Beyond Mortality, Beyond Fate

Under the relentless afternoon sun, the rhythmic sound of steel slicing through the air echoed across the training ground. Leo's body moved with precision, his sword carving phantom streaks in the wind. Again and again, he executed the same move—"Phantom Strike," the technique Ronan had demonstrated before his departure. His arms ached, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but he did not stop. Repetition was the foundation of mastery. Only through pushing past the limits of exhaustion could he reach true strength.

A figure approached, silent yet ever watchful. "Your towel, Young Master," came the calm voice of his butler. Leo took it without a word, wiping the sweat from his brow as he glanced at the man.

"Is the room ready?" he asked between breaths.

"Yes, sir. Your solitude chamber has been prepared for training. When do you wish to begin?"

Leo exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of fatigue settle into his muscles. "Tomorrow. I'll begin tomorrow."

Meanwhile, within the grand halls of the Emberwyrm estate, an elegantly dressed woman sat at her desk, quill in hand. Lady Sylvara De Emberwyrm, renowned fire mage and sister to Queen Sylvia, held a letter sealed with the insignia of the Lionheart family. As her amber eyes skimmed the words, a small smirk tugged at her lips.

"So, my second nephew has finally shown his fangs," she murmured to herself. "To think he would awaken a second core and grasp magic… I had thought him a mere cub, but it seems he's growing into a lion."

A knock on the door pulled her from her musings. "Come in."

A maid entered, bowing respectfully. "Lady Sylvara, are you preparing for departure?"

"Yes, Alice," Sylvara said, rolling up the letter. "It would be remiss of me to ignore my dear sister's request. Make preparations—I shall visit Lionheart. It seems the Lionheart household is about to get interesting."

The next day, Leo stood before his family, explaining his intent for a week-long solitary training. His mother, Sylvia, expressed concern, but Leo reassured her. His brothers, Caius and Galen, regarded him with intrigue—especially Caius, who concealed his thoughts behind a stoic mask. Once farewells were exchanged, Leo made his way to the solitude chamber, a place designed to eliminate all distractions.

Inside, he set down a small leather bag. His fingers traced its surface as a memory surfaced—a conversation with Marlin, his personal maid, days before he left to save his Brother.

"Young Master," Marlin whispered, pressing the bag into his hands. "You asked me to find this poison. It was difficult, but I have secured it."

Leo's eyes flickered as he studied the vial within the bag, its liquid contents a deep, swirling violet. "Poison of Mana," he murmured.

"Yes. A single drop can drain a person's mana completely. A larger dose leads to mana deviation, a fate worse than death. It is said to originate from highly concentrated mana fields, making it one of the deadliest poisons to mages."I only used it in the Town of Thyris for my plan."

Back in the chamber, Leo uncorked the vial. A faint, eerie glow emanated from the liquid as he carefully poured it in a controlled motion, forming a precise summoning circle. Ancient runes, learned from his past life's expeditions across countless dimensions, took shape. He had spent years studying the Outer Gods—their influence, their hierarchy, and most importantly, how to contact them.

The Outer Gods were beings beyond mortal comprehension, watching the lower races—humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen—like pieces on a cosmic game board. They were the unseen hands that toyed with fate, granting power to those who entertained them. Most were unreachable, but a select few could be contacted through ritualistic methods. One such god was Odin, a member of the Ten Heavenly Outer Gods.

Alex—his past self—had once sought to contract Odin, hoping to gain wisdom and power. But fate had other plans.

Years ago, in a ruined temple on an unknown world, Alex had attempted the sacred ritual to summon Odin. However, a mispronunciation—a seemingly minor slip in the incantation—changed everything.

Instead of Odin, the void answered with something else.

A presence emerged one that had never before been called upon. A god with no followers, no recorded existence. A being named Ethiyos.

"A mortal has summoned me? How delightful!" Ethiyos had laughed, his voice filled with uncontained excitement. Unlike other gods who exuded an aura of majesty or indifference, Ethiyos radiated something different—curiosity. Eagerness. A desire to be known.

He had offered Alex a contract unlike any before. No servitude. No restrictions. Just a simple exchange: power in return for an interesting story. And so, Ethiyos bestowed upon him the Ethyian System, a force that granted him quests and challenges, rewarding him with immense power as he grew stronger.

Together, they had risen through the ranks of the cosmos, and as Alex became a Mythical Rank Swordmaster, Ethiyos himself ascended in the Outer God hierarchy.

Now, Leo sought to rekindle that connection.

As the final rune was inscribed, he pressed his bleeding palm onto the circle. A pulse of mana erupted, filling the chamber with a suffocating force. The air distorted. Reality twisted.

Then, the darkness consumed him.

Leo found himself standing in an endless desert, but something was wrong. Above him, the sky churned violently, dominated by a massive vortex—like a black hole consuming the heavens. The sands beneath his feet trembled and pulled toward the abyss.

And before him stood a familiar figure.

Ethiyos.

His long black hair whipped in the turbulent wind, his muscular form draped in flowing black and gold robes. His piercing golden eyes locked onto Leo, unreadable.

"Welcome back, Alex," Ethiyos said, his voice laced with something uncharacteristic—melancholy.

Leo exhaled, his expression unreadable. "You look exactly how I left you."

But Ethiyos didn't respond to that. Instead, he studied Leo intently, before speaking words that sent a shiver down his spine.

"By the time you arrived here… I might already be dead. Or even worse imprisoned by the Ten Heavenly Outer Gods."

A storm of emotions surged through Leo as the unstable desert roared around them.

To be continued…