The sky rippled like a crimson sea, each cloud fragment drifting like a burning shipwreck into the unknown. Below, the world groaned; screams mingled with the roar of explosions and the howl of cosmic creatures. The end had surely come for humanity, but this end was far beyond any conventional disaster. This was the Unconditional End.
Amidst the destruction, Aziel stood in the gray, dusty streets of a bustling city, as if on the verge of taking his last breath. As an ordinary inhabitant of an ordinary world, witnessing this cosmic horror was maddening. Moments ago, the sky had been the purest shade of blue; now, it was as if a massive wound had opened, bleeding across the heavens. Within this blood-red rift, first appeared flickering points of light, which then took shape. Gigantic, winged silhouettes, monsters formed from stardust, and divine beings seemingly ripped from ancient myths descended upon the Earth. Each was imbued with power beyond human comprehension.
Aziel, sheltered behind a pile of rubble, stood frozen, as if he'd forgotten how to breathe. Buildings around him crumbled like sandcastles, asphalt ripped open by colossal cracks. The ground trembled, as if the earth itself had begun to breathe, only to have its lungs torn open. Suddenly, he felt an indescribable burning sensation in his chest. It was as if an icy hand gripped his heart, while simultaneously a river of fire flowed through his veins. This pain was more spiritual than physical, a whisper that shook his very being to its core. His eyes involuntarily closed, and a vivid image flashed in his mind:
Within a vast, dark castle, cloaked figures roamed. Their eyes glowed with an amber luminescence, piercing the night. A name was whispered to him, a name he didn't understand but whose echo resonated in his soul: "Aziel… last heir of our blood…" Then the image shifted, revealing celestial cities shimmering amidst the stars, divine beings clad in golden armor, and a figure enthroned in majesty, ruling over the entire cosmos… In an instant, these visions shattered, replaced by a bloody symbol: two intertwined crescents, adorned with droplets of blood.
These memories overturned everything Aziel thought he knew about himself. He wasn't just a student, a technician, a merchant. He was something far more. The blood flowing in his veins was unlocking the seal of an ancient pact made millennia ago, opening the doors to a forgotten legacy. His consciousness filled with whispers from beyond time and space: "Mana… The essence of all… Transformation… Eternity…"
His eyes snapped open. Aziel's amber irises now glowed with an ancient fire. His body began to tremble with the first sparks of his infinite transformation ability. The chaotic energy around him yielded to his command, reshaping itself atom by atom. This was no ordinary power; it was an energy capable of recreating existence itself, initiating rebirth in the heart of destruction. His first instinct was not to defend himself, but to become a beacon of hope for the desperate souls around him. The first sphere of mana, glowing amidst the dust clouds of ruin, marked the intersection of past and future like a noble's sigil. This surge, however, resonated across the cosmos.
Aziel's line of sight was filled with a colossal, eight-legged cosmic creature with rock-hard skin. It had just torn a building apart with its claws and was now advancing towards a small group of fleeing people. Within Aziel, a newly awakened, ancient instinct stirred. This was a compulsion to be a beacon of hope for the helpless souls around him, more than just to defend himself.
He took a step. He extended his right hand forward, his palm trembling. He focused on that new, unfamiliar sensation in his mind—this was "mana." A frosty, purplish light began to flow from his fingertip. First, like a thin line, then rapidly growing into a glowing sphere. The sphere absorbed the energy in the surrounding air, becoming denser and more menacing as it grew. The creature turned towards Aziel, ready to obliterate this small, insignificant being. But the determination on Aziel's face matched his newfound power.
"Get lost!" he roared, his voice changed, taking on a superhuman resonance due to the power of mana. The purplish sphere shot out like a projectile and struck the cosmic creature's tough hide. Surprisingly, its skin at the point of impact blackened and disintegrated into a cloud of smoke. The creature howled in pain, recoiled, lost its balance, and crashed to the ground with a mighty thud. The people around looked at Aziel in astonishment. In that moment, they understood that Aziel was no mere human.
This first mana burst had given the first hints of the infinite transformation ability. Aziel sensed that, as part of his power, he wasn't just manipulating energy, but also capable of disrupting the atomic structure of his target. The creature's hide had, in its simplest form, lost its stable structure and disintegrated. This ability seemed to have no limits.
