deep night could obscure his sight as he gazed with pride at the horizon. A feeling of joy filled his heart, and he wished to traverse the distance in an instant.

"Home, at last." As he stepped forward, a sudden pain pierced his chest. Staring in shock at the blade tip protruding from his torso, he muttered, "Expel!" but nothing happened.

"It's useless," said a voice behind him.

The blade was withdrawn, but no blood flowed. Instead, a petrifying effect spread from the wound.

Eden turned, unsheathing his sword and striking at his assailant simultaneously. His attack was blocked by a third party.

"There's no need to struggle."

"Marha, Kloppus?" Eden muttered, recognizing his enemies.

"In the flesh," Kloppus, who had blocked the attack, replied.

Eden attempted another skill, but his mana was nearly sealed. He raised his sword, but the petrifying effect reached his shoulders, making movement difficult.

"Calm down, it's pointless," Marha said. The short sword in his hand transformed into gray dust that drifted in the wind. "It cost me a fortune," he said with regret. "It's a one-time use, unfortunately."

"You really did it this time," Eden said, smiling, resigned to his fate. "Can't you sleep in peace without killing me one more time?" he asked, exasperated.

"I can, but it will be much more peaceful with you gone." Marha retrieved a golden pyramid from his storage ring. The artifact, covered in runic patterns emitting a purple light, had a strange green gem on top.

"You see, I'm not planning to kill you now as it would be pointless. You'd just resurrect in a few days, and I'd have little peace. I'm thinking long-term. I got this thing while exploring a relic." Marha inspected the pyramid. "It's called the 'Eye of Cosmos.' You might have heard of it."

Eden's smile faded. He knew what the "Eye of Cosmos" was: an artifact capable of sending someone back in time. No joke.

"Judging by your expression, you know exactly what it can do." Marha gave a sinister smile. "I didn't want to waste its energy on you, but I value my peace too much. If I reverse your time and kill you when you had no powers, you'll be done forever. No more resurrection, no more nuisance, just peace and quiet."

"What kind of god are you? Do you think the others will let you off if you kill me for good?" Eden yelled, trying to draw attention and access his inventory unnoticed.

"Hahaha, who can they blame if they don't know why you're gone? What they can do if time itself will be reversed?" Kloppus asked. "Don't worry though, we will keep our memories and come after you. The only difference will be that we'll keep our powers. Hahaha!"

"Then let's begin." Marha activated the pyramid, which shone with a bright, purple light. The light enveloped Eden, and his body began to dissipate slowly.

"Do you remember our battle in the deep canyon?" Eden asked with a sigh.

"Yeah..." Marha furrowed his brow. At that time, he was about to win when Eden suddenly turned the tables.

"It's the same as then," Eden said, his inventory opening as a transparent orb appeared before him. "Reflect!"

At his command, the orb artifact became a mirror that reflected the purple light onto the two gods as well. Unfortunately, it couldn't reflect all the light cast upon Eden.

"No!" screamed Marha, trying to grab the orb. But it was too late; his hand dissipated.

"Fucker!" Kloppus cursed, attempting to flee the light.

"If I go back, I'll take you with me! Let's all start from the beginning." Eden laughed maniacally before his whole body disappeared.

Marha tried to use a talisman to teleport away, but it was futile. He and Kloppus met the same fate, their artifacts falling to the ground, losing the control of their masters.

* * *

Eden slowly opened his eyes, facing the white ceiling of his room. He blinked a few times before reaching for his phone on the nightstand. Suddenly, a small star appeared before him.

"What the f—"

"You're stupid," the star's melodious voice interrupted his curse.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Eden recoiled, but the small star followed him, entering his head. He remained motionless as memories surged into his mind like a tidal wave of information. Dizziness overwhelmed him as his mind expanded.

"Your current body can't store all the information. You will have to grow stronger and remember the rest slowly," the melodious voice sounded in Eden's head as he gasped for air. The world spun around him, and he sat back on the bed, waiting for the disorientation to pass.

When the strange feeling and dizziness ended, Eden was no longer the same. He had the body and life of an academy student, but the memories of someone who had lived for decades.

"Ahh, thank you very much!" Rising from the bed, he stretched and went to the mirror to examine his reflection.

"Not bad, I thought I'd revert to a much younger version of myself," he said, trailing his fingers over the contours of his well-defined chest and abdomen, then reaching lower. Eden removed his pants, placing his hands on the sides of the mirror, admiring his body. "How lucky of me."

"You call this luck? You shouldn't be in this situation in the first place," the voice echoed inside Eden's head again.

"Zizi, you ruined my moment," he said in a deep, self-satisfied voice. "They caught me unprepared. I couldn't stop them. I'm surprised Marha managed to sneak up on me. He was never able to do it before." Touching his lips and chin, Eden looked seductively at the reflection of his blue eyes.

"You shouldn't have been unprepared."

"I won't be next time." He grabbed a small, black bottle of perfume and applied a few puffs to his chest, behind his ears, on the inner part of his forearms, and on his crotch. "My mistake was overconfidence, something I'll never repeat."

Eden moved his naked body toward the bathroom. He needed to wash his face and sharp teeth before getting ready to leave.

