Kieran drifted amongst an endless void without colour, pure white light scoured the back of his eyes as he opened them wearily. He felt decidedly odd as he awoke, then quickly noticed himself floating weightlessly within this unnaturally empty domain.

His brain didn't appear to be working correctly, as far as his disjointed thoughts could tell. He held no memory of this place and with each second that surely passed, his new memories passed into nothing just as quickly as they appeared.

Far outside any conscious measure of the passage of time, he meandered aimlessly. At least, that's how it felt to his senses. With no visible ground nor sky that he could use as a point of reference, the vast white void reached endlessly in every direction.

Within this world of empty space, not even the softest breath of wind disturbed his peaceful floating. Despite the lack of moving air, Kieran was still acutely aware of the subtle forces that suggested he was moving slightly, in which direction and how fast though? he couldn't even guess.

Am I dreaming? He considered. But the vivid sensations of his noisy breath told him this must be reality.

Just more strangeness…

Closing his eyes, he tried to listen for the faintest noises, but all he heard was the blood pulsating in his veins amidst constant thumping beats.

Unsure what else to do, he reached out mentally, searching for that familiar feeling of mana he'd become so accustomed to. It was only when he'd spent several minutes failing to detect even a mote of energy around him that he began to worry.

Since the first System window had shown itself to him, Kieran had been unknowingly–and at times, desperately–inhaling the alien energy that seemed to exist everywhere. This was his first time feeling absolutely zero of it, however.

He tried to breathe deeply with Breath of The Soul, but even his most focused inhalations came up completely dry.

A small needle of worry dug at his insides as he breathed in deeper and harder. Using every bit of strength in his abdominals and back to heave lungfuls of air in and out.

Normally, breathing like this would make a person hyperventilate and maybe pass out if they didn't ease up, but he felt perfectly fine other than the building anxiety over his current situation.

With nothing else to do in this desolate space, he floated along, puffing his chest over and over with greater frustration.

You're doing it again Kieran…

He chided to himself, remembering what people said about the definition of insanity.

Screw it, what else am I gonna do?

Even if it was crazy, he would continue doing the same thing over and over again. He felt confident something would give, and this time it wouldn't be him.

The longer he stayed in this place, the more estranged he felt towards his surroundings. His mental and physical state was remarkably akin to being inside one of those sensory deprivation tanks, albeit with an abundance of light instead of the dark void.

The longer he remained here with his breath as the only real stimulus, the deeper his mind fell into a trancelike state of quietness. Moment by moment, his sense of awareness began to slip free of his mortal shell like a snake slowly shedding its skin.

When the physical boundaries naturally imposed upon his own mind began to evaporate, he felt his vision shift and the world around him thicken inexplicably.

Baffled by what was happening, Kieran doubled down, as usual.

Better to do something and fail miserably than just sit here waiting for the end...

Feeling as though he was trying to breathe through a long straw underwater, he pulled air in deeply, as though his very life depended on it.

A wave of aching pain washed over him suddenly, but he continued his fierce struggle for inhalations. Something in the space shifted slightly with each attempt, and he felt that strange thickening of the air once again. Before he could suppose what was happening, he heard that same strange voice call to him from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

"I suggest you stop, child" the man's voice rang out, calm yet stern like a disapproving parent.

"Your soul is not yet ready for contact with such laws." it warned seriously.

"Who said that?" Kieran shouted, full of panic at the sudden return of clarity his mind attempted to process. He looked around for the source but found nothing. Positive he would have noticed someone else in this strange space alongside him.

The owner of the voice didn't respond, and the following silence dragged on for what felt like minutes. The anticipation was too much for Kieran and he couldn't stop himself shouting out again, desperate for answers.

"Please!" He called out. "I don't know where the hell this place is, I'm just trying to get out of here" his yell travelled out like ripples in a pond.

However, there was no response, not even a whisper. The stranger apparently did not want to talk to him, which only caused him to grow more frustrated with his situation.

"Look mate, I've had a hell of a day so far. Stop playing cryptic whisper games and tell me what you want with me?" He challenged with a belly full of annoyance.

