Chapter One
Dark Waters Immortal
A burning, devastated land with dark smoke that rose from the ground.
Below, armies of various creatures from human, monstrous, and demonic forms gathered. Although different in shapes and sizes they had one thing in common: their red, fiery eyes filled with anger and hatred, mixed with fresh blood from their wounds, as they rushed toward a mountain of charred flesh and tattered clothes, known as the Mountain of Eternal Corpses of the Dark Waters Immortal.
"Dark Waters Immortal! Today your head shall fall off your shoulders, you despicable wretch!"
"You are an insult to all humanity! All of the great eleven races united with us out of their intense hatred for you!"
Different voices and cries rose from various entities. Some were humanoid, some looked like mutated animals in human form, some had horns, wings, and sharp fangs, and some had bodies made of wood, stone, and rotting flesh.
"The barking of dogs is always annoying. If you intend to kill me, then come!" grumbled an old man with hair and a beard both white as a shroud, both reaching to his legs.
He stood like a dead man, staring down with disgust from atop the mountain of corpses he had slaughtered himself.
But the most striking features were his eyes, blue as the deep ocean; just looking into them made the onlookers feel as if they were drowning in the dark, frozen sea.
"The will is the foundation of the beings, and the Mana is the strength of those beings. As for the Shards, they are the power of the world that both will and mana shattered, and the three of them formed ten paths walked by all," said the old man known as Dark Waters Immortal with a dry voice that induced a desire to cough. He stared irritably at the hordes of mages below, accepting his fate.
His body was stained with filthy, coagulated blood, unclear if it was his own or that of his enemies.
He stood like a swaying tree trunk in a storm, like a master drunk on the finest wines, and closed his eyes from exhaustion.
"Attack!! Bloodbone Dragon Shard!" shouted a mage in a choked voice as a long dragon of red bone shot from his hand. Several eyes formed on the dragon's body, roaring with a cry that shattered the sky as it bit into the Dark Waters Immortal, lifting him into the sky.
But he did not care.
"More!! Kill him before he activates his Shards!!" screamed an armored mage lady with a strong battle cry, signaling the crowds to unleash their techniques upon him.
Stone dragons, firestorms, and ice disasters were launched. Tens of thousands of attacks rained down on the frail old body of Dark Waters Immortal, but he barely cared.
"Is this all you have?! I intended to die years ago in an epic battle! I killed your families and clans, insulted generations of your ancestors, hoping that hatred would turn you into raging, empty shells granting me a great battle, and this is what you have?!" Dark Waters Immortal shouted in annoyance, disappointed and losing his reason for living, closing his eyes, seeking a slow death due to their weakness.
But what if he had a chance?
In a world ruled by magic, mana was an energy present in every living being of the eleven great races since their birth, forming a type of power that allowed them to use the shards of the world.
One of these shards was called the Temporal Soul Explosion shard, which kills the mage and uses it in exchange for a chance to hurl their soul to a random person at a random point in history.
But this chance was never proven. If it failed, the user's soul would be erased from existence. If it succeeded, it would be thrown far away in a random time period, washed by the ocean of time, and erasing all the techniques and mana it possessed.
In either case, the Temporal Soul Explosion technique was uncertain and considered suicide by all the mages in the world.
"Temporal Soul Explosion Shard then. Whatever, The worst thing that can happen is my death, which will be immortalized in history whether they liked it or not," the old Dark Waters Immortal spoke with boredom.
He then released his mana, forming a massive arc of blood and mist that emerged from his mouth and entered his navel.
Then, in a weary voice, he shouted, "Temporal Soul Explosion," causing his body to explode with a roar that pierced everyone's ears, ending with pieces of his flesh and clothes falling to the ground.
"Did... he die? Have I finally reclaimed the glory of my ancestors?!"
"After years of pursuit, I have avenged my dear father. Damn that wretch,"
"I hope the Nine Rins curse him with the worst kinds of torment,"
"Who would have believed that one day a human would be born who could unite the eleven races through his sheer vileness and brutality? For better or worse, his filthy name will be immortalized in history,"
The mages spoke among themselves as a pillar of light formed at the place where the immortal had died, stretching toward the sky, signaling to the mages that they had finally killed their worst enemy.
..........
A cold place, an endless dark ocean without a beginning or an end.
The old Dark Waters Immortal was falling into an infinite void as if he were drowning.
All his senses were amplified while his mind slowed.
"Is this hell? It seems so dull and miserable. I suppose that's what makes it hell for me," grumbled Dark Waters Immortal in his mind as his body relaxed.
He began to sink into the dark ocean, indifferent, believing he was truly in hell.
His consciousness slowly faded as the cold, black water with the smell of blood invaded his nose and flooded his lungs, shattering what remained of his awareness of being alive.
............
"Five years passed so quickly, did they? It seems I really have become an old man, hehe," laughed a heavily built, sturdy man with a sharp beard and mustache and long black hair. His sharp red eyes stared at a white marble statue of a young maiden.
Beside him, two female mages knelt on one knee with him.
