Pitch darkness.
A void beyond concepts of nothingness, an abyss where even time itself didn't exist. There, subtle ripples of a grey energy began appearing
All originating from a singular point, the ripples pulsed outward, subtle at first, but growing in frequency. They spread through the void, only to dissolve into the endless darkness, as if swallowed by the abyss itself.
A semi-transparent orb of fluid essence suddenly appeared from the point, sending out a massive wave of energy into the void.
The translucent orb of grey fluid its surface alive with gentle waves, hovered motionless within the endless darkness radiating an ancient, unyielding power, as if in defiance of the void of nothingness.
From within it a faint yet undeniable flicker of awareness stirred—unyielding in a realm where the very concepts of existence unraveled.
.....
A moment.
An eternity.
And then—
A flicker.
A spark of thought..
Memories stirred, fragmented, blurred, countless. Unceasingly, they all flash by within in the orb, lives lived as beasts, as kings, as peasants as shadows. Ages and worlds woven together with no clear thread.
A moment later, they all vanished, dissolving into the orb. The fluid then began to churn violently, morphing its shape as fierce, radiant light burst forth from within.
A humanoid figure soon emerged, and with it, colossal waves surged outward. Yet, as if their very presence was denied, the light, ripples, and waves vanished without a trace. Darkness once again, engulfing all.
Only the lone humanoid figure remained, suspended in place, a faint translucency clinging to its form. The figure—seemingly a man—remained utterly still, as if in a slumber.
An instant perhaps eternity later, he gained consciousness, opening his eyes, memories rushed back and with it, he recalled the last moments of his life. His soul agonizing fracturing an then Nothing
"Sigh, I died again. And I was so close this time around, when will I roll such a life again??"
Moments before his last demise, he had done it. This time—unlike the few failed attempts before—he had finally succeeded.
He had created a system capable of generating functions, adaptable to any world he might reincarnate into.
Through countless lifetimes, he had learned a simple truth:
Systems were the fastest path to power—and for him, his best chance to absolute freedom.
But with each reincarnation, everything reset. The system, the path, the power… all gone.
Worse, every world was different. Some systems couldn't even be replicated—their functions restricted by the laws of their reality.
So he began a greater pursuit: a system not bound by purpose, but capable of creating purpose.
A seed system—one that could be forged from almost anything, and evolve to match each new life, each new world.
And in his previous reincarnation, he received a surprise.
He was reborn into a royal family—something he had long since stopped caring about. At first, he dismissed it. But then he discovered the truth: the empire spanned an entire galaxy… and somehow, he had been named as the crown prince.
...
Using his powers, he scoured the empire for knowledge—laws, martial arts, forbidden techniques—anything that could help him forge a system. He even sought out system users, though they were nearly impossible to find. The few he did locate were thanks to unconventional methods… and luck.
One user changed everything. Their system was unlike any he'd seen before—constructed entirely of runes, each one interlinked to form a greater whole.
He'd encountered runes across multiple lives, but they were always limited, suppressed by world laws. These ones felt different—indomitable, untouchable. Unrestricted.
Intrigued, he abandoned all other paths and focused entirely on decoding this celestial system. Centuries passed. And finally, he succeeded. His understanding of runes deepened to the point he could replicate the structure.
The system he built resonated with the very idea he had been chasing—a system that could birth new functions. And for the first time… it came alive.
He didn't hesitate. He merged it with his soul. If it failed, so what? Reincarnation was always waiting. Besides, this life had already grown stale—his enemies had multiplied, and the empire was crumbling.
At first, everything went smoothly. The system settled into his soul with eerie ease, maybe because he used his own soul energy instead of the unknown energy native to the celestial system.
But then—cracks. His very soul began to fracture, huge portions blinking out of existence. His soul began to dissolve. And then…
Nothing. Darkness. Silence. He could only remember some kind of slumber, one deeper than death.
Coming out the nostalgia, he reached inward with practiced precision, trying to examine the state of his soul. Very few of his lifetimes had ever died due to soul injuries, and even then, none had ended in such agonizing pain. But in the next instant, he realized something was wrong.
"Why… why can't I sense my soul?"
His brows furrowed as confusion gave way to dread.
"Do I even have one now?"
A cold realization crept in.
"Fu*k… creating, let alone merging, a system will be almost impossible like this."
Unable to detect even the faintest trace of what once anchored his very existence, his face turned ashen.
Not in any one of the countless lifetimes had he encountered such a situation. The very idea of creating a system was anchored to being able to merge it into his soul. Cause for each reincarnatation he always had his a soul as a must.
This continuity had been the foundation of his greatest conclusion—that creating a system capable of generating functions was his best shot at a carefree existence across lifetimes. A system that could evolve with him, adapt to any world, and anchor his path forward.
Suddenly, he heard a voice in his mind.
"Huh… the system came with me into this life?"
His voice was barely a whisper, laced with disbelief.
"But how? I don't even have a soul anymore…"
Systems at least all the ones he'd encountered—required a soul. That was their anchor, their home. Without it, they simply couldn't exist, let alone function.
He had died. His soul had been torn apart. And nothing was ever carried into the following life, each reincarnation being like restart though in a new world.
Quickly he gained back his composure, and decided to open the status.
If the [Create] function worked… then mayb he could create a function to figure out where he been reincarnated or maybe generate light.
Suddenly a translucent blue screen appeared in front him, before he, without him speaking. "Oh so it responds to thoughts now" he muttered "no verbal command needed.."
He quickly focused on the screen. But in the next instant he paused, something was off.
================== STATUS ==================
Name: Liam Hayes
Energy: 0(Regenerating...) Locked
System Functions:
[Create]
[Shop] Locked
===========================================
On the screen was a name he hadn't used in lifetimes—Liam Hayes.
Energy regeneration? Locked functions? These weren't parameters he had ever set. In fact, he'd only programmed one thing into the system: [Create], and a basic interface to display generated functions.
His brows furrowed.
"T-this... what is this?" he muttered, disbelief thick in his voice. He couldn't comprehend what was unfolding. Was this a dream? A hallucination born from soul-death?
Before he could gather his thoughts, a calm voice echoed in his mind:
But the words had barely settled before another notification flared.
Liam's eyes narrowed, silently watching the countdown tick away before him.