When no response was forthcoming, he added an "Answer me, man, don't be a prick."

"Your speech is crude, young boy…were you not taught the importance of respect for your elders?" The unseen stranger spoke, and Kieran thought he heard genuine curiosity in its echoing question.

"Elders? What are you on? Just because you're old doesn't mean I owe you anything" Kieran replied, confused by the unexpected chastisement.

He defiantly claimed, "Where I'm from mate, you have to earn respect, it's not given willy nilly just because you've lived a few more years."

"Clearly…old man, nobody taught you that it's rude not to introduce yourself to someone before telling them what to do." The harsh rebuttal felt a bit too far the moment it left Kieran's mouth, and he bit his tongue as he peered about for a sign of the stranger.

A tense silence filled the empty white void. Anticipating an angry response or violence of some kind, Kieran did his best not to hold his breath.

The mysterious old man's delayed response came in the form Kieran was expecting the absolute least.

A hearty chuckle, reminiscent of the typical Father Christmas laugh, reverberated through the entire space.

There was no edge at all to the man's voice when he finally stopped laughing and spoke up.

"Your words are truly ill-mannered, young man. But underneath lies a sense of truth that I cannot refute." He said, almost jovially.

"Descend, and you shall have your introduction."

Descend? Does this senile guy actually think I have any control over this shit? He internally raged at the man's change in tone whilst still maintaining an authoritative air.

He was about to reply rudely to the stranger, as it's not like he could simply fly because some weird old man had told him to do so after all.

Before he even opened his mouth to speak, however, a subtle wave of invisible force pressed on him, then overcame the constant feeling of motion he'd been doing his best to ignore.

A feeling of heaviness sunk into his bones, and his stomach lurched in that awful way that told him he was falling. The lack of wind resistance or moving scenery made the sensation feel unnatural as he was sure he was gaining speed.

"Fuuuuck how do I stop?" Kieran yelled in panic, his words sounded muted as he fell faster and faster by the second.

The stranger didn't reply, and the sense of impending doom gnawed deeper at his stomach, along with a powerful feeling of vertigo.

There was no landing in sight as far as he could see, so it surprised Kieran deeply when he felt himself come to an abrupt halt upon solid ground. Any momentum he'd built up dispersed immediately on contact with the invisible floor that caught him as though he'd just hopped off a single step.

Kieran dropped to his knees, panting heavily. Unable to draw his eyes away from the infinite white beneath, he fought to collect himself.

"Breathe child, you're in no danger here, I assure you" a calming voice spoke from close behind him.

Without the distant echo in the words, they sounded more solid, and even comforting. His racing mind and heart slowed immediately at the honesty in the stranger's tone.

Sitting back on his heels he took a deep calming breath, his lungs shuddered slightly from the absolute lack of mana. The instinctual urge to breathe harder only ceased when the soft taps of approaching footsteps perked up his ears.

"Where is this place?" Kieran exhaled a sigh with the question.

"And who on earth are you?" He turned his head to ask the man directly, only to freeze at the pitiful sight moving towards him.

A deathly pale man wearily strode forward with a visible effort to each step. His hunched frame looked no taller than Kieran's own, but carried virtually zero visible muscle mass. The ancient-looking man's long wiry grey hair flowed down over a tattered black robe, and the bare limbs peaking through threadbare sleeves bore an unnatural gauntness, as if starved for years.

Oh…shit

Kieran felt a pang of guilt mixed with pity as he remembered his cold words of disrespect. The urge to run over and help support the frail man under his arm made him stand abruptly.

"Sorry, are you okay?" Kieran asked tentatively as he moved forward to meet the stranger. He scrutinised the dirty bare feet and thin wrists crusted with scabs and scars, only now noticing the uncanny black shackles clamped around each pitiful limb.

Who did this to you?" He said, intending to sound sympathetic, but instead only came across as oddly curious.

The hunched man's head Jerked up slightly, and Kieran was utterly locked down by the intense gaze of two shining deep grey eyes that bore right through him. They flashed brightly from behind the man's matted grey curtains of hair, so brightly, I'm fact, that everything else around them appeared dark and blurry like a strange mirage.

