The city of Eldran slept under the twin moons. Shadows stretched across cobblestone streets, and a faint hum of latent magic whispered through the air. To most, it was just another quiet night but Isaac Ardent felt the world vibrating beneath him.
He stood atop a crumbling tower on the outskirts of the city, cloak fluttering in the cold wind. Black hair streaked with silver caught the moonlight, and his ice-blue eyes glimmered faintly. He was seventeen, yet the wisdom in his gaze betrayed knowledge far beyond his years.
Tonight, he would awaken the power that had been dormant since his reincarnation
the power that had brought him here to this world, to this city. Systemic Arcana. The ability to rewrite the rules of magic itself.
A low rumble echoed from the city streets. Isaac narrowed his eyes. The elite mages had arrived. A squad of five, each wearing the golden insignia of the Arcane Council, advanced with staffs blazing with elemental runes.
"You dare stand here, boy?" one of them shouted. Fire danced across his staff. "Do you even know who you're challenging?"
Isaac tilted his head, letting a small smirk appear. "I do," he said softly.
The ground beneath the squad shivered. Something about Isaac made even hardened mages pause. His staff shifted in his hands, morphing into a translucent blade that shimmered with impossible colors. The squad hesitated, sensing a force beyond comprehension.
"Attack!" their leader commanded.
Fireballs, ice shards, and streaks of lightning shot toward him. Isaac didn't move. Time itself seemed to slow, and every attack froze midair.
He extended a hand. With a thought, he bent reality. Fire became water. Ice turned to smoke. Lightning dissipated harmlessly.
"Impossible…" one mage muttered, eyes wide.
Isaac's smirk widened. "Not impossible. Just… unfamiliar."
He whispered a single word: "Despair Wind."
A gust of invisible force swept across the mages. Their bodies grew heavy. Every movement felt like swimming through quicksand. Panic flickered in their eyes as their limbs refused to obey.
Isaac took a step forward. The ground rippled under him. Reality bent to his will. Gravity shifted slightly; mana currents inverted; air resisted the spells they tried to cast. He could feel their fear, their confusion, their hopelessness it was deliciously precise.
"Enough games," he said softly. His staff split into three glowing sigils, orbiting him like miniature moons.
Then he unleashed it: "Arcanum Absolute."
The sky above Eldran twisted violently. Fire, water, lightning, shadow every element collided in a storm of raw magical energy. Spells the mages tried to cast were absorbed, rewritten, and hurled back against them with overwhelming force.
They screamed as their own magic turned against them, disarming them completely. One by one, they hovered in midair, frozen, unable to touch the ground. Isaac walked among them, calm, a predator inspecting prey.
"Do you understand now?" he asked the leader, a young mage trembling.
"I…what are you?" the boy stammered.
Isaac tilted his head, eyes cold yet amused. "I am not bound by your rules. I write them."
With that, he released them. They collapsed to the ground, battered but alive. Not out of mercy he could control the outcome entirely. Every life, every spell, every possibility was his to command.
He turned away, eyes sweeping across the city. The streets were quiet, oblivious to the storm that had just passed. But Isaac didn't care about whispers or recognition. He cared about growth. About testing his limits. About seeing just how far magic, reality, and life itself could bend under his will.
A small breeze carried the scent of the river. The hum of magic in the city was weaker than he liked. Boredom crept into his chest but that was expected. The world had given him nothing challenging yet.
Interesting… he thought. So the world has rules. Rules I can break. Monsters I can outsmart. Gods I can surpass.
Isaac's eyes glimmered brighter. Mana pulsed beneath his skin. Time, space, and energy all were tools he could wield. Every blade of grass, every drop of water, every ember in the distance could be rewritten, reshaped, controlled.
He crouched slightly, letting his senses expand. Even the city's faint magical currents were visible now, like threads of light connecting every living being. He could step anywhere, strike anyone, rewrite anything.
The thrill of possibility made his pulse quicken. This was just the beginning. He could already sense the reactions of kingdoms, guilds, and powerful entities. Soon, they would come. But let them. Let the world try to stop him.
He pushed off the tower, landing lightly on the ground. The mages he had faced stirred, scrambling, whispers of fear escaping their lips. Isaac ignored them. Their screams, their panic, their awe they were merely background noise.
He began walking toward the heart of Eldran City. The streets were silent, but the world had shifted. The balance of power had changed. The Infinite Mage had awakened.
And for the first time in centuries, reality itself had a new author.
Let them come. I am ready.