A silver moon hung above the quiet forest, wrapped in a layer of silk-like mist. The wind did not howl. The stars did not blink. Even the beasts held their breath.
In the mountain's sacred hollow, the hut of the Limitless Sage sat in tranquil stillness.
Inside, beneath the thatched roof and the scent of burning sandalwood, the old man with timeless eyes sat cross-legged. A candle flickered beside him, its light dancing like a spirit trying to escape.
Yet his breath remained unshaken.Eyes closed.Heart calm.Mind like still water.
But deep inside, something stirred.
A flicker of the past.
Blood. Betrayal.The screaming skies as gods fell from grace.The heavens that dared to mock his pain.
He had once been the storm—tearing through demon kings, annihilating celestial clans, silencing arrogant immortals. Every time he raised his hand, a world trembled. His name was once a curse among the divine.
But now...He brewed tea.
Until tonight.
A whisper, almost too faint for mortal ears, brushed across the quiet winds outside his door.
"Sage… the girl is in danger."
He opened his eyes.
They did not shine with anger or sorrow.They gleamed with awareness—a clarity that only the infinite realm could offer.
He stood up slowly, each movement effortless, like a leaf returning to the river's current. His long white robe flowed as if carried by wind that respected him too much to resist.
As he stepped out, the world shifted.
The lotus flowers near the pond bloomed in the night.The stars above twinkled nervously.The wind no longer whispered—it listened.
From the forest path, a familiar presence approached.
It was her.
The girl from the merchant family.
Barefoot, her ankles muddied, eyes wide with panic and tears. But still, she knelt at his door, refusing to speak out of urgency. She merely bowed.
That was all he needed.
"I do not serve the world," he said softly, "but I protect what I cherish."
He placed one hand behind his back, the other pointing toward the horizon. And then—
The world bent.
Trees bowed in his direction.The clouds parted to clear his path.Birds flew away as if to spread the word:The Sage has moved.
Far away in the wealthy capital, the merchant mansion was in chaos.
Rival clans had struck with cruelty. Poison in wine. Assassins in the halls. The girl's father, the richest man of the continent, lay in a poisoned slumber.
And the girl... they wanted her next.
Until—
A single footstep echoed at the mansion gate.
The guards turned.
What they saw wasn't a man.It was stillness made flesh.A being who had fought destiny… and won.
The Sage stood at the gate, robe untouched by dust, eyes softer than moonlight but heavier than eternity.
"Who leads this cowardly attack?" his voice whispered.
The world didn't answer.
So, he walked in.
The assassins leapt.
He didn't even raise his hand.
They fell—paralyzed mid-air—as if unseen strings had snapped.
Inside the courtyard, arrogant heirs from the rival merchant faction waited. They laughed at the old man. Mocked his age. Mocked the girl.
He looked at them.
Just looked.
And the laughter stopped.Some collapsed in terror.Some screamed.Some begged.
The eldest heir, a man with a lion tattoo on his throat, roared, "You dare to interfere with our family feud?"
The Sage turned his gaze toward him.
"Your greed smells stronger than your blood."
Then silence.
One blink later—The man was on the ground, unconscious.Not a drop of blood spilled. Not a bone broken.
But his soul?
Trembled for eternity.
That night, the stars witnessed something they hadn't seen in eons.
The Limitless Sage, long forgotten, returned to the world not to conquer or destroy…But to guide.
To protect a small girl with a kind heart in a world full of poison.
And yet, deep within, the old fire of destruction flickered.
For when he descended from his mountain, it was never without reason. Never without consequence.
And across the lands, in palaces, temples, and shadowy courts—
They felt it.
The ancient being who once killed gods now walked the earth again.
And he was smiling.