Who would have known that Evander Alestaer, the so-called Arch Magus, would die not on the battlefield but from a curse? Over a dozen disciples of Evander surrounded him on his deathbed, their eyes brimming with tears.

“Teacher! You promised me that after I become a Royal Court Magician, you’ll tell me the secret of the Void History!” said a young girl wearing a white robe. “You can’t die! You promised!”

Evander smiled and stroked the hair of the young girl. She was the youngest of all his disciples and also the brightest. Five years ago, he journeyed through the Endless Desert in the West. Along the way, he passed by a village devastated by a Ground Dragon. Although those creatures were weak before Evander’s eyes, they still possessed enough strength to lay waste to a village or two. The desert clans were unable to subdue the Ground Dragon, resulting to hundreds of casualties. And this girl was among those that survived.

After killing the Ground Dragon on a whim, the young girl suddenly started following him around. It was easy for Evander to shake off the tail, but his curiosity got the better of him. After three days, he finally turned around and confronted the young girl.

“Why are you following me?” he asked that time.

“How did you do that?” said the young girl. It had been three days since she started following Evander in the desert, and Evander had never seen her eat even once. Furthermore, the skin flask containing the water she carried with her had long been emptied. The girl definitely followed her through sheer will alone.

“Did what?”

“I saw how you killed the Desert Beast. The Dragon. Please,” she knelt down in front of him. “Teach me.”

Others may say it was foolishness, but for Evander, it was one of the most precious memories he had in his short life. Picking up this frail girl had given him a sense of purpose. Back then, he had been killing monsters left and right just to satiate his curiosity, to get rid of his boredom. But after that, he decided to take in disciples, nurturing them to lead the path of the next generation.

And right now, those very same disciples surrounded him in all directions, spouting things one after another, telling him that he should be strong and resist the curse.

Unfortunately, this curse was something he got not from a monster, but from a failed experiment. When he was young, he kept searching for the elixir of immortality, the way to transfer souls, the way to extend a mortal’s life. After countless experiments, this was the result. Instead of prolonging his life, the curse started eating his soul. And now, at a young age of fifty, he was slowly dying.

Looking back on his youth, he knew he had been foolish. It was decades after his countless experiments before he realized the true

beauty of life. Life without end was not beautiful – it was nothing but torture.

If he could have travelled back in time and meet with his younger self, he would have clearly told him that what he was seeking was nothing but foolishness, a futile thing that would do nothing but create an endless cycle of agony and suffering.

“Teacher! Please don’t leave us!”

“Teacher!”

“Lord Evander!”

Under the constant sobs, Evander felt his strength leaving his body. He could no longer open his mouth to speak. Moreover, his fingers started disintegrating into ashes. It was only a matter of time before he disappeared completely.

Using what remained of his magic, he spoke through everyone’s mind. “I regret that I would no longer be able to accompany everyone through the path ahead. The war with the Demons will be surely tough, but I have faith in every one of you.”

“Leanne,” said Evander to the young girl. “After my death, go to the Forbidden Tower and take my research. Inside those books I have written is the secret of the Void History. I’ve arranged it so that the Forbidden Tower will react to your magic.”

The young girl still had snot dripping down her nose as she nodded. By now, only the trunk and the head of Evander remained. Everything else had vanished into dust.

“Pollux,” said Evander.

The oldest of his disciples, a bald old man, replied, “Teacher.”

“I entrust the disciples to you.”

Pollux bit his lips as tears fell down his cheeks. “Yes, Teacher.”

Evander closed his eyes. Moments lingered and his entire body turned to dust.

 

 

***

 

 

Evander never believed in the afterlife. To him, the gods were nothing but an aggregation of magic, nothing more.

But right now, he was starting to doubt his belief. After all, he should be dead, but for some reason, he could feel sensations throughout his entire body. He could feel the pain on his chest and knees. He could taste blood in his mouth. He could smell the scent of burnt flesh.

What’s happening?

Evander heard numerous voices.

“You damn, incompetent bastard!” shouted someone. “I told you to give him a lesson! Not kill him!”

The sound of a fist hitting flesh resounded. The scent of vomitus wafted through the air.

“B-But Boss! That damn noble’s too arrogant! He even spat on my face when I talked to him!”

