The sunrise slowly crept its way over the hills of Bybeech, breathing life into the little town. The darkness that had haunted the hills the previous night before had now evaporated into nothingness.

This effect had made no one happier than it did for Timothy. He stayed up all night in anticipation waiting for this. He had never been this elated to see the sunrise in his 13 years of living before.

"It's a sunday morning, I have absolutely nothing to do. This is the perfect time to explore this wretched place. I want to know the layout of this town"

Timothy quickly got up out of bed and raced out of his room. He skillfully tip-toed down the stairs trying not to wake up his mother with its creaking.

He didn't even bother alerting her about his departure as she was long since used to his eccentric ways of random disappearances. It had caused her many fearful moments when Timothy was a young child.

"I need to test out exactly what the book of Melvin can do and see if there has been any changes in my body. I don't think a mortal being exposed to the supernatural could cause anything good"

Timothy left his house and started his trip to enter into the forest surrounding Bybeech. He thought this was the most suitable location as the people here probably rarely traveled into the forest.

"I can't let anyone see what I am doing, the things that I can do mustn't be seen by the common man's eyes."

The early morning fog was dense, sunrise had just broken out and the town of Bybeech was coming alive. Timothy walked pass a few people and were surprised to see that they were all ordinary humans. To him this town seemed to be housing the inhumane.

The trip didn't take more than an hour but it was eye-opening. The things and interesting people that Timothy came across was quite memorable. The baker's small factory, the flower shop, the butcher pen, the iron smithy and endless buildings and houses.

The town really came alive under the sun. What seemed dead and bleak the night before was now filled with life and brimming with activity. Timothy's favorite however was the steam powered locomotive that passed by carrying goods.

The train raced by, bringing with it a trail of black smoke. The machine was named the highlands express and it was the pride of Bybeech.

"We humans have entered the age of steam. Everything now runs on gears and cogs. Through the power of steam and electricity, we have been making scientific advancements at lightning speeds, the locomotive train being one of many examples"

Timothy was on the roadside. The opulent morning haze was dissipating, and the illumination of the day had almost completely manifested. He was now only a couple hundred meters away from the entry of the forest. This place was technically an off limits zone and he had to make sure no one saw him going in.

"I don't think anyone followed me here, those businesses are preparing to open up for the day, I doubt they would waste thier precious time following a child"

Previously Timothy had questioned the butcher Vivian on the forest's existence. Vivian was the one that informed him that it was completely off limits.

Moreover, a spate of eerie vanishings befell those who dared venture into the forest, with the majority of the missing being innocent young ones. The woodland was viewed as a beastly entity by all the inhabitants of the quaint town, leaving one to ponder why they hadn't fled from its grasp.

Even with this piece of news Timothy boldly entered deep into the depths of the forest. A forest with a couple of scary rumors isn't more terrifying than standing in front of Death itself. To him it was probably a wild animal that was responsible for the disappearing children.

"With just a bit more research tho, it seems from the way Vivian was speaking this forest is the reason why this town is so bleak. The reason no one wants to visit here is because of the rumours that this town and its forest is cursed."

"The train here differs from Snowspell's. In my former town, our train station was a tourist attraction and a boom for the local economy, while here it appears to be solely utilized for buying and receiving goods."

To Timothy it seemed somewhat counterintuitive, rumours that this town is cursed should actually attract people and tourism, not reject it completely. Unless it was maybe actually true?

Timothy paused his thoughts and focused on the path ahead. The nauseous smell of cedar hit his nose, causing Timothy to make a stiff face. The vast amount of towering cedar trees were like parasites to mother earth here.

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They completely dominated the sunlight making it difficult for thier brethren to grow. Only plant shrubbery and a few variant species of flowers could survive under the reign of the cedar.

"There isn't any sign of morning left in this forest. The trees clog out all light and makes it seem as if it's evening. Let's find a good spot to practice mysticism."

Timothy began again to walk through the forest, along the way he met other tiny life forms that were not plant-like. Timothy who was not an avid fan of insects showed no interest towards the critters. He personally had them on the same tier of terrifying as his master Death itself.

He continued walking for at least another hour. It was only then he felt he was far enough away from the village where he could practice his magical arts in secrets.

"I can vaguely hear the sound of water. There might be a clear area with a flowing stream ahead. I'll have to check it out."

