The Gears Begin to Turn

In the blink of an eye, thousands of years vanished into nothingness.

As time flew by, the energy and vitality between heaven and earth gradually withered, and magic and battle qi diminished along with them.

The once-resplendent magical civilization thus marched towards its terminus; gods no longer manifested, elements decayed, and non-human races, their strength greatly diminished, hid themselves within the mountains and forests.

Even the majestic and inviolable Holy Court saw its authority fall by the wayside.

And in this era where mystery remained hidden, the gears of fate once again began to turn.

Yoiz is the name of a forest situated at the foot of Mount Loever.

Legend has it that many animals within this forest are incarnations of deities; consequently, people from the nearby mountain villages often come here to pray, beseeching the gods for peace and prosperity.

Over time, these miraculous legends cast a veil of mystery over the forest.

However, today, a strange object appeared within this lush, green jungle.

This pitch-black object had descended from the heavens, crushing an unknown number of flowers and plants upon its landing.

It was rectangular in shape, bound tightly with iron chains and heavy locks; the mottled traces on its surface were filled with a thick aura of decay, resembling an antique that had weathered countless years without care.

The fellow that fell from the sky lay quietly in the center of a clearing in the forest.

The thumping sounds occasionally emanating from within frightened away countless passing beasts.

The forest did not change because of the addition of this strange black object; it simply continued its course, step by step.

Just like that, another decade passed.

The black object became covered in a layer of emerald moss and vines; the chains, invaded by new greenery, began to show hairline cracks, and the thumping sounds coming from inside became clearer.

It was another silent night; moonlight cast fragmented beams through the branches, weaving together with the shadows on the ground.

The nameless wildflowers blooming in the forest were bathed in the cold light, coated in a dreamlike hue.

A gentle breeze brushed past like a soft hand, the swaying deep greens causing ripples in the silence, while the rustling leaves added a touch of serenity to the forest.

However, the sudden wails and roars not far away abruptly shattered the hazy moonlight of the forest clearing, forcibly filling it with a bleak, bloody color.

The one wailing and fleeing was a brown wolf; dragging a lame leg, she continued to run with all her might.

Fresh blood flowed from her body, splashing onto the ground and blooming into blood-colored roses.

Desperately squeezing out energy that had long been depleted, she turned her burning life force into the power to run.

Every muscle in her body trembled, issuing a silent warning; her vision began to darken, and blood once again overflowed from the corner of her mouth.

Yet, she did not stop her frantic pace, for she was desperately escaping the hunter’s pursuit not only to survive herself but also for the children in her belly.

The hunters’ shouts grew closer.

The injured she-wolf desperately accelerated again, but in her panic, she evidently forgot to check if the path ahead was clear.

“Thud!”

With a dull impact, the brown-furred wolf slammed solidly into that rectangular black object.

Finally overwhelmed, the she-wolf rolled her eyes back and fainted.

“Haha! That stupid wolf hit a tree!”

“Yeah, that’s incredibly lucky!”

Not long after the she-wolf passed out, two hunters carrying lanterns stepped into the clearing.

“Great! I didn’t expect to catch one just as we were about to call it a day!”

“Look at the fur on this wolf; it’s worth at least two silver coins! We made a big profit!”

“You can say that again…”

“Alas…”

A heavy sigh drifted eerily through the air, echoing in the forest clearing without dispersing.

“Who is it!” *2

The sudden sigh made the two hunters flustered; they shouted to embolden themselves while looking around wildly.

“Me…? You need not know… I am keeping this wolf… You may leave…”

The ethereal and gloomy voice spoke intermittently.

Under the illumination of the moonlight, the hunters felt as if the originally still trees began to twist at these eerie words, lunging at them with bared fangs and brandished claws!

The surroundings seemed to transform into a ghostly hellscape; in an instant, all the forest horror stories the hunters had heard as children jumped out from the depths of their minds one after another.

Looking carefully at the ‘stump’ the she-wolf had crashed into, they realized it wasn’t a stump at all!

It was clearly a coffin bound tightly with iron chains!

And that weird, gloomy voice was coming from inside this coffin.

“Mommy!” “Ghost!”

With two miserable screams, the hunters turned and ran without even looking back.

“Heh, was that really so scary?”

Listening to the sounds of the two hunters fleeing in panic, a low chuckle emerged from the black coffin.

