In one of the corridors of a palace long erased from the annals of history, a young man walked with steady, purposeful strides—his demeanor radiating both strength and confidence.
He wore an elegant, light-blue suit adorned with refined, intricate patterns. A gold pocket watch, covered in elaborate engravings, rested in his breast pocket, while a sword was firmly secured at his waist.
His presence was overwhelming—a testament to his immense power, composure, and wisdom. He had been one of the world's greatest forces during the era that preceded the "Second Beginning."
Stopping in his tracks, he turned his gaze toward a window overlooking a highly advanced city; his eyes remained entirely devoid of expression.
"The city appears to be in a remarkable state, and the people seem happy now that the war has ended. The path to peace always finds a way to illuminate the world once more."
A deep, heavy sigh escaped his lips. He raised a hand to his face—though his skin appeared smooth and youthful, his hand bore the lingering traces of the blood he had shed from countless enemies over trillions of years of relentless combat, war, and grueling training.
Yet, his heart remained burdened. Even though he had emerged victorious from the war, a far more dangerous enemy had suddenly materialized from the void.
The conflict he would face in the future would not be against entities from this world, but against those from beyond it—an enemy about whom he knew absolutely nothing.
Moreover, everyone was utterly exhausted, struggling to recover what had been lost and to replenish the energy drained throughout the long, brutal war.
War shows no mercy—neither to the strong nor the weak, neither to the victor nor the vanquished. Everyone will emerge from this weakened, becoming easy prey for other entities.
"It seems the enemy of the pre-Third Beginning era is about to appear, and an impending war threatens to destroy our world."
The figure gazed at the city for a few seconds before continuing on his way, saying nothing more.
He was speaking to himself, trying to get a handle on the situation. A mountain of tasks and documents lay before him, awaiting his review.
The internal affairs of the "Path of Existence"—the realm under their control—were in complete disarray, with rebellions erupting across the twelve Trees of Existence.
As for the Guardians, they were doing everything in their power to tend to the sacred Trees of Existence, which had been damaged during the previous war.
Minutes later, he reached his office—a masterpiece of a space that no ordinary human would ever dare to enter.
He sank into his chair, staring at the stacks of documents piled up on either side of him, rising several meters high.
He remained still for a few moments, then leaned back and tilted his head toward the chandelier—crafted from the finest and rarest materials in the world. After a while, he rubbed his face with both hands, trying to clear his mind.
"What am I supposed to do now? I honestly have no idea."
"The others are scattered across the Path of Existence, trying to quell the rebellions that have broken out over the past few days."
"And here I am, left to handle the politics! Are you kidding me? I'm a fighter, not a politician!" The individual slapped his own face, trying to stop himself from acting foolishly. After all, he was an omniscient and all-knowing entity—how could a mere stack of documents possibly overwhelm him?
He stood up and began to study the documents before him with intense focus. The task was not exactly difficult, yet it was far from easy; he was reviewing everything unfolding across the entire path of existence, attempting to resolve a multitude of ongoing issues.
For an omniscient, all-knowing entity, battling an ordinary mortal is trivial, while contending with another entity of the same caliber is a formidable challenge. Facing multiple such entities, however, becomes an impossibility—to the point that even those who typically shun politics might find themselves rendered as useless as mere trash under such circumstances.
He was one such being: omniscient and all-knowing, yet inclined toward combat rather than politics.
Consequently, he shouldn't have found it difficult to address these political matters; after all, being omniscient and all-knowing does not necessarily mean one is more intelligent than one's peers in every single domain.
Several hours later, he finished reviewing all the documents and resolved many of the pressing issues at hand.
He reached for a glass of water nearby and took a drink. Though not physically exhausted, he felt that a refreshing glass of water was the best remedy for the mental strain caused by the actions of mortal beings and others.
"Being a mortal isn't always a bad thing. I—one of the primordial masters of the Sovereign's Path—actually envy the simplicity of a mortal's life! Hahahaha!" "It's truly pathetic—and yet, working, sleeping, eating, feeling hunger, and experiencing fatigue... these are such beautiful, strange sensations. I used to feel them whenever I took on a human form."
"Being born as an absolute entity means you have no need for any of these things, but that, too, has its drawbacks. Omniscience and absolute knowledge can sometimes be more of a curse than a blessing."
He spoke with a hint of irony, grumbling about the events unfolding rapidly around him.
He closed his eyes, having finished lamenting his long life—a life filled with endless conflicts and wars.
*Knock... knock... knock...*
He opened his blue eyes and turned his gaze toward the door. In a calm tone, he wiped his face and adjusted his posture, assuming a bearing befitting someone of his status.
"You may enter."
His voice was quiet, yet it carried immense power.
A split second later, a woman—appearing to be in her twenties—stepped inside.
A trace of mockery played across her features as she looked at him.
She walked over to a chair beside the desk, sat down, rested her chin on her hand, and fixed her gaze upon him.
With a tone laced with light derision, she remarked:
"What's happened to the great [Name/Title]? Have a few documents worn you out? How could one of the masters of the 'Ruler' pathway—the one known as [Name/Title]—be so weak?"