"The Awakening Ceremony happens once every five years on this day and determines if our clan still retains the pure bloodlines of the three founding families," said a woman in a melodious, feminine voice, wearing a red robe and covering her face with a fan as she spoke. Her brown hair cascaded like silk, and her pink eyes looked with annoyance at the man called Shiasu Hervolt.
"Hmm, we have many outstanding talents this year, and we need them to showcase their skills as soon as possible before the Ryukin Clan shows their dirty side and decides to attack us," said a middle-aged woman with a serious face in a stern voice.
Her left eye was covered with a red cloth while her right eye burned red, And she wore a long robe blending red and black, and her silky white hair flowed to the ground.
"Our role as the clan's elders is to guide the rising generation, so I don't need to remind you that my daughter, Lyssa, will be one of the best talents the Anira family has produced," said the attractive woman named Nyoska Anira in a sharp, beautiful voice laced with obvious arrogance.
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"Hahaha, as usual from the snake woman, you love to start pointless discussions. My sons, Dread and Drada, will certainly surpass your daughter," Shiasu laughed proudly, to which Nyoska sighed gently.
"If only the Geist family had talents to boast about. Anyway, let's proceed with the ritual and prepare the blessed waters since we are the clan's elders," said the serious-voiced woman named Annalise Geist calmly as she stood, then walked forward with Shiasu and Nyoska beside her, exiting what looked like a temple towards many of the clan high ranked members, their companions, and those connected to the three founding families.
These were the leaders of the Geist Clan, one of the biggest clans in the Great northern lands of the Central Grassland Continent, also known as Lan Grasslands.
In the vast grassy plains of Lan Grasslands, three medium-sized clans resided. These clans were Geist, Asghan, and Ryukin.
The Geist Clan held a significant position in these lands as they monopolized the only open area between the great mountains that separated the north from the rest of the continent.
This made them the target of numerous trading opportunities from the Asghan Clan and repeated attacks from the Ryukin Clan.
Yet while holding such a power and location, a lot of hardships could occur.
Several generations lived under this harsh condition where strength was the only means of survival.
Their strength was mana, and mana needed a magic realm to be housed, for the Geist Clan, the way to obtain it was through a ritual called the Awakening Ceremony.
Massive ironstone walls surrounded the village of the Geist Clan to protect the important residents, while the poorer ones lived in poorly made houses outside the walls.
In one of those houses, a fourteen-year-old boy sat on a piece of wood thrown on a dirt pavement, staring at the ground with a vacant look as if he had seen a nightmare.
The boy looked at his hands, then raised his head, gazing at the sky. He breathed in the fresh air deeply and exhaled, then sighed with a smile.
"The rumor about the Temporal Soul Explosion Shard wasn't a rumor?!" the boy said in a trembling voice. He inhaled the cool mountain air deeply once again, then exhaled forcefully.
The Ocean of Time was an ancient legend in the world, surrounded by rumors from many wise mages.
It was said that the ocean connected the past and the future, with its waters flowing through the world to keep it moving within that law.
It was also said that when a person's soul left their body, it would be washed by the ocean's waters and sent to its end. Using these sayings as theories, some mages created the Temporal Soul Explosion Shard.
Unfortunately for them, no one could confirm this theory since using the Shard required killing the user, and the existence of the Ocean of Time itself was never proven, thus remaining a mystery. However, no one could confirm this theory since using the Shard required killing the user, and the existence of the Ocean of Time itself was never proven, thus remaining a mystery. All until Dark Waters Immortal proved this truth.
"So it worked and sent my soul to this child. The memories of this body belong to Sero Geist, a boy from the Geist Clan," the Dark Waters Immortal eyes widen in horror at that information.
In his past life, everyone knew about the Geist clan.
It was one of the defeated clans in the War of Lan Grasslands.
"So I've gone back fifteen hundred years? Does fate want me to save this boy as atonement for my sins?!" Dark Waters Immortal kicked the ground with his foot. In response to his action, he heard footsteps approaching him quickly.
"You wretch! Why are you kicking the ground? Because of you, the clan's mages will think the orphanage is in a terrible state!" yelled a gaunt, thick-haired man as he forcefully kicked the ground at Sero, glaring at him with disgust as if he were dog feces.
"Pathless fool! If this were my old body, I would have split your jaw in two! But unfortunately, this so-called Sero has a frail build and pathetic mana!" Khalid of the Black Waters grumbled inside his mind as he looked contemptuously at the old man who kicked him.
"What are you staring at, you talking pile of filth? Get to your room now!" the old man barked with a rough voice as he slapped Sero with all his might.
Sero merely clenched his teeth and walked into the shabby house made of rotting wood and straw, inside the house were a group of frail children with lifeless eyes yearning for death.
They were orphans and thus had no support, so the clan had to keep them until the Awakening Ceremony to see if any of them were able to be mages.
In that regard, he was both unlucky and lucky. Unlucky that he was reincarnated as an orphan in a world where power was mostly inherited from parents, and lucky that he was in a clan that buys the orphans.
In a small clan the resources from mages were limited, and spending them on orphans was a waste, so instead they sold them as slaves to other clans.
