CHAPTER 36: 36: THE PATH OF THE MAGE IX

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John closed his eyes, letting the fire crackle and the forest murmur. His body relaxed, but his mind remained alert. The last mana particle pulsed faintly in his awareness, somewhere southeast, calling to him in the darkness.

Tomorrow, they will continue. Tomorrow, he would step closer to unlocking the black hole inside him.

But for tonight, the world was still. And for once, even Fizz went quiet.

The fire crackled softly, throwing orange light across the rocks and branches. Smoke curled lazily upward and was swallowed by the night sky, where a scattering of stars peeked through shifting clouds. Fizz was already snoring on John’s chest. His fluffy and furry belly was rising and falling with each absurdly loud breath. Every few seconds he muttered nonsense in his sleep, things like "mushroom die" and "I am the king of roasting."

John stared into the flames for a long while, letting the forest sounds sink in. Crickets sang their steady chorus. An owl called once, then again. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine.

Hoot!! Hoot!!

He exhaled slowly, his thoughts circling back to the question he had held in his mind since the first day he talked to the ring. Since the day of death on earth and reincarnation to this magical world. Tonight felt like the right time to ask the system.

He whispered in his thoughts.

"System. What exactly is an abyss class artifact? I have wanted to ask this for a long time. I searched in this world’s books and the highest grade I could find was legendary. Common, uncommon, rare, legendary. That is all I know and find out about the grades. But you told me before I died that you are an abyss grade artifact. In my world, Earth had no magic, no magic grades. I need to understand it."

The fire popped softly, and the familiar cold voice resonated in his mind.

[Ding! Host Inquiry Confirmed. Explanation Initiated.]

[Abyss Class Artifacts are beyond the knowledge of this world. In my origin or birth place, the basic artifact grade starts from Legendary. Ranks move from one to nine. Above Legendary is Mythical, rank one to nine. Above Mythical is Nightmare, rank one to nine. Above Nightmare is Abyss. There is nothing higher.]

The system continued with the information.

[An Abyss Class Artifact exists across multiple universes at the same time. I can survive in the void between worlds. But the Earth existence you knew was lost with you when you died. I used my remaining fragments to reincarnate you and form the modern technology system.]

John’s brow furrowed. "You mean... you are alive in multiple universes at once?"

[Correct. My essence is fractured yet connected. When you died, I forced a partial awakening and pulled your soul to this world where another part of me already existed. That fragment was in your mother’s family for generations. When the fragments combined, I could fulfill a promise.]

"A promise?" John whispered under his breath.

[Yes. Many thousands of years ago, one of your ancestors on Earth was a simple Ape man by the standards of the earth. Yet he aided me when I was facing a problem. I promised him that one day, I would assist his bloodline and gave him one fragment of the ring. He kept the ring and passed it to the next generation. You were the last of that bloodline in the twenty-first century. When you were about to die, I awakened to honor that vow. You told me that you wanted to live. I could not heal your fatal injury in time. Earth was barren of mana. So I gave you reincarnation as the only option.]

John’s fingers tightened on the bedroll. The flames flickered, painting his knuckles with light.

"So you brought me here. To a world where your other fragment existed."

[Correct. Now you carry two parts of my whole. But there are seven more, scattered in different universes. Some are already soul bonded to other lifeforms. Collecting them all would make you the true master of an Abyss grade artifact. But for now, that is impossible.]

John swallowed slowly. He thought about the promise, about the fragments, about the ancient link between him and something that spanned worlds. He thought about the black hole core pulsing quietly in his chest.

"What happens if I find another piece?"

[Power. Knowledge. Memory. But also risk. Enemies will sense you and try to take the fragments away.]

John stared into the fire. "You know everything, don’t you? Everything about the cosmos, about this world and many more."

[Knowledge is infinite. But knowing too much will not help you now. Survive. Live as you wished when you begged for a life. This is your second life. Live and survive. That is enough.]

John leaned back against the rock, eyes half closed. He wanted to ask more. About the other fragments. About the universes beyond. About the black hole waiting inside him. But the system’s final words lingered like an unspoken warning.

[Rest, host John White. Your journey has only begun. One day if the situation is right you will know more about the multiverse and your universe.]

The fire popped again. Fizz snorted in his sleep and mumbled, "Bow before Lord Fizz... worship me or eat dirt..."

John almost smiled. The world felt quiet, peaceful. The fire’s warmth sank into his damp clothes, the night air cool against his face. Smoke rose in slow, twisting ribbons, disappearing into the star pricked sky. The smell of pine, wet earth, and faint ash filled his lungs. Fizz snored softly on his chest, his tiny body warm like a living ember.

But in the distance, among the trees at the edge of the firelight, something stirred.

A shadow detached from the darkness, subtle as a breath of wind. Its movement was silent, patient. At first, it could have been a trick of the flames flickering against the trunks but then a shape leaned against the base of an old pine tree.