The carriage rolled on through the night, wheels humming softly against the dirt path. Inside, Eiden sat with his eyes half‑closed, one hand resting lightly on Bengie's injured leg.
A faint glow pulsed from his palm.
Healing magic, delicate, precise, ancient.
Torn tissue re‑knit itself.
Burned flesh restored.
Damaged muscle reformed as if sculpted anew.
Bengie exhaled sharply.
The pain vanished.
He flexed his leg once, stunned.
"…Thank you," he muttered.
Eiden didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Hours passed.
Night deepened.
And finally, after a long, quiet ride, the carriage slowed.
They had reached the border of Linn.
A massive stone wall stretched across the land like a sleeping titan.
Dozens of mages in gold and white robes patrolled the area, their cloaks fluttering in the cold night wind.
Lanterns of pure mana floated above them, illuminating the gate.
A female mage stepped forward, raising her hand.
"STOP!"
The horses halted instantly.
"Do you have clearance?" she demanded.
Eiden turned to Bengie and handed him the pendant.
Bengie opened the carriage door and stepped out.
He placed his once‑injured foot on the ground.
No pain.
He let out a relieved breath.
He held out the pendant.
"We have clearance from King Nipolla."
The mage snatched it from his hand, examining the crest, the wax seal, the signature, the date.
Her eyes widened slightly.
It was real.
She handed it back.
"Very well. Have a safe journey."
Bengie nodded and returned to the carriage.
The gates rumbled open, revealing a path bathed in soft mana light.
The driver flicked the reins.
The carriage rolled forward.
And the moment they crossed the threshold.
The air changed.
Mana flowed like a gentle river.
The atmosphere felt warm, calm, peaceful.
Even the wind carried a soothing hum.
Eiden looked out the window.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
"We're close," he whispered. "Just an hour left. Then I can reclaim my body."
His Infinite Grimoire.
His sword.
His glove.
Everything he lost.
He could feel it...
The night faded.
Sunrise painted the land gold.
White Fe'ja birds soared overhead in elegant packs, singing melodies so beautiful they made even hardened warriors relax.
Bengie watched them through the window.
"They sound beautiful."
Eiden let out a small "hmph" of agreement.
The carriage continued until it reached a massive stone wall surrounded by a shimmering red dome barrier.
The gates opened.
An elf with red eyes and a black‑and‑red robe stepped out, stopping directly in front of the carriage.
"What do you need?" he asked, voice deep and cold.
Eiden stepped out immediately, walking right up to him.
"I am Eiden the First Divinity," he said, staring up into the elf's eyes. "I want my original body returned to me. Along with every item that was found with it."
The elf's expression twitched.
Is this a joke?
Eiden the First Divinity… alive? In a baby's body? Impossible…
But the mana radiating from Eiden was undeniable.
"Very well," the elf said. "Follow me. Your companions stay outside."
"Fine," Eiden replied. "Just make sure they don't get eaten."
Inside the Redcrest Clan
Eiden followed the elf through the gates.
Inside, dozens of elves practiced spells, read red grimoires, or meditated.
The moment they sensed Eiden's mana, everything stopped.
Books froze mid‑air.
Spells fizzled out.
Eyes widened.
A baby… radiating mana so dense it felt like gravity.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
The chief approached, an elf with youthful features, long white hair, and a calm but powerful aura. His robe was white, black, and red, embroidered with ancient runes.
He stopped in front of Eiden.
"Who is this child?" he asked.
The escorting elf bowed slightly.
"He claims to be Eiden the First Divinity. Reincarnated."
The chief's eyes widened.
There was only one way to know.
"Follow me… baby."
He turned sharply and walked with a hurried pace.
Eiden followed.
They descended into an underground chamber, dirt walls, shelves of grimoires, a single table.
But Eiden saw more.
Behind the wall…
He could see it.
His body.
His items.
Everything.
The chief placed his hand on the wall.
"Open."
A red glow spread across the stone.
The wall split apart.
Inside was a sealed chamber.
A glass dome protected by a red barrier.
Inside the dome lay a body.
His body.
Tall.
Muscular.
Brown‑skinned.
White‑haired.
Eyes closed, peaceful.
On glass shelves nearby:
His sword.
His Infinite Grimoire.
His glove.
Everything he had lost.
The chief stepped forward, igniting his palm with red aura.
"There is only one way to prove you are truly Eiden. If you fail… you and your companions will die."
Eiden didn't react.
His eyes were locked on his body.
The chief approached the Infinite Grimoire.
He placed his hand on the glass.
"Release."
The barrier shattered into red particles.
He lifted the glass cover and set it aside.
He picked up the Infinite Grimoire and walked to Eiden.
He held it out.
"If you are truly Eiden, the bind he placed on this grimoire will recognize you. It will open to the first page. If not… I will kill you."
Eiden glared at him, then took the grimoire.
He channeled his aura into it.
Nothing happened.
The chief smirked.
"I thought so."
He raised his palm, aura intensifying.
"That man was someone to honor, not impersonate!"
He aimed his hand at Eiden's skull.
A beam began to form.
But then...
The Infinite Grimoire glowed.
A brilliant blue aura erupted from it.
The glass dome around Eiden's original body shattered into dust.
The red barrier dissolved.
Eiden's baby body cracked, crumbling into ash.
His soul floated free, glowing faintly.
It drifted toward the body.
Into the body.
Darkness.