Then, just as suddenly, the man blinked, and the feeling of impending doom vanished like an illusion. When those eyes opened once more, a strange wave of nausea settled into Kieran's chest before it quickly fizzled out. He chalked it up to his lack of sleep and the unnatural feeling of this empty manaless space.

"Hmm, good." The strange man nodded, surprising Kieran.

Something wiped away and replaced the weary look on the old man’s face with a remarkably more youthful smile as he stood fully upright. The head full of long grey hair rose slightly above Kieran's, and the man's hawk-like eyes peered down his long bony nose. Clearly, his mind had not faded with his age.

"It is a pleasure to meet you young man" he said firmly, his mouth bearing a slight smile as he spoke.

"My name is Regus Navarre Everwinter, but you may call me Sage Everwinter, as is proper. And who might you be?" His voice sounded less croaky than expected. In fact, Kieran noted a hint of authority to it, as though the man was used to speaking down at people.

Kieran tried to sound confident as he answered, but the tiredness he felt in his bones crept through slightly in his voice. "The names Kieran, Kieran Gray" he said, then held out his hand for a polite shake, purely from habit. "Pleasure to meet you.”

“...Mr Everwinter" he added at the scrutinising look his extended hand received.

"I sense you are new to the world of cultivation?" The Sage asked, and Kieran nodded in reply, unsure how the man could tell.

"To casually offer up your arm to a stranger is to expose your very life to them," the man continued, then slowly reached out and clasped Kieran's forearm with a grip far stronger than any elderly person would be expected to have.

"You have nothing to fear from me, I assure you Kieran." He said with a slight smile.

"However, I would refrain from exposing your meridians to another cultivator unless you truly trust them with your life. If they harbour ill intent toward you, they may just cripple your energy right there and then." He suggested and withdrew his vice like grip.

"Excuse me? Cripple how?" Kieran tentatively asked as he awkwardly pulled his arm back, still avoiding the man's powerful gaze.

The man's soft smile only deepened further at the question.

"Did your master not educate you on the ways of external and internal energy manipulation?” He considered, face showing genuine curiosity.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Or…perhaps you are an independent student?" Wispy eyebrows raised further with each question.

"Tell me child, where did you learn your cultivation art? It appears rather similar to the way of nature's breath, but it lacks the accumulation of energy one would expect" he added thoughtfully.

The string of questions filled Kieran with some confusion but more so an overwhelming curiosity. He'd finally found someone who might actually have some clue what was going on with him. The idea stirred up that long-repressed need for answers he thought he might never learn. But where to begin? Should he ask about his innate skill, or the strange mana tempering he had undergone after that first battle with the orcs. No

"Mr Ev–sorry, Sage Everwinter" Kieran corrected himself, feeling a little awkward at using such an odd title. "Where I'm from, we don't have masters, except maybe basic martial arts masters, but most who claim to be masters are anything but." He smiled at the thought of the shameless fake energy manipulating mcdojo warriors he would see online far too often.

"There's no mana, and no cultivation of any kind." He began to ramble. "As far as I know, all humans are just magicless mortals who use technology to make our lives easier. Well, things might have changed now since the system assimilation, as it did for me, but I won't find out about the other seven billion people until I get back to the rest of civilisation" he shrugged nonchalantly.

After a long and silent moment spent examining the empty space beneath his tattered shoes, Kieran's eyes met with the old man's again. Gone now was the pleasant expression of a welcoming grandfather figure, and terror gripped him as two orbs of deep rage locked onto him.

The Sage's body seemed to tremor with emotion, then flickered like an illusion as it approached him in a blur. Kieran instinctively raised his palms to block the man, only to be shocked by the man's sudden disappearance.

The next instant, he felt a solid clamp wrap around his neck from behind and force him to his knees with overwhelming pressure.

He tried to shout, to scream out for help, but the panic lodged in his throat. Trapped there by a strangely invasive energy that tore all power from his limbs.