“As for this wolf, I suppose I should save her. She might die from blood loss otherwise.”

A wisp of black smoke emerged from the cracks of the black coffin, transforming into an ethereal hand that gently brushed over the injured wolf’s body.

The wounds healed, and stamina returned; in the blink of an eye, the dying brown she-wolf was restored to perfect health.

“Oh? You’re carrying little ones.”

Seeming to notice the slightly bulging belly, the hand made of black mist paused for a moment, and the cold voice from the coffin fluctuated slightly.

“I was originally just moved by your strong desire to survive, but I didn’t expect you to be a mother! Fine, fine, since I’m saving you, I might as well go all the way. Here’s a little benefit for you!”

More black mist poured out from the cracks in the coffin, flowing into the slightly bulging belly.

The she-wolf’s pained breathing became steady, and between breaths, she fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing that the she-wolf was asleep, the hand made of black mist floated out again, returning a moment later with a pile of fruits placed before the wolf.

“Sleep, sleep. You’ll be fine when you wake up tomorrow.”

The mist hand patted the furry head before dissipating.

Feeling the steady pulse of life outside the seal, Kovit felt a sense of peace and joy in his heart.

When he was first sealed, Kovit felt only infinite rage and hatred swallowing him; in that moment, he hated the world, hated himself, hated everything!

He believed that even if he escaped in the future, his mind would be twisted, and he would become a truly crazy, murderous devil, raising waves of blood in the human world!

But the thousands of years sealed in the void had washed away the anger, mania, sorrow, and hatred, leaving behind only endless loneliness and indifference.

Time in the void was boring and empty.

The last devil in this world recalled his past bit by bit in the darkness: the mundane daily life of his first life, the despairing revenge of his second life—replayed countless times in his mind.

Memories are like pencil drawings on thin paper; frequent rubbing causes them to blur, fade, and vanish.

Thousands of cycles of recollection had worn the paper carrying those memories until it was tattered.

The pain faded, the sadness faded, the madness faded, the joy faded; all that remained was a faded timelessness.

And the gloom buried deep in his heart finally vanished after being replayed time and again, now leaving only the purest tranquility, like still water, and the indifferent leisure of a long existence.

As the saying goes, one is strong when one has no desires.

With an indifferent state of mind, even while sealed in the void, his understanding of his abilities improved rapidly.

Before falling out of the void, Kovit had already taken that step countless people dreamed of.

“The day the seal is lifted isn’t far off… I should be able to get out in two or three months at most, right?”

Lying in the coffin, Kovit smiled as he felt the seal around him crumbling.

“I really don’t know what the world is like now, but judging by the attire of those two hunters, it’s probably similar to the Middle Ages in my memories.”

“Also, the magic power in the air is less than one percent of what it used to be. Has the Age of Magic’s End arrived? Hah…”

Shaking his head in boredom, Kovit closed his eyes and began to surge his magic power to continue eroding the seal binding him.

In the early morning, slightly chilly dew condensed upon the blades of grass, refracting brilliant light.

The chirping of insects amidst the drifting green mist emitted the luster of life; from the low-lying areas came the occasional croak of a frog asserting its existence, but it soon turned to silence, replaced by the joyful singing of birds.

The entire forest was immersed in the intoxicating morning light, a scene full of vitality.

“Wu~~”

With a slight whimper from her nose, the sleeping she-wolf shook her head and surveyed her surroundings.

In her somewhat groggy vision was the familiar green scenery; there were no humans, no shouting, only the forest breeze mixed with the scent of earth.

“Awoo!”

But just as she wondered why she hadn’t been taken away, a sudden, sharp pain from the tip of her tail made her howl miserably.

She jumped three feet high, hurriedly turning around to check what had attacked her.

She saw a black sand scorpion holding its tail high, looking at her with arrogance; caught in the pincers were a few strands of brown wolf fur.

With a roar of anger, the wolf’s furious paw strike instantly turned this proud scorpion into a star in the sky.

“Pfft, haha.” A light chuckle came from the black coffin.

The soft laughter from the coffin startled the wolf; she hurriedly braced herself, baring her teeth at the pitch-black object that had produced the sound.

“What a cute little fellow. Catch!”

A bright red apple traced a beautiful red arc through the air, falling right in front of the wolf’s head.