Chapter 1: Reincarnation
Nyxir's eyes were bloodshot as he clutched his head, pulling at his hair in anguish. Pain, hatred, and resentment welled up within him, causing his body to tremble violently. His mind felt consumed by madness, his thoughts blurring under an influx of intense desire—the desire to consume all life, to destroy the world, to cover it in endless darkness.
Whispers crept into his mind, bypassing his blocked ears and driving him further toward insanity. His bloodshot eyes could see nothing but an endless abyss stretching across the whole world. Even the sun appeared as a black hole, devouring all surrounding light and leaving the world in total darkness. The unintelligible whispers brought hunger, pain, hatred, and sadness, all threatening to drown him in the abyss of madness.
Nyxir felt his mind succumbing, his thoughts growing fainter under the relentless assault. His body trembled as he tumbled forward, his sweat-soaked form unable to bear the onslaught. He crumbled, falling deep into the abyss. He felt himself plummet sharply, whizzing down into oblivion, but he was too weak to resist. His vision blurred, and his eyes gradually closed.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HHHHHAAAAA!"
A maniacal laugh echoed in his ears as he continued his descent. The laughter seemed to tremble the whole world as if it could shatter it into fragments. Yet, strangely, it felt familiar, as if he had encountered it countless times before. However, his fading mind could not grasp it. He drifted into unconsciousness, and everything went still.
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Gasp!
Nyxir sat up suddenly, panting for breath. His clothes were soaked in sweat, clinging to his small frame. Beads of perspiration trickled down his face.
"It's a dream. It's just a dream," he muttered repeatedly under his breath as he looked around. His forehead slowly creased as the unfamiliar terrain entered his vision.
" How did I get here?"
A surprised gasp escaped his lips as he frantically got up, taking in the lush greenery surrounding him. A sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his head, and his body collapsed back to the ground. A dull, throbbing sensation kept hitting his head as if someone had repeatedly struck his head with a blunt object.
"Hisss..." He sucked in a breath, his face scrunched up in a painful grimace. He sat there, his control over his body waning as the urge to curl up and cradle his head overwhelmed him.
Painful..... So painful... Hmm?. The pain is slowly fading, it's not as painful as before.
His tightened muscles loosened bit by bit as he gradually raised his head to observe his surroundings. Towering trees stood around him, varying in size, their glistening green leaves interspersed with hints of other colors forming a tapestry of colors. Green vines coiled around their trunks like serpents, stretching toward the distance, entangling everything in their path. The canopy above filtered the sun's harsh rays, casting dappled shadows over the soft, green carpet of stubborn weeds sprawling across the forest floor. Distant calls of cicadas echoed through the silence, adding life to the cold, quiet expanse. Occasionally, the bushes rustled, drawing a wary gaze from him.
A flurry of questions swirled in his mind as he slowly got to his feet, enduring the throbbing pain at the back of his head, which had now dulled to a numbing sensation.
' Why am I sleeping in the bush? '
' What happened in the dungeon after I passed out?'
' Where is this place?'
His mind was in turmoil, but he forced himself to carefully scan his surroundings for any sudden movements. The last thing he remembered was being knocked unconscious by the hefty guards of the Rowen Manor. He had thought that would be his end. Yet, here he was, lost in a vast wilderness, far from any sign of civilization. If not for the persistent throbbing at the back of his head anchoring him to reality, he might have believed this was still a dream, the same horrible dream that had jolted him awake.
Dusting off his clothes, his gaze froze upon his unfamiliar attire. Slowly, he looked down at himself, then at his slightly altered frame. His faded blue pants were smeared with mud and patched on the side. His matching blue top bore similar traces of dirt, giving him an unkempt appearance.
' This... What happened to me? '
Confusion etched across his face as he ran his hands over his body, feeling his round face and hair tied into a ponytail. Something was undeniably different. There was no mirror to confirm his suspicions, but as the owner of his own body, he could tell—he had changed. Completely.
Quickly, he focused inward, using his inner breath to examine himself. Nothing. His vessel, bones, beating heart, and internal organs all functioned normally, yet—they were unfamiliar to him and...
"I have lost my divine seal," he murmured, his expression crumbling as a helpless sensation washed over him. "I am just a normal person who has yet to awaken a divinity..."
' How is this possible?'
' Did I really die and reincarnate? '
' Since I have yet to awaken divinity, why can I still use my inner breath to inspect my body? '
' Who is this person? What happened to him and what happened to me? '
An onslaught of unanswered questions bombarded his mind. He attempted various tests, but the results were the same—he could look inward, but nothing more. Feeling powerless, he chose a random direction and trudged forward, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings.
He, a grandmaster of arrays, a mid-sequence Venerate who had once exerted dominance over his adversaries, was now powerless—lost in a forest.
The only thing he didn't mention is that he was a spoiled young master not that it is necessary really.
' What happened to me to reincarnate? '
The last memories before blacking out slowly played out in his mind. He had been captured by the Rowen family after his entire clan had been massacred. The pained cries of his kin still echoed in his ears—the desperate wails of children, the agonized screams of those burned alive in their own homes. His family had been labelled of criminals but their crime is really not mentioned. The Rowens had sought permission from the monarch of the Bright Moon city to eradicate the so-called "traitors."
His family—an affluent clan of sealers, wielding immense wealth and power—had been one of the four most influential families in Bright Moon City, the very heart of the district. They controlled ancient scriptures, sold artifacts, and mastered array formations, their reputation spanning neighboring cities. Trouble had begun when his father, the family head, stumbled upon an ancient scripture and a rare artifact, the secrets of which he refused to divulge—even to his own son.
The Rowens, as the city's enforcers, had approached his father with an offer. They were willing to purchase the scripture at any price or, at the very least, take a glimpse at it. But his father had refused. Enraged, the Rowen family's head had stormed out that night.
That same evening, his father had handed him a small bracelet, warning him never to remove it.
Then the attack came.
Under the false charge of crime he doesn't know, his entire family was slaughtered—men, women, and children alike. They were burned alongside their homes, leaving only him alive, locked away in the dungeon to extract information about the scripture until they discovered he also had no clue about its whereabouts.
"Animals!" he growled, clenching his fists tightly, his face contorted with anguish and rage. "I will hunt every single one of you down to the ends of time."
"Nyxir?"
Still immersed in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed the middle-aged man approaching from the opposite direction.
' Someone recognizes me? ' His brows furrowed, and he raised his head up, scrutinizing the unfamiliar face staring at him, who had a displeased look on his face.
The man, clad in a tattered black robe, marred with mud and patches, narrowed his eyes. "What kept you so long?" He stared at the slightly dazed Nyxir a tinge of anger in his tone.
"Wh...Who are you?" Nyxir asked cautiously.
The man's expression darkened. "You've become so spoiled that you're sent on an errand and wasted the whole day wandering around dazed? And now, you have the cheek to joke?" He waved a hand angrily. "Let's get home first—we'll discuss your impudence then.