"You are a servant of the Undying Flame" the old man roared. Any sense of friendliness stripped from his voice.

Kieran tried to ask what the hell he was doing, to deny the ridiculous claim of being anyone's servant, but only panicked when he found his airways completely sealed shut too.

"They dare send a mortal to finish what they could not" the Sage sneered down his nose mercilessly as he continued to squeeze on Kieran’s neck.

Hands scrambled and tore at the bony hand clutching him in place, but even his recently enhanced strength was nothing compared to this immovable grip.

He felt light-headed as the lack of oxygen began burning in his chest, mouth gaping like a fish out of water.

Fuck…why? He wanted to scream at the injustice, but found his world slowly closing in around him with each passing moment of struggle.

He couldn't understand what he'd done to deserve this attack, but finding himself on the verge of losing consciousness he felt a primal desperation to survive come over him.

In a last ditch effort to breathe just one more breath and save himself from the encroaching darkness, he pulled as hard as he could with his lungs. And when that failed miserably, he tried again with his innate skill, almost feeling a second pair of lungs deeper inside him activate.

As he felt a brief wave of mana rush into him from somewhere nearby, the fading light in his eyes brightened suddenly. Then the silent core in his chest thrummed with a familiar rebellious growl, the kind that sought to claim dominion over any foreign power that found its way inside him.

His fleeting mind regained some clarity, then immediately filled with panic at the sight of the old man's wide eyes bearing down on him from inches away.

Gone now were those soft grey irises full of peace and curiosity, replaced by distinct violet lights that leaked out into the surrounding air with a violent hiss.

"I will not stand for lies, nor half truths, child." The Sage began, full of rage.

"My life ended millennia ago, and all who knew my honour have long since been burned to dust. So know that I have no qualms ending the life of my enemies' slaves, no matter your meagre age." The light in his eyes flashed brighter with each word he spat, as if an endless rage spoke through him and he was just the outlet.

The Sage leaned his face so close to Kieran that the many wrinkles and thin white hairs of his face were clearly visible now.

"I will give you one chance, so do not test my mercy, boy." He whispered.

"Whom do you serve?" the man demanded in his ear, then allowed his grip to relax just enough for Kieran to take a shallow breath.

"I-I have..no master" he croaked in panic.

"I serve nobody…but myself. And those I call friends" he added between huffs.

Staring into those shining purple orbs that scrutinised his every word for deception felt more terrifying than any impending doom he'd faced fighting the orcs in the dungeon.

Sure in himself that he'd not said anything untrue, Kieran waited impatiently for the Sage's response, internally praying the crazy old man didn't kill him on the spot.

A simple scoff was all he heard before the air rushed back into his lungs and he suddenly fell forward onto his hands. A painful thud resonated in the silent empty space.

"Then, who are you, child? And how did you sneak past the four element seal enclosing this aperture of space?" The Sage barked through a distressed look.

Kieran massaged his throat as he slowly climbed back to his feet, hoping to regain some semblance of dignity.

"Gimme a damn minute…Regus" he groaned, all but spitting the name to make his point.

This crazy old fucker…what is he even talking about? He wondered. But then the words hit him in full.

Four elements seal? As in that big fucking doorway?

"If by seal you mean the big stone gate-thing with the weird elemental mana puzzle…I solved it mate." he barked back in anger.

He squared up to The Sage in defiance, despite the deep sense of danger the old man filled him with.

"So how about you start with an explanation as to why you just tried to fucking kill me, and maybe a damn apology like a normal person?" He complained whilst still rubbing the stiffness from his neck.

The silent pause made him tense, and when the old man dropped his head solemnly, Kieran backed up, making sure he kept a bit more distance between them both.

"I-I'm sorry, young m–I mean, I'm sorry…Kieran" he whispered, clutching his hand to his chest as if it were wounded. Kieran watched the vibrant light of the sage's lowered eyes quickly fade to their natural grey colour. Any anger seemed to flee the man's body like a deflating balloon.

"My enemies, they took everything I held dear…" he breathed with a sadness beyond words.

