Echoes of Eternity

Muse felt as though his mind was a jumbled mess, a chaotic haze where nothing made sense. Waves of excruciating pain pulsed through his head, as if someone were relentlessly smashing it with a club. His throat felt like a dry well, so parched that even the slightest movement of his tongue was like a knife cutting through it.

It seemed someone was speaking beside him, but in his muddled state, he couldn't make out a single word.

A faint groan escaped his lips: "Mmm~"

A brief silence followed…

Unconsciously, Muse murmured again: "Water~"

More sounds reached his ears, but they remained an indecipherable blur…

Soon, warm water touched his lips. Instinctively, he began to sip, letting the liquid flow down his parched throat. As it soothed him, he let out a soft, relieved breath, greedily drinking more…

Once he'd had his fill, Muse stopped sipping. But in that moment, a sharper, more intense pain struck him. Without a sound, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

In the void, Muse seemed to perceive his soul's form. He floated silently in an empty expanse, surrounded by an endless gray mist.

At the center of his soul's body was a dark golden crystal embedded within it. As he observed, the crystal began to dissolve. Soon, its outer layer faded away, and Muse's soul took on a faint dark golden hue. Alarmed, he could do nothing to stop it.

Yet the dark golden crystal ceased changing after that initial dissolution. It remained embedded there, unchanging. After what felt like an eternity, the portion of the crystal that had dissolved fully transformed Muse's soul into the same dark golden color.

Suddenly, the crystal flashed.

"Mmm~" A pain thousands—millions—of times worse than physical agony assaulted him. This was a torment of the soul, and Muse could only endure it with full awareness. His dark golden soul, however, seemed unimaginably resilient. Though its surface rippled incessantly under the strain, it held firm without any real damage.

An overwhelming flood of information poured into him…

At the same time, a series of images flashed before his soul's eyes:

Family feuds… pirate raids… a journey to the Mage Federation… the Arcane Revolution… the founding of the Arcane Empire… imperial wars… astral exploration… planar conflicts… the gods' ambush… the empire's fall… fleeing to the astral plane… final madness…

"Ah!" Muse cried out, bolting upright.

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, forcing him to squint after so long without seeing it. Only then did he realize his weakness—his body was utterly devoid of strength, his muscles limp and unable to support him in sitting up.

He quickly leaned against the headboard to avoid collapsing back onto the bed in an embarrassing heap.

"Young Master, you're finally awake!" came a voice—both familiar and strange. It felt like something he'd heard long ago, yet also one he'd encountered often, leaving Muse utterly confused. "Wait a moment, I'll go fetch the hot porridge the lord instructed us to prepare."

Footsteps faded into the distance. Muse didn't respond to the voice. Closing his eyes, he quietly began sorting through the chaos in his mind…

Soon, footsteps approached again. Having pieced together a rough understanding, Muse opened his eyes. He looked at the maid carefully carrying a tray with a small bowl of golden oat porridge and utensils, and tentatively said, "Mina?"

"Yes, Young Master. Do you have any instructions?" the maid replied respectfully.

"What year is it now!?" Muse's eyes darted around the room before locking onto Mina. His breathing quickened, and he asked urgently.

"Uh, well… it's the Year 164 of the Age of the Gods," Mina answered instinctively, slightly taken aback by his sudden question.

"Of course… it's before everything began…" Muse muttered to himself after hearing her response, his head lowering as a hint of madness crept into his voice. His expression shifted unpredictably. "Time reversal? Or time travel? Even the Arcane Empire couldn't fully unravel the mysteries of time."

Mina watched the Young Master, who now seemed a bit unhinged. After a moment's hesitation, she cautiously asked, "Young Master, the lord instructed me to feed you some hot porridge once you woke up. Would you like to eat it now?"

Only then did Muse feel a terrifying hunger clawing at his empty stomach.

But his willpower had grown extraordinarily strong. Though waves of hunger crashed over him like a tide, he merely nodded lightly to Mina, signaling her to feed him.

With his permission, Mina carefully set the tray aside, ladled a bowl of porridge, and approached him. Bending down, she scooped a spoonful, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to Muse's lips.

Muse ate as Mina fed him, but his attention was clearly elsewhere. He chewed and swallowed mechanically, lost in thought.

As a result, he didn't notice how quickly he finished the entire bowl of porridge. Nor did he register Mina clearing the dishes, bowing to him, and leaving the room.

After an unknown stretch of contemplation, Muse finally sorted everything out.

He raised his head, his eyes now gleaming with a piercing intensity—a stark contrast to the bewilderment of his awakening. Though his body remained frail, it couldn't conceal the aura of wisdom, depth, and erudition now emanating from him.

Scanning the room, he took in the luxurious goose-feather carpet, the silver magical lamp, the soft bed draped in red satin, and the grand curtains embroidered with green narcissus flowers.

"What a nostalgic scene. Year 164 of the Age of the Gods… I was just a 16-year-old boy back then, wasn't I? Is this a rebirth?" Muse chuckled softly, but his words soon carried a trace of madness. "Damn gods, I, Muse, the Grand Arcanist, have returned! The flame of the arcane will never die! The flower of Netheril shall never wither!"

Yet he knew that in this era, the gods still reigned supreme—sacred, untouchable, gazing down upon the mortal world from on high.

The Arcane Revolution that would change everything had not yet begun. The Arcane Empire, capable of challenging the gods, had not yet risen. It was all still gestating in the northern land of mages. For now, he had to bide his time, quietly growing stronger until that pivotal moment arrived!

And then, he would change it all!