"Next time? Are you hearing yourself? Look at our circumstances. How can you be so positive in this situation?" Zizi yelled inside his head.

"Hmmm," Eden growled in annoyance. "Stop yelling." He placed his hands on the sink. "In the first place, it could've been much worse. At least now, I don't have to worry about gods hunting me down. And with a little bit of luck, those two might not have their memories. I for one wouldn't if not for you. Besides, I'm satisfied with the current me." He gently covered his balls with his palm.

"That’s the most important aspect? So the only inconvenience if you returned to a much younger version of yourself is not having a proper... thing?"

"But of course, my dear Zizi. If you had a physical body, I'd help you understand." Eden smiled mischievously. "Look, I've died two times before. Now i am back when it all started. What do you expect of me, be mad?"

"Ahhh, you're such a—"

"I love you," Eden interrupted.

Zizi remained silent for a moment. "I love you too, but you're still an idiot."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Eden said, starting to brush his teeth.

"...that wasn't a compliment."

Zizi was Eden's assistant, a spiritual fairy as he called her. He had met her on a trip to the world beyond the physical. Her presence with him even after returning in time was a surprise, but perhaps her non-physical existence had something to do with it.

"Say, do you have any idea why you're still with me even after I returned?" Eden asked, backtracking to his bedroom.

"Because our bond is so strong and sweet."

"Cut the crap. I'm serious," he admonished, unwilling to accept jokes as answers to serious questions.

"I have no idea. I just got transported together with you. I wasn't lying when I said it was because of our bond. That's the only reason I can think of," Zizi explained gently.

"Hmm, alright then," Eden said, putting on a pair of jeans.

"How old is this version of yourself? And why are you getting ready like that? Are we leaving somewhere?"

"Twenty, and yes, I have school today," he replied, buttoning up his black shirt. "I haven't been to school in decades. I want to enjoy my carefree time."

"No undergarments?"

"I don't want to be hindered."

"You're really not affected by going back to your past?" Zizi asked in a soft voice.

Eden thought for a second. "I'm really not. Life taught me to adapt and accept any situation without complaining. Doing things this way allows me to suffer less and have more time to prepare instead of wasting time and energy. And I don't mind getting a new chance at living. I enjoyed my life, most of the time."

"Does the current you have enemies here?"

"I wouldn't call them enemies, but adversaries. At this time, my life wasn't threatened by anyone. Only my image and reputation. And from what I remember, it won't be long until the selection process for Ahartohaim begins," he said, taking a pair of white socks.

"Do we get back to Ahartohaim this soon?" Zizi asked excitedly.

"The first teams will go there for missions at first. We'll be traveling between the worlds for a while."

Checking his things, Eden grabbed his backpack and headed to the kitchen. He wanted something to drink.

"...I never asked you, but how did the people here discover Ahartohaim?"

"It's complicated." Taking a bottle of D-rank vitamin drink from his fridge, Eden gulped it down before replying. "At first, we thought it was a game because it had similar mechanics to our virtual reality games. We discovered it was actually a real world only after a few months and some deaths."

"Really? And people ventured to a strange place thinking it was a game?"

"Listen, we had many benefits for doing so, and like the people from Ahartohaim, we love adventure. And money," Eden said, putting on a pair of sport shoes.

"If that's true, why haven't all the people here left for Ahartohaim?" Zizi asked, giggling.

"They were unfit. For the first missions, only experienced people got to participate in the selection program. And only a small percentage of them were actually accepted. Exactly like Beta Testers, or scouts if you're more familiar with the term," Eden said, exiting his apartment and locking the door. He took a pair of wireless headphones and placed them in his ears.

"So you first scouted Ahartohaim? But you said the teams executed missions between the two worlds," Zizi said, unable to understand Eden anymore.

"Yes, my love. Look, some people were selected to explore the world and gather information. Then the government saw the enormous potential as items could be moved between worlds and officially launched Ahartohaim as the biggest game on the planet. Then, many people 'played' Ahartohaim to make a fortune for themselves, and the governments had workers. Everyone was happy," Eden said, walking casually on the streets.

"Then why don't people stay in Ahartohaim?"

"Some stayed. Newly created characters can't remain in Ahartohaim for prolonged periods. People have to return to this world at regular intervals or they would be automatically expelled by the world's law and suffer health issues. Later, once they've adapted, some decided to remain. I guess it's all about preferences."

"Strange, you didn't have to return on Earth for as long as I remember."

"I had already merged completely with the world when I met you, so my character was accepted like a permanent inhabitant. I could do whatever i wanted. Leave, stay, travel between the worlds."

"Now I get it," Zizi said. "I have another question. Are humans here accustomed to people talking to themselves? Back in Ahartohaim, we got many glances when you seemed to speak to yourself."

"That's what the headphones are for," Eden said. "Everyone thinks I'm talking to someone else."

"Then, can we use the same thing in Ahartohaim too? I don't like when people look at you that way."

"Unfortunately, my darling, we can't. The people there aren't used to this type of technology, so the results would be the same as before, maybe worse," Eden said, passing by a group of girls.