"Millennia passed before I even knew where I was, but now I know…I am no more, merely a shard of who I once was. And without the seal trapping this last vestige of myself, I will soon join my kin in the eternal lands of our predecessors."

A lonely tear broke loose from his emotionless face, betraying his composure.

"I'm sorry, mate. Can you not just leave now though? I mean, I really don't plan on staying here any longer than I have to, so we can go together and maybe find you somewhere to stay?" Kieran said, shocked by his own desire to comfort the man who'd almost ended his life on a whim. Despite the danger, there was a creeping sense of familiarity in the man's voice.

"I don't know a thing about what's happening with the System Assimilation or anything else back home, but I wouldn't say no to a travelling companion if you’re up for it?” He finished with an empathetic half-smile.

The weary Sage's face lit up at the suggestion, but he shook his head gently in a denial. "Perhaps if you had arrived a thousand years prior, escape may have been possible." He sighed.

"However, the passage of time is cruel to unbound souls, and the last remnant of my soul power is all that holds me here at this moment."

"Where are your three companions? Do they still await you by the entrance?" He asked curiously.

"The fact that you even dared enter this realm alone is the reason for my earlier suspicions."

Seeing the confused look on Kierans face he explained further.

"You must understand, the four element seal is notoriously difficult to complete, and only the stronger factions under the heavens have enough talented individuals bearing a true affinity of each element to complete the array. If you’re worried for your friends safety i assure you–"

"Erm, I don't have any companions?" Kieran cut him off.

"I made friends with these really nice Elnari people back in the dungeon and they taught me about mana control a bit, but they disappeared through a portal and I got left behind."

I can still find them once I leave. He told himself to fight off the pang of loneliness their departure had left etched into him.

"No, I'm definitely alone here, and I solved the seal puzzle thing on my own."

"Kieran, I'm sorry to hear about your friends, but what you're claiming is not possible." The man spoke with a tone of certainty, giving the impression he'd done a lot of educating in his previous years.

"The Seal requires exactly four souls, each bearing a good grasp over their true natural element affinities. And if such a thing wasn't rare enough, all four must then work in perfect harmony with each other in order to complete the unison of the natural elements."

The Sage's eyes wandered aimlessly about the empty white void as he continued to speak.

"I was there boy, when the Order first began using these means of entombment for heretics." He said, lost in memory.

"I know what it takes to forge such a sealing array and what means are required to destroy it too."

"To complete the array by yourself would require a Divine mana body, or perhaps an allied Monarch of the upper tiers of power to break into the space with brute force. Neither of which is possible in a newly assimilated lower heaven, the compact forbids it." The Sage continued, clearly oblivious to how little of this information was making its way through to the young man.

"Please, Kieran. I must know by what means you were able to unlock the seal." He said, eyes full of curiosity.

"If I find your explanation plausible, then I will respond to any and all questions you hold with the utmost best of my ability." He moved closer as he finished, eyes locked on Kierans.

"I shall also give you a genuine reward for the information you provide, as causality will allow, that is, for your help, and for finally freeing me from this eternal entombment." He spoke with a little more life, and even the makings of a grin.

"You have my word." He added, and for some reason he couldn't comprehend, Kieran truly believed him.

Regardless of how he was feeling, his brain couldn't decide how to respond at first. The Sage had done little to put his mind at ease about the nature of this place, and his ranting had instead filled Kieran with far more questions, on top of those already bubbling at the surface.

Mind full to the brim with ideas, he decided to just talk and not overthink too much.

"It honestly wasn't that hard to solve." he started.

"I just used the mana given off by the doorway to fill up each elemental glyph, though there was a point where the system said I'd tempered my body with elements or something, I don't really remember." he recounted messily.

"Thought to be honest i did get a little distracted by a group of orcs trying to kill me at multiple points, so I'm not certain I did every step the right way. But once the weird elemental mana filtered through my channels one by one, I had the glyphs lit up in no time." He said, then paused for a moment, waiting for some sort of response from Regus. The old man only stared blankly at him until he continued.

