Chapter 1: The Beginning of Immortality

  The wind howled like a dying beast. It swept across the barren wasteland, whispering through the ruins of a world long past its prime. Shadows stretched over shattered stone and twisted metal, remnants of a civilization that had burned itself out, leaving only silence in its wake.

  At the edge of a jagged cliff, Jonathan stood unmoving, his gaze locked on the vast emptiness before him. The horizon bled into twilight, the fading sunlight staining the sky with hues of fire and ash. Beneath his feet, the land lay broken, a reflection of the war he had waged to stand here—alone, victorious.

  Yet, victory had never felt so hollow.

  A flicker of movement in the distance. A trick of the light, perhaps. Or something more. He didn’t flinch. His hand rested on the hilt of his weapon, dark steel forged with the raw pulse of mana that coursed through his veins. He had long since abandoned fear, discarded it like all things unnecessary. But even now, something deeper stirred beneath the surface.

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  "One day, you will understand."

  Jonathan’s eyes darkened. The dragon’s words resurfaced, unbidden. The being had observed him in silence, watching him rise, struggle, and conquer. And before vanishing, it had left him with that single, cryptic truth.

  "Power is not enough... Not nearly enough. You need more."

  Back then, he had dismissed it. What more could there be beyond strength? Beyond control? He had forged his path in blood, carving his will into the fabric of existence itself. And yet… standing here, surrounded by nothing but silence, the words clung to him like a shadow.

  His fingers tightened around his blade. Was this what the dragon had meant? This emptiness? This gnawing sense that he was still incomplete? Or had he simply not reached the threshold yet?

  The wind howled again. Behind him, something stirred in the darkness. Jonathan didn’t turn. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a threat—not to him. He exhaled slowly, the mana in his body thrumming in response. The world would throw its dangers at him. It always had. And he would face them all.

  But as he stepped forward into the unknown, one thought lingered.

  Was he walking toward the answer he sought… or was he merely continuing a cycle that would never end?