Who would have known that Evander Alaester, the so-called Arch Magus, would not die on the battlefield but from a curse?

More than a dozen disciples surrounded Evander on his deathbed, their eyes brimming with tears.

“Teacher! You promised that once I became a Royal Court Magician, you would 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 her hair. 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 a village devastated by a ground dragon. Although those creatures were weak in Evander’s eyes, they still possessed enough strength to lay waste to a village or two. The desert clans had been unable to subdue the ground dragon, resulting in hundreds of casualties. This girl was among those that survived.

After he killed the ground dragon, the young girl followed him. It would have been easy for Evander to shake the tail, but his curiosity got the better of him. After three days of being followed through the desert, he finally turned and confronted the young girl.

“Why are you following me?” he asked.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

It had been three days since she started following Evander in the desert, and he had not seen her eat even once. Furthermore, the skin flask of water she carried had long been empty. The girl seemed to follow him through sheer will alone.

“Do 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 foolish, 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 moment, he decided to accept disciples, nurturing them to lead the path for the next generation.

Right now, those very same disciples surrounded him, uttering things one after another, telling him that he should be strong, and entreating him to resist the curse.

Unfortunately, this curse was not from any monster, but a failed experiment. When he was young, Evander had searched for the elixir of immortality. He sought 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 ate his soul. And now, at only fifty years old, he was slowly dying.

Looking back on his youth, Evander 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 Evander could have traveled back in time and met with his younger self, he would have told him that what he sought was 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. 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 am no longer able to accompany each of you through the path ahead. The war with the demons will surely be tough, but I have faith in every one of you.’

‘Leanne,’ said Evander to the young girl. ‘After my death, take my research from the Forbidden Tower. Inside those books I have written the secret of the Void History. 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 lip as tears fell down his cheeks. “Yes, Teacher.”

Evander closed his eyes. Moments later his body turned to dust.

***

Evander never believed in the afterlife. To him, the gods were 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 still feel sensations throughout his body. He felt the pain in his chest and knees. He tasted blood in his mouth. He smelled the scent of burned flesh.

What’s happening?

Evander heard voices.

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

The thud 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 spoke to him!”

“So what?!”

Evander heard the crashing sounds of wooden boxes flying and breaking.

“Tell me, how are we going to get the ransom with a dead body? Tell me!”

The speaker was filled with such vehement fury that Evander could feel the 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 could be heard. Evander tried opening his eyes but the cloth wrapped around his head prevented him.

“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 told you?! How are we supposed to get the ransom with a dead body? If you understand, go and burn it!”

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

Evander was confused about what was happening. He had been certain that he died on his bed, but now, he found himself tied and gagged by 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, Evander heard the sound of someone running. He felt someone palpating his neck to check for the pulse. A gleeful shout 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 to adjust to the darkness. Looking around, he realized he was inside a small chamber. Two small torches were latched to the side walls, 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 had us worried for nothing.”

Judging by the voice, this person was probably the one they called boss. Evander had first imagined him a large, bulky man. But contrary to his expectations, he was a thin guy with a long, unshaven chin. Numerous tattoos covered 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 flying out of his mouth. The taste of blood became increasingly familiar.

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

Numerous questions filled his mind. He almost failed to notice the pain that permeated his 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 needed to get rid of his wounds. Although he was used to pain from his experiences in the battlefield, it was still an unpleasant sensation.

“The floor feels damn cold,” Evander mumbled.

To the men’s surprise, the ropes tying 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. They had seen magic numerous times before, but not like this. It should have been impossible to heal all of those wounds in only seconds.

Evander looked around. The door of the chamber was locked with a metal 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. He had never been this small and thin. The clothes he wore were too gaudy, with frills at the neck and the sleeves, instead of a plain robe.

“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 one who had taken numerous lives before.

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