"So…erm, at the end, everything went white, and I'm pretty sure I heard thunder from the roof of the dungeon before i blacked out. I woke up eventually, took out the last orc with some cool-ass exploding fist magic, I think. And then door was open." He finished with a shrug.

"I don't understand why I'd need three more people with me to open it though. I don't think I did anything special really, but then again all this mana business is brand new to me, so your guess is as good as mine mate."

The Sage seemed to replay Kierans words over in his head, even mouthing them back at him awkwardly at times as his eyes flickered about, seemingly chasing down the thoughts themselves. Kieran was sure he mumbled something about “tribulation” but the rest was too unclear.

"What is it? Did I say something weird?" Kieran worried aloud. The man's silent contemplation kept throwing off his thoughts.

The Sage let out a long sigh at that moment, then suddenly dropped to his knees. Kieran went to rush forwards to help him up but was met with an upheld palm.

"It's fine…thank you, child" The Sage said softly as he stared at the ground.

"It seems I will finally be departing this world shortly, and with more questions than answers"

"Some Sage" he scoffed at himself.

"The heavens are filled with such mysteries that I still feel I've barely scratched the surface in my aeon of learning."

"Sorry, the young need not the ramblings of the old and foolish." He said, finally meeting Kieran's eyes again with a sad smile. "Though you do remind me of someone I knew dearly, perhaps that's why I find myself so eager to share my last thoughts with you."

Kieran was driven by sympathy and placed a hand on his bony shoulder, but he just couldn't find the words to console the man.

"Was he as dashingly bald as I am? Is that why you thought of him?" Kieran said with a straight face, trying to interrupt Regus' negative thoughts.

"Hah" The Sage barked lightly. "He had hair as dark as the void itself, so in that regard you are very different. But your souls were so similar in nature..." he trailed off then before coming back to himself with a polite cough.

"Time is short though, ask your questions, my very young friend."

"Before that" Kieran interrupted the depressing flow of the man's words.

"If you've been locked up here for a long time, then what about your old friends, your family? Surely one of them could still be out there somewhere?" he supposed.

"Maybe they just didn't know where to look for you?" he said, trying to give the old man some shred of hope. All Kieran received was a dejected grimace instead.

"Your thoughts are kind, but unneeded. I watched, powerless, as the last of my friends and family were branded heretics and burnt to ash by the Undying flame Hegemon…never to return to the cycle of life and death." His hands tightened with a distress that simmered below the surface of his calm demeanour.

"It was the last thing I saw before awaking in this accursed empty prison." Tears came unbidden now, falling heavily upon his tattered robes.

"I'm so sorry Regus" Kieran said, and the man flinched at his own name.

"I'm sure they’re waiting for you in whatever lies beyond this life, so don't lose all hope, okay?"

Kieran felt like a bullshiter for saying such a thing, but the part of him that still clung to the idea of an afterlife hoped there was some truth to his words, and with the potential state of his own world, he needed to believe it now more than ever.

"Forget the questions, mate," he said, not wanting to pester the old man's final moments with his own endless curiosity.

"Just tell me how to get out of here, and maybe how to get to my class quest location without being terminated by the damned system when I leave the dungeon." He pointed a thumb behind himself, then realised he didn't actually know what direction the dungeon was.

"Saying that, I think being trapped here is the only reason I'm not already dead, to be honest." He half chuckled, and The Sage met his eyes with a considerably less anguished expression.

"Young man, you don't comprehend the outrageous nature of the things you keep saying." He chided with a subtle grin.

"Since the first great age of our cosmos, I don't believe any have ever stepped into the realms of cultivation without an appropriate class being granted by the divine system first." he said.

The Sage paused, hand stroking his grey beard thoughtfully for a few moments.

Suddenly, he let out a hearty chuckle before pointing to the ground in front of him.

"Kieran, please take a seat here. I just had a wonderful idea for your gift." he grinned deeply, shifting his entire demeanour.

"How would you like to learn a cultivation technique leaps and bounds beyond any your new world may ever possess?"

Kieran raised an eyebrow at that, then hurriedly sat down, facing the man.

"I'm listening" he smiled excitedly, his curiosity truly piqued.