Silence.
No breath.
No heartbeat.
No sensation.
Did it work?
Where am I?
Then-
His eyes snapped open.
He gasped, a deep, desperate breath he hadn't taken in nineteen years.
He sat up, chest rising and falling rapidly.
He looked around.
Then at his hands.
His beautiful brown‑toned hands.
He clenched them into fists.
"I'm back…" he whispered. "I'm truly back."
He stood.
Power surged through him like a storm.
He had succeeded.
After nineteen years…
Eiden the First Divinity had returned.
The chief, Fennaro, let out a shaky breath as the aura in his palm flickered out.
His knees buckled.
He collapsed to the ground, trembling.
Not from fear.
From relief.
From overwhelming, soul‑deep relief.
For centuries, he had believed his closest friend, the only person he ever trusted, was gone forever.
And now that friend stood before him again.
Eiden turned his gaze toward him, grey eyes softening as he examined the trembling elf.
Fennaro looked like he was seconds away from breaking down.
"Fennaro," Eiden said quietly. "Don't cry. You should've known I'd return someday."
Fennaro's voice cracked.
"I… I thought you were gone forever. You never told anyone, not once, that you could reincarnate yourself. I was losing my mind. Do you know how insane I went? I–I-"
He couldn't finish.
Eiden stepped forward, still wearing nothing but the cloth wrapped around his waist, and pulled Fennaro into a firm embrace, pressing the chief's head against his chest.
"I know," Eiden murmured. "It's fine. I'm back. Gods, stop with all the emotions already."
Fennaro let out a shaky laugh through his tears.
Eiden helped him stand, though Fennaro's legs were still trembling.
"Now," Eiden said, "release the seals on my clothes and equipment. We'll talk after."
Fennaro nodded quickly, wiping his eyes.
He raised his palm.
"R‑release."
The barriers shattered into red mana particles, dissolving into the air like dust in sunlight.
Eiden stepped forward.
He placed his Infinite Grimoire gently on the small bed where his body had once rested.
Then he approached the wall where his clothes hung, his black robe and cloak, untouched for nineteen years.
"I ask you two to give me privacy," Eiden said.
"Of course!" Fennaro said immediately. He grabbed the other elf by the arm. "Come on."
They stepped out, and the wall sealed shut behind them.
Silence filled the chamber.
A peaceful silence.
A silence Eiden hadn't felt in nearly two decades.
He reached for his robe, brushing dust from the fabric with a sweep of his palm.
He slipped it on, the familiar weight settling across his shoulders like a long‑lost memory.
Then he wrapped his cloak around himself, fastening the clasp at his collarbone.
The cloak draped down to his feet, flowing like a shadow.
He walked to the corner and picked up his black boots.
He slid them on.
They fit perfectly.
He exhaled softly.
It felt like coming home.
But there was one item left.
The most important one.
Eiden approached the shelf containing his glove, the artifact that allowed him to control every magic type in existence… except one.
Divinark Magic.
The magic of conceptual omnireality.
The magic he would soon claim.
He lifted the glove, feeling the cold metal against his fingers.
He slid his left hand inside.
It locked into place with a soft click.
Power surged through him, familiar, ancient, absolute.
He turned to the next shelf and picked up his katana.
He unsheathed it just an inch.
A wave of aura pulsed outward, shaking the air.
He smirked and sheathed it again, sliding it into his belt.
Then he picked up his Infinite Grimoire and clipped it to his side.
Everything he had hunted for…
Everything he had lost…
Everything he had been waiting for…
He had it all back.
Except one thing...
With a single spell thought in his head, Eiden teleported.
He appeared beside Fennaro at the top of the underground pit.
Fennaro jumped, startled.
He looked Eiden up and down, the robe, the cloak, the boots, the glove, the sword, the grimoire.
"You look like you were never gone," Fennaro said softly.
Eiden chuckled.
"I'm aware."
He glanced toward the gate.
"I want to talk with you, but Bengie and the driver are still waiting. I should speak with them first."
Fennaro nodded.
"I'll wait here."
Eiden walked toward the gate.
The clan members opened it for him, raising the barrier just enough for him to pass through.
Outside, Bengie stood beside the carriage.
He froze when he saw Eiden.
He stared.
Up and down.
Disbelief in his eyes.
"I never thought I'd see the real Eiden again," Bengie said quietly. "In your original body…"
Eiden stepped closer.
"You helped me get my body back. My equipment. Everything I asked for. Now it's my turn to return the favor."
Bengie blinked.
Eiden continued.
"With my presence back in the world, the other Seven Great Sages will soon know I've returned. Iris will likely be the first to come. When she does, I'll speak to her about killing the twelve‑tailed wolves your people rely on."
Bengie let out a long breath.
"Thank you. Truly."
Eiden smiled faintly.
"I want you to give this to King Nipolla."
He raised his palm and summoned a grimoire, a new one, glowing faintly with protective mana.
Bengie took it, examining the cover.
"What… is this?"
"A barrier grimoire," Eiden said. "The one I promised him. Deliver it on your way back."
Bengie nodded firmly.
"Of course. But… what will you do now?"
Eiden looked toward the horizon.
"First, I'll catch up with Fennaro. Then I'll reunite with the rest of the Seven Great Sages."
A silence stretched.
Then Eiden's eyes hardened.
"And after that…"
He exhaled slowly.
"I will find The Grimoire of Divinark."