Nam stood still, staring at the parchment. A minute had passed. Yet… nothing.
No fear. No excitement. Not even the faintest sense of unease.
His breathing remained steady, his heartbeat unchanged. It felt… normal. Too normal.
Just as the parchment had claimed, the written words faded away, only to be replaced by a new set of names—ingredients, inscribed in a language he could now understand.
Birds chirped in the background, their melodies weaving into the silence as if to accompany him.
1. Immortal Blood – The Blood of an Ancient Being
Blood that carries the concept of immortality itself. It once flowed through those who walked beside gods or defied death itself. Unlike ordinary blood, it never dries, never evaporates, and always seems alive.
• It grants immunity to the passage of time and death's grasp.
• It does not heal, but it temporarily halts the effects of aging.
• When in contact with flesh, it whispers echoes of the past.
2. Fractured Time Stone – A Relic Shattered by Time
A stone broken by a direct impact on the flow of time, now possessing a power that bends its course. Those who hold it can glimpse the echoes of the past and sense the possibilities of the future, though true control remains elusive.
• It can create fractures in time, but such use is dangerous—uncontrolled, it could erase the wielder or throw them into an unknown era.
• Those who touch it may begin to dream of forgotten memories.
3. Tear of the Silent Soul – A Secret Even the Dead Could Not Speak
A single tear shed by a singing spirit bound to Expiria, born from a secret that even the dead dared not utter. Those who obtain it can hear the whispers of souls and uncover what was once erased from history.
• It purifies the soul but also burdens it with knowledge.
• It can restore forgotten and erased memories.
• Should an immortal touch it, they will be forced to bear the full weight of their past.
4. Ash of the Burning Shadow – The Last Remnant of a Forgotten Being
The remnants of a once-powerful entity, erased from history. Even as ashes, it holds a power that defies time.
• The ash takes the form of a flickering, sentient shadow.
• Those who possess it can intuitively perceive lost knowledge, though they may struggle to distinguish reality from illusion.
5. A Drop from the River That Flows Backward – Water That Defies Time
An anomaly in nature, this river's flow defies logic, running not forward but into the past. However, obtaining a mere drop is not so simple—one must first find a way to make time itself move in reverse.
• Drinking it will plunge one into a dream of the past.
• But this past may not be real, and one risks losing themselves within it.
• If misused, an event or a person could be erased entirely.
6. Seal of the Lost Fate
This seal is connected to the parchment written by Nael and the signs left behind in Nam's past life. Instead of allowing him to remember himself, **** ****** *** ********
• The seal carries fragments of the past within it, but one must use a specific key to decipher them.
• Until it is broken, the cycle cannot be escaped.
Nam's gaze remained empty as he read through the list. "Are these… real?" He carefully examined the parchment once more.
"Seal of the Lost Fate? What does that even mean? This is like something straight out of a novel about a resurrected protagonist."
His eyes drifted toward Tear of the Silent Soul.
"Expiria… a singing spirit? What does that have to do with anything—"
Then it hit him.
His body stiffened.
"Wait! That means I've already lost one of these materials without even realizing it!"
Frustration surged through him as he threw the parchment to the ground.
"This world… it truly doesn't care about me at all, does it?"
Nam's eyes flickered back to the monument before him. The parchment couldn't have been responsible for its odd tilt. Something else was there.
He reached out, grasping a wooden object wedged into the base of the monument. A rectangular plaque. Words were etched into its surface—
"Passage Permit."
His doubts soared.
"Who… exactly are you, Nael Corven?"
A memory flashed through his mind—the moment he had shattered the monument. Panic flickered in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings. He quickly snatched up the parchment and hurried away.
By the time he stopped, his breath was ragged.
"If anyone had seen me… I would've been executed on the spot."
His gaze fell upon the wooden plaque once more.
"That man… Nael. Was he a lunatic? Just how far ahead did he plan all of this?"
Nam stood there for a while, lost in thought.
Then, he frowned.
"Wait. But… where is the city?"
He looked down at the ground, his thoughts spiraling.
"And who is Nio? How do they know me?"
His hand instinctively moved to his chin as he pondered.
"Could Nael be a prophet? No, if that were the case, they'd have called him a sage instead."
He raised a single finger.
"I've got nothing."
Frustration welled up within him as he closed his eyes, diving deeper into his thoughts.
"What if… I have some kind of special ability? And the previous users of this power could see the memories of future wielders?"
His head ached.
"No, that's way too complicated… Also, this world doesn't even have Titans."
His body felt exhausted—no, beyond exhausted. His mind, too, felt like it was on the verge of collapsing.
Sighing, he forced himself to his feet and continued walking.
He walked.
And walked.
And walked some more.
Would you believe me if I said he kept walking?
You shouldn't.
Because he took a break before continuing.
The forest around him was strange—so strange that even I struggle to describe it.
Nam encountered a few animals along the way.
Yet all of them ran.
That was expected for the herbivores.
But why did the predators flee as well?
Three wolves had appeared before him. His body instinctively collapsed, his vision darkening, his heartbeat slowing.
Yet instead of attacking, they had fled.
The seasons had begun to shift. Leaves drifted from the trees in gentle spirals, painting the earth in shades of gold and amber.
Nam's steps slowed.
Just as he was about to complain—
Another cliff.
He exhaled sharply. "Am I drawn to cliffs, or are cliffs drawn to me?"
But as he lifted his gaze—
His breath caught in his throat.
Vast fields stretched out before him. A sea of golden wheat swayed in the wind, rippling like an endless tide.
The sky, the land, the very air itself—it all felt like a scene pulled straight from a fairy tale.
And at its heart, resting like a hidden jewel, lay the city of Anusa.
For a moment, Nam forgot everything. His mouth slightly agape, one foot hovering in the air from an earlier misstep.
His arm braced against a nearby tree. His clothes were covered in dirt
But none of it mattered.
Yet, despite the breathtaking view, something unsettled him.
Something he couldn't shake.
Even as he stood there, staring at the legendary city before him—
Nam could not find peace.