Ti.mothy stepped into a glade amidst the forest, a breathtaking departure from the cramped, cedar-filled path he had traversed earlier. A cornucopia of flora flourished in this idyllic haven, where blooms of every hue bedecked the soil, and melodious chirps of avian serenaded the sky. At its heart, a tranquil pond and cascading waterfall provided the final touch of tranquil elegance to this escape from the cedar's grasp. It was a place of true beauty.

"This area is actually perfect! I can use this as a hideout from now on. I'll settle with here."

Timothy had not brought anything with him. He came completely empty handed as he wasn't planning to stay long. He quickly said the chant of summoning and the familiar black book he had not even known for a day now had appeared.

His goal was to understand what changes in both his body and soul had occured during his exposure to the supernatural. He highly doubted that he could be considered a regular human again after what he had been through.

In his wondering eyes could be observed a hint of excitement and anticipation. It birthed from the fact that he actually wanted these changes to occur. He was a true oddball at times.

"As long as the information is available you can find out almost anything you want from this book. With only a thought it tells you everything relating to the topic or information asked upon as long as it can aquire it or already have it in storage"

"I've realized it pretty much tells me information on anything relevant in the moment when I was in Platonia, ofcourse I did all this unconsciously without realizing"

Timothy flipped the grimy stain-filled pages of Melvin where it had revealed what he desired to know. In just the first page centered at the top was two words, "Death's Servant".

"Death's Servant? Have I become a servant of death? When did that happen. I don't remember agreeing with him on this..."

Death's servant is an entity that has gained a profound understanding of the concept of mortality and immortality. Through this understanding, they have transcended the limitations of both, ascending to a higher state of being that exists beyond life and death. This state is known as the void, a realm that occupies the space between the living and the dead. The servant of death has cast off their mortal form and is no longer bound by the physical limitations of the material world.

Instead, they exist in a state of pure consciousness, free from the constraints of time and space. In this sense, the servant of death is neither alive nor dead, but rather a being that exists beyond such binary distinctions. Through their knowledge and transcendence, they embody the paradoxical nature of existence itself, and serve as a testament to the infinite potential of the soul.

"The void what kind of place is that? A place where life or death doesn't exist? I can't even begin to comprehend something like that."

"How does it apply to me tho? I still feel like a completely normal human. Nothing that is described in here applies to me"

Timothy got his answer rather quickly tho. If observed carefully beside the term "Death's Servant" could be observed in brackets the word "fetus". He was even considered a birthed servant as yet and was extremely young.

"This makes more sense now! I still haven't even been considered to be born as yet in comparison to other servants of death. I'm still a rookie by all means as I only became a servant of the great one last night"

Timothy closed the books of Melvin and let his thoughts flow. He was wondering what the future had in store for him. While blankly staring into the sky, he had noticed that the mark of infinity that death had placed on him was still there.

"Huh? This mark is still there. It hadn't disappeared as yet? Is it like permanent? It'll be best to just research into it from Melvin"

Timothy flipped the pages of Melvin again and just a few pages ahead from where he left off before, was what he had wanted to know about the mark of infinity. It was named "Quantum Leap".

Timothy read the bold blood red words of Melvin and he was shocked. The description of the ability was terrifying. It was as read.

The ability known as Quantum Leap operates on the principle of quantum entanglement, a phenomenon observed in the field of quantum physics. According to this principle, two particles can become "entangled" with each other, so that any change made to one particle instantaneously affects the other particle, regardless of the distance between them.

The Quantum Leap ability takes advantage of this principle by manipulating the entanglement between particles to create a new version of the universe. Specifically, the ability "bends" the fabric of space-time in such a way that it creates a separate "branch" of the universe where a particular event did not occur.

This manipulation of space-time is made possible by the ability's ability to access and control the quantum state of the particles that make up the universe. By selectively altering the state of these particles, the ability can effectively "erase" a particular event from the timeline and create a new, alternate version of reality.

It is worth noting that the ability has limitations, however. It can only operate within a narrow time window of 1 second, as any further back in time would require an exponentially greater amount of energy to manipulate the particles. Additionally, the ability cannot change the fundamental laws of physics, and therefore cannot create events that are defined as impossible.

An ability that creates separate branches of reality? Timothy stood there in cold sweat wondering how did this immense power reach into his hands.