However, this heroic moment also served as a warning sign. Aziel's mana signature, having emerged so purely and powerfully, resonated across the universe. Far away, beyond stars and galaxies, the ancient beings who controlled the mana system—the Divine Sovereigns—felt this new and unexpected energy surge.
Eon, who sat on the throne of the Divine Sovereigns, opened his eyes. As he sat on his cosmic, shadow-wrought throne, the pulse of the entire universe beat at his fingertips. He and the other Sovereigns had governed the flow of mana for millennia, ensuring the cosmic order of the universe. Their ancient existence stretched back to the birth of galaxies. For them, mana was not merely an energy source, but the primary law of existence. They bestowed mana upon every newborn galaxy and brought mana's ultimate end to every dying star. This was their doctrine, their reverence for the cycle of life.
However, Aziel's emergence shattered this doctrine. The energy they felt resembled no form of mana they knew. The ability of infinite transformation transcended all the limitations set by Eon and the other Sovereigns. This mana had the potential to rewrite existence itself. This meant chaos. Disorder. And the end of their dominion.
"An anomaly," Eon's voice echoed through the hall like an intergalactic reverberation. "An ancient heir awakens."
Beside him, another Sovereign, Umbra—a being of light and shadow, indeterminate in gender and form—spoke with a raspy voice: "His existence tears the fabric of mana. If we allow this power to spread unchecked, our order will collapse."
The third Sovereign, Terra, spoke with a calmer voice, yet the power beneath that calmness was terrifying: "Is this the echo of the blood pact? Is that noble blood reviving?"
Eon's eyes gleamed like a distant star. "Whether it is or not, he is a threat. The pacts with the ancient nobility were broken millennia ago. We cannot allow their power to rise again. Especially with this 'infinite transformation' ability…"
The decision was made. Aziel was a threat. An anomaly to be eradicated. The Divine Sovereigns decided to unleash the most powerful beings in the universe upon Aziel, both to understand the source of this power and to root it out completely. Aziel's existence had the potential to disrupt the Divine Sovereigns' order, and this was unacceptable.
On Earth, Aziel was trying to comprehend the impact of his power and the chaos it had wrought. The creature's body had slowly turned to dust after the mana explosion. People looked at him with both fear and hope. But Aziel knew that the power rising within him was just the beginning. The ancient whispers in his blood promised him more. Every cell of his body was filled with his newly discovered mana. His body, once subject to physical limitations, now felt more flexible, stronger, and more resilient. Mana was strengthening his muscles, sharpening his reflexes, and honing his senses. He could hear sounds from further away, see colors more vividly, and sense dangers more keenly.
But this transformation wasn't just physical. His mind was evolving too. He was beginning to understand mana's cosmic language, as if hearing the whispers of the universe. These whispers spoke of the destruction of ancient civilizations, the birth of stars, great wars, and the flow of mana. This new consciousness also burdened him with immense responsibility. He would not only save himself but also determine the fate of humanity in this new world.
"What should I do?" he whispered to himself. He didn't yet know where to go or whom to trust. All he knew was that he wasn't alone, and this power would not only save him but also draw him into a great war. The rising cosmic energy, the crimson rift in the sky, and the descending divine beings conveyed this message to him. His old life was gone. Now, he was Aziel, Lord of Mana, and the first step of the Cosmic Rebirth.
From a distant corner of the city, a silhouette, different from the cosmic creatures he had seen before, approached. This was a more graceful, more divine-looking figure. Its wings glowed like stars in the darkness, and its eyes, like Eon's, were filled with a cosmic coldness. Aziel's senses screamed that this being was hostile. The Divine Sovereigns' first hunter had come for Aziel.
A mixture of fear and strange excitement surged within Aziel. This was not merely a struggle for survival; it was an epic war to be fought between the legacy of ancient nobility and the divine laws. And Aziel, caught in the midst of this war, was determined to shatter the divine laws of the universe and usher in a new era. Yet, on this journey, he would also determine the destinies of both his old friends and foes. This was the beginning of the Cosmic Rebirth, the story of the Lord of Mana.