He shot her an annoyed look, then snapped his fingers, causing two cups of high-quality, steaming black tea to appear. "We're no longer children, <>. You know what I mean. We're facing problems stemming from the previous war. And by the way, have you put an end to those rebellions in Sacred Tree of Existence No. 7?"
His words were calm, as he tried to conceal his agitation and the annoyance he felt at what she had said earlier.
He sipped his black tea with an air of refined, aristocratic grace, while the woman rolled her eyes at his words. She was deeply annoyed by those rebels—to her, they were nothing more than filthy curs.
They had exploited the vulnerabilities of the Sovereign's Path Empire to incite rebellions, precisely when the empire was in desperate need of every bit of support it could muster.
"I killed them all—ensuring they would suffer in hell long enough to wish they had never been born in the first place."
"And what about the next war? It's only three thousand years away. What will you do? That's such a short span of time, and we're still in the thick of our stifling crisis."
The woman spoke with a blend of indignation and composure, sipping her black tea as she watched his every move.
He let out a deep sigh at her words, then a faint smile appeared on his face—a reaction that caught her slightly off guard.
"Well, once I've resolved the crises—which should take another six to eight hundred years—I'll continue my journey along the Sovereign's Path. From time to time, I'll live as a mortal, just as I used to, until the next war arrives."
"After all, a thousand years is both a long time and a fleeting moment."
A beautiful smile graced her face as she listened. The next war was drawing near; for beings like them, a thousand years was such a brief interval that it might well pass by in the blink of an eye. As absolute entities whose lifespans span trillions of years, a thousand years means virtually nothing to them.
Weary of the monotonous cycle of his own existence, he decided to experience the life of a mortal—a life defined by an ignorance of the future and the uncertainty of what lies ahead, along with the sorrow, regret, hatred, and other emotions that mortal beings endure, whether for logical reasons or otherwise. This gave him a sense of fulfillment, for he felt as though he were truly living.
This is not to say that absolute entities lack emotions; rather, their feelings have simply grown dormant over the eons, kept firmly under control.
It is rare for the ruler of a fantasy realm—or anyone of even higher standing—to lose command over their emotions and allow those feelings to take control.
Mortals, by contrast, can be volatile and unpredictable—a quality that drew him to this way of life, something he had long since lost over the vast stretch of his existence.
The woman took a sip of her hot tea, gazing at him with a warm smile. She then handed him a small, palm-sized gift, saying:
"You likely need a good, long rest after settling the affairs of the inner empire. Take this, and remember my words: a beautiful sunset is merely the prelude to a tapestry of stars, and a moon like a radiant jewel illuminates the world."
He took the gift, eyeing it with bewilderment—as if he could hardly believe such words had come from her—before a wry, mocking smile spread across his face.
"Though I didn't quite grasp your meaning—and it sounded rather like trite poetry—I am pleased with the gift." "Thank you, my lady; I shall never forget this gesture of yours."
He placed the gift inside his desk drawer, a faint smile playing on his lips—a stark contrast to the young woman, who felt a flicker of annoyance.
Yet, her irritation was fleeting; they were well-accustomed to such bickering and mutual teasing, so she did not take his words to heart.
Her gaze drifted toward a photograph nearby, set within an elegant frame. It captured a group of people—among them, she and the young man standing at her side.
A smile, tinged with a touch of nostalgia, graced her face. Before they had set out to unify the entire realm, their lives had been beautiful—and, in many ways, simple.
But what is gone is gone; the past cannot return. Memories—both joyful and sorrowful—remain etched in the heart, like a long, unfolding reel that recounts days that might bring laughter one moment, and tears the next. Whenever the world seems to turn against a person, these memories become a companion to their solitude—a longing for a beautiful, vanished past that will never return.
One might yearn for its return, yet deep down, one knows it is impossible—that such desires are merely fragile dreams, destined to fade away. For no matter how long a life may last, it inevitably ends in death, leaving behind nothing but a pile of weathered bones.
Life is a long river; the living swim against its current, while the dead drift along with it. As time passes, to keep looking back at the past only adds a heavier burden to one's shoulders, turning what was once simple into something impossible. "Who would have believed that more than fifty-six trillion years have passed since we first met at Ji Yao Li's Versalkin Palace?"
His tone was heavy with nostalgia.
Those were beautiful days—a group of youths, none older than fifteen, training and growing together, all in pursuit of a prophecy that spoke of someone who would one day unify the entire Path of the Sovereign.
They had succeeded in their mission and survived the Second War of the Paths—a conflict that followed the War of the Paths from an era preceding the very beginning and end of the current timeline; the era before the First Beginning.
"Yes, I remember that day well. We fought so fiercely that Ji Yao Li had to step in to calm things down! Hahahaha!"
He laughed heartily as he looked at her, and she laughed in return.
They had bickered so often that both Ji Yao Li and Zehua Ming Hua grew annoyed, eventually resorting to giving them a sound thrashing on more than one occasion.