Most clans just keep them as servants or guards for males and hire them in red districts for females, yet the Geist clan had a lot of resources
"Brother! Did that nasty old man bully you again? Your face is so red!" cried a girl who looked like Sero with concern as she ran towards him, then gently wiped the place where he was slapped with an old, barely soft handkerchief.
"Risa Geist, the twin sister of this body owner. She seems very young and innocent by the standards of this wretched world," thought Sero, now Dark Waters Immortal, deeply, then patted Risa's head.
"Don’t worry, sister. I’m fine and in good health. Right now, we should focus on the Awakening Ceremony," Sero said confidently while stroking Risa’s long hair.
They looked like two versions of the same person, except for Risa's delicate feminine expression, which contrasted with Sero's stern, serious demeanor.
"You always take charge and make me feel like you're older than me, even though we're twins. I promise I'll be supportive once we become mages and escape this wretched life," Risa puffed out her cheeks while complaining passionately, causing Dark Water's Immortal heart to stir slightly as if she had awakened his long-dead feelings from childhood.
However, to an immortal who had lived for over a thousand years into the future, she was still a child.
"Annoying brat! She reminds me of my foolish self who didn’t grasp the filth and disgust of the world. I need to gather as much information as possible since my knowledge of this era is limited," Dark Waters Immortal contemplated within Sero’s memories, leaving disappointment in his heart.
Sero was merely a burden on the clan due to an illegitimate marriage between an outsider and first-path mages from the Geist family, and their relationship was taboo so they tried to escape, resulting in their deaths in the wild and leaving behind twin children whom the Geist family refused to care for due to their tainted human blood.
However, they were raised as orphans and if they proved themselves to be mages in the Awakening Ceremony, the three families would acknowledge them, and their situation would improve. If not, their fate was enslavement.
"It seems I’m in a bad situation. This brat doesn’t have much mana in his body, and I’ve lost all the mana from my previous life. All my efforts to reach the seventh immortal path were wasted!" Dark Waters Immortal grumbled within his consciousness, resigning himself to reality while Risa looked at Sero with concern.
"I think you need to rest a bit, brother. You seem anxious about the Awakening Ceremony today, and I’m not lying when I say I’m also nervous," Risa said with a worried but light laugh, then leaned against the shabby wooden wall.
"Tch, if the ceremony is today, then I need to achieve a respectable status, or I’ll end up I, the Dark Waters Immortal as a slave to pathless humans! Being enslaved in my previous life would be better than being enslaved by humans in a body that’s not mine!" he grumbled angrily, then resigned himself to being Sero Geist, considering it a false identity for the time being.
The Will is the essence of beings, and mana is the power of beings. When Dark Waters Immortal died, his will was strong and stubborn, and under the influence of the Temporal Soul Explosion Shard, his will overcame that of Sero Geist.
In short, Sero Geist's soul had died, and Dark Waters Immortal had taken over his body.
At best, Sero would have died as a slave, and that idea made Dark Water's Immortal takeover of the body much easier.
"Mana is the power of beings and it exists from the environment around us. In my previous life, I could absorb mana as easily as drinking water, but now it feels like I’m trying to drink honey through my nose. Anyway, I didn’t become immortal by complaining, and although the mana around me is not a lot it is better than doing nothing," Sero sat calmly, crossing his legs.
"What are you doing? Trying to calm yourself down?" Risa asked with a laugh, but Sero didn’t respond.
"Imagine you’re drowning in a sea and trying to breathe from your heart," Sero said wearily while closing his eyes.
Confused, Risa mimicked him, thinking it was a technique for calming oneself.
Sero sensed the mana around him; it was as dense as smoke and swirled rapidly as if it were a vortex from another dimension encircling the world.
Only a few beings managed to harness and subdue mana, and those were the eleven races.
Those who could harness it were called mages and held the status of kings of the world, while those who could not be termed pathless and regarded as the dregs of the world.
Slowly, Sero absorbed the surrounding mana, feeling as though a beehive was forming in his stomach while his body vibrated slowly.
The same happened with Risa, but unlike him, she appeared more at ease.
Then suddenly, Sero was kicked to the ground by the old man of the orphanage.
"What do you think you’re doing, you wretch!? Mimicking the revered mages like this! Do you think you’ll become like them?!" the old man yelled with disgust, provoking Sero's fury.
"Alright, it seems I have to release my past life rage now," In a moment of anger, Sero kicked the old man between the legs, shattering his dignity and causing him to spit blood.
"You scum, son of a—" the old man wasn't even allowed to finish his words before getting another kick, and Sero began beating the old man from all directions, causing Risa to step back in fear.
The old man's nose was broken, his teeth shattered, and as he raised his feeble arms to cover his face, one of them was broken.
Despite this, the old man did not scream for help, finding it pitiable to be seen by others at the mercy of a child.
Yet, every time he tried to rise, Sero kicked him back down, and in the end, the old man was thrown out of the flimsy door onto the pavement like a trash bag.
The old man was the first to behold the wrath of the Dark Waters Immortal in his new life.