The forest reacted before any conscious creature could understand what was happening.
The most instinctive beasts - birds, predators, even the ancient watchers of the forest - fled. The ground trembled subtly, as if the earth itself recognized that something unnameable was being born within it.
It wasn't just light: it was a presence. At the heart of this commotion, the figure of Orion was engulfed by a halo of incandescent energy.
Inside that blazing epicenter, his body was being rebuilt by forces that surpassed any mundane classification.
Cosmic energy - pure and raw - flowed through his veins as if it had always belonged to him. The internal structures that sustained his existence collapsed and were reborn in frenetic cycles. Bones elongated and stiffened; muscles adjusted themselves with absolute precision; the previous skin, dry and aged, fragmented into gray dust, revealing new, perfect, immaculate layers.
There was no pain - just an overwhelming sensation of being filled with something that should never have been contained.
When the luminosity finally dissipated, there remained a man shaped not by nature, but by something beyond it. His features were symmetrical, almost unreal, sculpted with a harmony that defied traditional human forms.
His hair, now a deep, flowing red, fell like an incandescent cascade down to his heels. Her eyes, of a shifting crystalline blue, reflected the sky and the abyss at the same time, with nuances that varied as the light touched her face. Her skin, smooth and pale like the marble of a celestial temple, radiated a soft, almost ethereal glow, as if absorbing and reflecting the very essence of the moon.
Hovering in the air in front of him, an energetic surface took shape, polished like a water mirror.
Orion observed himself. He recognized traces of the man he had been, but now young, intense and eternal.
There was something solemn about his face - and in his eyes, a weight that contrasted with his apparent youth. The weight of five decades lived, faced, endured.
Introspection brought him a slight smile. Such a simple gesture, but one that hadn't appeared for many years.
As if the universe were responding to this silent acceptance, a metallic sound echoed in the layers of reality around her.
『Transformation complete. Do you wish to raise your cultivation level?』
"Yes. Now" His voice sounded clear and firm, without hesitation. He was ready.
『Ascension process has begun. Cosmic ether convergence underway...』
The world shook slightly.
A silent sequence of stages began to unfold within him, as if invisible steps were being formed one by one beneath his feet - not only elevating his existence, but redefining what it meant to exist.
Core Formation...Eternal Palace...Sage of the Path...Transcendent King...Great Emperor...Celestial Immortal...Primordial God... Empty King... ∞
An incomprehensible flow of energy poured into him - dense, pure, limitless.
He felt the fabric of his being expand beyond his body. Stars became grains of dust dancing in his bloodstream. Galaxies spun like cells in his organs. His every breath was a cosmic movement. Every thought, a miniature Big Bang.
Reality seemed malleable - fragile even. As if, with a gesture, he could break mountains, evaporate oceans or write new destinies on ancient stones.
He floated, naturally, as if the ground had become optional.
From above, the forest looked like a living model. He saw energy patterns crossing every leaf, every being. The forest pulsed with life... but he was now something beyond ordinary life.
Even so, he understood the risk. He was beyond the ordinary - and he needed to prevent his mere presence from destroying what shouldn't be destroyed.
With that thought, he flew. Hours later, in a clearing protected by untouched nature, he found the place. A small, isolated paradise.
There was a clear river flowing calmly, reflecting the sky with crystalline precision. Rare flowers spread almost forgotten scents. Ancient trees formed natural vaults, like cathedrals shaped by eternity.
Orion landed slowly in the center of the clearing, closing his eyes. When he opened them, reality answered.
Golden wood sprang from the earth. It intertwined in elegant, silent patterns, shaping pillars and walls without nails, without tools. The roof emerged curved, decorated with ancient symbols.
In a few seconds, a house was born.
Orion touched one of the walls and felt the bond forming "This will be my sanctuary"
『Existential analysis: host lacks vital purpose』
The warning came out calmly but firmly.
Orion frowned.
『Suggestions:
➤ Subsystem: Eternal Empire - formation of transcendental civilization
➤Subsystem: Eternal Sect - immortal lineage of cultivators』
The proposal sounded like an invitation to greatness. But also a reminder of the emptiness he was trying to fill.
He sat down by the river. The water touched his feet lightly. A comforting coolness.
He remembered Celestia. Of the war. The mistakes. The country he didn't save. Of those he lost.
"An empire..." he muttered. "Something I control. Something eternal. Something that won't perish like everything I've ever built."
He looked up at the sky between the treetops.
And then he spoke - as if he were talking to an old invisible friend. "Activate the system. Display my status. Just like in the Celestia games"
『Processing... Status subsystem activated』
『DING』
In front of Orion, lines of light formed in the air, making up a floating panel. It was as if the universe had decided to represent his new nature through a familiar interface, shaped by the memory of the games of his youth.
『Character Record』
Name: Orion Oliveira
Title: Guardian of Eternity
Body: Eternal Primordial Chaos
Eyes: Eternity of Chaos
Soul: Soul of Chaos
Spiritual Root: Primordial Root
Cultivation: ∞
Dao: ∞
Attributes: Strength: ∞
Agility: ∞
Endurance: ∞
Wisdom: ∞
Charisma: ∞
Luck: ∞
Primary Skills:
1. Time-Space Manipulation
2. Reality Creation
3. Reading Souls
4. Divine Transcendence
5. Conscious Omnipresence
Supreme Technique: Path of the Divine Ether
---
Orion remained silent for long seconds, looking at the panel before him.
It wasn't pride he felt. It was astonishment. Such vastness condensed into his human form was both glorious and absurd.
"So that's what it feels like to be... beyond?" The whisper escaped naturally, almost without perception.
There were no more weaknesses, no more limits. But the absence of weaknesses didn't mean the absence of challenges - and he knew it.
Power was a foundation, not a throne.
He rose slowly. His surroundings still pulsed with the resonance of his presence, as if the world was learning to bear him.
Despite his new essence, there were pleasures he didn't want to abandon.
He walked inside the newly-manifested house. The wooden floor glowed with a vivid hue, soft to the touch.
He sat down on a bed with a simple but strangely comfortable surface, shaped to fit his body perfectly.
He lay down.
Sleep was unnecessary now, he knew. But it was also an emotional memory, a link to the life he'd had before.
He closed his eyes. Within seconds, peace took over his mind. Dawn came quietly.
The first ray of sunshine found Orion standing on the balcony, watching the subtle dance of the breeze between the trees.
His eyes reflected the sky - but no ordinary sky. They reflected the vastness behind the veil of the visible world.
She took a deep breath.
The air tasted like new morning.
Birds sang. A distant creature roared. Everything was in balance.
"Best night's rest since Sirius IV," he muttered, remembering.
He headed inside the house.
Wordlessly, he wished for breakfast - and it materialized.
A rustic plate with golden eggs, lightly toasted crusty bread, vividly colored fruit with exotic aromas.
A fragrant cup of coffee appeared next to it, filling the room with a comforting warmth.
He savored each bite with the attention of someone who had time.
Each bite brought back memories - of the land, of childhood, of battles, of loss and laughter.
When he had finished, he leaned back in his wooden chair and stared at the horizon between the trees.
"It's time to begin" The voice sounded firm, without hesitation.
He was at peace, but not at rest. There was a purpose to be chosen. An empire to be built. Not by the hands of others, but by his will.