Yet, their behavior remained unchanged—not out of a lack of maturity, but because they wished to hold onto a fragment of a childhood that had long since vanished, never to return.
The young woman set her cup of black tea down on the desk and exhaled slowly, a wisp of steam escaping her lips.
She then turned her gaze toward the window, which overlooked a training ground where some soldiers were practicing diligently, while others took a moment to rest. The trainees were new recruits, while those resting were veterans who had taken part in the previous war.
"Hmm... how about we walk around a bit? I've finished reviewing the documents you were supposed to study."
The young man gazed at her for a few seconds as he sipped his black tea, then set the cup down on his desk.
He continued to look at her, as if trying to discern her intentions, but ultimately decided to let it slide.
"Well, no problem there. Office work is incredibly dull, after all."
Both stood up and headed toward the office door, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"I just remembered something. I heard that [Name/Placeholder] is planning to visit the Lady of the Sacred Tree of Existence, No. 3, once he's finished. It seems our friend has fallen in love—don't you think?"
The young man looked at her for a few seconds, then opened the door and replied:
"Perhaps. You know how kind-hearted he is and how much he cares for those around him, but I had no idea he'd fallen for the Lady of the Sacred Tree of Existence, No. 3."
"Still, it'll be fun to see his reaction once we tease him a little. He gets so amusing when he's embarrassed or flustered! Hahahaha!"
"You're right; he really is an entertaining person—quite a delightful companion, in his own way."
They continued on their path, chatting casually as they walked.
.....................
Meanwhile, Grey opened his eyes with great difficulty, finding Lucy, Beatrice, and Ryoichi looking down at him. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head.
The pain was so intense that he could barely keep his eyes open. Several minutes passed before he managed to open them fully and sit up.
"Those dreams again... It's been two years since I last dreamt of that person and witnessed the course of his life."
Grey muttered to himself, staring at his hands—stained with a mixture of sweat and blood.
He looked up at his companions, his expression filled with bewilderment. He had now reached the rank of Novice Ruler. Furthermore, his Mana Heart, Mind Core, Primordial Sea, Dantian Roots, and internal gates had all evolved—and it had all happened in an instant.
Grey remained silent for several seconds, trying to make sense of what had transpired—from the defeat of the Scorpion Organization's followers to his own terrifying evolution, all occurring within such a brief span of time.
He had been expected to break through to the rank of Novice Ruler only after several more days. Even if his Mana Heart, Mind Core, Primordial Sea, Dantian Roots, and internal gates were to evolve, it shouldn't have triggered a breakthrough; the timing of such a transition was fixed and immutable—unless some form of intervention occurred that transcended the authority of this world.
"What happened? How did you defeat the organization's followers? And why do I sense traces of Aether within my body? I don't understand any of this! Someone, explain to me what is going on here!"
Ruichi, Lucy, and Beatrice exchanged glances for a few moments; they were just as baffled as he was. Grey had harnessed Aether energy to evolve his own body, and then, with complete ease, he had brought them back from beyond the ordinary realm.
He had effortlessly dispatched every one of the Scorpion Organization's followers, and he had managed to survive both death and a coma—all before Lucy could even intervene.
Their expressions were filled with bewilderment; the situation was truly bizarre. Given the severity of his injuries, he should have remained in a coma for days, and even after waking, he ought to have been unable to wield his power for several more days.
Yet, here he was—in perfect health, and capable of channeling his energy at any moment he chose. The world is not a merciful place, and talent alone is never enough to achieve something like this. That was what made them realize that something truly extraordinary—something unnatural—was at play.
Grey's behavior and presence, even before he lost consciousness, had been entirely different. His very way of thinking, and the method he used to channel aether to enhance his own body, were things that simply did not exist in this world.
Yet, he had employed such a technique—a fact that led them to draw a connection to the dreams they had all been experiencing. In those dreams, they had witnessed a multitude of terrifying techniques and skills, the likes of which their world had never seen before.
They had managed to memorize these techniques at a single glance, but knowing them was one thing—being able to wield them was quite another; the power behind these abilities was far too great for their own bodies to endure.
And so, they kept them stored away, waiting for the right moment to use them. The fact that Grey had ended up on the brink of death—simply by attempting the most basic of these techniques, the enhancement of the body through aether—was the clearest proof of just how dangerous they were.
"Come on, get up, you reckless slacker! You nearly died! Didn't we tell you never to use any of the skills or techniques you see in those dreams? You're such a strange one!"
There was a hint of annoyance in Ryuichi's tone as he delivered a punch to Grey's face.
Grey collapsed back to the ground. The others let out a collective sigh, watching as he began to grumble about how unfairly he was being treated, even questioning whether the injured had any rights at all. After a few minutes, having taken a brief rest, they resumed their journey toward a designated area. There, they continued to battle their adversaries—enemies who were lying in wait for a moment of weakness, a lapse in defenses brought on by exhaustion, fear, or anxiety. Even a single second of such vulnerability would be more than enough for their foes.
When your enemy is human, you can flee. But when the very land you inhabit becomes your enemy, the equation grows far more dangerous and complex.