“So what?!” The sound of wooden boxes flying and breaking was heard. “Tell me, how are

 we going to get the ransom with a dead body?! Tell me!”

The owner of the voice was filled with vehement fury that Evander could feel his rage pierce his very flesh. With what he heard, Evander tried putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

“M-Maybe we can still revive him? Let’s try asking some magician in the—”

“—There’s no magic capable of reviving the dead! Argh! God, Damn it!”

A moment of silence followed. Only the sound of heavy breathing was heard. Evander tried opening his eyes but failed. The cloth wrapped around his head prevented his eyes from opening.

“Boss, what should we do?”

“Burn the body. We can’t leave any evidence behind. Burn this damn place too after that.”

“But what about the ransom money?”

“Didn’t you hear what I’ve told you?! How are we supposed to get the ransom with a dead body! If you understand, go and burn the damn body!”

Evander felt numerous hands untying him. His eyes were still blindfolded, but the ropes tied around his feet were cut.

Evander was confused on what was happening. He was sure that he died on his bed, but now, he suddenly found himself tied and gagged by some unknown individuals.

“Wait… Boss.”

The men carrying him froze. Slowly, they put his tied body down on the ground.

“He’s… He’s still alive!”

“You felt it too? There’s definitely a pulse!”

After that declaration, the sound of someone running was heard. He felt someone palpating his neck to check for the pulse. A shout filled with glee erupted.

“The damn bastard’s alive! He’s alive!” shouted the Boss. “Quick! The water!”

The cloth stuffed inside Evander’s mouth was removed, along with his blindfold. Without warning, cold water splashed on his face. He blinked thrice then spat out the blood that clung inside his mouth.

It took his eyes some time before it was able to finally adjust to the darkness. Looking around, he realized that he was inside a small chamber. Two small torches were latched on the walls on the sides, while wooden boxes were piled on top of each other nearby. Surrounding him were five grown men.

The one at the center breathed a sigh of relief. He stared at the blinking Evander, then grinned.

“Little pup, so you’re still alive,” he said. He did not conceal the chuckle in his voice. “You got us worried for nothing!”

Judging by the voice, this person was probably the one they called Boss. Evander first imagined him as a large, bulky man. But contrary to his expectations, this person was a thin guy with long, unshaven chin. Numerous tattoos were on his skin. Two large metallic rings pierced his nose.

Still stunned by what was happening, Evander remained silent.

“Speak up!” snarled the Boss.

A fist struck Evander’s face, sending a tooth out of his mouth. The taste of blood became increasingly familiar.

After coughing thrice, Evander spoke his mind. “Where am I? What’s happening? I don’t understand.”

His mind was filled with numerous questions. He almost failed to notice the pain that permeated his entire body due to his confusion.

The men around him looked at each other. Eventually, one of them replied. “Pretending you don’t remember?” He spat on Evander’s face. “Look, if your father doesn’t bring us the money soon, we’ll start cutting off your limbs one by one.”

The confusion within Evander increased. Father? Money? A lot of things did not make any sense.

For now, he decided to get rid of the wounds on his body. Although he was used to pain due to his experiences in the battlefield, it was still an unpleasant sensation.

“The floor feels damn cold,” he mumbled.

To the men’s surprise, the ropes tied around his hands burned and turned to dust. Evander slowly stood up, dusted off his clothes, then channeled his mana through his body. Slowly, the wounds on his skin closed.

The five men took several steps back upon seeing the phenomenon. They have seen magic numerous times before, but not something like this. It was supposedly impossible to heal all of those wounds in a matter of seconds.

Evander looked around. The door of the chamber was locked with a metallic chain.

“I have some questions. I hope you’ll answer them for me,” said Evander.

He frowned. He knew that this was not his body. There was no way he was this small and thin. Furthermore, the clothes he wore was too gaudy, with frills at the neck and the sleeves.

“W-Who are you?” breathed the Boss. He locked eyes with Evander for a moment and couldn’t help but feel a chill crawl up his spine. The previously fearful eyes of this young noble had become predatory. The same eyes of those that have taken numerous lives before.

After wiping the blood that was stuck at the corner of his lips, Evander replied, “Who am I? That’s what I’m trying to find out.”